The Single Life with Zola Patterson - Danielle Allen Page 0,41
advice. But as I got older, I was interested in what makes people tick and why people do what they do,” I answered. “What about you?”
“In elementary school, I had to see a school psychologist in fifth grade. I’d never had a man as a teacher—let alone a Black man. So, when I was sent to him, I thought it was so dope that he did that, and I wanted to have that same impact.”
“I love that.” I leaned forward. “Why were you sent to the school psychologist?”
“I got into a fight with this other kid. It was completely out of character for me, so they sent me to see the psychologist.”
“Do you remember why you fought the kid?”
“I do. He was a bully and—” He cut his sentence short abruptly and sat back in his chair. A slow smile pulled at his lips. “Oh, you’re good.”
I feigned a shocked look. “What do you mean?”
“I’m supposed to be impressing you with my charm and wit and instead, you’ve got me telling you embarrassing things about my childhood.”
I winked at him. “It’s a gift.”
Our food came and we ate and bonded over our love of Hamilton University, psychology, and psychological thrillers. We had fun and I enjoyed his company. After he paid, he took my arm and escorted me out of the restaurant.
Dr. Lewis, you have earned a spot on the team, I thought as we stepped into the cool night air. I eyed his profile as he continued his story. He’s a keeper.
“I’m parked right over there,” I said, pointing to my car.
“It got chilly,” he remarked, slipping his arm around me. “That’s good you were able to park so close. I’m not far away either.”
I pursed my lips but didn’t say anything. Clearly, I wasn’t cold because I had a leather jacket on. But it was truly a great first date, so I let his attempt at being smooth slide for two steps before I slipped from under his arm.
“Do you need me to drive you to your car?” I offered.
“I should do that so I can spend a few extra seconds with you. But I’m that blue sportscar right there.”
I followed his finger, and he was pointing to the car four spots in front of mine.
“So, I’m close,” he told me. Moving so he was standing in front of me, he took my hands into his. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me tonight.”
“I truly enjoyed my time with you tonight, Jordan. Thank you for the dinner and the conversation.”
“I think there’s something here and if you’re up for it, I want to explore it. Since the divorce, I never thought about wanting something real. And then I randomly meet you.” He searched my eyes. “I would like to take you out again sometime.”
“I would like that,” I whispered.
“I would like to kiss you goodnight.”
“I would like that,” I repeated.
He smiled, and turned his head slightly, showing off his dimples. When our eyes met again, he uttered, “You are a breath of fresh air.”
I had something cute to say in response but before I could open my mouth, his lips brushed mine.
The kiss was longer than a peck and sweeter than anything we had for dessert. His lips moved over mine slowly enough to make an impact but too quickly to get into it. It was short and sweet, but still a really good kiss.
“Goodnight, Zola,” he whispered as he backed away from me.
With a smitten smile, I gave him a little wave. “Goodnight.”
Chapter Nine
“Did you have sex last night?” Kia asked me as we sat at the nail salon on Saturday morning.
I looked over at her. The question came out of nowhere. “What?” I laughed.
The salon was crowded and the women working on our nails were dutifully pretending they weren’t listening to our conversation. We had been talking freely, using code names to hide the identity of people, but Kia’s question caught me off guard.
“Is that why your skin is glowing? Because you had sex with the doctor?” she questioned.
“No…” I winked at her. “Not yet.”
“Wait so this glow is just because you had a good night?”
“A good night, a good morning.” I shrugged slightly. “What can I say? I’m in a good mood.”
“Yes, breakfast was good, but this doesn’t seem like a ‘the pancakes were fluffy as hell’ mood. No something else brought on this mood.” She gasped. “This is about the date.”
“I mean…” My lips curved into a slow smile as I thought