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 actually would call, 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 him contacting 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 to know 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?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well,” he began smoothly, “would you let me take you out to a friendly dinner on Saturday?”
Slightly intrigued and more than a little tempted, she could feel the acceptance bubbling up her throat. She was about to let it slip across her lips when she heard, “Hey, Ma, I’m home,” coming from the other side of her kitchen door.
The sound of James’ voice was sobering to her, pulling her out of whatever haze Adam’s velvety tone had wrapped her in, reminding her the only person she had time for was the boy she was raising.
Life had taught her that the one constant joy in her life was her son.
That was the only happiness she could trust. Her husband, her mother, they’d both been never-ending sources of pain and loneliness.
Janae had fought so hard to make her soul impenetrable to the outside world.
As benign as dinner with an acquaintance was, that wasn’t what scared her about Adam.
It was her reaction to him. Whether it was in Vanessa’s office, or chatting with him in passing at the school, or sitting on the phone for a few minutes, he made her want to say yes to him.
Saying yes had opened her up to a world of hurt that she’d nearly drowned beneath.
Risking that again because she found Adam attractive was foolish in her book.
So, she wouldn’t entertain connecting with him. The answer was no.
Since Janae was known for her stubbornness, it shouldn’t be hard for her to stick to her guns on this matter either.
She’d done it before without batting an eye.
Like the time her mother had threatened her with the loss of all her privileges if she didn’t go on a diet and lose weight when she was a junior in high school.
Janae had gladly come straight home and gone upstairs to her room, forgoing any of the fun things the rest of the kids in town were doing, because she refused to break under her mother’s tyranny.
Janae wasn’t meant to be skinny. She’d known that from a very young age. But her mother, a former beauty queen, couldn’t accept that her pudgy daughter was perfectly happy in all her fluffiness.
Her mother had learned then if Janae didn’t want to do something, there wasn’t a devil in hell that could make her.
Still, Adam’s smooth voice, his lazy smile, and his intense stare made her want to say yes. And just as immune as she was to peer pressure and parental coercion, she was doubly determined to embrace everything she wanted in life.
That was the problem.
Her mind kept wondering what kinds of joy that man with his thick lips and alluring locs could bring her.
Lord knew it had been a good while since she’d enjoyed orgasms that didn’t come from her own hand or one of her battery-operated toys.
Not that she had a problem with self-pleasure, she was all for a woman getting hers anyway she wanted.
Nevertheless, she would be lying if she said she didn’t miss the solid weight of a man between her thighs or rough stubble against some of her softest places.
Adam couldn’t be the man for that. He was too intense, capturing too much of her attention in the few moments they’d spent together since his return.
Janae had always been an all or nothing kind of girl.
Right now, getting the arts program reinstated had to be her focus.
Adam would be a heavy distraction for her in this moment.
Nope, she avoided things that were gonna cause her problems like the plague, and Adam Henderson should be right at the top of her “ain’t no way in hell” list.
“Adam, I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s a good idea. My schedule’s impossible right now. Thanks so much for asking, though.”
“Janae—”
She didn’t give him the chance to finish; she simply said, “I’ve gotta go, Adam. Welcome back home.”
She disconnected the call just as her son walked through the kitchen door smiling and asking, “Is there anything to eat?”
Warmth flowed through her as she watched her son’s familiar smile bloom across his lips.
Yeah, this was the only thing she needed to focus on.
Focusing on anything or anyone else had always come back to burn her.
Case in point, her ex-husband. Marq’s possessiveness had nearly driven her over the edge.
When she’d finally found the strength to break free of him, he’d punished her, dragging her through an ugly divorce that had practically broken her.
She would never willingly open herself up to hurt like that again. Nope. She was fine just the way she was, alone. Now she needed to keep her heart and focus where it belonged, on her son-shine and work. That was it, that was all.
Adam smiled as he sat in his car, looking at the phone in his hand.
Yes, Janae had turned him down, but he could hear the interest in her voice.
He hoped she felt whatever this thing was that was bubbling up between them.
