ignored the comment. She figured he didn’t really expect an answer. Instead, she smiled. “Yes, I do seem to remember a few things, but you know how it goes.” She couldn’t bring herself to admit that if she’d known he was so fine, her memory would have definitely been sharper. At that moment, Skye planned to revisit the subject with Nita the first chance she got.
They entered the ranch-style house and Skye’s focus shifted. Branch and Nita had remodeled extensively in the past months. They’d painted, refinished the floors and modernized the kitchen and bathrooms. The four-thousand-square-foot ranch house was open, airy and contemporary, yet it offered expansive comfort to all who entered its doors.
“Come on in, girl,” Nita interrupted. “That sun and heat can get to you if you’re not used to it,” she added. “Here, let me show you to your room,” she said as she directed Terrance and Skye toward the back of the two-story structure.
“Four thousand square feet of casual elegance supported by functionality is what our design consultants describe it as,” Nita offered as they passed three bedrooms.
“Wow, that’s a lot of space,” Skye squealed as she passed the rooms and the adjoining bathrooms which lined the hallway.
“Branch was adamant when we looked for a house that it should be able to accommodate friends, family, whatever.”
“By family, I am assuming you’re referring to any children you two have. I know my man was not trying to encourage the onslaught of relatives that a five-bedroom house can summon,” Terrance offered, smiling.
“I’ll give you one thing—you definitely know my husband very well,” Nita laughed.
“You’re darned right I do, but that’s Husband 101—do not encourage the in-laws to move in,” he added.
Skye shook her head, then joined them in laughter. “No matter what or who comes to visit, this house is awesome,” she said, still looking around in wonder.
“Yes, it is, and I was just thinking the same thing about you,” Terrance suddenly whispered so that only Skye would hear. Nita had walked on toward the fourth bedroom and was chattering on about dinner being served at seven-thirty that evening.
His comment caught Skye off guard. She wasn’t sure how—or if—she should respond. She also wasn’t at all sure she wanted to. After all, this was a man whom she’d heard stories about from the time her best friend had met her newly acquired husband.
His reputation from his early college days was legendary and it spelled caution any way you looked at it. Temple University had been his stomping grounds. She realized that he could have very well kept his old habits intact. Some men never grew up, never relinquished their player cards. In her mind, the pending divorce Nita had mentioned was, in all likelihood, something to which he’d contributed wholeheartedly.
Terrance wheeled Skye’s suitcase just inside the doorway to the bedroom she would occupy and then quickly turned around, holding out his hand once more.
“It’s been extremely nice meeting you,” he said, clasping it warmly between his two hands for a brief moment, which somehow seemed to last far longer than was necessary.
“You, too. Looks like we’re almost roommates,” Skye added, nodding toward his room which was just across the hallway.
“Now that would be asking for way too much,” he said and walked toward the door. “But a guy can hope,” he added, laughing as Skye quickly closed her door. She was trembling as she leaned back against it. She closed her eyes and tried to gather her wits about her. He was only a man. But, what a man. His body, his face, his voice, his eyes, his shoulders and his walk all came together in her mind and Skye opened her eyes in an effort to try and regain her composure.
It was the first time she’d seen a room done in shades of red. The walls were red, the café curtains at the window were red and the framed prints lining the walls were all in red themes. The furniture, the bed’s comforter and the area rug which sat next to a black leather chair were stark white, lending both contrast and a feeling of extreme space.
Skye’s breathing slowed as she composed herself. She vowed to keep herself under better control for the remainder of the weekend, trying to ignore the fact that the object of her undoing was housed less than ten feet away.
She unpacked, brushed her teeth, changed her blouse and wondered if she’d make it through the next forty-eight hours. Then, she bravely made her way toward the huge living room where Nita, Branch and the rest of the weekend’s company had already assembled.
Nita’s younger sister, Monica, and her current boyfriend, Patterson, were seated on the long sectional sofa looking through the wedding photo album. Lorenzo was pouring drinks, and Branch’s cousin, Ellie, also had a separate book of photos she was engrossed in.
Skye walked into the room, was quickly reintroduced to everyone with hugs, kisses and small talk. It took her several seconds to realize that Terrance was nowhere in sight. It took another minute for her to admit her disappointment, even if it was only to herself.
Chapter 4
Terrance looked down at his cell phone, thought about turning it off and realized it was not an option. If anything happened to Jacqueline, if there was any type of emergency, he wanted to be available. The fact that this left him open to the possibility of Brianna’s constant monitoring, harassment and other displays of annoying behavior did not escape him. He left the phone on, turned the ringer off and prayed that he would not hear from the one woman in the world who could effectively ruin his day from more than three hundred miles away.
The past eighteen months had been a living hell, though he’d remained steadfast in his determination to move forward. The two-bedroom condominium he’d recently signed a contract to purchase was something he’d originally thought of as a temporary haven. After unpacking the essentials, establishing a fairly efficient way of doing things and coming to the conclusion that moving again would be too much of a hassle, he realized that he liked the easy access the apartment provided. Located in a newly renovated section of Nassau township where tourists were seldom found, it contained all new appliances, upgrades in the things that mattered and a sweeping view of a small coastal waterway. Many of his evenings were now spent having dinner alone on the tiny veranda just outside his living/dining room as he watched the boats enter and leave the small harbor in his view.
His everyday existence consisted of work, work and more work. Which was why he’d had no qualms or second thoughts when Branch issued the weekend invitation. At the moment, Terrance was doing his best to forget the face and body of the shorty now assigned to the room across the hall from him for the weekend. Still, her smile lingered in his thoughts. Something about her made him want to see her again and he found himself eager to rejoin the group for their first night of reminiscing.
Terrance checked his watch, noted the time and decided it wouldn’t hurt to change his shirt and freshen up a bit. Fort Lauderdale sunshine and heat were different from what he was used to experiencing in Nassau. The humidity of the Florida environment took getting used to, even for him. Just as he finished brushing his teeth, his cell phone vibrated. He looked at it, shook his head and reached for it.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Terrance. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” Brianna said, her breath coming in gasps.
“No, not at all. Is anything wrong?” Terrance’s
