Page 111 of Rather: The Therapist

“Same thing.”

“If you say so,” I tittered. “So, still on for the drink you offered or has duty begun calling?”

His phone had gone off quite a few times during cake tasting. He’d silenced every call.

“It’s a spot right down the way. We can walk but if your dogs are barking then I can grab the whip from the valet.”

“My dogs?” I shrieked.

“Yeah. Especially the one with that chip in it. You might need to put that motherfucker on ice when you get home. Does it hurt?”

I’d hit my toe on the console on the way out of the door. The white polish had chipped, pissing me off just before I climbed into Kofi’s passenger seat. The fact he’d noticed was both comical and maddening.

“It is fine, just injured. I bumped against the console before leaving the house. It’ll be fine and the polish will be fixed tomorrow.”

“Here,” he urged, peeling a hundred from the stack of money he’d pulled from his pocket. It was too thick to fold, so he slid it right back down the side of his jeans until it was no longer visible.

“That should help.”

A hundred dollars was more than enough for a polished toe. However, I was considering the rest a small gift.

“So– down this way?” I tipped my head in the direction we were heading.

“Nah. That way.” He tilted his head in the opposite direction with a snigger, “Fuck you think, love.”

It wasn’t until his response that I realized how unnecessary the question was. Of course we were headed in the right direction.

A sense of humor.

Lives life–fully.

Not uptight.

Kofi had good qualities. Though we’d only managed to see one another a few times, the budding friendship hadn’t gone unnoticed. My body didn’t warm to his touch. My center no longer throbbed when he spoke. My heart didn’t leap at the sight of him. However, I knew being with him meant countless smiles, unlimited laughter, and a good time.

“It was a simple question.”

“That your long head ass already knew the answer to.”

With one arm, he pulled me closer by looping it around my neck.

“You thinking red and white?”

“Red and white?”

“For the wedding colors.”

“Haven’t your mother told you? The colors were already decided before my plane landed.”

“No one has told me anything, honestly.”

“Possibly because they know you don’t care.” I shrugged.

“That’s not entirely true. I know girls fantasize about their special day from a jit. I don’t give a fuck what we do as long as it makes you happy.”

“A heart. I wasn’t sure you had one,” I expressed, looking up at him.

“My heart has nothing to do with what I just said, Rather. Decency does. I know this shit isn’t easy for you, so the least I can do is make sure you get exactly what you want.”

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