All of Me

Damian woke up the next morning fully clothed. His first inclination was to call Kyle, but he resisted the urge. Instead he pulled out his laptop and checked his emails. He deleted the junk mail and then clicked on one from his mother. She wanted to let him know that a woman who had come into her art studio asked whether he had remarried, and suggested that her niece might be perfect. He shook his head and quickly replied: No, thanks.

Done with the emails, he opened his presentation and made a few minor changes based on feedback and questions that were asked over the past two weeks. His cell phone chimed, and he snatched it up. He opened the text from Kyle, and he felt his heart thumping in his chest upon seeing Karen’s address and phone number. He sent back a text: I owe u one. Damian saved the file and shut down the computer.

* * *

All hopes Karen had of distancing herself from thoughts of Damian were dashed, as Melissa spent the remainder of the week at school gushing about how handsome the trainers were. She brought them up at every turn, putting Karen in a foul mood. When Friday arrived, she packed up and left soon after her students.

She spent a quiet evening reading until her eyes would no longer stay open. Placing the book on her nightstand, she turned off the lamp and scooted down beneath the covers. It seemed as if she had just closed her eyes when the phone rang. She glimpsed over her shoulder and read the blurry numbers on the clock. It is seven-thirty on a Saturday morning.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she said with a groan, rolling over and blindly reaching for the cordless. “Hello.”

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, darling daughter, happy birthday to you!” her parents’ chipper voices sang, her father’s slightly off-key.

She sat up. “Hey, Dad. Hey, Mom. Thanks.”

“We wanted to catch you before you started your day,” her mother said. “Are you doing anything special?”

“Nope. Just some cleaning.”

“That’s no fun,” her dad said. “You should at least have a special meal.”

“I may take myself out to dinner or something. How are you guys?”

“Just fine. Can’t wait to see you at Thanksgiving.”

“Me, too, Dad.” Although her parents lived less than an hour away in Oakland, Karen’s schedule often kept her from making frequent visits. “I’ll probably drive down Wednesday and stay until Saturday.”

“Sounds good, baby. You can get your birthday present when you come.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom. I love you guys.”

“Love you, too,” they chorused.

Karen disconnected and lay back looking at the ceiling. No sense in trying to go back to sleep. Truthfully, she wasn’t too excited about her birthday this year. It would be the first year since college that she had celebrated alone. She allowed herself another fifteen minutes for her pity party, then, determined to make the best of the day, got up, showered and dressed in comfortable sweats and a T-shirt.

Over the next hour, many of her family members, including her favorite cousin and grandmother, called with happy birthday wishes. As usual, her grandmother asked if Karen was dating. Her thoughts instantly went to Damian. She asked herself for the hundredth time if she had done the right thing by not hearing him out. She reassured herself she had done the right thing, and that some things were best left in the past. But seeing him again brought back every caress, every kiss and the emotional connection they shared on the cruise.

Somehow, Karen had to find a way to keep from falling for him.

Chapter 11

Karen had just finished cleaning the bathroom when the phone rang again. Every time it rang, she tensed, thinking Andre might be on the other end. He’d called several times wanting to talk, but she always let it go to voice mail. She toyed with changing her number but didn’t want to deal with the hassle. Smiling, she answered the phone.

“Hey, girl,” she said to Janae.

“Happy birthday!”

“Thanks.”

“What are you doing today?”

“Nothing much. I’m cleaning right now.”

“Girl, that’s no way to celebrate your birthday. You should be living it up.”

She laughed. “Melissa was busy and my best buddy ran off, got married and moved to the other side of the state. So who am I supposed to be living it up with?”

“I know. I’m sorry I deserted you,” Janae said contritely.