Two days later...

Lumiere - Jersey City

For the first time since he started working at his father's company, Dean arrived to work on time. Granted, he wasn't going into the office...and it was also 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

He sat in his car parked in a small lot outside of a rather run down building. The gritty Jersey City streets he'd passed on his way over looked very different than the plush, green neighborhoods of Westchester, New York where his family currently lived. Dean got out of his car and locked the door. He casually walked around the perimeters and examined the area. He decided to walk to the back.

He must have the wrong address. Wasn't the school supposed to be in downtown Jersey Cit? Having lived in New York for most of his life, both in and out of the city, Dean found absolutely no reason to frequent New Jersey. The state was a shit-hole from what he could tell. However, when he did, he was either insanely drunk or on his way to that state. There were two places he knew vaguely - Hoboken and Jersey City - quick PATH rides away from his beloved city.

This was not the hazy Jersey City he remembered. The Jersey City of his mind saw looming condominiums and bars and restaurants along brightly lit streets that had been closed off for pedestrians. That Jersey City was well maintained and even classy looking. This Jersey City? Well, it was...dirty.

"Can I help you, brutha?" grunted a dark-skinned man in a white beater and blue jeans. His lit cigarette dangled precariously from between his lips. Dean tensed. Don't fucking kill me, he thought.

"I'm just looking around. I'm going to be working here for a little while and wanted to check out the place." Dean hoped that he looked calm and collected even though that was far from what he was feeling.

"Is that right?" The man got off the bucket he was sitting on and moved towards Dean. The man looked even larger standing. He had about an inch or two on Dean, but his build surpassed Dean's lean figure. Dean could feel his muscles start to flex underneath his white oxford but he stood his ground. Who am I kidding? He could destroy me. Dean began to regret not staying in the car and calling Jayden the moment he arrived.

The man drew nearer and extended his hand.

"The name's Jackson, but the kids 'round here call me Jaxx. I'm the custodian. I also help out with other maintenance issues besides clean up." Jaxx looked the white man up and down with interest. Jayden hadn't told him to be expecting anyone today. He guessed that it must have slipped her mind. While what Jax had said to Dean was true, he'd left out the word guardian. That was also on his list of responsibilities. He guarded this run down building like it was his own home. It certainly felt like it at times.

"Nice to meet you, Jackson." They shook hands firmly and let go. Strong grip, thought Jaxx. Solid. Jaxx could tell a lot about a man's character by the way he shook hands. He sensed in Dean the spirit of a guardian, too.

"You can call me Jaxx." Dean was taken a back by the request in informality, but humbled by the gesture nonetheless. He also felt like a complete tool for being afraid of this man in the first place. Jackson was trying to make him feel comfortable.

"Alright, Jaxx. My name's Dean. I don't really have much of a nickname around these parts but back when I played lacrosse my boys called me DK. You can all me that if you'd like."

"Say what now? Lacrosse? What's kind of sport is that?" Jax only cared for two sports: basketball and golf.

Dean laughed out loud."It's mostly a prep school sport -- a bunch of guys running up and down a field with a stick with a net at the end. They toss around a hard little ball and try and make a goal with it."

"Huh." Jaxx muttered thoughtfully. He looked up at Dean and cracked a huge grin illuminating the gap at the front of his large white teeth. "I was 'bout to say. I don't see nobody running 'round here with sticks for sport if you get what I'm saying..."

"Yeah, I got you." Dean assumed by that statement this was not a very pleasant area. This thought struck him again. How could this be part of the Jersey City he'd been to? He wasn't stupid or naive enough to think that "bad" places didn't exist, but was startled by his lack of exposure. He hadn't seen it all. In fact, he'd been seeing things and going places that were generally the same. The thought made him restless for reasons he could not quite yet name.

"Well, DK," Jaxx enunciated for emphasis, "I think we gon' get along just fine. You going inside now?" Jax gestured to unmarked entrance at the back of the building.

"Yes sir."

