“What about now, Janae?” Vanessa’s gentle tone pulled her back from those memories of yesterday. “Have things changed? Has he changed?”
Janae shrugged. How could she honestly respond to that question when she didn’t know the answer herself.
“How am I supposed to know? I saw the man once in more than twenty years. That was when Michael’s parents died, and he came home for the funeral. He was wrapped up in taking care of Michael, and rightfully so. I don’t know if he’s changed or not. I just know that I don’t have time for distractions.”
“And if it’s one thing that gorgeous man is”—Cree infused her lightness into the conversation again, making Janae smile even when she didn’t want to—“that man is a walking distraction.”
Yes, the hell he was.
Chapter 5
“Hello, Janae.”
Janae stopped in the center of her living room at the sound of her name. She didn’t have to ask who was on the other end of the phone line. She’d know that deep, rich baritone that rolled over her like a perfectly aged cognac anywhere.
“Adam?” She wasn’t asking a question. Again, his voice was too recognizable to not know who he was. But the high-pitched lilt in her voice made it sound like she was.
Determined to keep her cool, she cleared her throat.
“This is surprising.”
“I don’t know why. Michael gave you my number and I expected you to call me. Since you hadn’t, I figured I’d call instead. I hope that’s all right.”
Hell no, it wasn’t all right.
It wasn’t that she was upset that he’d called. She’d given him her number. It was more like she hadn’t expected that he actuallywouldcall, and now she felt a little out of her depth with him on the line. They were friends of friends. They weren’t complete strangers. It was highly probable they’d cross paths personally just in their normal interactions with their mutual friends. Then why did himcontacting her feel like so much more than just a friend of a friend reaching out?
“It’s fine. What can I do for you?”
“I have to admit, J. I was disappointed when you didn’t call.”
The shortening of her name seemed so personal and right, denoting a familiarity between the two of them that shouldn’t be there. Yet it felt natural, and she didn’t correct him.
“I don’t see why?” She was proud of the fact that she sounded more like herself, more in control than the nerves in her stomach indicated she was. “I never agreed to call; you just suggested I should.”
His smooth laughter came through the line, reminding her how at ease he was with himself and the world around him, even back when they were kids.
“Same old J. I’ve missed the way your mind works.”
“We haven’t seen each other in two decades, and we were never that close as kids. How would you know how my mind works?”
“Because, even back in the day you didn’t hesitate to check someone or let them know what you were thinking. I always thought that was one of your finer qualities.”
She struggled against the notion that he not only noticed her straightforwardness but liked it. Seemingly one more of her mother’s lies that she’d dispelled. Being blunt apparently wasn’t as much of a turn-off as Janae had been led to believe.
Her mother had spent a lifetime trying to curb Janae’s tongue, but Janae had never given in. She was who she was, and she refused to change because a man thought she should.
“We never really connected when we were kids. I’d just assumed I wasn’t on your radar.”
“That would be an inaccurate assumption, J.” His voice dropped to its lower register, forcing Janae to listen carefully at his next words. “I was a jock. I didn’t have to ask for attention, it was just thrust upon me. That meant when I noticed someone who didn’t seem toknow I was alive, I didn’t know how to approach her. It wasn’t for lack of interest. It was just awkward inexperience.”
Satisfaction welled up in her. She was sure this was the moment where her so-called attitude problem would run him off. To her surprise, he didn’t gracefully bow out.
“I apologize if I gave you the impression I didn’t see you back then. I want to rectify that now.”
She was quiet, something that wasn’t a usual personality quirk of hers. Adam didn’t owe her anything. They’d been students at the same school, not besties. However, the fact that he would apologize for any perceived slight from more than twenty years ago? Hell, her ex-husband, Marq, had committed so many wrongdoings against her. It had taken a divorce and years of therapy for him to get to the point where he could acknowledge that he’d been the problem, not Janae. Who was this man?
“Janae, are you still there?”
