But first, she had to burn off some energy with a run. Mimi grabbed her workout gear and cell phone, then headed downstairs to mix a protein shake. As she looked out over the city, she felt that urge to leave again.
Mimi tried to pretend that she didn’t want the love she wrote about. Tried to pretend that it didn’t matter, but she did want to fall in love. She wanted a marriage like her mother and father—Adrienne and Melvin Collins—but she’d kissed too many frogs to believe that she’d ever find Prince Charming. They didn’t make men like her dad anymore. What her parents had was special, and her generation of men didn’t want special. They wanted robots with the perfect ass and cooking skills like Bobby Flay, while they offered nothing but lip service, in her opinion.
Mimi knew her parents’ fifty-year relationship wasn’t something she could have. Especially in image-conscious Atlanta. She didn’t have a high-powered job; she was artsy and a free spirit, something her dad said she got from her grandmother. Her mother encouraged her to think outside the box and do what made her happy. Writing and her blog gave her joy. Unfortunately, her happiness never landed her the love she craved.
These days, she wasn’t content. Wasn’t feeling creative or as if she was going to further her career just sitting in her comfort zone in Atlanta. She wanted to have some real adventures and do something exciting. The world was calling her and there was nothing to stop her from answering.
Well, maybe something could be brewing with Brent. Mimi pulled her T-shirt on and took a sip of her protein shake. “Get over yourself,” she whispered as she dumped the remainder of her shake in the sink. Heading for the front door, Mimi paused to put her purple running shoes on, then opened the door. The moment she saw Brent walk out of his place she ducked back inside.
From her peephole, she watched him pick up his newspaper from his doorstep. Mimi drank in those bare chocolate arms, the way his silky pajama pants clung to his narrow hips. She couldn’t help but wonder if he wore boxers, briefs or nothing at all underneath those pants.
When Brent looked up, Mimi could’ve sworn that he looked directly at her. Those eyes were penetrating and shook her. She turned away as he closed the door. This was going to be hard.
Mimi opened her door and headed for the elevator. She was probably going to need a six-mile run this morning to clear her mind.
* * *
Brent crossed over to his breakfast nook and dropped his newspaper on the granite counter. He had to get Mimi off his brain, but the glimpse of her he caught awakened his libido more than he expected.
Why did she act like a deer in headlights when she locked eyes with him? Must be the artist thing. I can’t let this woman get under my skin, he thought as he loaded his coffeemaker with fragrant Kona grounds.
Before he could read his copy of USA TODAY, Brent’s cell phone rang. When he saw Jamal’s name on the caller ID, he started to ignore it. But he answered the call.
“Man,” Brent said, “I’m glad I moved to midtown otherwise I’d still be waiting in that bar!”
“Don’t even act like that. I saw you and Mimi leave together. You thought I missed that. What time did you send her home?”
“Mimi didn’t come over here. I went to her place.”
“Damn, you move fast. Did you have a good time?”
“You have a one-track mind. I hope you have a good lawyer on retainer for the epic sexual harassment lawsuit that’s going to fall on you one day.”
“Why do you think we’re friends? Anyway, I know how to act in the workplace. You know that. So, you want some breakfast or are you about to get some with Mimi?”
“There you go assuming. I don’t think of every woman as a conquest.”
“Nah, just the ones with the right image. You need to stop that and have some fun instead of trying to...”
“Don’t start this shit right now. It’s too early,” Brent groaned.
“All right, let’s just get some food and leave this heavy stuff for another day. But I do have one question,” Jamal said.
“What?”
“Are you ever going to go see him?”
“Hell no. That man destroyed my family, damn near ruined my career before it started. I don’t want to see him.”
“But you know...”
“I don’t give a damn. Look, I’m going to cool out and get some work done.” Brent ended the call. He didn’t care that his father was dying; what he did care about was Jamal trying to force this family reunion on him. And why was his friend keeping up with his father’s health and well-being?
It really wasn’t any of his business how Brent and his father got along. What about his mother, who’d sequestered herself away in South Carolina because she couldn’t take the shame of what his father did?
Cancer. That’s what was killing him. Brent tried to care, tried to muster up enough emotions to drive to the prison where his father would more than likely die.
Growing up, Brent Sr. had been his hero, his disciplinarian and the man who’d taught him to be an honest man. All that was shattered, and it would never be repaired in Brent’s mind.
How could his role model fall hard like that? Brent shook his head, mad that there was still a child inside him missing his father.
* * *
In the third mile of her run, Mimi found herself standing in front of MJ’s town house. The only thing that stopped her from knocking on the front door was the car in the driveway.
Nic was here. Part of her was happy that her friend had finally admitted how deeply she loved him and they’d sealed the deal. Still, she needed her friend! But there was no way that she would just go bang on the door.
She wondered what her mother would say about her current situation. Would she encourage her to move away and start over or stay in Atlanta and continue the success she was having here?
And then there was Brent. Something sparked between them, but Mimi wasn’t going to base her future on a maybe. Maybe they would fall in love, maybe they would like each other beyond Sunday morning. She turned her walk into a slow jog. Then as she thought about shirtless Brent and where she wanted him to touch her, she burst into a full-out sprint.
By the time she made it home, Mimi was a sweaty mess. And of course, Brent was the first face she saw.
“Good run?” he asked.
“Amazing,” she said.
“Maybe we should run together one morning. You look like you go very hard.” He gave her a slow once-over that heated her more than her run.
“I had some great motivation this morning,” she said with a smirk.
“Putting in work so that you won’t feel guilty about what you’re going to do later?”
Mimi furrowed her brows. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Lying in bed playing PlayStation all day. You can’t burn a lot of calories that way.”
“No, I have creative ways to burn calories in bed,” she said, then pushed her damp hair off her forehead.
Brent gave her a cool glance.
“Did you hear me?” she asked. “Earth to Brent, where did you go?”
“You wouldn’t want to know.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m going to take a shower. It was good seeing you again.”
“You too, Mimi. Hey,” he called out as she turned to head inside. “Would you like to join me for dinner?”
Dinner