“Yeah, I’m sorry. Everything is good.”
“Oh, well, okay. How’s your day going?”
The calmness in his voice was helping the nerves I felt wash away.
“It’s going well. I’m actually outside for lunch right now.”
“Oh damn. Wish I had known. I would’ve joined you.”
I blushed hard. If Jabari were in front of me, he would’ve laughed at how giggly I was acting.
“How’s your day going?” I asked, still trying to play it cool.
“It’s actually pretty slow. I’m just doing extra shit to be ahead of the game. That’s all.”
I felt now was the right moment to throw it out there and accept his dinner invitation. I took a deep breath and sighed.
“So, the reason for my call is that I wanted to see if the invite to dinner was still on the table?”
I paused. My heart raced a mile a minute while I waited on his response.
Jabari chuckled. “It never went off the table, and it wasn’t ever going off the table. I was waiting patiently for you to call. A woman like you seems like she likes to put pressure on a brother. But that’s okay. I just don’t like things handed to me. I like to work for everything.”
His sensual voice sent a chill down my spine. Jabari oozed confidence, which turned me on so much.
“Just let me know when you’re available, and I’ll meet you there.”
“How about tonight?”
“Huh?”
“How about tonight? My mama is watching JaBria tonight because they’re having some special program for the kids at church tonight.”
Jabari had surprised me. I wasn’t expecting such a rush on dinner. I hadn’t even had an outfit in mind yet.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“Nah, I already had a game plan. I was just waiting for my phone to ring.”
I tried my best not to squeal. Jabari had laid it on thick, and I couldn’t help but feel like a kid in a candy store. Even though I’d been out of the game for a while, I could tell he was flirting.
“You got a game plan. What are the details?”
“Dress comfortably and meet me at the address I’m about to text you. Be there at seven o’clock tonight.”
“Okay, anything else?”
“Nah, just know I’m glad you called.”
I grinned like a silly child. “I’m glad to have called.”
I slapped my forehead. My game spitting was horrible. On a scale of zero through ten, I was at zero. I internally cursed myself. It’d been years since I flirted with a man.
He chuckled. “I’ll see you tonight, Amina.”
“See you tonight.”
The call ended, and I squealed for what felt like the hundredth time since I got on the phone with Jabari. People walking inside the hospital stared at me with expressions of concern on their faces. However, my excitement for the night trumped my embarrassment. I had a date with a fine man tonight, and nothing could rain on my parade.
