Loving the Best Man (Friends & Lovers Book 2) by Jaye Diane Page A

pulling out his phone.
    “No!” Both Emerald and Mrs. Jordan muttered simultaneously.
    Lincoln looked at them both with a dark frown on his face.
    “It was probably just these stupid kids,” Emerald said, making a serious attempt to keep her voice light. The last thing she needed were cops in her building. She’d end up being the most hated woman in the place. Besides, the cops hadn’t been any help so far.
    “I think it’s those Jenkins boys,” Mrs. Jordan told Lincoln. “They been doing this mess all over the building.”
    “Well somebody needs to talk to them,” Lincoln said, grinding his teeth.
    “It’s harmless.” Emerald took out her keys to unlock the door.
    “Harmless?” Lincoln exclaimed. “This is not harmless, Em. This is harassment.”
    “Calm down.” She kept her voice low. He was usually so laid back. His fury was quite a sight.
    “I’m calling the police.”
    “Don’t do it, boy,” Mrs. Jordan warned before Emerald could reply. “We don’t want or need those pigs up in our business.”
    Emerald knew that Mrs. Jordan had an intense dislike for the police, who’d arrested her daughter. Janet’s mother was now serving a couple of years in jail for selling drugs. Emerald vaguely knew the woman, who had been selling drugs out of her apartment in order to pay bills. Emerald knew that selling drugs wasn’t the answer but in the face of Mrs. Jordan’s sadness, couldn’t help but wish that the woman was free.
    “Let’s go inside, Lincoln. You have a goodnight, Mrs. Jordan.”
    Mrs. Jordan stared at Lincoln for a moment before going back to her own apartment. Emerald got her door unlocked and went in with Lincoln following closely behind her.
    “I don’t like this, Emerald.” He made no move to take his coat off, standing stiffly by the door and looking very angry.
    “I don’t either,” She agreed. “But it happens. I’ll clean it off and forget about it.”
    “Why won’t you call the police?”
    “This is the hood,” Emerald said, wanting to snap. But it wasn’t his fault he didn’t understand or that she was so on edge. “If I bring the police into the building it better be for a damn good reason.”
    “You need to get out of this place.” He finally took his coat off.
    “I will, one day. I actually like it here.” Well, she had liked it until recently.
    “Aren’t you making good money working at 50G? Can’t you move now?”
    She knew it wouldn’t go well if she told him to mind his business. Without being lovers, they still were friends and she wouldn’t disrespect him.
    “Yeah,” She said, nodding as she removed her own coat. “I am making good money. But money was never the reason I stayed here. Well…when I first moved in this was all I could afford. But I was making okay money at the gym too. And I chose to stay here. I liked it. I still like it.”
    He shook his head and walked away from her. He sat on the couch and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
    “It’s not that big of a deal, Lincoln.” But now that he’d brought it up, it occurred to her that she should probably move. She could go somewhere where Marley couldn’t find her.
    “I don’t like it.”
    “I’m going to clean it off tomorrow.”
    “I don’t mean just that. I mean this entire situation.”
    “Maybe I will look for a new place,” She said, not wanting Lincoln to think that he’d forced her into deciding to move but seeing no way around it. “I’ve been so comfortable here that there didn’t seem to be a reason to move.”
    “I think that’s a good reason.” He sounded slightly calmer and jabbed a finger in the direction of her door.
    “Well, that’s never happened before. So now that it has…I’ll consider moving. If I can find a decent place at a decent price. I don’t care how good my salary is now. I’m not giving it away for anything less than what I deserve.”
    “Sounds good,” Lincoln murmured. “Sounds really good.”
    Despite the situation, she