"I'll go in withcha. Let me just finish this here." Jaxx took one long drag from his cigarette and dropped it to the floor crushing it with the toe of his Timberland boot.

"Follow me" Jaxx said as he grabbed his blue maintenance shirt dangling off of a nearby fence bordering the property. Dean followed Jaxx back inside. Immediately they were bombarded with the sent of fresh Lemon Pine Sol and mint. The reception area was brightly lit and the walls were a bright yellow. A slender woman sat behind a high desk. She stared intently at the computer screen before glancing up at the approaching men; she fixed her glasses slightly.

"Hi, Jaxx!" She answered cheerfully, her voice high pitched. Looking closer she seemed a lot younger than her cotton blouse, dress slacks and ponytail projected.

"Hi, Shelly. This here's the new guy. Dean...Keh...what you say your last name was again?" Dean had never told him.

"Kennel. Dean Kennel here to see Jayden McDaniel." The young receptionist looked down at what appeared to be a scheduler and looked up again.

"Ah, Mr. Kennel. I don't have you done for an appointment with Ms. McDaniel." It would seem that Jackson wasn't the only one who didn't know of his visit today. That seemed strange...and a bit rude. He'd have to talk to Jayden about that.

Sally, on the other hand, was trying hard not to have a melt down. Jayden have given her this job to keep her off the streets and she didn't want to mess it up. She tried hard to search her memories for a time Jayden might have brought his name up. She drew a blank. I'm fucked, she thought.

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't have a formal appointment," Dean said charmingly, "I'm not due for another couple of days but I thought I'd come over and take a look at the place early. I'm the representative from the firm who'll be monitoring the program's transition for the next couple of months. She might have mentioned it."

The young girl's face lit up in recognition. Praise the lord. That DID ring a bell, Sally mentally cheered.

 "Oh! Kennel Corps. Yes, Ms. McDaniel shared the good news with us this morning. Thank you so much for donating so much money to us. We truly appreciate it." Jayden hadn't mentioned how good looking our benefactor was, mused Sally.

 "Don't thank me. I just work for the man who signed the check."

"But your name..." Sally stared at the man in confusion.

"Yeah, he's my dad. But shhh...don't tell anyone." Dean gave her teasing smile. She blushed. Dean couldn't help but be a flirt. If he could name his three loves, they would be: Lacrosse, Tequila and Women. He loved women. The one before him was cute, but, admittedly, too young. Flirting only, he reminded himself.

"Okay. Well she's in the recreation room working with the middle school kids right now. Jaxx can show you the room." Dean looked over to Jaxx who nodded in agreement.

"After you, Jaxx." Dean allowed Jaxx to pass him by the desk area down a yellow hallway. At the end of the hallway, both men turned and went up a flight of stairs and through a glass door. During this time, Dean surveyed the building taking mental notes. From what he knew and had read in the portfolio his father had handed him, Jayden wanted to transition Lumiere into a real school. Right now, it was operated primarily as after school program with remedial services on the weekend like tutoring and GED classes for adults. Yet, as he looked at the chipping paint and lack of space, he had no idea how they could ready this particular building to house children safely. They had much to discuss.

On the second floor of the building heard many voice, laughter and the sound of a few basketballs dribbling.

 As if sensing his thoughts, Jaxx finally spoke. "This here building is not much but we managed to get a few things in here for the kids, like this little in door basketball court. Ms. Jayden hustled hard to get the money for it too. Fundraising and all. She's a saint to them kids."

Drawing closer to the sounds, the walls, now green, gave way to a glass pane to the right. Dean looked in and he could see a group of students running up and down a small but well crafted basketball court. He heard a whistle and looked over to the referee. Clad in a loose white t-shirt and black spandex leggings, she let the whistle drop to her chest and yelled a few things out at the kids, a mixture of boys and girls. One boy replied with an impetuous shrug of his shoulders and appeared to have made an offhand comment. He watched as Jayden strode quickly towards the little boy in the middle of the court and raised her hands. For a second Dean thought that she would slap the boy, but she lowered her hands and began to tickle him. Immediately, all of the children surrounded them and began to tickle the boy and some tickled Jayden. Through all the commotion, tickling and laughter, Dean saw Jayden throw her head back and laugh the hardest.

