“Maybe, but it’s not a big deal for me at all.”
“Then we have a deal?”
Darwin nodded. “Tonight. At my place. Dinner’s at seven.”
Bridget rose to her feet. “I’ll be there,” she said, moving swiftly toward the door. She smiled. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Confusion swept over his expression. “For what?”
“I was afraid that you might still be uncomfortable around me. We had a few awkward moments last night. It had me worried.”
Darwin chuckled, his head bobbing up and down. “I thought it was just me. Glad to know I wasn’t alone.”
“Let’s not let it happen again, either.”
“No problem. And by the way…” Darwin paused for just a brief second. “I really wasn’t interested in kissing your friend. I just didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“I know. That heifer can be shameless sometimes,” Bridget said with a sly wink. “See you later.”
As she moved to make her exit, Darwin called out her name.
“Yes?”
“Don’t you want to know where I live?”
Seconds after Bridget was out the door with directions to his home tucked into her purse, Darwin was kicking himself. What in the world was I thinking? he thought, dropping his head into his hands and his rear end into a chair. This can’t possibly go anywhere.
But he hadn’t been able to stop himself. The woman had been irresistible and all he’d been able to think about was spending more time with her. Reaching for the telephone, he pushed the seven digits to his brother’s cell phone and waited anxiously for the man to pick up on the other end.
Bridget sat motionless in her car, her forehead pressed against the steering wheel. She wasn’t quite sure what had just happened between her and Darwin, and although she was excited on one hand, she was scared to death on the other. Leaning back against the leather seat, she took a deep breath, wishing for the influx of oxygen to slow her rapid heartbeat.
There had been more comfort between them than discomfort. It had felt strangely familiar in one second and very odd in the next. She was curious to know more about Darwin, to share more of herself with him, and the prospect of doing so actually had her terrified. Taking another deep breath, Bridget started the ignition and headed in the direction of home.
Mecan was laughing into the receiver. “What’s wrong, playa? I’ve never known you to let a woman run you scared. You losing your touch?”
“Don’t joke. This isn’t funny.”
Mecan continued to chuckle. “You need to relax. Bridget is an incredible woman. You two have had a crush on each other since you first met. Enjoy it. This may be just what you need.”
“Maybe, but I hope it’s not a mistake. I’d hate to ruin a good friendship.”
Mecan shook his head. “You two need to get to know each other before you can truly be friends. You haven’t allowed yourself to do that yet. But just let it happen. I know it’ll work out for you.”
Darwin nodded as if his brother could see him. His gaze floated to the view outside. “How did you know with Jeneva, Mac? How did you know she was the one and only woman you could see yourself being with?”
The older brother took a deep breath, reflecting back on his courtship with his wife. Their relationship had blossomed over their mutual concern for Jeneva’s son. Young Quincy had been born with some mental and physical challenges that had tested the strength and fortitude of his single mother. As director of the residential care facility Jeneva had moved the boy into, Mecan had helped the struggling teenager maneuver his way to adulthood.
Jeneva had been the most exquisite woman Mecan had ever met, and while her beauty began on the outside, it was all-consuming on the inside. She’d had spirit and fire and one of the biggest hearts of any woman he’d ever dated. It had taken an extended road trip to Atlanta, Georgia, and then back to Seattle to solidify the bond between them. From that moment on they’d been inseparable, every facet of their lives revolving around their love for each other and their two children.
Blowing the gust of air out slowly, Mecan answered his brother’s question. “I think Jeneva said it best. We were both just standing on the right side of love and we both knew there was no other place we could ever imagine ourselves being. It’s something you feel inside you, Darwin. It’s something that moves you to get up each and every day, excited about the future. When it happens you won’t be able to explain it to anyone with mere words. They’ll be able to see it in everything you do or don’t do. And you’ll see it on her face and she’ll see it on yours.”
Darwin nodded. “Bridget’s special, Mac. I just don’t want to mess this up.”
Jeneva Tolliver sat with her legs crossed on Bridget’s queen-size bed. Alexa, her five-year-old daughter, sat beside her, and the two of them were watching Bridget flit back and forth from her closet to the bed. Clothes were being pulled off their hangers and tossed madly about as Bridget struggled with what to wear on her date. Her date. The thought sent a sudden wave of panic straight through her and she dropped down against the bedside, her gaze resting on Jeneva.
“Are you all right?” her best friend asked.
She shook her head, tears burning hot against the back of her eyelids. “I shouldn’t be doing this,” she managed to sputter, swiping at her face with the back of her hand.
Jeneva smiled, reaching a warm palm out to caress Bridget’s shoulder. “Yes, you should. I promise you. It’s going to be just fine.”
“Why you cryin’?” Alexa asked, little-girl concern painting her expression. “Why Auntie Bridget cryin’, Mama? She hurt?”
Jeneva smiled, leaning to kiss her child’s forehead. “Auntie Bridget is happy. She and Uncle Darwin are going on a date.”
The child’s gaze moved from her mother to her godmother. “You not supposed to cry when you go on a date. Quincy didn’t cry when he went on his date,” the child said, referring to her twenty-one-year-old brother.
Jeneva rolled her eyes skyward. “Quincy didn’t go on a date.”
“Yes, he did. Daddy said.”
Bridget laughed. “When did Mr. Quincy go on a date?”
Jeneva winced. “It wasn’t a date. They just had a dance at the school and he met one of his friends there.”
“Her name’s Tasha and Quincy says she special like him,” Alexa interjected.
Jeneva pointed an index finger at her friend. “Don’t you say one word,” she hissed softly.
Bridget laughed for a second time. “Well, he is of age, Jeneva. You knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“You sound like my husband.”
“I bet she’s a sweet girl.”
Jeneva shrugged her shoulders. “She is sweet but she has as many developmental issues as Quincy has.”
Alexa interrupted. “Are you gone kiss Uncle Darwin? Daddy says when you go on a date with your boyfriend you get a kiss.”
Jeneva’s look was incredulous. “I know your father did not say anything like that, girlie! When did he say that?”
“Quincy asked him if he could kiss Tasha and Daddy said that if Tasha gave her permission that he could give her a kiss on the cheek at the end of the date. Daddy said!” the child pronounced before turning back to her godmother. “You gone kiss Uncle Darwin on the cheek, Auntie Bridget?”
Jeneva shook her head.