Maybe he wasn’t in this alone, and that was a huge change from when they were kids.
Then, he was only able to indulge in his attraction to her from a distance.
It appeared the tide was changing, however.
Now … now he felt like he had a fighting chance.
He remained that way, grinning from ear to ear, until a tap on his window pulled him from his amusing thoughts.
He looked up to see Michael and Derrick standing next to his car.
“You staying in there forever or you coming out so I can get my strawberry pancakes?”
Slightly annoyed at Michael for interrupting his thoughts of Janae, Adam left his car and slapped a hand on Michael’s gut.
“You keep eatin’ them and you’re gonna turn into a strawberry pancake.
You know your metabolism slows down as you age.
You can’t eat like you’re twelve and expect to burn it off like you used to. ”
Michael pushed Adam’s hand off his stomach and nearly growled at him.
“My waistline is exactly the same as it was when I left college. I’m the only one among us that’s always doing some kind of exercise drill. It’s kinda necessary for me to do my job and keep y’all safe in this town. I am in the best shape of my life.”
“That and, unlike us,” Derrick huffed, “he’s getting sex on the regular. I’m pretty sure he burns through those pancakes as soon as he gets home to Vanessa.”
Michael wouldn’t dare answer that because he had too much respect for the woman he loved. But the slick grin on his face was all the answer Adam needed to know Derrick’s assumption was true.
“Lucky bastard,” Adam murmured before the three of them headed for the diner and stepped inside, walking toward the back to their favorite booth.
Once their server took their orders, Adam found both his friends’ eyes plastered on to him.
“What were you so giddy about in your car?” Derrick’s question made him pause for a moment as he considered how to answer the man.
“Just trying to figure out Janae. I called her, asked her out, and she turned me down flat.”
“And you found that funny?” Derrick’s observation made Adam smile again.
“Yeah. Something about the way she said no made me think the no wasn’t because she wasn’t into me.”
“So why do you think she said no, then?” Michael’s question hung in the air while their server brought their food and they began digging into their plates.
“I don’t rightly know. She wasn’t angry. She was actually quite pleasant on the phone. It was more like she felt she should say no, not that she wanted to.”
Michael shrugged. “I mean, she doesn’t really know you, Adam.”
Adam’s brow furrowed at Michael’s observation. “She came to my house and my parents’ cabin to help me tutor you.”
“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “But it was all about the work. She didn’t joke around, she didn’t hang out, left as soon as the work was completed.
Even when your mom came in with food halfway through our sessions, she ate quietly and quickly and made sure we got right back to work.
Y’all’s academic bickering in the classroom may have been legendary, but outside of class, Janae didn’t really connect with you.
And if you’re honest, you didn’t really fool with her too much socially either.
It doesn’t surprise me she’s not as warm as she could be toward your invite. ”
Adam knew Michael was telling the truth. It should’ve been water under the bridge by now. He shouldn’t still feel left out and unseen by Janae’s refusal to connect with him back then. The reality was, however, that all of that continued to bother him now in the present.
“I say give it time,” Derrick added. “We run in the same friend circles. Hell, as close as she and Vanessa and Cree are, you’re bound to run into her often. Let her see who you are, and maybe she’ll change her mind.”
“What he said,” Michael agreed. “But do remember this. Janae doesn’t suffer fools. She has zero patience for them and will write you off quicker than you can say her name if she feels you aren’t worth her time. Don’t fuck up and end up on her bad side.”
Adam took a quick sip of his coffee and shrugged.
“I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem.
I only wanna reconnect, build a casual friendship.
I’ve been friends with you two and Cree since forever.
Now that Vanessa’s here, she and I are cool too.
It’ll make the friend dynamic weird if Janae and I don’t find a way to click. ”
Both Michael and Derrick looked at each other and then at Adam with wary glances as if they were questioning whether they believed him or not.
A lesser man would’ve been worried. But Adam knew who he was and who he wanted.
He wanted to get to know Janae, and he would let her set the pace for how slow or fast that happened. He was a patient man; he could wait.