"She's a beauty, ain't she?" Dean turned to see Jaxx staring at him intently. His gaze knowing.

"What?" Dean let out a nervous chuckle and a couple of seconds of awkward silence followed. Dean continued, "Yeah...she really is."

Dean couldn't deny that fact - a fact that might complicate their little work relationship. He was used to business dealings with men and none of them looked half as good in their gym clothes.

Jaxx nodded his head silently and returned his gaze to the display of joy before him. Changing the subject he commented, "Just look at them acting all crazy. That's a rule you know. Somebody mouth off, everybody gets to tickle person 'till he can't stand it no more." Dean nodded and smile.

 "I like that rule. A lot. Kind of wish I had that in school growing up."

 "Yeah, me too. Maybe I would have stayed there." Jaxx muttered. Dean didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

Lumiere - Jersey City

"Alright settle down, settle down." Jayden took the middle of a small brightly lit space. In actuality the room served as the gym, the cafeteria, and the auditorium. Over thirty young faces stared out at her. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Why are you here?"

The children roared back, "To use my time in a way that serves me and my community!"

And so began the traditional call and response of their daily meeting.

            "Why else?"

            "To be the best person I am meant to be."

            "And what will you do?"

            "Work hard, think critically!"

            "What will you need?"

            "Self determination."

            "What else?"   

            "Respect for me, my teachers, all students"

            "And what is the ultimate goal?"

            "Give back to others..."

The gymacafetorium erupted in applause. Everyone had the energy they needed to get through the afternoon. Jayden raised her hand and the room quieted.

 "It's a great day today and we're all so fortunate to be together. We're going to go over some announcements briefly and then talk about our future. As you all know..." Jayden faltered as she realized that they'd had a guest in the room.

Dean watched her from the side of the circle. He was dressed business casually in a crisp white oxford casually unbuttoned at the neck and rolled up to the elbows revealing strong forearms. The shirt tucked in into a lean waist where khaki pants adorned his long legs and tapered over brown leather boat topsiders. His long brown curls looked windswept as per usual and they fell messy over his sleepy eyes. He looked incredibly handsome. How long had he been there? She felt her cheeks flush at how blatantly she stared at him. He too stared back, a smile playing at his lips.

She cleared her throat with an "excuse me" and broke their gaze, "we've been given some money by the prestigious Kennel Corps to really expand Lumiere." This elicited excited murmurs among the students. Jayden raised her hands again.

"But what does that mean?" She looked around the circle.

"It means that during the hours that you're not here with us, we've been working hard to find a new place to move. We think we've found a space downtown and with the money, we get to buy, renovate it and add a whole other facility to our program. Then, Lumiere will fully be considered a school, instead of just a summer and after school program!" The room erupted in applause again and Jayden beamed. When the applause died down she continued, "for the time being, we can make some much needed changes to this building, get some more books, maybe an outdoor basketball court, and other programs with the new space - the sky's the limit!" Jayden actually glowed.

"Now, I don't want to get beside myself. This is not going to be easy. There's much we need to do but I'm telling you all this because we need your help, students. There will be a lot of people coming to look at the place. I need you all to be true and honest with them and yourselves, showing them how wonderful you really are. I need you to go home and talk to your parents and guardians about the news because we're going to need a lot of support. Okay?"

The children echoed a resolute, "Okay!"

Jayden asked, "Are you excited?"

"Yes."

"Are you excited?" She yelled.

"YES!" They yelled back in unison, cheering loudly.

Dean was floored by the amount of love he was witnessing in this very space. Her command of the room, in her gym clothes at that, was astounding. It was so strange seeing her this way when he'd just saw her a few day before all dolled up and stanch-like. Both sides of Jayden were incredibly sexy, but this side, he decided was what he liked best. Yes, this complicates things, he thought.

