“Is it that bad?”
Isaiah rubbed the back of his head and gave her a smile that had her sliding back into his circle. “Worse than you can imagine. I’ll talk to him today and keep a close eye on him. He’s a good kid, but I can tell he’s got a lot going on in his head.”
“You really don’t have to do that. I’m not asking for any special treatment. Thanks for stepping in. I was about to go straight fool on him and that wouldn’t have helped.” She didn’t like appearing as if she needed assistance, but she had to admit, Isaiah diffused Cory’s sour attitude much faster than she had.
“It’s no special treatment. When it comes to all of the kids in the camp, if I think one of them is struggling with something I talk to them. Sometimes it helps to talk things out with someone who isn’t a parent.”
“That’s one of the reasons I thought he’d be willing to talk to me. I’m not his mom and he’s never hesitated opening up to me before,” Angela said, frowning.
“If he’s staying with you, then he’s probably viewing you as a mother figure.”
Angela cringed and fought back panic. Mother figure. She reached for the diffuser charm she wore on a slim chain around her neck and inhaled the scent of lavender. She could do this. It was only for a summer.
“I guess you’re right.” She met Isaiah’s eyes. He seemed to watch where her fingers toyed with the charm of her necklace in the V of her blouse. Angela dropped her hand. For several tense seconds, the air stuck in her lungs.
He quickly looked away. Angela tilted her head to the side. Was he blushing?
Before she could be sure, he ran a hand over his face and shrugged. “Because of that, he may be more comfortable talking with someone else.”
“Someone like a famous basketball player whose memories of being thirteen will seem much cooler than mine.”
Isaiah shoved a hand into the pocket of his black basketball shorts. “Believe me, my teenage memories are very boring. Chess-club member, anchor for the school morning-news show, the ugliest glasses you’ve ever seen. I was an official nerd. Far from considered cool.”
Angela took in his tall, toned body and handsome face. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine him as a nerd. “You’re joking.”
“I’m dead serious. My younger brother and older sister were the cool ones. I was the geeky middle brother along for the ride. My dad put me in basketball when I was fourteen to help me get exercise. I ended up liking basketball more than chess. Some days, I still can’t believe I made it to the pros.”
She’d seen him play and couldn’t imagine him not on the court. Finding out he hadn’t always been a superconfident jock actually made sense. He was the “good guy” of the team. The one with the preppy bow ties and always in the news when the team did something in the community. She’d admired that about him. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little nerdy.”
“I didn’t feel that way then. Girls did not look my way.” His voice didn’t hold any hint of lingering resentment, but just enough self-deprecation to make her chuckle.
“If they’d known you’d grow into such a fine man they wouldn’t have ignored you.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. The hint of red appeared beneath his pecan skin, which in turned made him even cuter.
“That’s the thing,” he said. “I wouldn’t want them to like me because they knew I was going to be a professional baller. I’d rather they liked me because I was me.”
“I’m sure there were other girls like me, who tended to crush on the smart guys in class. I don’t like brashness and bravado. I prefer someone more laid-back. Someone I can talk to all night about anything and everything.”
Like they’d talked the night he’d sat at her bar for hours. He hadn’t been interested in the women onstage, hadn’t drooled down the front of her shirt, or spent the entire time trying to get her to go home with him. He’d talked to her about movies, music, the right way to make a martini. She hadn’t truly enjoyed talking to a guy in a long time.
“Yeah, I like that, too.” His gaze probed hers. His pull made her want to reach out to him. Run her hands across the strength of his chest. Run her lips over the fullness of his.
Movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention. Keri smiled but there was a sharpness in her eyes as she walked over that made Angela step back from Isaiah.
“Everything good?” Keri asked, and when she looked at Angela her eyebrows drew slightly together.
If Cory had guessed there was a vibe between her and Isaiah after a few seconds, then she shouldn’t be surprised Keri would look concerned after she and Isaiah had been speaking for several minutes.
Angela acknowledged Keri’s concern with a nod. “Everything is fine. Isaiah stepped in with Cory this morning. He’s in a bit of a mood.” She smiled at Isaiah. “Thanks again. I better get to work.”
Isaiah tilted his head forward. The slight bow would have looked silly if another man had done it, but seemed fitting when Isaiah made the motion. “You’re more than welcome.”
Keri shifted next to Angela. Angela tore her gaze from Isaiah, said a quick goodbye to Keri and got out of there before she forgot that succumbing to Isaiah’s pull right now had consequences that would affect Cory. Three more weeks of camp and then maybe she’d be able to find out if he was into her, too. Angela smiled on her way to the car.
* * *
Isaiah watched Cory as he stared with all the longing of a teen in love. The target of his longing was Denise, one of the girls in the camp. Cory sat alone on the bleachers during the lunch break, watching Denise but never gathering the courage to walk over to speak to her. Cory’s crush on the girl was obvious, but if she looked his way, he stammered and walked away. All of his bravado on the court evaporated when Denise smiled at him.
Isaiah could relate to the boy’s struggle. He’d felt the same way when he was a teen. Felt that way now whenever Angela smiled at him. Just like an angel, the brightness of her smile struck him speechless. She must think he was ridiculous.
He’d blushed! What the hell. Kevin would take his man card if he knew.
“What are you frowning about?” his teammate Will Hampton asked.
Will sat next to Isaiah on the bleachers. He was taller than Isaiah at six foot six, with dark skin, a full beard and dark eyes that were always sparkling with laughter. Will lived life with an enthusiasm that tended to spill over to everyone around him. That’s why he was one of the most popular members on the team.
Isaiah pointed toward Cory across the gym. “Cory is too afraid to go over and speak to Denise.”
Will followed Isaiah’s gaze. “He has been giving her puppy-dog eyes from day one.”
“Thing is, she’s been giving him the same puppy-dog eyes. I think she would respond well if he decided to talk to her.”
“Then he should talk to her,” Will said with the confidence of a guy who’d never been afraid to approach a woman he was interested in. Isaiah couldn’t quite call Will a player because even though he always had a new woman on his arm, he always ended up their friend and was yet to have one of his flings get possessive or clingy with him. Isaiah had no idea how the man did that.
“You don’t know how hard it is to go up to a girl. I used to be petrified to talk to girls I liked when I was that age.”
Will grinned and slapped Isaiah on the back. “That’s because you were overthinking things. Women are easy. You smile, tell them they have nice eyes and before you know it, they’re giggling and eating up everything you’re spitting. Treat