When a Man Loves a Woman (Indigo) by LaConnie Taylor-Jones Page B

her yet. But trust me, a man knows what he knows when he knows. You understand what I’m saying?”
    A.J. nodded. He truly understood what his friend meant about finding the right woman because he’d found Vic. Despite the accident, which had interfered with his plans to win her love, he took it all in stride. The recent turn of events was much better than anything that he could have come up with.
    With a confident smile, he settled back deeper onto the pillows. His only goal from here on out was to use the circumstances to his advantage.
    And the results would be well worth the effort.

Chapter 5
    “Yes, lawd.” Zach closed his eyes and inhaled the tantalizing aroma of barbecue ribs, baked beans, and peach cobbler as soon as he walked inside A.J.’s house Friday afternoon to check on his brother-in-law’s recovery.
    A.J. chuckled and stepped aside to let Zach enter.
    “Oh yeah, Baby Girl got it smelling real right up in here.” He tapped his watch. “Know it’s almost lunchtime, don’t ya, brother-in-law?” He glanced around. “Where’s Baby Girl at?”
    “She had to run a few errands.” A.J. headed toward the kitchen while Zach followed. He pointed to the overhead cabinets. “Grab a plate and help yourself.” Suddenly, he frowned. “Has Moni stopped feeding you?”
    Zach threw back his head and roared with laughter while washing his hands at the sink. “Come on now, brother-in-law. Everybody knows I love my baby, but cooking ain’t exactly one of her strong points.”
    Zach fixed a plate for A.J. as well. Afterward, they headed back toward the dining room.
    Once they had settled at a huge polished table, A.J. glanced over at Zach. “Any leads on the accident yet?”
    Zach leaned back in a rattan chair with a frown etched on his face. “Not a one. This is one of those cases where things went down without any witnesses. The only person who could even remotely help us crack the case is Baby Girl. The problem is, she can’t recall anything more than what she’s already told us.”
    A.J.’s eyes narrowed and his fork clattered against his plate. “Wait. Back up here. What do you mean, Honey can’t recall anything?”
    Zach shook his head. “Uh…nothing. Better finish eating before ya food gets cold.”
    “Zach,” A.J. uttered somewhat impatiently.
    “Brother-in-law, I’m sorry. I-I thought she’d told ya by now.”
    “Told me what?”
    “It was Baby Girl’s car that hit ya.”
    A.J. stared at Zach, stunned. “It was?”
    Zach pushed his plate away and put his hand up in defense. “Listen, now, don’t be mad at her. She couldn’t help it. Another car rear-ended her and caused her to hit ya.”
    A.J. was silent for a moment. Then a wide grin stretched across his face.
    Zach lifted his brow. “So that means you ain’t mad at her, right?”
    “Elated is more like it.”
    Zach’s mouth dropped open. “Whatcha mean, elated? Man, ya got tossed around last Saturday like a rag doll, and ya sitting here telling me ya happy about it?”
    A.J. shifted in his chair to take some of the pressure off his side. He didn’t need Zach to tell him what he already knew, because the dull ache was reminder enough. “Zach, you know when it comes to Honey, I’m an opportunist. Now you wouldn’t want me to miss out on the chance to have her here with me for a while.” He smiled and waggled his brow. “Would you?”
    Relaxing in his chair, Zach chuckled. “So, ya gonna take full advantage of the situation?”
    A.J. shook his head. “No. I’m going to use the situation to my advantage and convince Honey to see things my way. There’s a big difference between the two.”
    “Whatcha got up ya sleeve here, brother-in-law?”
    A.J. grinned. “Nothing.”
    “Yeah, right,” Zach drawled with reservation.
    A.J.’s carefree demeanor quickly shifted to concern. “Listen, back to the accident. If you don’t have any witnesses, what happens now?”
    Zach sighed, releasing his pent-up frustration. “Got