Page 13 of Somebody Else Will

He rested his hand on my shoulder, and I smiled slightly. “Thanks, Dad.”

He nodded. “Had it not been for her encouragement, you would have let your dreams fall by the wayside. We as parents tend to shun what we don’t understand. What we think is best isn’t always right. I’m glad she didn’t listen to me. I truly believe you are operating in your purpose.”

I closed my eyes briefly. Having his approval meant a lot to me, but hearing him verbalize it always caused me to pause and soak in his words. I nodded, then asked, “What are you doing out here?”

Looking past him, I saw the wood scattered and his drill on the charger.

“I’m building her a bookshelf. You know she loves to read. I truly believe that was what helped her see the potential in you. Seeing you portray someone’s favorite book character was something she could get excited about.”

He smiled big and slowly shook his head. I chuckled and nodded, then headed inside. While he liked to work with his hands, it was something I had no desire to do. When I rubbed my woman’s body, I wasn’t trying to scratch her up because of calluses. That man had calluses all over his hands when he and my mama first met, because he didn’t believe in wearing gloves. When she started to refuse his touch, he knew he had to do something. I chuckled at the recollection of my mama’s words.

After walking inside, I found her sprawled out on the couch with her kindle in her hands, engrossed in the story she was reading. “Hey, Mama.”

She held her hand up, halting me where I stood until she got to a stopping point. “Hey, baby,” she said when she finally looked up. “This fool had the audacity to steal his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend’s car. Can you believe that shit? Talking about that nigga couldn’t have what was his. Just a whole ass thug!”

She cracked up laughing, causing me to laugh too. “You better not ever play a toxic ass dude that can’t accept responsibility for his actions. I swear, I would roll my eyes every time I saw you until I got over it.”

“Hey. If the money right, I’ll be him every day, all day.”

She laughed louder, then stood and hugged me. “Where’ve you been?”

“Trying to woo the woman I want. She wasn’t hearing me though.”

“You aren’t giving up, are you?”

“Naw, but she needs space for a bit. I’m gonna take that time to regroup and refocus my efforts.”

She giggled. “She must be a special woman to have you working so hard. Where does she live? I thought you said she wasn’t from Houston.”

“Quit fishing. She’s not from Houston.”

“Well, she must be pretty close.”

I slowly shook my head and walked off toward the kitchen as I asked, “What you got to eat in here?”

“Not a damn thing. I was hoping to go out to dinner tonight. I could go for a good steak.”

“Brennan’s?”

“Sounds good, baby. Let me go get dressed.”

She quickly headed to her bedroom, and I headed to mine to freshen up. I really didn’t feel like going anywhere and fight theweekend crowds, but there was no way I would tell her no. She knew that shit, and she took full advantage of that fact. Since Dad was busy outside, I assumed it would just be her and me, and I would be cool with that as well.

After taking a quick shower and pulling out a black turtleneck and black slacks, I sat on the bed and grabbed my phone to see if I’d missed any correspondence from my agent. Just as I was about to put it back down on the nightstand, a text message came through.

I just wanted to say that I will be there Friday morning to start getting everything together. However, I hope that you will have time for me to take you to breakfast that morning before I get started.

I couldn’t help but let a smile grace my lips. It felt like she was trying to avoid a romantic type setting, but she would learn that it didn’t matter the setting or time of day. Romance was in me. I could be romantic anytime, anyplace. I bit my bottom lip as I responded to her.

It’s a date.

“So,you thought it was a good idea to steal my car? What in the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Denishia, you act like I’ve never driven your car before.”

“Nigga, are you slow? You truly have to be. Bring my car back!”

“You’ll get this shit back when I’m done with what I have to do. I’m sure you’ll get a ride home.”

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