"Alright, well let's get the afternoon started on a positive note. Please transition to your after school teacher. Snacks are available for students in the Baldwin room. Remember that this is a new cycle so some of your after school activities might have changed. Check in with your teacher about it. Lastly, around 6:00, teachers, you can give away any of the remaining snacks from that day to the students who worked the hardest." Jayden heard "yeaah!" and saw a few students high-five. Students began to gather their things to leave when Jayden cleared her throat loudly for one last announcement.

"One more thing, guys! I would be crazy not to introduce you all to Dean Kennel, who's come all the way from Kennel Corps in NYC to see you guys. Mr. Kennel, will you step out into the circle?" Jayden smiled at Dean's startled expression. He actually flushed a darker pink. Running a hand through his hair, he stepped into the circle and joined Jayden in the middle. He looked around the circle bashfully and waved.

"Hi! I'm so embarrassed. I didn't expect to be introduced to all of you today. I was hoping to kind of fade in the background." Dean looked around at the adorable faces; they were curious about him. Their eyes were wide in wonder but they also laughed at his awkwardness.

Jayden giggled at the irony of the statement. The program was predominantly black and Latino. He could never just faded into the background around here.  Jayden placed a light hand on his back; she couldn't quite reach his shoulder comfortably.

 "No worries, Mr. Kennel. We're just really excited to have you here. Right guys? What do you have to say to Mr. Kennel?"

"Thank you, Kennel Corps!" The children erupted in applause again. They'd been rehearsing this line for a video a teacher and few students were working on to send to Jonathan Kennel as a thank you. Dean turned a shade darker.

"No, thank you! You guys are awesome. I can't wait to see what great things you're up to around here."

Jayden in, "that's right! Mr. Kennel will be around for some time while the new changes take effect. You'll probably see him in your classes, in the offices, and - "

"...probably on the basketball court." The students laughed again. Some of the boys whispered to one another excitedly.

"Yes, there too. Please treat Mr. Kennel as part of the Lumiere family and show him a great time. Thanks. You are dismissed." The morning circle broke and a few students boldly crossed the circle to meet and shake hands with Dean. Jayden stepped aside impressed and walked over to discuss further announcements with the teachers. When she walked back over, a few boys still lingered in front of Dean discussing, apparently, basketball plans. Jayden recognized them as Quamaine and Reggie. She chuckled to herself as she heard:

 "So you play basketball, Mr. Kennel?"

 "Call me, Dean." Quamaine seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea, but shrugged.

"Okay, Dean. What'cho skills like?" Quamaine knew that he should head off to his activities but he was so stoked that there was another male in the building whole liked playing basketball. Mr. Tate never wanted to play. Quamaine thought he was wack.

 "Well, I played ball in college for fun, could've gone out for the team but I chose to play Lacrosse instead."

Reggie piped in, confused. "Lahcrost. What's that?"

Quamaine nudged Reggie's ribs sharply.

 "It's a sport, stupid. Nevermind him. That's cool, I guess. So you want to play ball sometime before our afternoon activities. We leave school and come here straight at 3:30 so that we can get some time in."

"Yeah, sure. But how about tomorrow? I didn't bring my gym clothes with me."

 "Cool!" the boys uttered simultaneously. Before the boys could leave, Dean added, "yeah, and maybe I could show you guys how to play Lacrosse, if you don't already know. I have a few sticks at home."

"Yeah! That would be awesome." To Reggie, Quamaine spoke, "I can't wait to tell the boys about this. It's gonna be on and poppin'."

Jayden had watched the entire interaction silently. She had to admit that she was impressed by how well he conversed with the kids. He seemed to be a natural. She didn't know why, but this made her a bit uneasy. It's because you don't trust him, she surmised. That could be true. She was very protective of her program because of the kids. They were special, not because of just who they were, but because all of that they've had to endure being a part of this community. She didn't want just anyone around her kids. With that thought she intervened,"Alright, boys. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yes, Ms. Jayden. We goin' right now." Reggie said grabbing on to Quamaine and pushing him towards the exit. The auditorium had cleared by then and a small bell could be heard in the background signaling the start of the first round of activities.

