A Chance at Love by Beverly Jenkins

not before looking back at their uncle, then again at Loreli.
    Mr. Green came out from behind the counter and said kindly, “Come on with me, girls. Just got a new shipment of pretty new ribbons yesterday.”
    Loreli and Jake faced each other across the floor like gunfighters in the street at high noon. The biddies were openly staring.
    Jake gestured to the door. Loreli stepped outside.
    Hand on her hip, she waited for him to begin.
    â€œYou know the girls are set on you being their mother. You also know you can’t be, so why are you teasing them like this? All this hugging and running into you is not helping them.”
    â€œThey pounced on me like they hadn’t seen me in six years,” Loreli replied coldly. “What was I supposed to do, cuff them and send them on their way?”
    His eyes flashed angrily.
    Loreli told him, “Being mad at me is not going to change how those girls feel.”
    â€œYou can’t be their mother.”
    â€œWho said I wanted to be?”
    The air between them fairly crackled.
    He made a visible show of calming himself. “Look,” he began—both he and Loreli could see passersby viewing them curiously, but ignored them—“this mother thing is very important to them.”
    Loreli waited. “And?”
    He ran his hands over his hair. “And…I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”
    Loreli went silent for a moment. “At least you’re being honest with yourself. First time?”
    He shot her a quelling look.
    She raised her hands in innocence, “Sorry. Man like you doesn’t impress me as needing to be honest.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œYou’ve got life all figured out. Arrogance, is how I believe Mr. Webster’s dictionary defines it.”
    â€œAnd you’re not?”
    â€œOf course I am. I’m a woman in a man’s world. I have to be arrogant. What’s your excuse?”
    â€œI’m a Colored man trying to hold on to his land.”
    Impressed, Loreli searched his eyes. “You’re not as thick-headed as I thought, Reed.”
    â€œI’ll take that as a compliment.”
    â€œPlease do.”
    It was his turn to search her eyes. “Is there anything that scares you?”
    â€œSure. Lots of things.”
    â€œSuch as?”
    Loreli paused. He was arrogant enough to believe he had a right to ask something so private, but she was gutsyenough to tell him the truth. “Dying alone. What scares you?”
    â€œNot raising those girls the way my sister would have wanted them raised.”
    His honesty made Loreli wonder why he’d revealed such a truth to her, a woman he’d known only a few days. On the other hand, she’d revealed a truth about herself and could find no reason as to why. She did know that they’d just exchanged tiny parts of their souls. As a result, something touched her inside, but she wasn’t sure what it was.
    When they glanced up, the twins were standing in the store’s doorway, watching them. Bebe asked, “Can Loreli have supper with us tonight, Uncle Jake?”
    Loreli answered before he could reply, “I can’t, pumpkin. I’ve made other plans.” She hadn’t really, but Jake was right, she needed to distance herself so the girls would stop wishing on her. She didn’t want to analyze how pushing them away made her feel. “So give me a hug. This’ll probably be the last time we see each other. I’ll be heading off to California on Friday.”
    Both girls gave Loreli a hug, and she hugged them in return. When they stepped back, she touched each head lovingly, then stuck out her hand to Jake. “Pleasure meeting you.”
    Her gesture seemed to throw him a bit. There was confusion on his face as he looked first at her outstretched hand and then back up into her sparkling eyes.
    Loreli couldn’t resist teasing him. “Not accustomed to shaking hands with a