Free Color Blind (Able to Love) by Michelle Lindo-Rice Page A

her family for Independence Day. Annie wasn’t ready to face her parents’ curiosity and questions.
    With her heart in her throat, she went over to Saul. He turned in her direction. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was looking her right in the eyes. She squirmed.
    “Dad, look who came over to say hello.”
    “How could you leave like that?” he asked, heedless to the onlookers. Saul’s voice rose, “I called and called. You blocked my number.”
    Annie gave Cassandra a wide-eyed glare. She couldn’t believe he’d put her on blast like that. “Hello to you too, Saul. How have you been? I’m well.” She grabbed his arm and forced him to walk with her. Under her breath, she dictated, “Thanks for embarrassing me.”
    He lacked the decency to apologize. Instead, he griped, “I don’t care how you feel. You didn’t care about my feelings when you disappeared. You left me. Why?”
    She drew in a deep breath and held onto her control until they stepped outside the sanctuary. The sun’s glare caught her off guard and she whipped out her sunglasses to shield her eyes from the sun. “You should put on your shades. You still need protection from the sun’s harsh rays,” she grumbled. She was still put out with him.
    He reached into his shirt pocket, grabbed his frames and put them on.
    “I had a good reason for leaving.” Annie picked up the conversation where they left off.
    She saw his eyebrows shoot up and he crossed his arms. “I’m waiting.”
    His tone got on her last nerve. “It’s nothing that I want to get into,” Annie said. “How’s Corey working out?”
    Thankfully, he followed her conversation shift. She wasn’t about to address the race issue here in public. She didn’t want to touch it at all. How could he be so… backwards?
    “He’s quite good, although he’s the size of a gorilla. As you can see, I’m progressing well. My heart is another matter.” He didn’t bother to disguise the hurt he was feeling.
    He reached out to find her face. He ran his hand across her cheek. She couldn’t control the goose bumps.
    “You feel it, too. Don’t you?” he asked removing his hand.
    She shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
    He arched an eyebrow. “The attraction between us. Don’t even bother denying it.” He reached out searching the air for her hand.
    Annie inhaled, before putting her hand in his. His thumb circled her wrist and she shivered.
    Her heart skipped a beat. “What about Macy?” She had to ask.
    “She’s gone.”
    She took a huge gulp. Gone sounded permanent. Hope sprung. Annie decided to be upfront with her feelings. She rushed out, “Saul, it was hard for me to go without saying goodbye. If it were possible, I think I would’ve died this past month from heartache.”
    He took a step towards her. “Then come back. We need to talk. I deserve an explanation. I—I—“
    Annie cut him off, afraid of what he might say. “I’ll come by later next week. I promise.”
    “Make that first thing in the morning,” he commanded.
    Cassandra and Emily spotted them and made their way over to join them. Annie felt relieved at their presence. She excused herself under the premise that Sari was her ride. As she walked away, all Annie could see was Saul’s tortured face. With each step, she tried to remember that she was falling for a man who would most likely revolt at the sight of her.
    She approached Sari’s neon green Toyota Camry on leaden feet.
    “I was half-expecting to hear that you were leaving with them,” Sari commented.
    “I’m going to meet up with him tomorrow. I’ve no idea what I’m going to say.”
    “How about the truth?” Sari urged. “Like I suggested when you came home and went straight for the double fudge ice cream.”
    “I was a mess,” Annie said, recalling the day she left Saul’s house. After she snatched her belongings from Saul’s house, she’d driven home on autopilot. She wasn’t even sure if