"If I had this house I would never want to leave" Kierra mumbled gazing at my house from the car, to me it wasn't nothing compared to what I wanted but I was blessed just to have this.

" I've been saving up for another one, this was my starter home"

"Starter? This would be my permanent home it's big enough and the neighborhood is so quiet"

I noticed how her eyes lit up staring at my spot, she had goals and she wanted badly to achieve them it was all in her face.

"How's your credit?"

"Actually pretty good" She smiled proudly.

"You want a house like this you gotta save up a down payment at least ten racks"

I wanted Kierra to know that her goals were achievable and her goals didn't need to be her dreams it could her reality.

I unlocked the door stepping aside to let her enter first, I wanted to see her reaction to the inside.

" This is, gorgeous"

"Thanks to my mom and Sammy"

Kierra seemed to keep her arms close to her body not even wanting to brush up against anything.

"Make yourself at home" I tried making her feel more comfortable.

"How when everything I want to touch looks out of my price range?"

"Yeah shit in here is expensive but it's all materialistic shit and I didn't buy it for people not to touch, Mani was six when I first bought it"

She still carried herself carefully waiting on me to lead her into a specific room.

"I'm sure you want to eat your food, I gotta make sure everything set up for you in the bathroom"

"Could you heat it up for me? I really don't want to mess your stuff up" I admired her respect for my crib but I needed her to just relax and be herself around me.

"I got you, you got a certain body wash you into ? I got some women's Dove and Dr. Bronner peppermint soap"

She reached down in her bag taking out a Ziploc bag with a travel sized Dove body wash bottle.

"You just be carrying that shit around?" I tried coming up with a scenario of why she would just be carrying around soap in her bag.

"Not proud of it but my water had been cut off for a while and I had to make due with the McDonald's bathroom"

Kierra rubbed her forearm looking away from me uncomfortably, I didn't think her situation was that bad off but I was glad God placed me in her life to help out.

" You did what you had to do, shit is honorable that you didn't give up and you didn't make excuses"

"Still a work in progress" She shrugged, I took the bag of food from her to heat it up because she wasn't going to eat unless I was the one to touch the stuff in my house.

"Always, I'm not where I wanna be yet just pace yourself you'll be straight"

"Are you married or have a girlfriend?

Kierra opened and closed her mouth shut, I smiled taking her food out the microwave sliding it to her on the kitchen island.

"Oh you trying to see wassup with me?"

"It's not like that" She giggled nervously keeping her eyes down on her food " I was just wondering because you seem like a really good guy just thought you would have somebody"

"Nah I'm single been single for a couple of years, my work is my woman"

"So you don't want to be married or even committed to anybody?"

I knew I wanted to be settled down I just never sat down and thought about when and with who.

"Why you pressing me about my love life Kierra? I think you trying to take your shot"

Kierra snorted eating some of her food, she was beautiful but I knew she wasn't ready for nothing serious her focus was all in on getting her life right.

"I am not! even if I was you are my boss and I don't mix business with pleasure"

"Hypothetically what if I were to fire you, would you pursue me?" Kierra blushed looking away.

"If you weren't my boss and if my life was on track yeah I would shoot my shot"

She acted out as if she was shooting a basketball leaving her wrist bent up in the air smiling. I laughed shaking my head.

"I knew your ass was head over heels ready to commit"

"Goodbye Ermias" Kierra sucked her teeth, I reached over the counter snatching up a piece of her turkey bacon.

"Since you being nosy about me, what about you? you got a man?"

"If I did I wouldn't be in your house alone with you out of respect for him"

I rubbed the side of my beard really liking the way she thought and went about things, Kierra seemed to be a solid ass female.

"What happened with your son's father?"

She twisted her mouth to the side looking away, I could see the dark cloud moving in over her.

"Kameron's father committed suicide before he was born"

"Shit my bad" I replied sympathetically.

"C-can I go take my shower now?"

I could see her nose getting red and her eyes get glassy from the tears she was fighting to hold back from falling.

"Yeah come on I'll show you"

I lead her to the guest bathroom, turning on the light.

"The shower you turn right for cold and left to make it hot" All she did was nod and rub her forearm "Kierra my bad for making you upset, if I knew I wouldn't have asked"

"It's alright, I get like this every time about it"

"I know you a hugger, you want a hug?"

She smiled weakly nodding her head, I reached my hand out taking her wrist into my hand pulling her gently into me. Kierra wrapped her arms around my waist laying her head on my chest.

"These last few days have been the happiest day of my life and I owe it all to you Ermias, thank you"

"You ain't got to thank me, you deserve this and I see the hunger in your eyes and body language you were meant to be here"

"I wouldn't have gotten here without you"

I never did this for recognition or praise, I gave back and gave jobs because it was apart of why God placed me on this earth.

"You would have gotten here with or without me. you gotta believe in yourself"

I realized we were still standing here in the middle of my guest bathroom holding onto one another, Kierra seemed to notice to backing away awkwardly.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to hug you for that long, I should probably shower to get your hair done"

"Alright, I'm going up to my bathroom to take these braids out and wash my hair you can come up when you done"

She nodded, again that hug felt just a good as the last one. Kierra felt like the missing puzzle piece in my life and it was bugging the hell out of me.

