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Nate nodded. “Are you excited about the new season? You start practice pretty soon, right?”
Isaiah and Nate talked about the Gators’ expectations for the upcoming season while they waited for Angela. Cory half contributed, but spent more time texting on his phone. Nate didn’t show a hint of jealousy or bad intentions while they talked, which was cool. Isaiah didn’t want to get into a fight for dominance with Nate, but he wouldn’t be fully comfortable until he was sure Nate wasn’t hanging in Angela’s “friend zone” with the hopes of landing her in bed.
Angela came back out and Isaiah knew he had to look enthralled. His cheeks hurt he smiled so hard and he was even forcing himself to hold back. This was his problem; he jumped headfirst into things. The way Angela made him feel had him more than willing to skip the getting-to-know-you phase.
“Ready?” she asked.
“More than ready.”
Nate grinned at them. “Stay out as late as you want. Cory and I are going to make it to the end of the new Call of Duty game.”
“I’m going to lead the team,” Cory said, not looking up from his phone.
They said their goodbyes and Isaiah led Angela out to his car. “So…what’s up with Nate?”
She threw him a questioning glance. “What do you mean?”
“Okay, I’m going to be real. I don’t know many guys who’re willing to babysit.”
She chuckled. “Don’t worry. He has free time and I pay him to play video games and make sure Cory doesn’t burn down the place. He also has a girlfriend that I adore.”
He opened the passenger-side door. “Cool.”
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Glad you approve,” her voice was teasing. She slid into the seat.
Isaiah nodded and closed the door. She paid Nate and he had a girlfriend. That was good. He really was a babysitter and not just trying to make himself invaluable in her life.
“Where are we going?” she asked after he got in the driver’s seat.
“I’m going to show you the city like you’ve never seen it before.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I grew up here, so there aren’t many ways I haven’t seen the city.”
“Say that again at the end of the night.”
CHAPTER 15
“Oh, my God! That was incredible!” Angela said after she and Isaiah got off the helicopter and were back in his car.
He hadn’t lied. He’d shown her the city in a way she hadn’t seen before. Via helicopter they’d toured everything from the river to the sea, and even caught a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset before returning to the helicopter pad.
He glanced away from the road and smiled at her. “I’m glad you liked it. But we’re not through.”
“What’s next?” She could barely hide her excitement—not that she wanted to.
“I hope you’re hungry.”
He took her to a seafood restaurant that overlooked the ocean. They had a private balcony all to themselves. The soft sounds of jazz drifted out from the inside of the restaurant while their conversation flowed easily, covering his childhood and time playing basketball in college. Hearing about his love for his family made her yearn for the family she’d lost.
“I remember what that feels like,” she said, staring into the candle on the table.
“What’s that?”
“Being surrounded by the love of your family.”
Concern filled his dark gaze. “It’s just a memory?”
“My parents died in a car crash when I was thirteen. That’s why my aunt took in me and my brother.”
Isaiah dropped his hand over hers, a warm and comforting gesture that soothed some of her pain of the memory. “That must’ve been hard, losing both of them like that.”
She took a shaky breath, remembering the sadness, fear and concern of starting a new life in her aunt’s home. “We didn’t know my aunt that well. I appreciate what she did by taking us in, but she never let us forget that we owed her for doing so. If we talked too loud, asked for seconds at dinner, or needed school supplies, she’d remind us she could easily drop us off at the child welfare office and never look back. She viewed us as a burden and made sure we knew it.”
