Chapter 30

Two weeks after Chichi’s interview, she finally got the call she’d been waiting for, and Tiara was the first person she shared the good news with. Sharon had decided to hire her as a marketing intern and she would be working on a part-time basis for the time being, pending when she would graduate from the university. As Dare had promised, her salary was way above what most interns earned, and she was extremely happy about this new chapter of her life.

She met with Tiara in one of the canteens on campus, and the two hugged and celebrated her new job by buying themselves the special dish of the day which consisted of a platter of well-seasoned roasted bushmeat, accompanied with a gourd of fresh palm wine. The combination were delicacies that were perfect for such a celebratory moment.

“I almost can’t believe it,” Chichi gushed happily. “It feels like a dream.”

“I can imagine,” Tiara said. “I’m so happy for you, my friend. You deserve this breakthrough, and this is just the beginning.”

“Amen to that, sis. Amen.”

“So, when do you resume?”

“Next month. I have to send them a copy of my school timetable so that they can create a sort of workflow for me that won’t disrupt my studies, Which means my work hours will be tailored around my school schedule. It’s perfect!”

“That’s great,” Tiara said with genuine joy for her friend.

“I should call Dare and share the good news with him,” Chichi announced excitedly.

On hearing his name, Tiara’s mood dipped. Although she’d managed to get through her normal routine without thinking much about Dare for the past two weeks since that horrible debacle at the Sheraton, Tiara couldn’t deny that she missed him so much and her heart broke some more each time the thought of him crossed her mind.

Chichi noticed Tiara’s sudden change of mood and she bit her tongue. Oops.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

“For what?” Tiara asked, not understanding what her friend meant.

“You know, about Dare.”

“Oh, that? It’s not a problem, Chichi. Feel free to call him, I’m sure he’ll be waiting to hear the good news from you.”

“You guys were so good together,” Chichi said wistfully. “I can’t believe something as ridiculous as a one-off slam dunk with Greg-the-weirdo is what it would take to break you two apart.”

Tiara guffawed. “Greg-the-weirdo? How did you come up with that?”

“He may be good between the sheets, still, there’s something weird about the guy. He looks like a predator.”

“I know what you mean, but I think that’s part of his sex appeal.”

“Eww! What happened to you?”

Tiara laughed.

“Look, don’t change the subject,” Chichi said soberly. “I still think you should reach out to Dare and if he refuses to respond, you’d know that at least you tried, instead of just shutting him out too.”

“I already told you, Chichi, I’m not doing that,” Tiara said stubbornly. “There’s nothing I can say that will make Dare reconcile with me. He thinks I am the scum of the earth.”

“You don’t know that. You’re just assuming.”

“Maybe, but I honestly don’t want to find out. Besides, I don’t handle rejection well. If he wants me back, he knows where to find me.”

“Do I smell pride in here?”

“Call it whatever,” Tiara said with a shrug. “I’m not calling him.”

Chichi sighed. “I know you like this guy, and it would be a shame if you let go of that beautiful thing you two shared just like that. I was really rooting for you guys.”

“Let it go, Chichi. I have.”

Her tone brooked no arguments, so Chichi dropped the subject. It pained her to see her friend so unhappy and there was nothing she could do about it. They finished off the rest of their meal while chatting lightheartedly about school, family, and their plans for the future.

When Chichi got home later that evening, she put a call through to Dare with her fingers crossed, hoping that this time around, the conversation wouldn’t end abruptly like it did the last time. She knew that she was probably meddling by trying to play Cupid, but her best friend's happiness was worth the risk.

“Hello, Chichi,” he greeted cheerfully when he answered the call. “How are you?”

“I’m doing great,” she replied with equal enthusiasm. “I’m calling to tell you the good news. I got the job!”

“Wow! Congratulations,” he said with genuine excitement. “I can’t say that I’m surprised because I knew you would nail the interview. Well done.”

“Thank you, sir—I mean, Dare. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re welcome. That was all you, by the way. I only pointed you in the right direction, but you were the one who opened the door and walked right in.”

“That’s true,” Chichi conceded with a self-conscious laugh.