"After the shop closes you wanna hang out tonight, ride around and get some food? or do you got to get back to your son?"

"No he comes home in two days from my moms house and yeah that sounds cool"

I smiled and leaving her to take her shower while I went up to my room to take my hair out of the braids and wash it for her to do.

Damn I hope she know how to braid.

......................................................

It's something new about your store?"

"Yeah I got an artist to paint the wall right here to bring some life to the store"

I replied to the journalist Julian Mitchell from Forbes who had stopped by before at my shop when I first opened up, I felt good and I looked good thanks to Kierra for hooking me up last minute.

" What's their name so we can give them the credit?" He curiously asked and this was the moment for Kierra to get her name out there to get more clients.

"Lemme introduce to her, Kierra come here"

I called her over from behind the cash register, she came up to us looking clueless.

"Kierra this is Julian from Forbes, Julian this is my artist Kierra"

" Do you have more art to show off or have plans of venturing out to other clientele?" She looked caught off guard so I stepped up throwing my arm over her shoulder.

"She gonna actually have a little art show here in a month to sale her art and show off her talent, you got the first invite"

Kierra looked up at me with wide eyes then back at Julian smiling shyly.

"Wow I appreciate that and I will be here for that" Julian looked at us and then back at the wall " Could my photographer get a picture of you both just chilling by the wall for the website?"

"Yeah come on"

"You want me too?" Kierra asked in disbelief.

"Yeah you are the woman behind the art so you have to be in it, if it's okay with you"

She nodded standing beside me at the wall.

"We continue to talk and just have a natural picture going" Julian kept his eyes on the wall " I'm just impressed you didn't use stencil like your lines on the wording and flag is perfect"

"It was a lot of work" Kierra smirked knowing I had threatened to fire her if she didn't get this done " I fucked up and got the base color of the wall wrong had to start all over"

"Can I get personal with ya'll?"

"You know you can ask whatever I keep it a hunnit all the time"

"Ya'll dating?"

I frowned looking over at Kierra who looked frowned back at me shaking our head together.

"What would make you think that?"

"Ya'll chemistry is crazy and I know you have other women working for you but it's something about how you seem protective over Kierra, no disrespect just an observation"

" We are strictly professional" Kierra replied smartly making me smile back at her.

"I'm working on it my nigga"

I patted him on the shoulder pulling him away from Kierra so she couldn't hear anymore I had to say about what was going on with Kierra and myself.

"Where you going, you better not be lying Ermias!"

"Ermias huh? oh yeah something definitely going on" Julian smiled, I waved my hand.

"Seriously we are just business partners nothing more than that"

His cameraman held out the mic meaning he was recording this conversation.

"Aye Julian you my nigga but you gonna have to cut that part out with the whole chemistry and shit, I respect her privacy and she got a son who could see that"

"No of course we can edit that all out and keep all the questions and answers about the store and your music"

"I appreciate that"

We continued on throughout our interview and my mind was elsewhere the whole time. I stayed focus but my thoughts was on how tonight would be.

"Cut the camera, I wanna speak with him about something off record"

"Wassup?" I replied while we stood in the parking lot outside the store.

"I been knowing you for like three years now and not once have I seen you bring up or bring around a woman besides your mother and sister, just a piece of advice if you are really into Kierra like it seems then don't hide behind the professional act just slowly work on building something with her even if you got to be her friend for a while do that but let her know you want to move up to commitment"

"She working on herself right now I ain't trying to distract her"

"Be a friend first Nipsey help her work on herself then when she's ready and when you are ready then ya'll can take that step forward, I just want to see you happy brother seems like she's what you been missing"

I stared at Kierra smiling and talking with customers and Samiel through the glass window, she fit in perfectly with my friends and family shit with me.

"I hear you and I'm gonna do just that"

"My man" He dapped me " I'm proud of what you have accomplished and hopefully when I see you next month you will be up to admitting on camera that you got chemistry with Kierra"

"Yeah we will see about that, I appreciate you for coming through and whenever you back in town hit me up and we can go to Disney Land with the team"

"No doubt, see you in a few weeks"

I reentered the store finding Kierra back inside of the office taking out clothing from boxes that needed to be put out which wasn't her job.

"What you in here doing?"

"I thought since I didn't have anything to do right now I could help out with putting out clothes and fixing the racks up"

"You worked enough today, I need you to get your stuff so we can head out for our ride, I hope you hungry"

"Famished"

Kierra got her book bag, I took it from her putting on back walking her out the office.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning Blacc?"

"Yeah we got the music meeting and lunch with Tidal" We hugged briefly and I held the door open for Kierra to leave out.

"Alright I'll see you in the morning"

"Have fun on ya'll date" Kierra looked over her shoulder at Blacc.

"It's not a date he's taking me to get food"

"That sound like a date to me"

He shrugged, we both didn't need to be dating right now so I would just take Julian's advice and just be her friend.

"We friends that's it, right Kierra?" She seemed disappointed but covered it up with a warm smile.

" Yeah friends"

Damn did she want more?

: I sent you this just to show you how you and your " business partner" look good beside one another-7:00PM