Talk a Good Game by Angie Daniels Page B

checking to see
what I got planned.”
    “ Then why don’t you answer it?”
Something in his eyes said he didn’t believe me.
    I forced a smile. “Because
I ’ m with you and I don’t want any
distraction. When I call her later I’ll have something to talk
about.” It was obvious, Kaleb was no fool. I was used to dudes
taking what I said at face value but, Kaleb was definitely
different from the others I’ve dated. I ’ d be lying
if I didn’t say I was intrigued.
    We were hundreds of feet in the
air when Kaleb came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my
middle section. “What are you thinking about?”
    I leaned into his embrace. Man I
could get used to this. “I ’ m thinking this is one
of the most rewarding experiences of my life. When I was younger, I
used to sit on my grandmother ’s front porch and watch
all the balloons go by. I always wondered what it would feel like
to be up this high in the air looking down on the entire
city.”
    “ Now you know longer have to
wonder.”
    I shook my head as I continued to
gaze down at my city. “ No, I don’t .”
    We stood there, with his arms
wrapped around me, until I felt Kaleb reach down for my hand.
“C ’ mon.”
    I swung around and followed Kaleb
to the other side of the balloon where I noticed for the first time
a large wicker picnic basket. “What ’s this?”
    “ Lunch.”
    He reached inside and removed a large blue blanket
and spread it onto the floor and took a seat. I lowered beside him
and watched as he removed subs, potato salad, and sodas. The whole
time I was grinning. This man was impressing me more and more by
the second.
    “ You are full of
surprises.”
    He winked. “Baby, this is only the
beginning.”
    That ’s exactly what a
sistah wanted to hear.
     
    We were almost to my house, when I pulled out my
cell phone and turned it back on. I quickly scrolled through my
voicemail messages. Q had called twice and so had Janelle. I caught
Kaleb giving me a strange look. That dude seriously believed in
having your full attention. I put the phone back in my purse.
    “ You ’ re sure you don’t have a man in
your life?” he asked impatiently.
    My head whipped around. “Why you
say that?”
    “ Because you spend a lotta time
checking your phone.”
    He was right. I do, but so what? I liked staying
connected. Besides, I paid the bill not him.
    “ I’ve had a wonderful last few
weeks. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better but
like I said before I don’t believe in sharing.”
    I had never been one for playing
games or putting all my cards on the table but there was something
about Kaleb. I guess I just really liked him or maybe it was
knowing he was seasoned that made me want to go about this
relationship differently from all the others in the past. Really,
it wasn’t just about the money. Despite being a ready-made family,
this man had almost every quality I wanted in a man and because of
that I didn’t want to bullshit him.
    “ Look, I gotta be honest with
you,” I said and he nodded and waited.
    “ I ’ m
listening. ”
    I couldn’t believe I was about to
say this. “I’ve been seeing someone.”
    Kaleb gave me this look like he
had known all along I had been lying. “Where is he?”
    “ He moved to Dallas. We fly and
see each other once a month.”
    There was no mistaking the
disappointment on his face. “I appreciate you being honest but I
don’t believe in stepping on another brotha ’s toes. ” He held up
his hands in surrender. “ So I ’ m gonna tap
out.”
    “ Tap out? I don’t want you
to do that. I like you and I just felt like I needed to be
honest.”
    “ How long
y ’ all been
together?”
    “ Off and on, for about three
years.”
    “ So if you gotta man then what
were you doing on the dating site?”
    I took a deep breath.
“What ’s the best way to explain it? He
is a good guy. What you see is what you get. I never felt compelled
to be exclusive with him because I’ve