If I Were Your Boyfriend (33 page)

  "I also wanted to invite you over to a Halloween party my family is throwing next weekend."

  "Are you kidding me?" I asked. "After my first meeting with your crazy father, I'm not coming anywhere near him."

  "You let me worry about Jordan. All you have to do is come over and hang out with me. I assure you it will be much better than hanging out with your mom or sitting around this smoked-out house."

  "You have a point there," I said.

  "Then come on over. We'll have fun. There will be lots of food. It will help get your mind off of things."

  "Do I have to wear a costume?"

  "No, you can just come."

  "Are you going to wear a costume?"

  "I don't know, I may put on a little makeup and turn myself into a cat but that's about it. I'm not putting any serious effort into it. It's just a party he hosts every year for close friends and stuff."

  "Okay. I'll be there," I said.

  "Good, now, let's get out of here. I can't take the burnedout smell anymore. We can hang out at the pizza parlor. I'll buy you a slice along with a tall cup of pink lemonade."

  "That sounds like a plan to me," I said with a smile, and then kissed her once more before getting up to leave.

was standing at the stove waiting for the right time to flip over the pancakes I was cooking for everyone. On the countertop next to me was a glass bowl with several eggs that I'd cracked opened and whipped up along with a can of biscuits and a box of sausage. I suppose I was starting to feel as if I belonged to a real family even though Jordan and Mike didn't like my boyfriend and Mike seemed to enjoy getting on my nerves. However, I came to the conclusion that it was just their way of showing that they cared about me and I couldn't blame them for that. Everyone was still in bed, but I knew that it wouldn't be long before the scent of food wafting through the house would make all of them spring up. A short while later, just as I was taking the warm sausage patties out of the oven, Jordan walked into the kitchen.

  "Man, that smells good, Keysha," he said as he walked over to the stove to see what I'd prepared. "What's the occasion?" he asked.

  "Nothing," I said. "I just wanted to cook for everyone. Do you have an issue with that?"

  "No. None at all," he answered. Jordan went into the bathroom that was situated near the kitchen to freshen up. When he came out, he sat down at the kitchen table.

  "Are you ready to eat now or do you want to wait?" I asked.

  "No, as good as that smells, I can't wait," Jordan said. At that moment, Barbara walked into the kitchen.

  "I know you were not about to eat without the family," Barbara scolded Jordan.

  "Um, yeah, I was," he answered.

  "Well, now you can wait for me and Mike," she said as if he had no choice in the matter. Ten minutes later all of us were seated at the kitchen table eating the breakfast that I'd prepared. They all enjoyed what I'd cooked and that made me feel really good.

  "So, how is your friend doing?" asked Barbara.

  "Who?" I played dumb because I wanted her to say his name.

  "Wesley."

  "He's okay," I answered vaguely, because I wanted her to probe more. I wanted to get to the point where I could ask if I could invite him to the Halloween party Jordan was hosting.