Page 5 of Vaughn & Cori (D-Ville Projects #7)

Cori

I send Vaughn my address, wondering what to wear. He didn’t get into specifics. He just sent me simple instructions to “think brunch”. So that’s exactly what I do in a way by settling for something simple yet mysterious, just like his message.

By the time noon rolls around, I’m ready and waiting for the doorbell to ring, only to stall when it actually does.

For some reason, instead of opening the door when I’m standing right by it, I go to the bathroom and check my face just so I won’t seem so pressed.

I regret the move as soon as I open the door and see Vaughn glancing up from his phone, looking sexy as hell.

He’s sporting the same smile as always, but when paired with his fresh cut and clothing choice today, it just hits different.

“Damn. I thought I was gonna have to text you again or some shit. Your house ain’t big enough to justify that kind of wait,” he says, subtly looking past me to see inside when everything else about him is the exact opposite of subtle. Especially his mouth.

“You act like I should’ve been racing to the door or something,” I say, trying to play off the fact that that’s exactly what I did, right up until the moment he arrived. He looks at his watch.

“Last I checked, we said noon, so that’s what I planned for.

Shit, I was actually expecting you to be by the door ready to write my ass off if I was a second too late,” he says jokingly, while I think about all the guys I’ve written off for less.

One time I even left a date early because the otherwise acceptable man was chewing too hard at the table.

But for Vaughn, my mind is ready to make exceptions while my body has me putting on in ways I wouldn’t otherwise do.

“Do I seem like I’d be that pressed?” I ask, feeling extremely pressed at the moment, and he smiles, recognizing it immediately.

“I don’t know about all that, but you definitely seem like the type who likes timeliness and precision.

Anything too early or too late probably drives your ass crazy.

You forget I’ve seen your work,” he says, acknowledging my craft while all his assumptions about me hit their mark.

Vaughn’s not eloquent in the least, but he has a way with words and never minces them, and it drives me crazy in the best way possible.

So, I play along to match his energy bar for bar.

“You know, some of the best things in life don’t require precision, just the right equipment.”

I look down at the front of his jeans, wondering about his equipment and if he’s indeed precise with it. When he follows my gaze and hits me with a smug smile before biting his lip, I’m determined to find out if he’s blessed with both.

“I’mma hold you to that shit the next time we do this then,” he says with a nod, claiming our second date before the first one’s even started, but also saying in so many words that I’ll be sleeping alone tonight.

“Why can’t you hold me accountable this time around?” I ask recklessly, only to have him study me for a moment before laughing it off and reaching for my hand.

We take the short walk to a custom lifted black truck parked out front.

“You do the work yourself?” I ask as my curiosity shows itself for the first time today and he shakes his head.

“Nah. I know a guy who does all that shit. He owns a shop around the way… Lampin’ In Lux,” he says with hesitation, being careful with his word choice for the first time today before changing the subject by asking a question of his own. “What are we listening to?”

“Whatever you want,” I say, hoping I don’t have to make an exception because him having poor taste in music may be a step too far for me.

“Okay, I see your submissive side peeking out there. I’ll file that away for later.” He nods in appreciation, and I laugh, because his assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.

“More like my naturally nosy side. I wanna know what you were listening to on the way over here. It’ll give me an idea of where your head is at or let me know if I have to cut this date short.”

He smirks skeptically, like he doesn’t believe I’d do such a thing when I really would and have before.

When he turns the volume up on the radio, there’s no music like I assumed, just the sound of sneakers on hardwood with the crowd cheering in the background and the Royals commentator calling a game.

It gives me no more information than I had before until he offers an explanation behind the channel selection.

“Jay was the last person in here, so I suppose that answers your question. He’s usually where my head is at if we’re keeping it a buck.”

I didn’t expect that response, but it has to be the sexiest thing he’s said all day, and the most appreciated.

When he pulls off, the surge of speed sends my head back onto the headrest, adding an element of excitement to our date all the way up until the moment we stop and pull into a place called The Diner.

It’s on the south side of town and wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when he said dress for brunch. I wasn’t expecting a five-star meal either, but when he turns the truck off and gets out, it takes everything in me to fix my face and follow him inside.

“You okay?” he asks, seeing right through my polite silence.

“Mmhmm. I just thought we were doing brunch, not lunch at a diner, but it’s whatever as long as the food’s good, I guess,” I say, warring with myself because this place can’t be an exception. It’s a nonnegotiable.

“You’ve never been here before?” he asks, shocked and like I’ve been missing out, but I doubt it.

“Nope,” I say, exaggerating the end of the word with a pop, and he ignores my clear irritation, rubbing his hands together in excitement

“Oh, this is your first time here? That’s even better. It works with my plans perfectly.”

“Oh, it does?”

“Yep,” he says, emphasizing the p at the end of his response just like I did earlier, mocking the funky mood I’ve had since we pulled up.

“And what plan is this?” I ask with a little more irritation in my voice, hoping he’ll take the hint, but he doesn’t.

“I’mma show you all the best things Diamond Falls has to offer. Just wait and it’ll all come together,” he says excitedly as I roll my eyes at the thought.

When we actually make it inside The Diner, I’m pleasantly surprised and I can’t deny its infectious vibe or the smell coming from the kitchen that has me breaking into a smile and eating my words along with everything else Vaughn orders off the menu because the food’s that good.

