Like No Other Man

Chapter 1

"Ms. Rose, as always I can count on you to do such exceptional work." Mr. Barlow stated with a broad smile on his face.

I smiled proudly, clutching the clip board to my chest.

"Of course, future senator Barlow. With this conference, everyone will feel more comfortable around you and more likely to vote for you." I stated,

He stroked his chin, liking the sound of it and nodded his head.

"Yes, I feel confident about that. I'll have my assistant; Marlene send you your check." He said and walked off to talk with the remaining guest.

I let out a deep breath and relaxed just the slightest. Walking out the banquet hall, I dialed my bosses’ number and informed him of my completed job.

Once I finalized something with Mr. Barlow, I walked to my cream Toyota and hopped in.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat. After a moment, I started the car and drove to Jameson Kent Junior academy.

As I pulled up to the small, average school, I could see kids playing in the playground beside the building.

I parked on the side of the road and got out smiling.

I walked over to the class, knowing that it was the one I was looking for. They usually came to play around this time.

"Hi, Jonah's mom!" The kids yelled as I walked over.

"Hi." I said and patted all their heads.

I walked over to Mimi who was their teacher.

"Charli, done so soon?" She asked, pulling me into a hug.

"Yeah, I came to get Jonah early so we could celebrate." I explained,

"Of course, I'll go get him. The chap has been trying to learn to sing all day." She said and went to get him from the shade.

Moments later, my little five-year-old came running towards me with the biggest smile ever.

"Mommy!" He cried out and jumped into my arms.

"Oh baby." I groaned and hugged him tightly.

"Ok, mommy. Let me go. My friends are watching." He whined after a moment.

I laughed, shaking my head at him and let him go.

He went to get his bag and we left shortly after saying goodbye.

"So, what did you do today, baby?" I asked as we drove down the road.

"A girl today said I couldn't sing. So, I decided to prove her wrong and learn to sing!" He yelled, raising his fist to the air.

"Why did she say you couldn't sing?" I asked him,

"I didn't know how to sing the wheels on the bus." He pouted,

"It's ok, baby. That song is pretty long if you ask me." I defended him,

He nodded his head and continued to tell me about his learning experience.

I parked outside of an ice cream shop and Jonah jumped out the car.

"Jonah, stop running or you'll fall." I said,

He groaned but stopped running. I grabbed his hand and walked into the shop.

We got into the line and waited for our turn.

"I want coco!" Jonah yelled, tugging on my hand and pointed at the chocolate ice cream behind the glass window.

"Can I have a peppermint ice cream and a chocolate one too, please." I ordered,

The man behind the counter nodded his head and got to our order. He handed out our ice cream and we walked out to the outside part of the store.

Jonah struggled in getting into his chair but got on without dropping his ice cream.

"Mommy, when are we going to visit uncle Mat?" Jonah asked, blinking up at me.

"Maybe later, I have some work to go over, but maybe we could drop by to say hello." I said,

"Is daddy going to be there?" I choked on my ice cream at his question.

"No, sweetie. He's not." I said, smiling at him.

"Why? I haven't seen him in soooo long!" Jonah whined,

"Well, your dad is a very busy man. I'm sure you'll get to see him during the weekend." I said,

Jonah nodded his head and went back to eating his ice cream.

I sighed as I leaned against the table and stirred my ice cream.

About two years ago, Jonah's dad and I got divorced. It didn't really end pretty with the whole going to court and fighting for custody. Which I won. Honestly, I have no idea what I saw in Michael and nothing good came out with being with him, well all except for Jonah.

Thankfully Jonah looked like me.

Like me, he had dark curled hair, hazel eyes, and a light caramel tone. Unlike him, my hair was darker and longer, my eyes had a bit of more green like my father, and I was slightly darker than him.

"Come on, let's go." I said once he was done.

We got up and quickly went to the bathroom to wash our sticky hands.

~~~~~~

"Uncle Mat!" Jonah yelled and ran into his uncle's arms.

Mateo smiled broadly and hugged him back.

"Hey, big brother of mine." I said,

"Hey, sis." He said and stood up, holding Jonah in his arms.

"Grace! The sister and nephew are here!" Mateo yelled as we walked into the living room.

I heard heels clacking against the hardwood floor and soon entered my sister-in-law.

She grinned, holding her eight-month-old girl in her arms. The replica of my brother though.

"Charli! Jonah! It's so great to see you guys finally." She said, hugging me before we all sat down.

"Jonah wanted to see you guys as part of our celebration." I said,

"My boy loves seeing his uncle." Mateo boasted, tickling Jonah.

Jonah giggled and squirmed in his arms. I watched relaxed as they played, and I talked to Grace.

Mateo like me had hazel eyes, but his were more brownish, black hair, but it was shortly cropped on his head, he way darker than me which he got from our dad and was tall.

He was a chef and owner of a restaurant. He met Grace three years ago while working as a guest star for the culinary school Grace was attending. She was short, light coco skinned, had brown eyes, and perky in many ways.

It was funny to see her and my brother together. At least my brother was lucky enough to find his soul mate quicker than me. Of course, he was always the funnier and more social one.

"Charli, can we talk in the kitchen please?" Grace asked,

"Sure." I said and she handed Sophie to her father before we left to the kitchen.

Once we were inside the safety and privacy of the kitchen, Grace broke down.

She sobbed and I immediately took her into my arms confused and lost.

"Oh, Charli. You have to help me." She cried,

"Help you with what, Grace? What happened?" I asked confused but rubbed her back.

She sniffled and pulled away from my arms.

She laid a hand on her hip and below her nose with the other.

"I was failed at school." She said, glancing back at me.

My eyes widened at the news and I gaped at her

"My professor as you may know him, Demetrius Carlson... He's been harassing me. Ever since Sophie was born, he's been nagging me. Telling me to come to his office, but with no real purpose. Yesterday at school he..." She took in a shaky breath and tears fell down her face as she looked up.

"I was in late. I was late in working on an assignment he gave me and... and he came onto me. I fought him off and, in the process,, he ripped my shirt and scratched my stomach. I lied to Mateo and told him that I scraped myself with the table." She said,

"So, I'm guessing Mateo is out of the question then." I said,

"I can't tell him! He'd kill him and go to jail for murder and leave me and Sophie all alone." Gracie cried,

"It's ok, darling. I'll help you in any way I can." I said and pulled her into a hug.

She continued to cry in my arms, and I comforted her now knowing what was going on and I sure as hell was going to help her.

~~~~

"Goodnight baby." I softly said and kissed Jonah's head.

He nodded his head and fell asleep almost immediately.

I sighed as I quietly left his room and closed the door. I walked over to my room and closed the door as well.

I sat at my vanity table, trying to clear my mind. I pulled my hair out from its tight bun and shook it out.

"Damn." I muttered, feeling the relief.

Being an event planner could get stressful. All the paperwork, networking, and sweet talking was tiring.

I shook my head and remembered the reason why I came to love this job.

Jackie was my sister and the youngest of us all and the most innocent. By the time I was 24, she was happily married to a doctor. Took the family an entire year to finally see the scars and bruises. She was constantly beaten and abused by her husband, Coby. By the time we wanted to reach out and help her, he beat her so bad that she went into a coma.

Even while going through that, she gave me advice and helped me find something that I liked. She volunteered at an event planning company and showed it to me. I was amazed and excited, so I took it.

I left my job which was the police academy and went to college for five years and now I'm the best at putting events like no other.

Now I wasn't going to let some other high bastard ruin my sister-in-law's life. I'd be dammed to hell and back before I lose another family member.