Free Sinful Chocolate by Adrianne Byrd Page B

down at his notes in the book. “Standing you up that time.”
    â€œYou mean…senior prom?”
    Charlie frowned and squinted down at the book. Apparently his intricate system didn’t include dates. “Yeah, well. Again…sorry.”
    There was another long silence.
    â€œSo, I’ll let you go. It was nice talking to you.” He quickly disconnected the call. “Real smooth,” he said, rolling his eyes and reaching for his drink again.
    Still, he thought after a moment, it didn’t go too bad. He probably just needed to tighten up his speech a bit and try to just concentrate on the women outside of high school.
    Charlie glanced at the clock and realized that it was getting late. He picked up the book again. Tomorrow he would call Allison…and Anna.

Chapter 10
    â€œI s this some kind of joke?” Allison asked, frowning at him over her Belgian waffle.
    Charlie glanced around the Georgia Diner, smiled at a few people he suspected were eavesdropping and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “No. It’s no joke,” he said, praying there wouldn’t be an explosion. He had no idea what possessed him to do this in person. It might have had a lot to do with the fact that he’d generally liked Allison. Once he remembered who she was.
    They’d met in a public library. She had her nose buried in a mystery book. He was struggling with a term paper.
    Allison was kind and nurturing. However, she was also a tad bit clingy and had a habit of laughing like a hyena.
    â€œYou mean you weren’t a secret agent for the CIA?”
    Oh, yeah…she was a little gullible, too.
    â€œSorry,” he said, cringing. “I’m afraid not.”
    â€œWhat about that elaborate story about a covert mission to bring down the Hawaiian Mafia in New Jersey?”
    Hawaiian Mafia? “Never been to New Jersey.”
    Allison lowered her fork and eased back in her chair. “So, what? I’m supposed to feel sorry for you because now you’re about to kick the bucket? Is that it?”
    â€œNot exactly.” He shifted in his chair. “I just want to apologize and bring closure if you thought that I’ve done anything to—”
    â€œUnbelievable!” Allison crossed her arms. “The only reason I slept with you was because I thought I had a patriotic and civil duty. You said you were leaving for a top secret mission in Mauritania and that you may not survive. I thought you were dead for the last fourteen years?”
    Charlie cocked his head, thinking she was taking this a bit too far. “C’mon. That is not why you slept with me.”
    Allison rolled her eyes, but a smile teased the corners of her lips. “So what’s the play this time? You have six months to live, and now you want me to take you back to my place for one last fling?”
    Leaning his elbow on the table, Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose. “No. That’s not it.”
    â€œOh,” she said, disappointment clearly in her tone. “Would you like to go back to my apartment?”
    He frowned. “Aren’t you married now?”
    â€œMarcus doesn’t get out on parole until next month.”
    â€œUh, thanks, but…I’ll pass.”
    Allison shrugged. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
    Â 
    Charlie’s relationship with Anna was complicated. Even though they’d never dated or were intimate, Anna was perhaps the closest female friend he’d ever had. To him, she was like a sister—smart and easygoing. They met at a frat party back when he attended Morehouse and she the neighboring Spelman College. A friend of hers, Nicole something-or-another, had too much to drink and was unable to drive and Anna had never driven a stick shift.
    Charlie and Taariq stepped forward and helped her out by driving them back to their dorms. It was the beginning of a nice friendship, especially when he discovered that she was a