Page 27 of Buy Back My Love

Except this wasn’t one of my books, and JB hadn’t even stayed at my house last night, which wiped the smile right off my face.

Things between us had been heading somewhere before I asked about the women he’d been with. I knew they had. The way he’d kissed me and had his hands all over me, we were damn near on our way to fucking before I asked who the last woman was.

After that, everything changed because he wouldn’t tell me who she was or how long ago it had been, and that was the part that kept bothering me. If it was really over and didn’t mean shit, why couldn’t he just answer the question? I kept walking, already deciding that whoever she was, if there even was a she, she might as well start packing her shit because Big Mama was home now.

Lee

Later that morning, Anika pulled up with breakfast from some spot called Puddin’s Place. She brought me a fish and grits plate that was so good I damn near wanted to slap our mama, and while we ate, I told her how my peaceful little morning walk ended with a massive Doberman knocking me flat on my back.

“You fell?” Anika asked, already laughing.

“I ain’t fall. His big ass tackled me.”

That only made her laugh harder.

“It ain’t funny.”

“Yes, it is. What you do?”

“What the hell could I do? I was on the ground fighting for my life while he licked me in the face.”

“Fighting for your life?” She wiped under her eye. “Girl, please.”

“He was huge!”

“Clearly he ain’t kill you.”

“No, because his owner came and got him.”

The way I said it must’ve given me away because Anika stopped laughing long enough to look at me.

“His owner?”

I picked up another forkful of grits. “Yeah.”

“What he look like?”

I kept my eyes on my plate. “Why that matter?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Lee.”

I tried to keep my face straight. “He was fine.”

Anika’s whole face changed. “I knew it.”

I pointed my fork at her. “Would you calm down? All we did was talk.”

“Mhm.” She took another bite of her food, still looking at me. “What’s his name?”

“Van.”

“Okay, Van.”

“Girl, shut up.”

She laughed, and I went back to eating before she could turn a five-minute conversation with the man into something it wasn’t. I told her about walking around the complex and seeing everybody’s porches decorated instead, and how it made me realize just how empty my place still was.

Anika looked around the living room. “Yeah, we gotta do something about this.”