 "Bye, now!" They waved back on their way out the door.

Jayden turned to see a huge grin plastered on Dean's face.

 "You look like a big kid, right now."

"I feel like one. I've never really been put on the spot like that before."

"I'm sure you have." Jayden thought for a moment. She recalled a time from high school. "I remember when that girl called you out at morning meeting in school for auctions. That was in front of the entire school." 

 That startled Dean. How could she remember something like that when he'd first heard her name he couldn't even remember her face? Her reprisal of this memory was only another painful reminder of all the things he just wasn't aware of -- like her. She'd been there in high school with him, the whole time.

"Ugh. You remember that? I try to repress that memory." He groaned. A pained look crossed his face.

"Yeah. That makes sense. Auctions were the worst. I can't believe we bought into stupid traditions like that in high school. I mean really...auctioning off people for prom? Auctioning off people in general..." Jayden let the magnitude of her thoughts linger in the air, hoping he'd catch her drift.

 "Yeah. We were stupid back then, young and stupid. I'm glad that tradition has been banned."

Jayden sucked her teeth, "Please, you know those kids are still doing under the administration's nose. It got banned back then, too, but we still managed to pull it off. In fact, wasn't it your group of friends that started it back up our senior year?" The Lax bros, as they were called, did whatever, whenever they wanted in high school.

Dean stared at her warily, reluctant to answer. "I guess. I wouldn't know. I wasn't a part of stuff like that."

That wasn't the truth and he knew she knew it. Dean had loved Auctions in high school. It was a way to humiliate the slutty girls they had gone to school with. They wanted attention so badly and Dean and his friends thought he was doing everyone a service. He never had time to dwell on the impact on such a tradition or it's ramifications until this very second. Auctions were terrible, he could admit that know. It hurt people's feelings and made them feel like shit.

Jayden also hesitated before answering an, "Of course, you weren't." She hoped he didn't catch the slight sarcasm to her voice, but he did.

Dean didn't come here to be reminded about how inconsiderate he and his teammates had been in high school. Throughout his college career, he'd run into to several of his high school peers at bars or parties around the city who had no problem telling him how much they'd hated his team.

"Well, when you're young and reckless you don't really don't care about who you hurt. You just want to have fun. Things are different now. I'm not sixteen anymore. The past is the past, right?" He looked at her in earnest. His strong hands tucked into his pockets.

 The air between them has suddenly become tense and she didn't understand why or how it had gotten to this point so quickly. She promised herself long ago that she wouldn't let her past experiences get the best of her again. Yet, she could feel the bitterness of yesteryear slipping its way to the forefront -- she had been one of those girls and from the looks of it he didn't even remember.

How fucking convenient. She wanted to lighten up the situation so Jayden let a fake laugh escape her lips.

"Exactly. So what are you doing here?" She asked warily noting the double entendre of the question. "I mean...so early. We weren't expecting you until at least next week."

Dean relaxed a bit. His face softened. A change of subject.

"I don't know. I guess I got bored sitting in the office. I figured this would be more fun, you know, being in a school setting with lots of students around. Kids are lot more fun than adults wouldn't you say?" Jayden nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well already you're a big hit with the boys."

Dean laughed, "Really? I hope so. They seem like cool kids. I look forward to getting to know them. I probably shouldn't have brought up the basketball thing because I feel like I'm gonna make a fool of myself."

Jayden also laughed. "Wow, so you can't play ball?"

"Oh, no. I can ball. It's just that I was watching them play ball a bit earlier today and I see that they've got skills."

 "Yeah, a couple of them are local all stars in their middle schools but it won't them anywhere if they don't pass. That's where I come in."

