FREDDY PRINCE

Chapter four

Coming up with a friendly approach for his charitable events was hard. Freddy didn't want them to sound too repetitive or come off as too swaying. So, whenever he had a moment of free time, he got together with Mo to come up with something interesting.

"We should talk about the blatant racism coming from the first ladies of VA. If this was a community center for a bunch of white kids and white women, they would've approved it by now."

"Yeah." Freddy nodded. "I don't wanna go that route though. Because even though this is a black community center, I still wanna be all-inclusive, you know? I don't want people to look at me moving forward and feel like they can't do business with me because I'm racist."

"I feel you."

Mo nodded her head and crossed racism off their list of approaches.

"We could do a presentation," she shrugged. "Show the board, in numbers, how much having an outlet designed for black women and children will improve a lot of the challenges we face as a community."

Freddy thought about the idea for a moment. He figured it could help. Then again, there were so many other affiliations using that same approach, it made him want something fresh. Something new. Something that would guarantee a green light from the people holding him back.

"That's a good idea, Mo," he said. "All of your ideas are good."

"But not good enough?" she sarcastically asked.

"I didn't say they weren't good enough." He chuckled. "We just need something that's never been done. Look, I'll think about it some more and get back to you. We got a lil bit of time before we have to present again."

Freddy knew how much Mo liked to be on top of things and even though she was second in command, he let her call a lot of the shots. She knew the business; she knew how to be persuasive. Most importantly, she knew what women wanted and how to connect with people of all demographics. That was her specialty.

"Oh, shit."

Freddy jumped up from his chair when he realized he'd lost track of time.

"That reporter from the other day is coming by in a minute," he said. "I forgot she wanted to interview me."

That wasn't all he forgot. Freddy forgot how beautiful Kalani was. When he thought about how elegant she looked at the restaurant the night before, he couldn't help but smile to himself as he prepared for their interview.

"What's this interview about?" Mo asked. "She seems real intense."

"Yeah," he replied. "She may just be tired of all the killings and really wants to make a change. I'm hyped to see what her journalism skills look like. I might have to hire her to take your place."

"Never happening," Mo laughed. "You can get that out of your head right now. My skills are A1, okay!?"

Kalani walked into his office building and was immediately blown away by the design. It was nothing like a mediocre journalist's office that was made up of tiny desks and had run-down cubicles present as soon as you walked in.

It was a spacious four-story building with high ceilings and expensive paintings on the walls. There were vending machines and different waiting areas for those waiting to connect for an interview. There was even a small food court at the rear of the building with a great selection of entrees, drinks, and desserts. She was highly impressed.

"Damn," Kalani whispered. "I'd move back to VA if it meant I got to work here."

After stopping at the receptionist's desk, Kalani got ready to take the elevator up to Freddy's office. There was a strange feeling in her gut on the way there. Not a bad feeling, but a feeling that made her smile.