Jason smiled modestly. “I don’t know about that, but I wouldn’t be mad at it.”
The waitress – a pretty, darker-skinned girl I was almost sure served Angel and I the last time we came here alone – returned with four glasses and a bottle of wine. “Ready to order?” She beamed, letting her eyes linger on Jason a few seconds longer than they did on the rest of us when she asked. I couldn’t blame her, though; he was definitely a good-looking guy. Those eyes, that perfectly smooth brown skin, killer smile. What woman wouldn’t look at him? I smiled to myself instead of letting the girl’s lack of discretion irritate me.
“Actually, I think we are,” Jason said, removing my unopened menu from in front of me. I was predictable when it came to deciding what I wanted to eat here; it was always the lemon chicken with rice pilaf for me.
He rattled our order off to the waitress and Lamar did the same for him and Angel before our group was alone again. “So, everything lined up for the move?” Jason asked.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, fearing where this conversation could lead.
Angel turned and smiled at Lamar. “I’ll be painting the Master bedroom peach this weekend and I’ve already taken a lot of my boxes over. Two more weeks!” She smiled.
Jason laughed a little and filled his glass with the expensive wine. “Peach, man?” He asked his brother from across the table.
Lamar smiled and shrugged. “Whatever makes my baby happy.”
Jason nodded in agreement. “Well said.” When his eyes shifted to me, I froze, forcing myself to stare at the entrance as random patrons filtered in and out of the establishment. “If only I could convince this one to take the same leap, she could be saving a ton of cash instead of shelling out rent every month when I have enough space for the both of us.”
Yes, living with Jason was economically sound, and it made sense on a lot of different levels, but…I wasn’t ready. This subject matter had been a bone of contention between the two of us for a while because, technically, Angel and Lamar met through us, meaning they hadn’t been together as long as we had. Still, I didn’t see the point in putting the same constraints on our relationship because of this fact.
Saved by the bell.
At the precise moment that I needed a distraction, my text message alert sounded off in my purse. I typed in my unlock code and saw Deanna’s name at the top of the screen. When I touched the notification, the entire message opened.
“Call me ASAP. We need to talk,” was all it said. Confusion crossed my face.
“Something important?” Jason asked casually.
I forced a smile despite the lingering sense of urgency Deanna’s message ensued. Considering the fact that we tend to only speak once or twice a month just to catch up, I couldn’t imagine what made her add the “ASAP” in there.
“You know what? Actually, I’ll be back in a sec,” I replied.
Jason stood so I could scoot out of our booth, and I weaved the narrow pathway between crowded tables that led to the bathroom. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone inside, giving me the peace and quiet I needed to hear Dee.
“Hey, girl, whassup?” I said when she picked up with a somber ‘Hello?’
“Were you busy?” She asked.
I shrugged as if she could see me. “No, not especially. Out to dinner with Jason. What’s up? Everything okay?”
The silence on the other end of the line made me cock my head to the side. “Dee?”
She sighed into the receiver. “I just thought you should hear this from me,” she started. “I know the wedding’s next weekend…and you’re gonna be seeing AJ for the first time in a long time –“
“Spit it out, girl,” I said with a smile, laughing a little to hide the nervousness in my tone.
Another sigh. “I don’t want you to be caught off guard when you see the ring.”
Confused, I chewed my bottom lip. “Ring?”