certain it would sound like a car crash.
“I brought these for you.” He awkwardly extended a bundle of carnations.
She smiled and stepped forward to accept them. “They’re lovely.”
Jefferson slid his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Is everything...okay?” he asked.
Destiny drew in a deep breath and danced around his question. “Things could be better.” He’d never been a good shoulder to cry on. His involvement with her was nothing more than a power move on his part. She was a sort of intellectual trophy to drag to one social function after another in order to help elevate his career. And he was the same for her.
Jefferson cleared his throat. “Well, I was beginning to worry about you when you hadn’t returned any of my calls this week, but it’s good to see—” he swallowed and looked uncomfortable “—that you’re okay.”
Destiny rolled her eyes and turned away. “I’ll go put these in some water.” This definitely wasn’t going to be easy.
* * *
Miles wanted to kill Wes and go home—in that order. Miles’s date, Lakenya, or something to that effect, seemed nice enough—until she got a few drinks in her. Then she was loud—bullhorn loud and way too touchy-feely.
Wes, on the other hand, was having a grand old time with Donna Klein and was ignoring every signal Miles tossed his way.
“So tell me how a woman hasn’t dragged a fine brother like you down the aisle by now?” Lakenya blew a stream of smoke out the side of her mouth.
Miles entertained thoughts of dying from second-hand smoke inhalation. At least it would end the date on a high note. “I don’t know. I’ve just been lucky, I guess.”
“You mean lucky for me.” She eased closer, giving Miles a good whiff of alcohol and cigarettes.
Miles smiled despite himself.
“So how are you two making out?” Wes finally managed to drag his eyes away from his date long enough to ask.
Miles didn’t blame him. Donna was hot and the total opposite of her outlandish cousin. “We’re doing just fine.” He made sure sarcasm dripped from each word.
Wes pretended not to notice.
“Hey.” Lakenya directed Miles’s chin toward her. “How about a dance?”
His brain screamed no, but she was already out of her chair and pulling him along with her. There were a few gazes that swung their way from both sexes when Lakenya passed. It was most likely because Lakenya was a size twelve squeezed into a size eight dress.
Once they were on the dance floor, he tried to lose himself in the music, but was instead irritated by the crowded dance floor and hard-driving bass booming from the speakers. With his fortieth birthday looming on the horizon, he was beginning to feel he was getting too old for the club scene.
Lakenya grabbed his attention, or rather his butt, and then flirted with more than mere body language.
“My cousin told me to watch out for you,” she said, leaning up to his ear.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. But I don’t know. As good as you look I may just have to take my chances.”
“Is that right?” He laughed, but felt like crying. It was definitely going to be a long night.
Chapter 8
“Y ou’re giving back my ring?” Bewildered, Jefferson stared down at the diamond in his hand.
Destiny nodded and wiped at a stray tear. “I’m sorry. I know this must come as a surprise and I’m sorry that I don’t have this long, wonderful speech on what went wrong.” She was rambling again, she realized. It was a habit she’d picked up from her mother. However, she needed to get this over with while she still had the courage.
Jefferson nodded as if he understood, but his confusion remained evident in his expression.
Her heart squeezed. Jefferson had been nothing but kind and patient. For more than a year he’d waited for her to pin down a wedding date when all along she’d been thinking of ways to do just this—break up with him. In the past few months, they’d even gone as far as to go house
“I brought these for you.” He awkwardly extended a bundle of carnations.
She smiled and stepped forward to accept them. “They’re lovely.”
Jefferson slid his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Is everything...okay?” he asked.
Destiny drew in a deep breath and danced around his question. “Things could be better.” He’d never been a good shoulder to cry on. His involvement with her was nothing more than a power move on his part. She was a sort of intellectual trophy to drag to one social function after another in order to help elevate his career. And he was the same for her.
Jefferson cleared his throat. “Well, I was beginning to worry about you when you hadn’t returned any of my calls this week, but it’s good to see—” he swallowed and looked uncomfortable “—that you’re okay.”
Destiny rolled her eyes and turned away. “I’ll go put these in some water.” This definitely wasn’t going to be easy.
* * *
Miles wanted to kill Wes and go home—in that order. Miles’s date, Lakenya, or something to that effect, seemed nice enough—until she got a few drinks in her. Then she was loud—bullhorn loud and way too touchy-feely.
Wes, on the other hand, was having a grand old time with Donna Klein and was ignoring every signal Miles tossed his way.
“So tell me how a woman hasn’t dragged a fine brother like you down the aisle by now?” Lakenya blew a stream of smoke out the side of her mouth.
Miles entertained thoughts of dying from second-hand smoke inhalation. At least it would end the date on a high note. “I don’t know. I’ve just been lucky, I guess.”
“You mean lucky for me.” She eased closer, giving Miles a good whiff of alcohol and cigarettes.
Miles smiled despite himself.
“So how are you two making out?” Wes finally managed to drag his eyes away from his date long enough to ask.
Miles didn’t blame him. Donna was hot and the total opposite of her outlandish cousin. “We’re doing just fine.” He made sure sarcasm dripped from each word.
Wes pretended not to notice.
“Hey.” Lakenya directed Miles’s chin toward her. “How about a dance?”
His brain screamed no, but she was already out of her chair and pulling him along with her. There were a few gazes that swung their way from both sexes when Lakenya passed. It was most likely because Lakenya was a size twelve squeezed into a size eight dress.
Once they were on the dance floor, he tried to lose himself in the music, but was instead irritated by the crowded dance floor and hard-driving bass booming from the speakers. With his fortieth birthday looming on the horizon, he was beginning to feel he was getting too old for the club scene.
Lakenya grabbed his attention, or rather his butt, and then flirted with more than mere body language.
“My cousin told me to watch out for you,” she said, leaning up to his ear.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. But I don’t know. As good as you look I may just have to take my chances.”
“Is that right?” He laughed, but felt like crying. It was definitely going to be a long night.
Chapter 8
“Y ou’re giving back my ring?” Bewildered, Jefferson stared down at the diamond in his hand.
Destiny nodded and wiped at a stray tear. “I’m sorry. I know this must come as a surprise and I’m sorry that I don’t have this long, wonderful speech on what went wrong.” She was rambling again, she realized. It was a habit she’d picked up from her mother. However, she needed to get this over with while she still had the courage.
Jefferson nodded as if he understood, but his confusion remained evident in his expression.
Her heart squeezed. Jefferson had been nothing but kind and patient. For more than a year he’d waited for her to pin down a wedding date when all along she’d been thinking of ways to do just this—break up with him. In the past few months, they’d even gone as far as to go house
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