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Jamal looked down at Gentry’s shirt and grinned. It was a replica of Kyle’s jersey. “You know he’s retired, right?”
“Yeah. I know. Blew out his knee. It’s a shame. He had Hall of Fame written all over him.”
Jamal laughed. He could talk to this kid all day. “You know I was in his wedding a couple of weeks ago?”
“No way,” Gentry’s eyes got wide.
“Yes way. In fact, I bet Imightbe able to get you an autograph from him when he gets back from his honeymoon.”
“Are you kidding?! That would be totally awesome! Pound it!” Gentry held her fist out to Jamal, which he bumped with his own, and shook his head. He really needed to get this kid and his together for a playdate. He’d love to eavesdrop on them and the conversations he could imagine them having.
“Ok, Gentry,” Cassie took mini-Merida’s hand and led her into what Jamal assumed was Cassie’s classroom. “We have to get to work now.”
“But Ms. Randall, who can work whenJamal Jenkinsvisits your room?!”
“He’s not staying long, Gentry. In fact, he’s just dropping some things off before he has to go to, well, to-” Cassie looked at him for help.
“Actually, I don’t have anywhere to go today, Ms. Randall. My day is totally free. Until I have to pick my daughter up from school, that is.”
Cassie shot the death glare his way. Jamal just grinned. Getting under her skin was starting to become one of his favorite pastimes.
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“He actually pounded her fist? That’s so cute!”
Cassie, Aria and Callie were in Callie and Kyle’s new home. The newlyweds had gotten back from their honeymoon in Belize late Thursday evening, Callie tan and freckled, her blonde locks a shade lighter from all the time spent in the sun. It was now Saturday afternoon and although she and Aria were recruited to help unpack stack upon stack of boxes, the trio was sitting in the floor surrounded by boxes and eating ice cream straight out of individual pints. And, much to Cassie’s chagrin, trying to talk about her love life. Or lack thereof.
“No! It wasn’t cute! He was disrupting my class!” Cassie’s denial was met with unbelievable stares from her two best friends. “Ok, fine. It was alittlecute. But he still disrupted my class.All. Day. Long.”
Her two friends looked at her knowingly. Cassie sighed. “He’s not relationship material, girls. Yes, he’s a great dad. Yes, he looked super adorable singing the count by five’s song in my classroom. But he’s too much of a playboy to take anything seriously.Especiallya relationship. I don’t think he even wants one. He just likes to flirt.”
“That’s just what he wants the media to see him as, Cass. He is one of the mostnon-playboysin Oklahoma,” Callie stated.
Cassie shook her head. “I don’t know, guys.”
“Honey, he danced with your class full of first graders, colored a picture during free choice time and practiced reading with Tate, your little guy who struggles with reading. Plus, he signedallthe t-shirts heboughtfor the kids in your classandstayed after school for two hours signing autographs for the rest of the kids in the school.Thatdoesn’t seem like a guy who’s just in it for the flirting,” Aria said, putting a huge spoonful of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey in her mouth. “Just sayin’.”
“I agree with Ar, Cass,” Callie said, pointing a spoonful of Rocky Road Cassie’s way. “He likes you. And not just for flirting.”
Cassie put her spoon in her pint of Hagen Daaz strawberry ice cream only to discover her spoon scraping the bottom. “Oh my lord, I just ate a wholepintof ice cream!” she wailed. “What is wrong with me?”
“You got the hots for Jamal Jenkins. That’s what’s wrong with you,” Aria said with a wicked smile. “And you can’t stop undressing him with your eyes every time you see him.”
Cassie’s eyes got wide. “That’s so not true!” she denied.
“It’s so true,” Callie added. “How long has it been since you’ve gotten some, Bambi? Isn’t that what he calls you?”
Cassie glared at her friends. “None of your business.”
“None of our business what he calls you or none of our business low long it’s been since you’ve gotten any?” Callie asked pointedly. Cassie ignored her friends and tried, unsuccessfully, to dreg up any remnants of ice cream from the bottom of her pint. Realizing it was an exercise in futility, Cassie crawled over to Callie and dug a big spoonful of rocky road out of her friend’s carton.
“Hey!” Callie yelled.
Cassie stuck her tongue out at her friend and pointed her spoon Callie’s way. “Serves you right for trying to find out anything about my nonexistent love life.”
“Ah, so ithasbeen a really, really long time then,” Aria said. “I knew it. You need to get laid, girl. Who better for it to happen with than Jackson Avery’s twin?”
