Free Blueprint for Love by Chanta Jefferson Rand Page A

“Thanks!”
    “ Ever thought of playing
baseball?”
    Jovan’s eyes lit up with that remark. Then,
just as quickly, the spark died when he saw the look of disapproval
on Ronnie’s face. “I want to, but Mom says sports are too
dangerous.”
    Vic’s eyes shot to Ronnie’s. “Aw, that’s too
bad. I could teach the boy a thing or two,” he told her. “Baseball
is my game.”
    “ Are you a friend of my
mom’s?” Jovan asked Vic.
    Ronnie jumped in. “Vic and I work
together.”
    “ Well,” Vic corrected,
casually slinging his thumbs through the dirty belt loops of his
jeans. “It’s more like I work for her. Basically I just do what she tells
me.”
    Jovan nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean.
She does me the same way.”
    Ronnie smirked as the two of them laughed at
her expense. “Both of y’all need to quit,” she admonished. “Neither
one of you listen anyway.”
    “ Okay.” Vic held his hands
up in mock surrender. “Mama knows best, young man. Always listen to
her. Maybe then she’ll let you play a game of catch with
me.”
    “ Can I, Mom? Please?
Paleeasse?” Jovan drew the word out into two syllables.
    Ronnie capitulated. “We’ll see.”
    “ Thanks!” Her son squeezed
her hand in a rare display of affection. “See ya around, Vic!”
Jovan called out as he bounded away.
    Ronnie watched as Jovan practically skipped
back into the house. Any other time she couldn’t get that child to
budge unless there was some skillful negotiation involved.
    “ Fine boy you’ve got
there,” Vic complimented.
    “ Thank you.”
    “ I really don’t mind
playing catch with him. You should think about letting me teach him
the fundamentals. Sometimes a boy needs a man around to help with
those things.”
    She folded her arms over her chest. “You’re
assuming there isn’t one around?”
    “ Is there?” His green eyes
held hers captive, like Wonder Woman’s truth lasso, demanding total
honesty. Damn, how did he always manage to call her
bluff?
    “ No,” she
admitted.
    Vic rewarded her with another one of his
lazy grins. “I’ll see you on Monday, Ronnie.”
    “ Oh, wait,” she started.
She cracked the door behind her and lowered her voice. “Um. My
sister is having a birthday party for her fiancé, Gabe, this
weekend. It’s just some close friends and family. Would you…? If
you’re not busy…”
    She struggled to find the right words. She
glanced at her bare feet then up at him. His amused gaze focused on
her. She could do this.
    “ We’re celebrating Gabe’s
birthday down at the marina,” she said. “It’s casual
attire.”
    “ What time?”
    “ Seven p.m.”
    “ I’ll pick you up at
six.”
    “ Okay.”
    Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her
stomach. She was a woman in charge. She helped run a profitable
business. She dealt with men all day. So, why was this one rattling
her nerves so much?
    Ronnie shut the door and leaned against it
with her eyes closed. Vic was a take-charge guy, too. He’d sensed
her shyness and immediately figured out what she wanted. She liked
the idea of a man who could read her mind. She was tingling from
her toes to her fingertips. She smiled. For the first time in
years, she had a date! They hadn’t agreed it was a date. But it was
a real date.
    “ Hey, Mom?”
    Her eyes flipped open at the sound of Jovan calling her. She
jerked her head upright to find him staring at her.
    “ Yes?” she
answered.
    He shot her one of his
smart-aleck grins. “I haven’t figured out what all women want, but
I know what one woman wants.”
    Her breath caught. She was mortified her son
noticed the spark between her and Vic. She fumbled with an
explanation, but before she could come up with anything believable,
Jovan laughed and jogged off toward the kitchen, leaving her alone
with her thoughts.
     
     
    # # #
     
     
    Saturday came sooner than Vic expected. He’d
worked hard all week. He was ready for some down time. This was
supposed to be the day he took Andrea