Page 12 of Love Overdose: St. Louis

“Thursday?”

“Journey has literacy training.”

“Saturday?”

“You record Saturday mornings.”

“You’re right and I’m not going anywhere after sweating in front of the camera for an hour. What about Friday? I don’t teach until four, so we could meet around noon.”

“Hmmm,” Naomi murmured.

“What?”

“I was only wondering if you wanted to eat out twice in one day.”

“Why would I be eating out twice Friday?”

“Aren’t you going to Soulful?”

“For what?”

“Dinner.”

I pushed away from the counter. “Dinner with who?”

“With Elijah.”

My stomach dipped so suddenly that I tightened my grip on the water bottle.

“Elijah who?”

“Please don’t irritate me.”

“I know more than one Elijah.”

“No, you don’t.”

“You don’t know everybody I know.”

“I know you don’t know two fine neurosurgeons named Elijah who work at Barnes-Jewish and happen to be my husband’s brother.”

Heat crept up my neck.

I glanced at Malik as if he might have an explanation. He was too busy pressing the edge of his sandwich between his fingers and watching jelly swell out the sides.

“What makes you think I’m having dinner with your brother-in-law?”

“My brother-in-law?”

“Yes. Your husband’s brother.”

“His name was Elijah thirty seconds ago.”

“And it still is. Answer the question.”

“Christian told me Elijah invited you to family dinner Friday.”

“Well, Christian lied.”