Page 36 of Dangerous Devotion

“You gotta reach out to her, be patient, be extra sweet and not pushy. See if she’ll meet you somewhere at a time that’s good for her. That lets her know that you want to make the effort for her, not that you’re trying to fit her into your schedule like you’re Mr. Important. Even though you’re Mr. Important.”

“Good point. I’ll take that advice. Thanks. And thanks for not giving me a mountain of shit about being in my feelings before. It was a weird time for me.”

“Yeah, you met rejection face-to-face. It had to be a shock to you.”

“Okay, I thanked you for not rubbing it and now you’re rubbing it in,” I grumble.

“Yeah, I know. Since you don’t have a sister, I’m here to keep you humble.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Message her, just say you are thinking of her, or you miss her. Or something that reminds you of her. Not something dirty.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t expect her to answer the first time. Wait a day and message her something else. Something sweet but not pushy. Then leave it. See if she messages you back by day three,” she says with confidence.

“Day three? How am I supposed to wait that long?” I say.

“Because you’re a man who knows she’s worth waiting for,” she says. I’m trapped and I know it. I can’t argue with that reasoning.

“All right. Thanks. And if you think about a way to get her to answer me quicker—that would be good news,” I try to understate it and show less of my desperation, but I’m not sure I succeed.

“Shoot your shot and then put away the phone. Wait till she makes the next move. Trust me on this.”

“I’ll do my best to trust you on this,” I say. “But I know how you and Louie are enjoying watching me squirm.”

“Like a worm on a fishhook, Jacky,” she says with no small amusement in her voice.

I sit for a while and try to compose what I will say to Serena. Nothing seems right. I want to say something that’ll stop her in her tracks and make her think about me and only me. There won’t be room for anyone else in her mind or heart, not when she thinks about love and how close we feel to each other. I rewrite it about nine times before I decide I’m being an idiot and just message her that I miss her, and we need to talk.

In triumph I send Lynette a screenshot of my text.

NOOOOOOOOO, she replies

WTF? I demand, you said text her that I miss her. That’s what I did.

No. You said ‘we need to talk’ which is making it about you, not giving her the control.

I hate to admit that she’s right.

I take a deep breath and compose a simple message telling her I miss her and that I hope she’s doing alright.

I set my phone down and huff out a breath of frustration.

Now, I wait.

19

SERENA

Lucky for me I’m working at the Stop Mart five nights a week now. A good employee review by my manager at the thirty-day mark got me a pay increase to eighteen dollars an hour. I’m banking a little over two-grand a month after I pay half of the mortgage and buy groceries and gas. That’s enough to help pay for classes so I can hit my current goal of finishing my LPN before the baby comes.

On the road to that goal, I’m making sure I sleep enough, drink water, take a walk every day, and take my vitamins. Since I work opposite shifts from my father, I haven’t had to answer many questions lately. I need to figure out what to tell him when I start showing, however, because even he will notice eventually.

My first prenatal appointment was fine, and they determined all looked good. They gave me a stack of pamphlets about social programs for single moms and a food bank if needed.

So far, I’ve only gained six pounds. I can wear leggings to work and they’re stretchy so I’m okay for the moment.

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