Talk a Good Game (28 page)

NYREE

Ever since the proposal I haven’t
been able to sleep a wink. Instead my mind has been racing with
thoughts and so many emotions I
’
m ready to go
find a psychiatrist and ask him to prescribe me something. My
feelings were torn. Should I follow my heart or use common sense? I
love my man and wanted to follow him to the ends of the Earth. But
at the same time, I’m giving up my job, my home, and friends to
travel across the world with a man I have known for three
months.

Trust me, I was eager to walk down
the aisle and be Mrs. Samuels but I had gone down this path so many
times before that for once I was scared. I
’
m serious.
I was afraid that maybe I really was moving too fast and I needed
to pull on the reins and say, “Whoa!” and slow it down. However, if
I did, I ran the risk of losing my man, and I simply couldn’t
imagine living without him.

I didn’t know who to turn to for
advice. If I even dared to call my mother and mention marriage, she
would be contacting Reverend Williams and booking the church, so I
decided to ask Janelle to meet me for lunch. Normally she can be a
male basher but ever since she started dating Kaleb she seemed
happier and more positive about men.

I called and asked her to drive
down to Jefferson City and meet me for lunch at this little bistro
downtown. I was feeling a little better knowing Janelle was coming,
because if I didn’t tell someone soon, I was going to go crazy. To
be honest I wasn’t sure why I was losing my mind over the proposal.
Jeremy and I were in love. He got a job offer on the most romantic
island and asked me to go with him as his wife. End of
story.

If things were that simple why
have you been second guessing your decision to marry him for almost
two weeks
?

All I know is I needed to talk to my girl and hear
her advice.

I had just ordered two waters with
lemon when I looked out the window and spotted Janelle sauntering
cross the street. She was wearing a smoking red dress that hit
every curve on her thick body and with the small black clutch purse
in her hand I didn’t have to guess she was strutting in black
five-inch stilettos. That chick could dress. And as always she made
me feel self-conscious in my military uniform.

“
Hey girl!” she squealed as soon
as she spotted me sitting at a booth in the corner. I waved and
signaled for her to come and join me.

Janelle slid onto the sit across from me batting her
fake eyelash extensions like a little kid with a secret.

“
Now you know my restaurant is
busy as hell during lunch time,” she scolded as she put the Chanel
bag on the seat beside her. “You better be glad I love
you.”

I
smiled.
“I know and I appreciate you
driving down.”

She settled on the seat, reached for a menu and I
noticed her perfectly sculptured nails. I needed to remember to
make an appointment myself.

“
So what did you want to talk to
me about?” she asked and brushed her shoulder-length hair away from
her chocolate face.

I still had my hand hidden underneath the table. I
swallowed and was getting ready to tell her when her cellphone
ringtone chimed that new Beyoncé song. Janelle frowned.

“
What
’s
wrong?”

“
Nothing… just Kaleb checking up
on me.”

“
Checking up on
you? He
’s
still sweating you like that?”
I said but she simply waved her hand like it was no big
deal.

“
Girl, once I
let him taste my goodies, the fool lost his damn mind.” She made a
joke out of the situation, but I was starting to worry because the
laughter didn’t quite reach her eyes. Janelle went back to looking
over the menu. “I swore I wouldn’t move in with him until after I
was married but… I
’
m now planning to move in with
him next weekend.”

“
Really
?” I couldn’t believe it. The
way she liked her space?

Janelle was grinning and nodding
at the same time. “Yep. I can rent out my townhouse and put that
eleven hundred dollars a month right back in my pocket. You know
Mama loves to shop!” she chuckled.

“
We know.”

Our waitress arrived and took our orders.

“
Okay, so you had me meet you for
lunch for a reason, so what is it?” Janelle asked like she was in a
hurry.

I stared directly at Janelle, while I removed my
hand from underneath the table and wiggled my ring finger.

“
Oh shit! You’re
engaged?” She snatched my hand and brought it to her eyes so she
could get a closer look. Damn, I know the diamond was small but it
wasn’t
that
bad.

“
Jeremy proposed two weeks
ago.”

“
Damn bitch and you
’
re just telling
me now!” She pushed my hand away.

“
You got a lotta
nerve!” I was talking with my hand now. “At least
I
’
m telling you in private. I
wasn’t ready to say anything until I had a chance to get used to
the idea.”

“
Uhhhh-huh.” Her
eyes traveled over to my ring finger again. “He works for the
federal government and that
’s
the best he could
do?”

“
Whatever,” I said but couldn’t
resist a laugh because I had been thinking the same thing. “That
man is paying child support for three kids. He doesn’t have it like
Kaleb.”

I noticed the way she rolled her eyes at the mention
of her man, but I decided to leave it alone, and focus on my own
issues.

“
I haven’t even told my mother I
was engaged.”

“
Hell naw!” Janelle fell back
against the bench. “Why not?”

Leaning forward, I rested my
elbows on the table. “I can’t help wondering if
I
’
m moving too fast.”

She gave a rude snort. “You always
do, so what
’s
the difference?”

