“Since you refuse to answer your phone, I figured I’d surprise your black a—” Dallas scratched the back of her neck, peering down at Mehki. “Behind.”
I introduced Dallas to Angel and Mehki. They greeted each other with smiles and handshakes. “Dallas is a good friend,” I explained.
“If I’m such a good friend, why did you leave me alone with Preston’s ass?” She sighed. She apologized to Angel. “Apparently, I can’t seem to cut off the cuss words.”
“Mommie says shit all the time,” Mehki said with a shrug. “And damn.”
Dallas and I cracked up.
“Mehki!” Angel covered his mouth. “He’s so… He doesn’t forget anything.”
“A man after my own heart.” Dallas gave Mehki a fist bump. Turning to me, she said, “I was in Charleston on business. Thought I’d run up on you, see what you been doing.”
“Want to grab something to eat?” I suggested.
“Sure,” they all said simultaneously.
Later on, we were all seated at a booth in The Divine Café. “Can you stop telling all my business?” I warned Dallas. “We have little ears around.”
“That’s why he has on his earbuds,” Angel said, prodding Dallas to continue.
“This fool gets married anyway, after I warned him to stay away from that woman. Then begs me to get him out of it—two days later.”
Angel looked at me, her mouth open. “Wow, Cooper.”
I’d told her about my marriage, but I’d left out a lot of the details like the length and the circumstances. Shrugging, I said, “We all know I’ve fucked up from time to time.”
Angel sipped on her sweet tea. “So you’re a marriage broker?” she asked Dallas.
Dallas popped a french fry in her mouth and nodded. “Sometimes marrying for love isn’t an option. And if you do love someone, you might not want to just give away all of your worldly possessions if it doesn’t work out.”
The two woman had hit it off, much like Angel and Ryleigh did. Which was surprising because Dallas didn’t really get along with new people. She kept her circle tight.
“That’s so interesting,” Angel said. “I thought about law school for a while. In the end, I went with the MBA because I liked finance better.”
“And Ihatefinance,” Dallas grumbled. “At least when it doesn’t involve settlements.”
Mehki hopped up. “I have to use the bathroom.”
Angel stood. “I’ll be right back.” She grabbed his hand and left.
Dallas grinned. “I like her.”
Eyeing her, I asked, “What else?”
Shrugging, she said, “Nothing else. She’s smart, intelligent… I love Mehki. He’s a trip.”
“I…”Love them bothdied on my lips. It was way too soon for that.Right?
Dallas arched a brow. “You like them, too.”
“Of course, I like them. I’ve spent a lot of time with them.”
“More than justtime. You’re sleeping with her, right?”
I glanced at the hallway to make sure Angel was nowhere near this discussion. “Damn, man. You just put it out there like that.”
“It’s pretty obvious.”
