Читать книгу Overtime For Love - Synithia Williams - Страница 11

Chapter 3

Angela fought to keep the professional smile on her face as she listened to the volunteer sitting across from her desk give another excuse for not visiting the child she was assigned to this month. Olivia Parker was a decent lady. She was retired from the school system, had friendly brown eyes and a matronly appearance. She’d heard about the need for advocates when Angela’s supervisor was interviewed by the local news six months ago and immediately came in to volunteer. Except she always had an excuse for why she couldn’t put in the time.

Everyone in the office was assigned a group of volunteers to organize and ensure the kids they represented had someone to check in on them. Angela’s volunteers rarely missed visits because she was constantly touching base with them. Ms. Parker was her coworker Jerry’s volunteer. He’d asked her to deal with Ms. Parker because he “couldn’t be mean to someone who reminded him of his grandmother.” The real excuse: he didn’t know how to manage his volunteers.

“You understand, Angela, why I didn’t make it this month. Between my husband getting sick, the drama with my sister and Pickle’s surgery, it just slipped my mind,” Olivia said in a pleading voice.

Angela took a deep breath. Pickle was Ms. Parker’s miniature schnauzer. “I do understand, but it is also very important that our volunteers personally see their assigned child every month. That’s the only way we can ensure they’re adapting to their new foster home and are making any scheduled court appearances or visits with their parents. I’ll work with Jerry to cover your visit tomorrow, but please let Jerry know ahead of time if you can’t make next month’s visit.”

Olivia bobbed her head up and down. “No. No. I’ll go first thing in the morning. I understand and I promise I won’t miss next month. I’ll be sure to visit not just once, but—”

“Twice.” Angela forced her smile to remain. “I know.” She glanced at the clock and stood. This meeting with Ms. Parker had gone past five o’clock. Angela needed to be out of the office and on the road right at five to dodge the worst of the traffic before picking up Cory and getting him back to her apartment, where her neighbor, Nate, watched him while she worked nights at Sweethearts.

Angela stood, which prompted Ms. Parker to do so, as well. Ms. Parker liked to talk and she would easily go on for another thirty minutes about her dog and husband if Angela didn’t end the conversation. “Thanks again for your service, Ms. Parker. We can’t look out for the kids without the dedication of volunteers like you.”

Ms. Parker blushed and nodded and said again how sorry she was as Angela ushered her out of the office. Why people like Ms. Parker would go through the rigorous training and background checks necessary to volunteer with the child advocacy office only to flake out on responsibilities every other month didn’t make much sense to Angela. It was a constant source of frustration. The kids were the ones who suffered; things were missed when there wasn’t consistent contact with them. Angela knew because she’d lived it. If she’d had someone looking out for her after her parents died, maybe her aunt wouldn’t have found it so easy to steal her inheritance. That was the reason she’d gone into social work. She wanted to make sure no other kid was taken advantage of by the people who were supposed to protect them.

She poked her head into Jerry’s office, which was next to hers, but he wasn’t there. A quick check with the admin assistant and she learned Jerry was gone for the day.

“He did tell me to thank you for handling Ms. Parker,” Martha said.

Angela bit back her annoyance and took a deep breath. At least Ms. Parker had been reprimanded, and hopefully wouldn’t neglect her duties next month. Angela went back to her office, powered down her computer and scooped up her purse. Ten after five. Maybe enough time to hit the road and get to Cory before the activity center charged her for being late picking him up. It was his first week of basketball camp. She didn’t want to be late the first day and start off as “that parent.”

Somebody in heaven liked her because Angela arrived at the activity center at exactly five-twenty-nine. She jumped out of the car and raced into the building. The young guy working the front desk smiled and didn’t charge her for being two minutes late by their clock, then directed her to the gym, where Cory was waiting. She thanked the guy, glanced at her watch and hurried to the gym. Okay, pick up Cory, drive like a maniac back home, thank Nate again for being an awesome neighbor and get to second job.

Angela grabbed the door to the gym and pulled. Someone shoved the door from the other side and she stumbled back. Her heels slipped on the floor. A large hand wrapped around her wrist and prevented her from impersonating a flipped pancake.

Awareness prickled up her arm from the strong hand around her wrist. Her gaze lifted all the way up to a pair of dark, sexy eyes. Her heart stumbled worse than her feet and air sprinted from her lungs like an Olympic runner. Isaiah Reynolds.

