Garrett was also skittish about getting involved in another relationship, particularly because he wasn’t officially divorced. However, Imani knew she was well on her way to falling head over heels in love with him—if she wasn’t already. Garrett wanted to go slow, but everything inside of her wanted to go head first and full speed ahead. Knowing his situation, Imani wouldn’t push. She would do her best to take things at a pace he was comfortable with.
He’d called earlier and wanted to get together, but Imani had already made plans with her former co-worker and girlfriend, Malika, to stop by with her boyfriend to celebrate her birthday. After a herculean effort, Imani managed to coax Garrett into coming.
She spent the better part of the day getting ready for her friends and so-called non-date with Garrett. Her two-bedroom apartment wasn’t anything fancy, but it was cozy.
Malika and Joe had already arrived and were sitting in the living room trying to catch up over the past couple of weeks. Imani was barely able to keep up with the conversation, as she casually checked her watch seemingly every ten minutes.
By the time the buzzer went off, she had worked herself into a nervous tizzy. Imani hopped off the couch. “He’s here.” She clasped her hands together pleading with both of them. “You guys, please be cool. Malika, absolutely no probing questions, and Joe, not one word about the stock market. Just. Be. Cool.”
Joe picked up his drink and tipped the red plastic cup in her direction. “Do you need a sip of this before you open the door?”
Malika’s bright blue eyes twinkled as she smirked. “Friends my ass. I knew better.”
Imani left the room, went over to the door to buzz him up, and seconds later, Garrett was knocking on her door. She took a deep breath and opened it.
He stood there with a bottle of wine and a beautiful bouquet of pink and red roses. She lifted one eyebrow. “Flowers?”
Garrett gave her that sexy half smile. “Uh . . . yeah. I saw them on the way over, and they reminded me of you.”
Imani took them and brought her face close to smell the fragrant bulbs. “They’re beautiful. Please come on in.” No, he was beautiful. It had seemed like ages since she’d seen him last. Imani needed to do something to take her mind away from his lips. She remembered how good they’d felt on her naked skin the last time. She had to remind herself internally, patience, Imani, patience.
Garrett walked into her apartment carrying the wine. “Where should I put this?”
“Let me introduce you to my friends. Then I’ll take it to the kitchen and put these flowers in some water.”
Garrett followed Imani through a short hallway that opened into an open living room space. He was uncomfortable meeting her friends but couldn’t seem to bring himself to wait until tomorrow to see her.
Proudly Imani made the introductions. “Guys, this is Garrett Hadley. Garrett these are my friends Malika Turner and Joseph Stone.”
Malika looked up beaming. “Hi.”
Joe stood. He wasn’t as tall as Garrett but held his own. He swiped his blonde hair back off his forehead and pushed his glasses up on his nose.
Garrett reached his hand out to shake Joe’s, and he took it. “Nice to meet you both.”
Imani noted that Garrett seemed to be a little nervous himself. She’d noticed that he had this vein on the side of his neck that would beat a little faster when he was angry or anxious. Strangely, that made her relax a little. She took his coat put in the hall closet then took the wine and flowers into the kitchen. When she returned, Joe was talking about the stock market which meant Malika would eventually try to ask probing questions. Both of them were doing exactly what she asked them not to do.
Imani frowned and sat next to Garrett. “Joe! Didn’t I tell you no shop talk tonight?”
“C’mon, Imani. Garrett’s a pretty sharply dressed man. He looks like he could understand the market. Outside of work, I just don’t get the opportunity to have these conversations.”
Garrett rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly, I don’t know much about it. I leave that to people who are much smarter than me.”
Joe seemed surprised. “Really?”
Malika chimed in using this as her opening to ask the questions a best girlfriend was supposed to ask. She took a sip of her wine then went for it. “What do you do?”
Garrett didn’t want the attention that came with people finding out he was the owner, president, and CEO of GHI. Therefore, he kept his answer simple. “I’m an engineer.”
Imani gazed into his eyes at the same time he looked at her. For a moment, it was just the two of them. Malika and Joe seemed to disappear from the room.
She smiled.
He’d missed that smile and those lips. Garrett was in trouble, and he knew it.
“Is that how you met?” Malika said something and neither of them heard it. “Hellooo . . . Imani?”
Embarrassed, she turned to her friend. “Sorry? I didn’t hear you. What?”
“I was hoping to get more details on how you met. You only said he was someone you bumped into back at home in Georgia.”
Imani swallowed. Malika always knew when she wasn’t telling the truth, and that was why she always tried to keep her answers vague instead of outright lying. Imani was about to come up with something, but Garrett responded
