“Yeah and sometimes you just need to let motherfuckers know you are not the one or the two. I bet if you did, he wouldn’t test you again.”
“Colin is all talk and the minute he wants to stop flapping his gums and square up, I’m ready. I ain’t been in a fight in a minute and I would love the chance to brush up on my combos.” I playfully swung in her direction. “Right hook, left hook, jab, cross, uppercut.”
“Sweep the leg … nut stomp.”
“Whoa, not the nuts.”
“I don’t fight fair.”
“I remember.” I opened a bottle of perfume from her bathroom counter giving it a whiff.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re the woman who picked up a chair and threw it in a room full of people.”
“Don’t act like the situation wasn’t already out of control.”
“How did throwing a chair help?”
“Everybody was fighting. I just put something extra on it.”
“I had to defend you.”
“Yeah, and it was exciting. You the tall, strong brother jumping in to rescue me, the damsel in distress.”
“You had a taser in your hand, you weren’t that distressed.”
“I was ready to stun anyone who tried it.”
These damn Irwin women. “And I’ve never been on a dinner boat since.”
Danessa exited the bathroom, and I followed her into the kitchen with commercial-grade appliances. The only reason I knew that was because she always pointed it out on our house tours. I could clock an eight-burner Nostalgie oven from a mile away.
“Thoughts.”
“Listen, I love condos.”
“Their low maintenance and secure which is great for individuals who travel often.”
“I agree. I’m just thinking about the trajectory of my life long term.”
“Meaning?”
I hitched my shoulder. “A few years from now I may get married and start a family, and a condo doesn’t really support that.” This wasn’t something I’d given much thought to, but it was a possibility. For the longest I thought I’d be a married man by now. The plan was to move to Kansas City and start planning our wedding. But Danessa decided to break my heart instead.
Danessa’s head jerked. “Married?”
“Don’t screw up your face like that. I am very much in demand. I think they call me a high value man.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate that phrase.”
“You said it yourself people our age are pairing off and getting married.”
“Yes, but you don’t even have a girlfriend.”
“When you meet the one, shit moves fast.”
“So you plan to meet the one and be married in two years.”
