Love's Second Chance by Myne Whitman Read Free Book Online

marched back to his parked car, after depositing the funds. “Hope you got your payment. Call me?”
    Kevwe sent a curt reply, his fingers flying over the keys of his BlackBerry, “I’ll see you soon, in Abuja.”
    His phone began to ring immediately.
    The idea to go to Abuja had not just popped into his mind. The suspense had been bugging him, and after his reaction to the manager, he had to find a way to confront Efe. She owed him, and it seemed the fates wanted them together again. After jumping hoops to make her the most essential person in his life all those years ago, she’d thought his heart too small and had smashed her way out. Then, he’d accepted from others that she abandoned him, but now he needed to hear it from her.
     
    **
     

 
    6
     
     
    Abuja . November 27, 2009. 2.30pm
     
    Efe swung around on her swivel chair as she picked the receiver.
    “ Please don’t start,” she begged when Nneka immediately lit into her, mad she hadn’t called in the week since their last meeting.
    “ OK, so what have you been doing with yourself eh? I mean, apart from avoiding your goddaughter o.”
    “ Sure you want to know?” Efe asked. “But let’s set the record straight, I’m the greatest godmother who walks the earth!”
    That got Nneka laughing. She told Efe about her botched shopping at Emab Plaza, and asked for them to have lunch at the new Indian place on Kashim Ibrahim Way. As they were about to agree on the time to meet, her laptop beeped.
    “ Hold on, Nneka,” Efe muttered.
    “ You want to cut me off, eh?” Nneka asked.
    “ No please, I’ve got a message.” A window had popped up on the corner of her computer screen, and she now maximized it to scan the email from a prospective customer. A surprised  and happy shriek escaped her.
    “ What is it?” Nneka asked.
    “ I just got a confirmation from Don Jazzy.”
    Efe clicked on a   link in the email as she spoke.  It led to a Facebook page about a party in Abuja with Hilton as the venue .
    “ Don Jazzy? What’s the deal?”
    “ He wants the hotel to host the music album launch for a member of the Mohits crew. And we’ll provide rooms for all their guests.” Efe had already planned how to handle it all.
    “ Congrats! You did it, girl. But, I could kill you right now.” Nneka ended on a note of envy.
    Efe laughed at her. Her friend clearly wished to change places even more than to kill her. “I’m thinking you’ll want me alive to get you backstage with Dbanj, eh?”
    “ Of course! Don’t even joke with me. Next on the agenda is Banky W. His song, dey do me strong thing.”
    Efe raised her eyebrows, “And you a married woman…”
    “ Go and sit down jare!” Nneka laughed. “Are you immune?”
    Efe laughed. “Relax dearie, I no fit try you. Banky makes good music, but me I prefer Dbanj.”
    “ P-square is not bad too.” Nneka added. “I can bank on tickets for the launch then? Lucky you, meeting all these Naija stars.”
    “ Of course I’ll invite you and Dozie.” Efe assured as her BlackBerry began to vibrate on top of the desk. “Hold on,” she said to Nneka on the office land-line and picked the BlackBerry.
    “ Hi babe, can you talk?” It was Stanley.
    “ Please, hold on Stanley,” she said and switched phones.
    “ Nneka, I’ll call you back. Or better yet, see you at Wakkis by three.” She whispered the next words, “And there will be fresh gist.”
    Nneka was still screeching when she returned the phone to its receiver and placed the BlackBerry to her ear.
    “ Hello Stanley, I hear you’re in Nigeria?”
    The phone call didn’t last too long, and soon she was on her way to Wakkis for the lunch with Nneka.
    An hour later, Efe was full enough to glance around at the wooden tables and benches of the restaurant. Her navy jacket hung on the back of her seat, and air blew over the skin of her bare arms and pushed against the ruffled red silk of her blouse.
    It was her first time here, and she found the casual