“
See,
” I pointed to her.
“That
’s
what I
’
m talking
about. I’ve been married and engaged more times than I care to
admit and you see where that has gotten me.”

Janelle looked at me then nodded.
“
True.
”

I shrugged. “For once I want to
get it right.”

“
Now you know
I
’
m the last person you should be
talking to about getting all serious and shit,” she pointed out
impatiently. “What does your heart say?”

I grinned. “It says, marry my
man.”

“
Well? Then I guess you need to
marry him.” Janelle said it like the decision was that easy. And
maybe it was.

“
Jeremy wants to get married next
month.”

She choked on her water. “Next
month? Don’t you think that
’s
a little
soon?”

I took a deep breath. “Yes and no.
Like you said, follow my heart. For the first time in my life I
know what love is.”

She snorted. “You said the same
thing about Rock.”

I shook my head. “That wasn’t
love. That was lust and a bit of a challenge. But what I feel for
Jeremy, I have never felt before in my life. All I care about is
hearing his scratchy voice and feeling his arms wrapped around me.
He has this way of making me feel like nothing else matters. I
thank God every night for bringing him in my life and I pray the
same thing in the morning.”

Janelle
’s
mouth fell open. “Damn, you got
it bad.”

“
I know, right?”
I replied, and started playing with the condensation running off
the glass. “That
’s
why I can’t imagine spending my
life without him.”

“
Yeah, but
what
’s
the rush? I
’
m
engaged, but I plan on milking this shit for as long as I
can.”

I rolled my eyes. She’s a mess!
“Jeremy accepted a job in Hawaii and is supposed to report by the
end of October. He wants me to go with him.”

Her large, brown eyes widened.
“Damn! Hawaii? Okay,
now
I understand. I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity
like that either.”

Shaking my head, I replied, “It
wouldn’t matter to me if we were moving to Alaska. All that really
matters is that I get to be with him.”

Janell leaned across the table and
gave me this weird look. “You really are in love this
time.”

“
What did you think I was doing…,
lying like you?”

“
Lying
? I
’
m not
lying. I do love Kaleb, but his money does help.” She took a sip
from her straw and I noticed she was staring at
me.

“
What?”
I don’t
know why I felt so
self-conscious.

“
You
do
seem different.” I
didn’t like the way she was looking at me.

“
What do you mean?”

Janelle looked a moment longer
then gazed up toward the ceiling, like she was careful choosing her
words. “I mean there
’s
a sort of calm about you that
I’ve never seen in you.”

I shrugged. “Is that a bad
thing?”

She hesitated, searching my eyes
then shook her head, sending her curls swinging around her
shoulders. “No, it
’s
great. You just seem… I wanna
say happy but it
’s
more than that.”

I swallowed dry at the truth of
her words. “That
’s
because it is. I can’t even
begin to describe it. It
’s
like
I
’
m walking on a cloud.
It
’s
a wonderful feeling I can’t even begin to bring
to words. But I love it.”

“
Oh my God!
You
’
re shaking. I can hear it in your
voice. Damn girl… you
are
in love!”

“
I know, right.” I nodded and
couldn’t stop the tears gathering at the corners. “I’ve always read
those romance novels wondering about that amazing feeling the
heroine was experiencing and now I know.” Tears started running
down my cheeks.

“
Dammit Nyree! You
’
re gonna ruin
your make up,” Janelle scolded and leaned over with her napkin and
dabbed at my eyes.

“
Sorry,” I muttered.

“
You don’t have
to apologize but you do have to keep it cute, girl. I can’t send
you back to work looking a hot mess.” She did this crazy eye-roll
thing that caused me to start laughing. “I am so happy for you.
Really I am. If you love ‘em, then I like ‘em. Y
’
all
know how I do.”

“
Thank you, Jae,” I said between
sniffles. “I was starting to think maybe I was crazy for feeling
this way.”

“
Only you know
what you feel. Hell, I
’
m going through the same
damn thing with that crazy mothafucka I
’
m with.”
She shook her head with this far-off look. “I can’t believe I’ve
changed for him.”

“
I can’t believe
it either. You sure you
’
re being
faithful?”

While laughing Janelle waved a
hand in the air. “Girl as God is my witness, I ain’t thought about
another man since I’ve been with Kaleb. I
’
m
dick-notized.”

“
Dick-notized!” I roared with
laughter.

Giggling, she replied,
“I
’
m serious. I told all my exes to
stop calling and I meant it. I don’t even look at another man
because I know that crazy mothafucka will clown if he caught
me.”

“
He ain’t
no
punk.
” Just the way Jae liked
them.

“
No, but
he
’s
crazy.”

My brow rose. “Sounds like
that
’s
what you need.”

I noticed she frowned, but our waitress returned
with our food before I could ask her about it. By the time I said
grace, Janelle was already digging into her salad.

“
So seriously, when is the big
day?” she asked.

Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I
replied, “I told you. In the next three to four weeks.”

She shook her head. “How can we
plan a wedding that quickly?”