Dean nodded, understanding. "They're lucky to have you." He spoke in a low voice, looking at Jayden pointedly. His brown eyes searching. Brown just like hers. She looked away and smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"No, I'm the lucky one."

They stood in silence for a beat.

"Wait, you said you saw them playing earlier. When? How long have you been here?"

Dean grinned and shifted, moving towards the window. Jayden stared at his back.

"Well, I've been here since 3. Jaxx showed me around some and then we stumbled upon the game. I saw some real talent."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, but there was one thing I couldn't take my eyes off of?" He turned to her slightly and she moved closer to the window.

Jayden groaned. "I know, I know. The piles of desks and chairs in the corner. It's an awful place to put those things but we're running out of storage so we needed to a place to put them temporarily..."

"Nah, I was referring to the referee." Jayden stared at him blankly. Deam moved closer. He had to be crazy. He knew it. Already he was breaking all kinds of professional rules by saying what he had just said, but since he got to this building he'd been feeling something...and right now he could only describe it as out of control.

 "Yeah, that's right. I said it. The referee. She was the most unconventional referee I ever saw." Just like that. The situation had shifted. A new tension pulsated throughout the room. Dean decided, like most decisions in his life, he'd deal with the consequences later.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Jayden couldn't believe she was stuttering and she couldn't believe the affect this man was having on her heartbeat. Dean moved closer still.

Fuck, fuckety fuck, Jayden thought. Jayden had wanted to, if not hate this man, strongly dislike him. Yet, she could not deny the fact that she could probably, as Mari would put "fuck his brains out", if they didn't have all of this "baggage" between.

"Well, for one she didn't have a ref's uniform. She had on this snug white t-shirt and some black spandex leggings, which, might I add, hugged her in all the right places. She looked incredible. Made me want to be sixteen again so I could run out, join the team and have her order me around." His voice lowered again, huskily.

 "I mean, any warm blooded man would appreciate the sight." The two were face to face and Jayden didn't think she was breathing. She didn't think she was alive. No, of course she was because she clearly felt the warmth of his hand now playing with hers lying rigidly at her side. He tugged her hand and pulled her closer. Gosh, he was bold.  

He murmured. "I don't think you should have such an attractive woman reffing your kids in the Ms. McDaniel. What do you think?"

Was he blatantly flirting with her?!

Jayden didn't get a chance to answer, nor did she think she could have when Lynette Summer, the her project coordinator, walked into the room bellowing, "Jayden!" But quickly added an, "er, I mean Ms. McDaniels" when she saw that Dean was present. Jayden stepped away from Dean quickly, wrenching her hand from his. It tingled. She was glad for the distance.

 "Yes, Ms. Summer," She responded, a bit breathless. She didn't have to look at him to know that Dean was still looking at her.

"I have the reports you requested and wanted to see if you were available to go over them with me. If you're busy right now, I can take a rain check." Lynette's eyes drifted over to Dean and then back to Jayden.

 "No, no. I'm available now. Let's go to my office," replied Jayden.

She absentmindedly smoothed down the front of her dress and began to walk towards Lynette. She paused as a thought occurred to her and turned quickly, "Mr. Kennel, please feel free to roam about the building as you please. All the classrooms and teacher's lounge are available to you. If you have any other questions, I'll be in my office."

Dean smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Thank you, Ms. McDaniel. I'll see you around. Ms. Summer, nice to meet you."

"Same to you, Mr. Kennel," Lynette said in a voice higher than normal. It was her flirty voice. She and Jayden had been friends long enough to know that. Jayden grabbed Lynette's elbow and steered her out the doorway. Lynette giggled.

 "Girl, the man is foiinneeeee."

 "Shh...shuttup. He'll hear you."

  Lynette laughed out loud this time. "Maybe I want him to hear me."

  "Lynette, please..."

 "What, girl? You can't have 'em all." With that Lynette sashayed down the hall towards Jayden's office leaving her staring at her back, dumbfounded. What did she mean by that? She didn't "have" Dean at all.