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“Janae, are you still there?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I’m still here. I miss you, too,” she added softly. It might be crazy, but she did.
“What are you doing?”
“Sitting out on my terrace relaxing before I start dinner. Speaking of dinner, if you’re going to be working so late, when are you going to eat?”
“You sound like my grandmother. She always calls me when I’m on the road to make sure I’m eating. But to answer your question, I’ll have something ordered in.”
“Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful woman.”
“She is.”
Janae heard the deep affection in his voice. “It sounds like you love her a lot.”
“If it weren’t for her and my grandfather, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Janae sensed a story behind those words, one that held a certain degree of sadness. “So tell me about your middle name—Monte.”
“My grandfather is a huge fan of Negro League baseball, and his favorite player was Monte Irvin. Well, his actual name was Monford, but my dad liked Monte better, so they compromised, and that’s how I got my middle name.”
“Did your grandfather want you to become a baseball player?”
“No. He knows music has always been my passion. It’s been that way since I was a kid.”
“Well, I’m glad that music is your passion.” She laughed. “I like your music. You use real instruments, not to mention you have a great voice. There’s nothing like the sound created by the layering of those instruments, but they don’t overpower your voice.”
He cleared his throat. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
“Aw, are you blushing?”
“Nah. Men don’t blush. Hang on a minute, Janae.” She heard muffled voices, and then he came back on the line. “I have to go.”
“Okay. It was nice talking to you, and don’t forget to eat.”
“I won’t. I enjoyed talking to you, too. I want to see you again...soon. We’ll talk about it next time. Bye, baby.”
“Bye, Terrence.”
Baby? Surely he didn’t mean anything by it, but her traitorous heart leaped just the same.
* * *
Terrence was still smiling when he hung up the phone. He glanced over to see Donovan’s smirk. “What?”
“Baby? You met her, what...two...three days ago, and now she’s your baby?”
Terrence picked up a folder and thrust it at Donovan. “Didn’t you need to talk to me about the upcoming schedule?”
Donovan snatched the folder and tossed it back on the desk. “That can wait. I want to talk about you and Ms. Simms.” He leaned back in the chair and stroked his chin. “Let’s see. I’ve known you since you were a dorky fifteen-year-old, and I don’t remember ever hearing you call any woman you were supposedly dating ‘baby.’”
“How do you know? You weren’t with me every second,” Terrence countered.
“I didn’t need to be, T. Even though you date, you always maintain this kind of distance. You treat women with respect and are very considerate, but I think they sense your inaccessibility. Think about it. Remember those women in Chicago, New York and Atlanta? One date, and you dropped them like a bad habit. Not to mention all the others—same thing. And, as far as public displays of affection, you’ve only been seen occasionally holding hands—maybe.” He leaned forward. “No kissing.”
Terrence frowned. “Damn, D. You need to get a life. Maybe you’re the one who needs a woman, or a hobby. And if you don’t have enough to do here, I can find something to keep you busy.”
Donovan merely smiled. “Oh, and all this smiling and laughing...you sure your system won’t go into shock?”
“You can be replaced, Donovan.”
Donovan’s laughter rang out in the office.
Long after his friend’s departure, Terrence sat thinking about Janae. Hearing her soft, sweet voice made all kinds of sensations swirl in the pit of his stomach. A strange reaction for him because, when it came to women, emotions were never a part of the equation. He had yet to figure out why this particular woman had him acting so out of character. And when he’d blurted out that he missed her... Terrence shut his eyes and cursed under his breath. Why had he said that? He had never missed a woman in his life other than his grandmother. He’d felt a moment of panic when Janae hadn’t responded, but he’d relaxed when she’d confessed to missing him, too.
Two days later, staring out of his office window, he still couldn’t get her off his mind. His secretary poked her head in to remind him of the staff meeting. He stood and headed for the conference room.
