Page 27 of A Lifetime in 30 Days
“Yeaahhh!” Davon yelled, pumping his fist after he gave his team a much-needed strike.
“We got this, man. We got this!” Aden dapped him up and nodded.
Croy clapped a hand on Davon’s shoulder as he passed him to step up and take his turn. “This one is ours.”
“That’s right, y’all pump each other up!” Jamaica said from where she sat on the edge of the bench.
“It’s a little late for all that morale-boosting, though,” Ronni said, and laughed.
Vanna tried to keep her giggles to a minimum, especially since Aden had dropped himself onto the bench right beside her.
“You think that’s funny?” he asked.
She shrugged and chuckled again. “I mean, she’s not lying.”
He gave her a playful nudge. “We can play another game or two, just to see who’s really the best. We had to get warmed up.”
“Oh, that’s what it is, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah. You ladies had the advantage; you’ve played together before. This is my first time with the fellas, so we had to find our rhythm,” he said.
“Oh, I’d say you are finding a rhythm just fine, sir,” Jamaica said, and Vanna knew she wasn’t talking about bowling.
Clearing her throat, Vanna stood and walked over to the table where their food and drinks were since they couldn’t have them down on the game floor where the benches were. Luckily, the table was closeenough for them to keep an eye on, so she picked up her glass and finished the fruit punch she’d poured a while ago. She didn’t like beer, and when the bartender on duty had fixed her the worst mojito she’d ever had when they first arrived, she’d decided to stick with juice.
By the time she made it back to the bench, Jamaica was still talking.
“So, what are your intentions here, Aden?”
Vanna almost choked at the question. She froze and considered turning around and making a trip to the bathroom until this conversation was over.
He frowned at Jamaica, then looked up to meet Vanna’s gaze. “I’m here to help Vanna celebrate her birthday.”
Why did that make her feel all warm and tingly inside? Like, really, they were just words, and yet ... “He’s right. We’re all here to celebrate my birthday. The big four-oh,” she said, and tried to act like those damn butterflies weren’t back and having a whole party in her stomach.
“Not what I meant, and both of you know it,” Jamaica said with a smirk. “You haven’t been around in fifteen years. Where have you been, and why pop up now and suddenly want to celebrate her birthday? She’s had a lifetime of them without you.”
Jamaica could be as bad as Granny with her slick mouth, and usually it didn’t bother Vanna because she didn’t normally bite her tongue either. She also tried not to embarrass the hell out of her friends when she could help it. There was also the fact that the question she’d just asked had been one gnawing at Vanna too. So instead of penalizing her friend, she kept moving until she was seated again.
Aden looked from her to Jamaica, then gave a small nod. “That’s a fair question,” he replied. “As I told Vanna last night, I worked for Tomlin Karn at the office here in DC for five years. Then I moved down to their Miami office for seven years. Just came home three years ago and opened my gym.”
“Really?” asked Ronni, who had been sitting at the scoreboard table but was still listening to their conversation. “Croy works at Tomlin Karn. He’s been there for two years.”
Aden nodded. “It’s a great firm.”
“He also has a nutritional supplement line he’s launching next month,” Vanna added, because he had already given her his career rundown. And she had to admit to being extremely impressed with how much he’d accomplished and how much more he set out to do.
Jamaica narrowed her gaze at him, but she crossed one leg over the other and finally nodded. “Good, you’re not broke, so she won’t have to pay your car payments and buy your clothes.”
“And that’s enough now,” Vanna told her, immensely embarrassed. She prayed Aden wouldn’t take Jamaica’s words to heart. While her friends knew all that she’d put into her marriage emotionally and financially, she didn’t want that information broadcast. Didn’t want anyone knowing just how much of a fool she’d been for love.
Ronni leaned over and slapped Jamaica’s knee down. “You never know when to shut it off. Get up there and take your turn.”
Jamaica had the decency to toss Aden an apologetic look. “You know how I am about my girl.”
He nodded. “I do. But you don’t have to worry—I’ve got her now.”
Ah, what?
