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“Please. I’m sure they would get a bigger kick out of your little reunion with Bebe.”
Bebe?He froze. She was back in town? He hadn’t seen her since before they both left for college.You mean after you gave the whole “let’s be friends” speech?“What do you mean?” Caution slowed his words as nerves spiked his pulse rate. He set down his spoon.
“You don’t remember?” His mother arched a drawn-on eyebrow in surprise.
“Please tell me I didn’t do something stupid.”Not with Bebe. Anyone but Bebe.
“You called her a ‘fine Georgia peach.’”
Kill me now!“I didn’t.”
“Sure did. Hope got a kick out of it.”
“Hope?”
His mom’s head fell back, and a full-out belly laugh filled the air. She shook her head, her shoulder-length brown hair shaking from the movement. “Oh my goodness. I never thought some painkillers could be that powerful. Hope is Bebe’s daughter. You asked her if she had a kid or a mini-me.”
Jahleel let his head drop against the headboard. He didn’t know what was worse, the fact that his mouth had gotten away from him or that Bebe Willabee had a child. Did that mean she had a husband too?
What does it matter? You ended the relationship, remember?
Jahleel licked his lips, searching for something to say to change the subject. To forget about a pair of pale green eyes that seared into his soul. His knee beckoned to him, ready to join the conversation. “I cannot believe I blew out my knee.”
His mom’s eyes softened. “God will heal you.”
“Not in time for the playoffs. Plus, my contract is up for renegotiation.” He wanted to voice the concern lurking in his heart but shoved it aside for another time. He’d wait to think about what was next after his physical therapist assessed the damage.
“God’s got you, Jahleel.”
More like He’d dropped him like a bad habit. Jahleel couldn’t even blame God. His faith had taken a hit since he joined the NFL. Not because of anything bad. Plain ol’ busyness had kept him from reading his Bible and from regular church attendance. Now he was suffering his first NFL injury ... and probably a career-ending one at that.
I don’t deserve Your forgiveness, but please forgive me. And if You could,please heal me.
Chapter
TWO
“What do you mean he’s back?” May’s eyes widened. “You can’t just drop that bit of information and then scurry away like a rat.”
Bebe stopped in her tracks as her mouth dropped open. “A rat?” Not the look she was going for, but May wasn’t wrong. Bebe didn’t necessarily want to dissect all the ways Jay’s homecoming was wrecking her.
“I knew that would get your attention.” A mischievous grin curved May’s mouth. “Is he still good-looking?”
Be cool, Bebe.“I’m sure some women would say so.”
May had a tendency to sniff out any hidden subtext. Bebe tried to keep her body language nonchalant, but her heart beat too fast, ignoring her commands and causing her right eye to twitch.
“Ohhh,” May whispered. “He’s that fine?”
“May!” Bebe snapped.
“What?” Her black eyebrows rose in perfect innocence. Her ivory complexion and obsidian eyes completed the picture. May could be an Asian Snow White if it weren’t for the freckles across the bridge of her nose, flaring onto her cheeks. Sheflipped her straight black hair over her shoulder as she turned to doctor up a cup of coffee.
“We’re in church, May.”
She snorted. “Like God didn’t already know the drool-worthy thoughts going on in your mind.”
Bebe would laugh if she weren’t half-mortified. Because she couldn’t stop cataloging the ways Jay had changed from the high school senior who’d broken her heart. He’d been lean with muscle then, but now he was next level.
