LITMIR.BIZ

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      “So, Anthony, what brings you to Atlanta?” she asked.

      “I’ll be working at Fitzgerald & Johnson Industries as lead counsel,” he said. “Your mother tells me that you write for Luster magazine.”

      “I do,” she confirmed.

      Tamara was struggling to keep her temper in check. Why couldn’t Jillian just mind her own business? She didn’t need her mother’s help in getting a man.

      She managed to enjoy herself while they ate. Anthony had a wonderful sense of humor, and he could hold an intelligent conversation on several subjects. He was definitely an improvement over the last one her mother had tried to set Tamara up with.

      Anthony asked for her number.

      Feeling pressured, Tamara gave it to him. If she hadn’t, her mother would have given it to him anyway.

      Jillian excused herself to go to the ladies’ room.

      She was about to follow her, but Anthony stopped her.

      “Tamara, look, it’s no pressure. Let’s just get through this dinner to appease our mothers.”

      She gave him the first genuine smile of the evening. “You have one of those interfering mothers, too?”

      Anthony nodded. “I’m in a relationship, but she doesn’t think Rochelle is the woman for me. I know what I want and that is Rochelle. However, I hope that the three of us can get together sometime. Maybe we can all become friends.”

      “I’d like that, Anthony.”

      He paid the bill, then told Jillian that he had to leave.

      “Tamara, I know that you’re upset,” she said when Anthony walked out of the restaurant. “But I saw the way you two were interacting.” She broke into a smile. “Admit it. Don’t you like him just a little bit?”

      “Yeah, I do,” Tamara responded. “Actually I like him a lot. In fact, I think he’s the man for me, Mama.” She gazed into her mother’s hazel-green eyes and said, “Anthony has a girlfriend. We’re going to have a threesome when I get back from Los Angeles.”

      “WHAT?”

      She burst into laughter at the look of horror on her mother’s face.

      Jillian gasped and couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Tamara reached over and took her hand. “Mama, I’m kidding.”

      Her mother patted her face with the napkin. “I can’t believe you’d say something like that.”

      “It’s what you deserved,” Tamara countered. “Mama, please stop trying to set me up on blind dates. Don’t you think I’m capable of finding my own man?”

      Jillian’s lips puckered in silence.

      Tamara chuckled. “Good point. I haven’t done a great job in that department, either.”

      “I just want to see you happily married with a family.”

      “Then let it happen naturally, Mama.”

      Jillian gave a stiff nod. “Now what is this about you going to Los Angeles?”

      She told her mother about the assignment and seeing Micah again.

      “It sounds promising,” Jillian stated. “I can’t wait to hear all about the trip.”

      Tamara pushed away from the table and rose to her feet. “There you go again. Mama, I’ll see you later.”

      Jillian followed her out of the restaurant.

      “Mama, why don’t you look for a man for you?” Tamara suggested. “You should try to find someone to spend the rest of your life with instead of trying to shape my future.”

      A shadow of sadness colored Jillian’s expression. “I don’t think I can ever trust another man. Not after…” Her voice died.

      Tamara hugged her mother. “I had a great time tonight but you are forbidden to arrange any more blind dates. You’re making me feel insecure.”

      Jillian placed a hand to her face. “Oh, nooo…”

      “I’m kidding, Mama,” Tamara uttered with a laugh. “I need to get home and pack.”

      “I love you.”

      “I love you, too, Mama.”

      Before she headed home, Tamara waited for Jillian to get into her car and leave the restaurant parking lot.

      Tamara rehearsed exactly what she would say repeatedly in her head for the rest of the evening and again the next morning as she prepared to leave for the airport.

      Tamara flew first class from Atlanta to Los Angeles, both anxious and excited about seeing Micah again.

      She hoped that he would be the one picking her up at the airport so that he could clear the air before meeting his performer. It would help the interview along if there was no tension between them.

      Maybe I’m making too much of this. Micah’s not the type of man who would hold a grudge.

      To quell her nervousness, Tamara documented her thoughts.

      August 28th

      At this very moment, I am on a plane en route to Los Angeles to interview one of Micah’s performers. I have mixed feelings about this little reunion because of what happened before we graduated college. Hopefully, Micah will put the past behind us and give me a chance to explain.

      I have never forgotten that look of absolute hurt in his eyes. I have never been filled with such guilt as I experienced then. I’m not really sure an apology is enough to undo the hurt.

      What if I’ve overanalyzed that moment? What if what I thought was hurt was actually something else?

      I guess this is why Micah and I need to have a conversation. I miss him and deeply wish to repair our friendship.

      I just hope that it isn’t too late to make amends.

      Most girls had considered Micah a nerd back in the day—but not Tamara.

      Sexy Chocolate.

      That’s what she used to call Micah behind his back. He stood six-three, and even with glasses, the man looked good.

      She remembered how the basketball coach wanted Micah to play for the school but he refused. Instead, he preferred to focus on his academics and his dedication paid off.

      Micah utilized his talent and dual degrees in business and computer science to build his empire, Ross Red. She was proud of him and his accomplishments and hoped for the chance to tell him so.

      Things ended so abruptly that night. Tamara didn’t know if they could ever truly mend the rift in their relationship, but she was willing to try. Micah’s friendship meant the world to her.

      She settled back against her seat and closed her eyes. A thread of apprehension snaked through her body when the pilot announced they would be landing in twenty minutes.

      I can do this.

      Tamara repeated this over and over in her mind, trying to convince herself. Not that it was working. She was extremely nervous at the thought of seeing Micah again.

      She assumed that he would be the one meeting her plane, and once they got over the awkward moments, they could talk and Tamara could tell him everything.

      Thirty-five minutes later, she stepped off the plane and made her way through the Los Angeles International Airport. Tamara was disappointed when she didn’t see Micah at the gate.

      Maybe he was waiting for her in the baggage-claim area.

      Instead, she found a man in a dark suit holding up a sign with her name on it. She walked up to him and identified herself. “Hi, I’m Tamara Hodges.”

      “I

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