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“Because I argue with his mother the same…never mind. Ido notknow where I was going with that.”
“Jo! Jo!”
They both looked up.
“Douk!” Theo did one-fifth of a flip, planting both palms on the ground and kicking his legs in the air before righting himself again. “Idiyit!”
“You sure did, buddy!” He sent Theo two thumbs up. “Great job. Next stop, Junior Olympics.”
The man smiled. “Is that Theo?”
“Yeah.”
“I never met Theo.”
“I’m guessing Ayesha doesn’t bring him to the park much.”
“I’ve been here ten minutes and can see why,” the man said. “So what, you’re friends with Ayesha? Or maybe her brothers-in-law? Curtis’ friends.”
“Both, technically, but I knew the guys first. We work together. Did you know Curtis?”
The man tapped his chest. “I did. And I know his family. A miserable set of people if there ever was one, but they have a lot of influence around the islands.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Thirty seconds passed, so he checked for Theo, who would have eaten a handful of gravel if an older girl hadn’t wrenched the gravel from fists that could lock tighter than alligator jaws. At times, Theo had more strength in those pairs of pliers he called hands than he, a two-hundred-plus pound adult male, had in his entire body.
“I’m Nikora, by the way,” the man said. “Sometimes, I go by Nik.”
Joel tipped his head, one eye on Theo. “Joel.”
“You seem different, Joel. I mean, I’ve met all of Curtis’ friends, I think. Let’s see. There’s Mike, uh, Gage, Dez, Julien, and the scary one. Giorgio. They’ve all been here doing what you’re doing, but you seem different. My intuition might be off, and you can tell me if it is, but you like Ayesha, don’t you?”
“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. I’m divorced, and you know her situation.”
As much as his divorce had hurt, he knew Ayesha’s pain ran significantly deeper. It was most evident in the moments her anxiety spiked, and those were the moments he had a near-uncontrollable need to be there for her, but she would let him in only to put up another wall.
“Why not?” Nik asked. “She’s not your type?”
“As in looks?”
“Sure.”
“Honestly, Nik, between you and me…Ayesha’s my type in every way, which is unusual because she and my ex-wife are very different. Everything from looks to sense of humor to Ayesha’s personality is a ten out of ten for me.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“The timing’s not right.” He groaned. “Again, ignore that. I don’t know what I’m saying. Ayesha and I are friends. There’s nothing more there.”
“I thought the same thing when I first met the woman who eventually became my wife. I almost didn’t take the leap, but I took the chance, and she ended up being my dream girl.”
“Where’s your wife now?” There was a certain sadness in the man’s voice, a certain longing. Numerous times, he’d heard the same thing in Ayesha’s, but she wouldn’t let him in. He’d cried on her shoulder, and she knew all the details of his deepest hurt, yet she wouldn’t let him in all the way.
“I lost her a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I appreciate that. But, on a different note, I should warn you—Curtis’ family is full of gossips. If they see you out here with the boys, they’ll say Theo’s yours.”