There was a brief awkward silence before Chichi took the courage to tentatively steer the conversation in a different direction.

“So, how are you?”

“I’m doing great. Business is great, everything is fine. Thanks for asking.”

“She misses you, you know,” Chichi blurted out without preamble.

Dare didn’t need to ask who the ‘she’ was because he knew. “Ok,” he said absently.

“Look, I know this is none of my business, but Tiara is my best friend, and it pains me deeply to see her so unhappy and distraught. I know you’re angry with her, but Mama J didn’t even tell you the whole story.”

“What do mean?” Dare asked, his curiosity aroused. “What’s the whole story?”

Encouraged, Chichi took a deep breath and began her speech, “Let me start from the beginning. After you and Tiara had some sort of fall-out at the start of your, er—relationship, she told Mama J that she never wanted to see you again, but Mama J was adamant about sending her back to you. So, she was given an ultimatum to either quit or go back to your place when you sent for her. She chose to quit, and Mama J removed her name from the job roster.”

“Ok,” Dare said, following the story closely.

“So, when you eventually reconciled with Tiara and you two were hanging out, and traveling together, Mama J came back to Tiara to ask for a commission of every single dime you’d ever given Tiara, even though she was no longer working for Mama J. As you would expect, Tiara refused and that got Mama J so mad. That was when she came up with the false story about how Tiara was threatening to air you out to the press.”

“But Tiara never told me that Jemimah was hustling her for money after she quit.”

“I don’t know why she didn’t mention it to you, but that was what caused her problem with Mama J. Now to the issue of Greg…” Chichi paused dramatically for effect.

Dare held his breath.

“They hooked up at Mama J’s place the day she went to confront her about lying to you that she was planning to go to gossip blogs to rat you out. Mind you, at that time, you two weren’t together anymore. It was after Paris.”

She’d added the last part to jog his memory and it worked, because Dare instantly remembered that time and how mad he’d been with Tiara for breaking their agreement, not knowing that he would eventually fall in love with her.

Wait, what? His brain screeched to a halt. Was he really in love with Tiara? Was that why despite how hurt he was at her purported betrayal, he still missed her and wanted her back in his life? Was he truly in love with Tiara? Was this what it felt like to fall in love with a woman?

Chichi’s voice knocked him out of his reverie and back to reality. “She didn’t meet Mama J when she got there,” she was saying. “But Greg was there. He came on to her and then Mama J eventually showed up, so, one thing led to another and they, um, you know…”

“Yeah, I know,” he said not wanting to hear the word sex, especially when it involved Tiara and another man.

“Mama J was in on it the whole time, you know,” Chichi said. “She was there when it all went down.”

“Jemimah watched them having sex?” He asked in surprise.

“No, she didn’t. But she was in the house with them, and Tiara didn’t cheat on you as implied. You two weren’t a couple at the time she got with Greg.”

Dare immediately felt stupid. He’d believed Jemimah without even asking Tiara for the details of what had happened with Greg. He had let that conniving woman trick him again, just to get back at Tiara for not allowing herself to be bullied. No wonder she’d called him the day after that unfortunate scene at the Sheraton, to offer him a replacement for Tiara. He should have known it was all an act of revenge, but he’d been so blinded by his anger that he hadn’t seen through Jemimah’s tricks.

I’m such a fool, he kicked himself mentally. Why do I keep falling for Jemimah’s lies time and time again?

“Thank you for explaining everything to me, Chichi. You have helped me get perspective on this matter and I appreciate that very much.”

“You’re welcome. I know Tiara wasn’t going to call you to explain everything to you because she knows you’re still mad at her, but I can’t stand seeing her so unhappy. She misses you a lot. I can see it in her eyes even though she didn’t say anything to me.”

Dare’s heart squeezed when he heard Tiara missed him. He was secretly elated and somewhat relieved that his feelings for her were not one-sided, and that meant there was still hope for them. He’d let Jemimah trick him twice, and he was now determined more than ever to keep that meddling pimp away from his relationship forever.

“Don’t worry,” he assured Chichi. “I’ll give her a call.”

“That would be great!” Chichi couldn’t hide her joy.

“Thank you, Chichi. You’re a lifesaver.”