Another Time, Another Place

“Interesting,” I said, knowing good and well that Calibri had opened her big mouth already. When I asked Calibri to pick me up from the airport, I mentioned running into Aleck but gave no details. “It was a productive trip.”

Nancy smirked and then winked at Calibri, who was helping to bring in my luggage. “I’ll bet it was productive.”

They both giggled; made me sick.

“Hello, Rosalita. Everything okay?” I asked my nanny.

“Everything’s great, Miss Kiss. Dinner’s ready.” She looked at her watch. She should have been off work an hour earlier. “Would you like me to stay and get A.J. ready for bed after dinner?”

“No thanks.” I patted her on the shoulder. “As always, thanks for staying around the clock so I could go out of town on business.”

“Anytime.” Rosalita rubbed A.J.’s head. “I love A.J. It’s nothing but a pure pleasure to take care of him.”

A.J. beamed with pride. He was a good kid.

After we had eaten dinner and A.J. was bathed and in bed, I went back out into my living room to hear Nancy and Calibri whispering on the sofa. They stopped when I entered.

“Let me guess. The two of you were out here speculating about my pussy’s activity.” I sat down across from them in a recliner and hit the button to elevate my feet. “O

kay, get it over with. Ask your twenty questions so I can get ready to watch Martin.”

Calibri laughed and tucked her feet underneath her ass. “Girl, that Martin Lawrence is hilarious!”

“I love the show. When he does that snot-nose kid character, Roscoe, I can hardly contain myself,” I replied.

Nancy folded her arms in front of her and smacked her lips. “Fuck television! What happened between you and Aleck?”

I shrugged. “Like I said, ask your twenty questions and I’ll answer…the ones I feel like answering.”

“Fine,” Nancy said. “Calibri told me that you didn’t tell him about A.J. Why not?”

“Because Aleck’s married now.” I could hear—and see—them both suck in air. “Breathe, dammit! It’s been years; I had no expectations of him being single. Hell, I had no idea that I would ever see the man again.”

“What do you think it means?” Calibri asked.

“What do I think what means?”

“That you ran into him.”

I smirked. “I haven’t a clue. It happened; it’s as simple as that.”

Nancy seriously copped an attitude, like I had done something to her. “Married or not, the man has a right to know that he has a son. Do he and his wife have any kids?”

“No, but I would assume they’re working on it.”

“You have a beautiful, intelligent little boy,” Nancy continued. “You’re not being fair. Not to Aleck, not to yourself, but especially not to A.J.”

“What have you told A.J. about his dad?” Calibri asked.

I sighed. “This is not what I need tonight. Forget the twenty questions thing. I’m not up for it, after all.”

Nancy stood up and started pacing the floor in anger. “Who gives a shit what you’re up for? I cannot believe you. We’ve been friends forever, and I would never expect such a thing from you. It was one thing when you and Aleck lost touch and you decided to let it go. Even though I didn’t agree with it, I let it slide. A one-night stand is a one-night stand.”

“Exactly,” I said vehemently. “Seeing Aleck in Dallas didn’t change that, either. In fact, with him being married, I couldn’t possibly throw a monkey wrench like that in his total existence.”

“Don’t you see that this is fate?” Nancy was determined to make her point. “You’re the one who’s always preaching about how there’s always a reason. You said there was a reason why you and Aleck met and slept together in Jamaica; so that you could have A.J. You got married, cool, but that shit didn’t work out. Now God has given you another chance to—”

“To break up Aleck’s happy home?”