Page 20 of Cause When You Love Someone
“Hmph. What did you find out?”
“You were a dancer. Why did you stop?”
“I hurt myself, healing seemed like it would never happen, then I became an afterthought in the industry. The rest is history.”
“From the videos I watched, you were pretty good. Reminded me of Cecily Tank.”
Shock pried my lips apart. “Wait. What do you know about classical dancers?”
“Growing up, our cable was always off, so I read a lot. I had an obsession with Gio Flight’s books.”
I dressed the back of his low taper with a skeptical gaze. “Didn’t he write about gangstas and pimps?”
“Amongst other things. In his older work, he talked about how smooth Cecily Tank’s moves were, which led to me looking her up.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. Having the opportunity to learn is a privilege. I just take advantage of it.”
I tucked my feet under my butt, asking, “Have you ever been to a ballet?”
“It’s on my bucket list.”
I couldn’t pinpoint why, but hearing the passive protector mention a bucket list softened my heart. Most men I interacted with operated like they had it all together. They moved like theonly thing to gain in the world was a dollar. It didn’t take much to observe that Ishmael had more integrity.
“A renaissance man,” I murmured. “Do you plan to do this for the rest of your life?”
“Do what? Work as a bodyguard? Hell no.”
“You plan on leaving me already?” I quizzed. I didn’t realize how desperate my question sounded until it was met with silence. “I didn’t mean for that to sound like such a cry for help.”
“There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. Just make sure you’re available to receive it.” He paused. “If that man puts his hands on you again, you won’t have to ask me to solve your problem.”
“Wha-what?”
“I know it’s not easy to walk away, but don’t cover for a coward, Clarke. That makes you complacent.” His eyes shifted to the rearview mirror. “If you don’t know no better, I’ll teach you.”
Uneasy, I closed my eyes since I was unable to maintain a confident front. I didn’t know how to respond to someone forcing me to put myself on a pedestal.
Without thinking, I pulled my phone from my bag and called Sage.
“Hey, love. Do me a favor. Call T-Mobile and have them change my number, please.”
“Mm. Are you sure? There are a lot of?—”
“Sage!” I interrupted his rambling. “Just do what I asked. Please. I want you to change my number. Don’t give it to anyone.”
“What about your mama?”
“I’ll make sure she has a way to get in contact with me. Thank you.”
Ishmael’s back was to me, but I could see his cheekbones reach for the roof of the truck when he moved in the front seat.
“I didn’t do that because of you, Ishmael.”
He chuckled. “I hope not.”
Instead of trying to convince the cocky man that his words held no weight in my world, I scheduled a delivery from my favorite Thai spot.
