“I knew it! It’s all over your face. You like Tameka.”
I smiled and humped my shoulders. “I really just wanted to know how to deal with my father if I ever date a black woman. I’m not going to lie, though. Since you married Kemara, I have thought about it,” I said.
My mother, Maggie Holloway, passed away three years earlier, leaving my father and me as the only two in our immediate family. I had no doubt introducing a black woman as my girlfriend would make him disown me. I didn’t believe he would go as far as to kidnap and torture Tameka as Channing’s father, my Uncle Chad, had done to Kemara, but he would question my judgment and feel betrayed. Dad wasn’t a violent man. All he did was shake his head when Channing announced who he was going to marry, and he said it was a shame what Channing was doing to break up the family.
Channing’s voice broke into my thoughts. “I planned to marry a cute little blond, have a few kids, and live up to my father’s obligations in the brotherhood, but it just didn’t go that way. When it comes to love, you don’t always have a choice of who you
fall in love with, and that’s how it hit me,” he said.
“I have never been in love, but I’ve heard there’s not a whole lot you can do when the love bug bites you,” I said as Tameka walked back into the living room talking about how beautiful a piece of fabric was.
Kemara followed behind her. “What have you guys been gabbing about?” she asked.
“Just guy stuff,” Channing said. “What have you ladies been doing?”
“I showed Tameka that fabric I got the other day. Lady stuff,” said Kemara, her eyes beaming as she glided over to Channing. He put his arm around her waist, and she nestled against him until they looked like a picture you would see on the cover of a novel.
I glanced at Tameka to share the moment with her, but she quickly averted her attention to Kemara.
“Picking out fabric patterns is Kemara’s new thing,” Channing said, chuckling.
“I learned pretty early not to bother asking for his advice.” Kemara draped her arm around his shoulder and looked up into his eyes as if he were the only man in the world. “But, even though he can’t spot a good fabric pattern if it were right in front of him, I love him anyway,” she murmured as she kissed his cheek.
“Mmmm, thank you, babe,” he murmured as he placed butterfly kisses on her lips. “I love you more.” Their ability to block out everyone in the room and tune in to each other was something for the record books.
Tameka pulled her jingling keys out of her purse. “I’m about to go. It was good to see you guys again.”
Kemara left her husband’s embrace and walked over to Tameka to hug her. “See you soon, big sis.”
“Take care, little sis,” Tameka said.
“Call me later, okay?” Kemara said.
“I will.” Tameka turned to Channing. “See ya, brother.”
He nodded. “Bye, Tameka.”
“It was good to see you again, Jeb,” she said quickly.
The sound of my name coming from her couldn’t have been any sweeter to my ears. I was honestly surprised she acknowledged me.
“The pleasure was all mine, Tameka,” I said, tilting my head to watch her walk away, and the moment she walked out the door, I felt lonely. I got up and took a step to walk behind her until Channing spoke up.
“Were you asking me about my marriage, because you’re plotting to make a move on Tameka?” he asked.
Yeah, but the feeling isn’t mutual, I thought.
My heart couldn’t afford another break because it would shut down for good and never operate again if another woman betrayed me. Besides, Tameka had her mind made up that she didn’t want to get close to me. A blind man could see the barriers she put up to keep me away. I shrugged at Channing, leaving his question unanswered and my feelings for Tameka up in the air where they’d been since the first day I laid eyes on her.
“I’m about to head out and let you two get to your nightly business,” I said as Kemara wrapped herself around Channing.
“Avoiding the question, but that’s cool.” Channing pulled Kemara closer to him. “See ya tomorrow. I’ll stop by the club.”
“See you then.”
Chapter 3
Tameka