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“Nice,” I finally said. I parted my steak, took another bite, and counted each chew.One, two, three, four, five…I made sure I made it to ten before swallowing. The bite slid down my throat easily and I went in for another. He could have been watching me, or anyone else in the restaurant for that matter. I knew he was still across from me. His wide shoulders blocked out the beam of sunshine that made me squint. But if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t have known he was there.
“Gigi.” There was frustration in his voice. “You’re right.” Or regret. “You didn’t deserve what I said, or what I did. I’ll admit I’m wrong, have room to grow.” His hand snaked across the table and spread wide. “My mama said I could learn from the older generation of men. Those who would show up at a woman’s door, begging and pleading.” He laughed. “Something like those 90’s videos I’ve seen once upon a time. I told her that’s not what we do anymore.”
I scoffed. “Maybe men these days could learn from them.” Then my eyes grew wide. “She asked about me?”
His hand was still there on the table. “Did she? Damn near threatened my life if I didn’t come correct.”
“You told her what you did?”
He wagged his head. “I didn’t want to. I knew she’d be mad. Rightfully so.”
More than his apology, the mention of his mama wanting him to make it right made me feel a way. “Sure she thought she raised you better than that.”
He pointed with his other hand. “Not something she said directly. But her string of curse words that she hardly ever uses told me something like that.”
I laughed. “You had Mama cursing?”
He looked away. “Not my proudest moment.”
“I hope it’s not a habit.”
His fingers curled into a fist, and his hand backed away from the table. Not entirely because of my words. But because the waitress presented his steak to him like he was King Charles. “Enjoy.” Then she bounced away like nothing bothered her.
He took a bite of the steak, licked his lips, and I should have looked away. Why did I stare at his lips like the moistness on them could be the water in my Sahara?
“This steak is the best thing on this menu.” He assured me, saying, “Think I’ve tried about everything.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, cocking my head to the side. “Not a fan of cooking in your new house?”
“Not exactly.” He hunched his shoulders. “Not now. Never learned how to cook, and now I don’t exactly have time to learn.”
I could teach him a few things.“Oh.”
We finished eating, or I finished watching him devour the steak. His bites were large, making the small bites I cut look like I was feeding a toddler. Afterward, he paid for mine without asking. On our way out the door, he asked, “Which way is your car?”
I needed the walk to my car and the ride to the office to process my thoughts. The way he looked at me as he waited on my response had me replying, “That way,” with a finger pointed to the right though.
“Thanks again for eating with me.” His hands swung by his side.
Mine stayed tucked in the strap of my purse, then tucked in the pockets of my pants. “I’d like to think we could be friends.”
He sucked all the dry air out of the desert with a single inhale. “Ouch.” In front of my car, he waited as I unlocked it. He opened the door and after I climbed inside, he leaned on the door. Staring at me before he said, “You should know by now that I’m competitive. I won’t settle for the lowest level. Not with you.”
I smiled. “Hmmm… we’ll see about that.”
ChapterTwenty-Six
Angelo
Mama was right. I should have pulled up to Gigi’s house with as many flowers as Phoenix had available. Hired an orchestra to play a little number while I pleaded in front of her door. Waltzing my ass to her table with a simple apology did nothing for me. It wasn’tmy original play.But since she was there, in the same restaurant as me, I thought God was nudging me to make an adjustment.
Last-minute adjustments didn’t always work on the field either.
Now I was on the sidelines while the defense took the field against Dallas, looking hopeless. I had to reconsider everything.
I looked up to the ceiling, the sun beaming down as the crowd cheered. First game in my hometown, and I wasn’t excited about the crowd, the stadium, the chance to play where the dream began. I was thinking about how I could make it to Level 2 with Gigi. How I could push pastfriends statuswith her.
“How’s it feel?” Tree’s arm draped around my shoulders as Dallas made the second down.