He was wearing a sleeveless red athletic shirt, so the lean muscles of his arms were bared. Basketball shorts partially covered sculpted legs long enough to make a redwood jealous. If a tree could get jealous. The spice of sweat and his own masculine scent swirled through her senses and made her knees wobbly. Recognition brightened his warm brown eyes. For a split second, he seemed happy and surprised, then his brow furrowed and his lips, the lower one fuller and so damn kissable, twisted into a frown.

“Angel?” he said in a tone that was as smooth as silk and ran over her just as seductively.

Angela swallowed hard and tried to ignore the heat spreading through her body. She wanted him, which meant she had to avoid him at all costs for the remainder of the camp. Otherwise he’d have her with a crook of his finger and a smile.

* * *

Isaiah’s fingers tightened around Angel’s small wrist. He’d recognized her instantly. Gone were the sparkly white angel wings she wore behind the bar at Sweethearts. A tasteful gray button-up shirt replaced the white tank top he’d last seen her in, although the garment still hugged her perfectly rounded breasts. A fitted black pencil skirt silhouetted full hips instead of tight black pants. No glittery makeup enhanced her eyes, which were so brown and deep he could forget the world while holding her gaze. Perfect lips parted and the sweet scent of flowers surrounded him.

He wanted to draw her closer. He’d thought of her constantly after their conversation at the bar that night. The excitement of literally bumping into her again nearly made him step closer, breathe in her soft perfume, get lost in her eyes. Why was she here?

“Angela.” Her low seductive voice broke through his daze.

He blinked. “What?”

“My name is Angela. Not Angel.”

Of course. Angel suited her better, though. Her lips curved into a hesitant smile that snatched his ability to think. To breathe. Talk.

Man, he hated this. Seeing her made him feel like the awkward, tongue-tied teenager he used to be. The quiet kid who didn’t know how to talk to girls. Put a basketball in his hands, get him in front of a crowd of reporters discussing his latest game or business venture, and he knew exactly what to do. Have a pretty woman he liked smile at him and his voice box disconnected from his brain.

She was really here. And now she was frowning. Which meant he was just staring instead of talking.

Isaiah let go of her wrist and took a step back. “What are you doing here?” Props to him for keeping his voice normal. Maturity had at least given him the ability to hide his discomfort better.

“Aunt Angela, you know Isaiah Reynolds?” Cory, the boy Isaiah had quickly noticed during the camp, spoke up. Cory had been quiet, a bit sullen, especially when the girls in the camp were around, but he was great with a basketball. Reminded Isaiah a little of himself. Maybe more than a little.

Isaiah looked at the young boy, then back at Angel... Angela. “This is your aunt?”

Cory nodded. Angela reached for the silver charm on her necklace and played with it. Her slim fingers brushed the smooth caramel skin of her chest exposed by the V-neck opening of her blouse. That night in the bar, the lace edges of a black bra peaked out from the scooped neckline of her tank top. Was she wearing a lace bra today? He was tall enough. All he’d have to do is lean a little toward her and he’d be able to see down that V...

Isaiah took another step back. What the hell? You’re not Cory’s age. No staring down her blouse.

“I am,” Angela said.

An uneasy thought crept into Isaiah’s brain. People went to great lengths just to be close to a professional athlete. He may still occasionally get tongue-tied around a beautiful woman, but he wasn’t stupid.

“Did you—did you sign him up...because of me?”

Her eyes widened for a second. Her hand dropped from the necklace. She slowly turned to Cory. “Can you go wait for me by the car?”

Cory raised an eyebrow. “What for?”

“Because I said so. Now go to the car.”

Cory let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. ’Bye, Mr. Reynolds.” He waved, then shuffled away, mumbling something under his breath.

Angela glared at her nephew’s back. When he was out of earshot, she turned her sharp gaze Isaiah’s way. She stepped to the side of the door of the gym and he followed so they wouldn’t be so out in the open.

“Did you really just accuse me of bringing Cory here because of you?”

The disbelief in her tone sounded sincere. But he’d been in the league for seven years and he’d heard all kinds of “sincerity” from exuberant fans before.

“It’s a fair question.”