The conversation is too as we go back and forth between bites of food.

We talk about my photography, Jaylen, and his mom, but never about Jaylen’s mother or the name I see tatted on his forearm when he pushes his sleeves up to eat.

So I file those questions away for later.

After The Diner, I expect him to take me home, but before I realize it, we’re clear across town near the Diamond Estates community that’s a complete one eighty from The Diner on the south side.

When we pull up to a big brick home that’s for sale and stop in front of it, my curiosity demands answers.

“What’s all this? Are you using our time to go house hunting or something?

” I ask even though the price range for this home is steep for anyone I know, balling or not.

He doesn’t answer, just gives me a silent smile, reaching over me to open the glove box, pulling out two black, rolled-up items before passing one to me while he keeps the other for himself.

“What do I need these for?” I ask, pulling apart the disposable shoe covers.

“Just rock with me for a few more minutes and you’ll see for yourself.

It’s all part of the experience,” he says with more excitement than necessary, just like at The Diner.

I watch him get out of the car and open the door for me before I hesitantly follow his lead, out of the car and up the walkway to the front door where we pause to put the shoe covers on and see the signage at the door advertising the community’s Parade of Homes.

“This is new,” I unintentionally say out loud before he opens the door.

Stepping into the home’s foyer is not completely foreign to me, just different from what I experience on a day to day.

In my line of work, I’ve come across a few people who’ve amassed enough wealth to live like this and always appreciated the aesthetic, but I’ve never looked at the homes from a buyer’s perspective.

When Vaughn comes up behind me, guiding me further inside with his hand against the small of my back, the tiny gesture adds to the moment.

“They usually do these about once every three months. So, I had to include it because it’s obviously the best of Diamond Falls,” he says, and if he didn’t look so serious, I’d think this was a joke.

“The best of Diamond Falls, huh?” I prompt, trying to get more of where he’s going with this.

“Yeah, I’m gonna give it to you in small doses. The Diner, the Parade of Homes, and then…” He lets his words trail off before making a play for that second date. “Next time, I can show you the rest.”

“What would that next date look like? A trip to the grocery store so you can show me how top tier Diamond Falls’ produce selection is?”

I can’t resist poking fun at the comedy of this unconventional date, and he laughs, shaking his head.

“One, all our produce probably comes from Miller’s Pointe or some shit, and two, there’s no better way to get to know a person than to see the choices they make if they have limitless access to funds.

Especially when it comes to where they choose to live.

” When he puts it like that, there’s an added layer of thoughtfulness I never considered and don’t have time to before he’s moving to the next room.

“Now walk with me. Tell me what you think about this living space and I bet by the end of the date I can pick out your perfect match.”

When he makes his way into the first room, I do exactly as he asked and walk with him into a large living area with the ceiling just as high and grand as the foyer and windows just as tall.

Everything else in the room is a collection of small details that create something so intricate that it easily surpasses my simple taste and budget.

Hell, I can’t imagine many people whose price range this would be in if they weren’t a ballplayer, CEO, or moving mass amounts of illegal substances.

It makes me realize I’ve yet to find out what Vaughn does for a living. So I take the opportunity to find out.

“I guess you bring all your dates on the Parade of Homes tours. That or you have a day job as a real estate agent.”

He smiles as he shakes his head in response but seems conflicted on how he’ll answer.

“Wrong on both. Try again,” he says, letting me know this isn’t his norm or his day job.

“Inspector?” I guess when I realize how thoroughly he’s critiqued every detail of the house and knew his shit.

“Nope.”

“What do you do, then?” I ask, giving up on guessing.

“I’m something like a builder,” he says with a smile.

I stop asking questions because his answer is too cryptic.

Either he is or isn’t, and all that gray area leaves room for interpretation.

Especially given the fact he lives in or near Douglasville Projects, where many legit businesses have ties to illegal activity…

off the record, of course. I’m so lost in thought about where Vaughn fits into all of this, I spit out my next question without thinking it through.

“You planning on getting something like this once Jaylen makes it big?” I ask as the reporter in me comes out of nowhere and the smile Vaughn’s been sporting all day melts away.

“Nah. This shit is nice and all, but it’s not my style, and any money my son does or doesn’t make will be his. I ain’t saying if he were to show some love that I wouldn’t accept it. But I ain’t the type of nigga to be in another man’s pockets. Especially cashing checks before they even come.”

Vaughn makes his declaration, then walks toward the kitchen that’s just as nice but feels underwhelming without his enthusiasm for the experience. I fucked all the way up with my question. I caused the shift in the room, so I have to fix it.

“I wasn’t trying to offend you. I’ve just seen so many parents co-opting their child’s future success in my line of work, I...”

“Assumed,” he says, cutting me off. “The first thing you should know about me is I would never take shit from Jay, co-opting as a parent or otherwise. He’s already lost so much.”

The amount of emotion pouring off Vaughn in this moment triggers me.

I can relate to loss, but what I’m feeling now is a twisted mix of his feelings with my own, as sadness, remorse, and curiosity monopolize my thoughts.

I’m curious about what losses he’s referring to, but for the first time in a while, I don’t boldly ask what I want.

Instead, I try to rewind our conversation to where we were before all this.

“I guess you were right. This house tour has us jumping in, getting to know each other with both feet,” I say, trying to lighten the mood as he stays silent.