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Jamal shook his head no and JJ sighed. “Fine. Sixteen can’t come soon enough.”
Jamal laughed and looked toward Cassie. “You ready to strut your stuff, Cleo?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Jamal placed one of his hands in JJ’s and the other in Cassie’s. This was starting to become the most natural feeling in the world, not to mention one he wouldn’t mind doing on a daily basis. He leaned over and planted a kiss to her cheek.
“The let’s go get our hoop on.”
“Wait, where is your costume?” she asked, looking at his basketball jersey, shorts and shoes.
He grinned. “Are you kidding me? I dress up as a player every year.”
“That’s cheating,” she frowned.
Jamal winked at her, loving the blush that crept up her cheeks. “Not when you’re as good as me.”
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cassie, Jamal and JJ walked through the double doors of the school’s gym. They were immediately met with yelling kids running back and forth, weaving in and out of people. A variety of different booths lined the walls. Cassie saw a cake walk, a jail a person with a dollar could spend to put his friends in jail for ten minutes and the dreaded fishing booth. Jamal noticed they were still using the plywood ‘pond’ they had last year. Jamal peeked behind the pond, seeing a man sitting on the floor just like he had been last year, attaching pieces of candy and prizes that the kids could catch with their poles. Jamal shuddered. He did not miss that job at all. Give him playing an entire basketball game without resting before he did that again. He felt like his back was humped like Quasi Modo’s for a week.
“Dad, comeon!” JJ said vehemently. “We’re already late.”
The trio walked to the basketball goal at the end of the gym, seeing a line of kids waiting impatiently for their turn to shoot. “Sorry we’re late, man,” Jamal said, clapping the guy on the back who was currently working the booth. The man was breathing heavily, probably from chasing down the missed free throws, his square-framed glasses falling down the bridge of his nose.
The man’s eyes went wide as he realized Jamal was the one coming to relieve him. “Dude, you’re Jamal Jenkins.”
Jamal shook his head. “That I am.”
“You’re like the best basketball player in the entire NBA,” the man said, staring at Jamal in shock.
“I wouldn’t saythat,” Jamal stated. “But I am pretty good.”
The man stuck out his hand and Jamal took it. “Yeah,” the man said, “I played a little back in the day. Had a chance to play in college but turned it down to go to law school.”
Jamal eyebrow’s raised at the guy, clearly not believing his tale. “Is that so?” he said.
“Sure,” the guy agreed. “I’m just rusty, is all.”
Jamal bit back a laugh. If that guy was a collegiate basketball recruit, he had fallenwayoff the basketball wagon. “Well, man, that’s pretty awesome. It’s all about the breaks you get. I guess I got a pretty good one.”
And the fact that I had major game, he thought, not letting the words leave his lips.Let the guy have his moment.
“Alright, you can go hang out with your kid. We’ve got it covered,” Jamal said, pointing his head in the direction of Cassie and his daughter.
Once again, the man’s eyes went wide and he let out a whistle. “That dime piece? Man, you’ve got a hottie on your hands. Then again, I shouldn’t expect any different from an NBA player.”
Jamal grinned so big he felt his face was going to split in two. The guy was correct – Cassie was indeed a dime piece. He should be jealous that guys were looking at her. Instead, he was proud of the fact that he was with such a knockout.
“Dad, can I have some money so I can play the games?” JJ said, pulling on his hand. “I wanna win that huge chocolate cake on display at the cake walk booth.
“Of course, kiddo,” he replied, pulling twenty dollars out of his pocket and handing it to his daughter. “Play away.”
Jamal turned to Cassie. “Ready to work this thing?”
Cassie smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. He could tell she was nervous.