“It’s an insulting question.” Anger sparked in her brown eyes. “And a very egotistical one.”

“Egotistical?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why in the world would I stalk you? Much less, use my nephew to do that?”

“I once had a man break his son’s arm so I would come visit him in the hospital. I’ve had people do crazy things to try and get close to me.”

That doused the flames in her eyes. “Seriously? Someone would do something like that to his own son?”

He wished it wasn’t true. For every hundred normal fans there was always one crazy one that took things too far. “Fans can be crazy.”

The tightness of her crossed arms loosened and the tension in her stance relaxed. “Look, the organization I work for has five slots for this camp every year. One of the kids we chose had to back out at the last minute. My boss offered the space to Cory.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Sweethearts?” he asked skeptically.

She shook her head and the corners of her lips rose slightly. “That’s my part-time job. I work full-time in an office that manages court-appointed advocates for kids.”

That explained her business attire today, and Keri had told him they’d had one substitution from the advocacy center. Still. “Will you always be picking up Cory, or will his parents...?”

The tension returned to her face and stance. “Just me. It’s a long story,” she said in a voice that told him she had no desire to get into it. “I promise this isn’t some crazy fangirl thing. I know you hear that a lot, but it’s true. I didn’t even know you’d be hosting until registration. When I found out, I promised myself I’d stay away from you.”

“Why?”

She shifted her stance and slid the strap of her black purse farther up her shoulder. “Because there aren’t many people who know where I serve drinks. I don’t need that getting back to my boss.”

He believed her. Which was crazy. He didn’t really know her, but despite the vibe he’d felt when he’d first met her, she hadn’t struck him as the type to seek him out. She’d been cool, easy to talk to and only a little flirty, but she’d also seemed like her life would go on after he walked out the door. It was one of the reasons he’d thought of her so much.

“Are you ashamed of where you work?”

Her shoulders straightened. “Absolutely not. Are you saying I should be?”

He held up his hands in defense. “No.”

She relaxed and tilted her head, thick strands of her hair sliding over her shoulder. “I’m surprised you thought I signed him up to see you again. I didn’t think you’d remember me.”

“I couldn’t forget you.”

Her luscious lips parted and she sucked in a breath. Isaiah’s face heated. Way to go, Isaiah.

“I mean, you were wearing angel wings.”

She lowered her lashes and chuckled. “Yeah, they do get people’s attention.” She peeked at him from beneath long lashes. He felt trapped by the warm depths of her eyes. Damn, she was fine.

Angela blinked, breaking eye contact. “I’ve really got to go.” She pointed toward the door. “I promise I won’t stalk you or anything. You won’t even see me.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you.”

Her eyes widened. Her smile brightened just a little before regret flashed and she shook her head. “Cory’s in the program. I don’t want him to get kicked out if I...”

She thought he was flirting. Was he flirting? Hell yes, he was flirting.

He couldn’t flirt with her. Bridget was coming soon. He wasn’t this guy. The one who had one woman and started up with another.

You and Bridget aren’t officially back together.

That didn’t matter. He’d asked her to move to Jacksonville and it wasn’t just so they could hang out occasionally and be friends. He wanted a wife and kids. He wanted it with someone he knew and was comfortable with. He owed it to Bridget to see if they could make things work. Not sabotage things with a bartender who had the face and body of an angel. A seductive angel...if seductive angels existed.

“No, I mean it’s no big deal if we see each other.” He managed a nonchalant shrug. “I believe you’re not a stalker.”

A second of confusion before her bubbly smile lit up her face and his afternoon. “Oh, good... I mean...great because I didn’t want things to be weird.” She waved her hand as if his words hadn’t been the invitation they both knew they’d been. “Umm...well, thank you, I guess.” She glanced at her watch. “You know, I’m late. Take care, okay?” She spun on her heel and sped up on her way to the door.

Isaiah watched her go. Nip the flirting in the bud. That was the right thing to do. He couldn’t get tangled up with her. Even if the vision of his arms and legs tangled with Angela’s made his body get hotter than the heat wave they were currently in. No entanglements when he’d asked Bridget to move here with the intention of them getting back together. He turned and walked to the offices in the back to tell Keri he was leaving, but glanced over his shoulder at Angela’s departing figure one more time.

Damn. Why did she have to be so fine?