Page 12 of Mr. Right Now
Jayana touched Dante’s hand. “I’m ready to order if you are.”
“I’m ready.” They both opted for seafood—lobster for him, scallops for her—and shared sides of Fleming’s potatoes and roasted asparagus.
“Thanks for dinner,” she said when they were alone again. “I didn’t expect all this.” She waved a hand around. “I would’ve been fine with a good burger or pastrami sandwich.”
“I know the perfect spot for both, so we can go there next time, if you like.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “I like.”
Dante couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. His family and Ryan often accused him of being too serious, but he didn’t seem to have that problem when he was around Jayana. He’d smiled and laughed more with her in the past week and a half than he had in two months.
“So, I’m really excited about the different things you’ve put together for the festival and the dinner. And Erika told me you’re adding two more teaching assistants at the center. You’ve built a great place.”
“We did and I hope things turn out well with the celebration.” Dante leaned forward, picked up her hand and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. “But tonight we’re not talking about the center, Juneteenth, or our jobs. Just us getting to know each other. We can discuss the other things tomorrow during office hours.”
“I can’t believe a guy like you isn’t already married,” she said. “This must really be La-La land since these women here haven’t snapped you up.”
He chuckled inwardly at her use of Los Angeles’ old nickname, but didn’t immediately respond, especially since the jury was still out on whether he wanted to be “snapped up.” Finally, he said, “How do you know I’m not the problem?”
She angled her head thoughtfully. “Are you?”
The server returned with their drinks and Dante waited until he walked away to continue. “I have my faults just like anybody else.” In his mind, his biggest one was trusting a woman who claimed to love him. He heard his mother’s voice in his head, telling himbaby, you’ve got to let go. Until now he hadn’t even entertained the possibility of pursuing another woman, but this woman made him want to dip his toes into the dating waters again. Even still, he planned to proceed with caution.
“We all do,” Jayana said with a little laugh. “But from what I’ve observed so far, they aren’t serious or bad enough to make a woman run in the other direction.”
“I can say the same about you. There has to be something wrong with the men in Atlanta.” She was intelligent, giving and beautiful inside and out. Jayana took a sip of her drink, then darted out her tongue to lick off some of the sugar rimming the edge of the glass. The sight sent a sharp jolt to his groin. He tore his gaze away from her lips and refocused on what she was saying.
“I don’t know if it’s all of them, but there was definitely something wrong with the one I dated,” she said with a mirthless chuckle.
After taking a sip of his own, he asked, “Care to elaborate?”
“Let’s just say he was emotionally immature. He needed to be the center of attentionalways, everything was always someone else’s fault, and he had a habit of yelling whenever he couldn’t get his way.”
Dante could hear traces of pain in her voice and it made him want to find the man and kick his ass. “How long were you together?”
“Almost six months. The first three or four months were fine, then it was like he flipped a light switch and the real him appeared. I suggested he talk to someone, but of course, he denied anything was wrong. So, I left to protect my own emotional well-being. Did it put me off of relationships for a while? Sure. But I decided I can’t let one bad boyfriend control how I live the rest of my life.”
Sort of like you’re doing,an inner voice chimed. But no one died as a result, he argued as the familiar pain rose again. Thankfully, the server returned with their meals, sparing him from having to respond. As they ate, he decided to turn the conversation to safer topics. “What do you do when you’re not working?”
“Spa days, putting together Lego sets.”
“Lego sets?” he asked with surprise.
“Yes, but not those ten dollar kid ones. The ones I like are for adults, have far more pieces and the price tag to go with it. They have everything from the Eiffel Tower and Rome’s Colosseum to the Titanic and themes from the Marvel movies. So far, I’ve done Black Panther and the infinity gauntlet.”
“You’ll have to show them to me sometime. I don’t know what I expected you to say, but playing with Legos never crossed my mind.”
“It’s relaxing and you should try it. I also love journaling and taking long walks on the beach. With this warmer weather, I’m looking forward to going soon.”
Another thing they had in common. For as long as he could remember, the beach had been one of Dante’s favorite places. The smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore had always given him a feeling of peace. It had been one of the reasons he’d purchased a home less than three miles away. “There are several to choose from here.”
“Are you willing to be my tour guide?”
“Anytime you want.” The words left his mouth before his brain processed them. He was supposed to be taking this thing slow. First the offer to take her to his favorite burger joint, now the beach. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be promising to take her on a weekender by the end of the night.
Jayana finished the last bite of food on her plate. “That was so good. Thanks, again.”
“You’re welcome.”
