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“You’ve met him?!”
“Of course. We met him shopping for groceries one day. Nanny said it was love at first bite,” JJ laughed. “Get it? Bite instead of sight? Since they met at the grocery store?”
Jamal rolled his eyes. “I need to have a talk with your nanny.”
“You can do that at my game. And meet Melvin, too. She said she’s bringing him with her to meet the family.”
“She knows better to bring him to meet me in private when she’s been seeing him on the fly for months,” he grumbled.
“Be nice, daddy. He’s a good guy. And he makes her happy,” JJ smiled. “Kinda like Cassie does you.”
Jamal stilled. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve seen the way you smile when she’s around. And nanny talks about how much nicer you are since you’ve met Cassie.”
“Oh, what a talk me and your nanny are going to have tonight,” he said. “Now, let’s get going. I can pull your hair up in a ponytail when we get to the field.”
“I still haven’t brushed my teeth!” JJ said, grabbing her brush and a hair tie off the top of her dresser.
“We’ve got gum in the car,” he said, grabbing her softball bag off the floor. “You’d have had time to brush your teeth if you had gotten out of bed when I said to.”
“Grouch,” his daughter mumbled under her breath.
“Lazy ass,” he grumbled back.
“You shouldn’t cuss, dad. It’s not good for my sensitive ears.”
“And you should be easier to get out of bed. I’ll make you a deal. No cussing if I can get you out of bed without a fight.”
“I don’t see that happening any time soon. You should probably just be a better example for me.”
Jamal rolled his eyes and sighed. He loved his kid but he sometimes he wanted to strangle her.
-------------------------
“Are you sure he’ll be ok with me going?” Cassie was standing in the doorway of her apartment, wearing an OU shirt she had gotten for free from one of the back to school street bashes on campus, a pair of cutoffs and a Thunder hat she had borrowed from Callie. She wanted to take advantage of what she was afraid was one of the last warm days of the season. Oklahoma summer usually went way into the fall, but it was the end of October. In fact, Halloween was a week away, a fact Cassie had forgotten until that morning when she looked at her calendar.
“Of course he won’t mind, weirdo,” her friend said, giving Cassie’s should a push. “You haven’t talked to him in over a week, right?”
“Yeah. Maybe there’s a reason for that,” Cassie shrugged.
“Shut up. They’ve started their season. You know how much that takes up his time.”
“I guess.”
“Well, if you don’t go for him then go for JJ. She loves you, talks about you all the time,” Callie said, throwing her arm around Cassie. “Who wouldn’t? You’re amazing.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said. Looking up at her friend, she smiled. “You look amazing, by the way. Marriage agrees with you. I’m jealous.”
Callie still had remnants of tan the sun had kissed her skin with on her honeymoon. Like Cassie, she had on a pair of cutoffs, but instead of an OU shirt, Callie sported a t-shirt from JJ’s team, the Vikings, and a pair of white Converse.
“You look so happy, Cal.”
“That’s because I am so happy. Like you said, marriage agrees with me. Now, before we go, I got you a surprise.” Cassie reached into her bag and pulled out a matching Vikings shirt. “I figured if you’re going to be cheering for JJ you need to be cheering in style.”
Cassie took off her OU shirt and slipped the Viking one over her head. “How do I look?”
“Like a million bucks. Now let’s go. Kyle’s waiting on us in the truck.”
