Free Playthang by Janine A. Morris

grabbed by a woman holding the hand of a young boy crossing the street. The little boy was about Jason’s age, and Jordan couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt that she wasn’t there to hold her son’s hand every morning. To distract her, she started switching the song on her iPod and stopped at “Lose Control” by Ciara, Missy, and Fatman Scoop, one of her favorite workout songs. She walked and sang along as she passed by all the nice houses in her neighborhood.Up ahead there was a U-Haul truck with the back opened. Jordan thought nothing of it. She noticed the door open to the house it was parked in front of, but it was a few houses ahead, so she turned away to glance at the car passing by. As she went to look back straight ahead, she found herself bumping right into a man stepping from behind some bushes.
    â€œOo-oops,” Jordan said.
    â€œI’m sorry,” said the man.
    Jordan backed away to put room between them and get a clear view of the man in front of her. He was six feet with a muscular build, brown skinned, with light brown eyes and black wavy hair. He was a good-looking guy for sure, not the manicured magazine type, but something about his piercing eyes was mesmerizing. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts, a fitted white T-shirt, and some Timberland boots. Sweat was nestled all over his face and neck, and his shirt appeared damp as well.
    Jordan pulled her headphones out of her ears.
    â€œThat was my fault. I should’ve been paying attention,” she said.
    â€œWell, how about you make it up to me by letting me run with you.”
    â€œWhen? Now?”
    â€œNow, or the next time you go for a sprint.”
    â€œThat sounds fair, although I don’t know how putting you to work is making it up to you, but if that’s your wish ...”
    â€œI like to be put to work, so it’s not a problem. Besides, I need to get to know the neighborhood.”
    â€œYou just moving in?”
    â€œYeah, as we speak,” he said, pointing to the truck behindher.
    â€œOh, duh ...” she said, laughing.
    â€œWell, what’s your name? It was a pleasure to bump into you.”
    â€œJordan.Yours?”
    â€œMarcus.”
    â€œWell, it was nice bumping into you too, Marcus. I guess I’ll see you around the neighborhood.”
    â€œWell, maybe we should exchange numbers so we can arrange that run.”
    â€œOK,” Jordan said, sounding more sure about the plan than she actually was.
    Jordan wasn’t the type to give out her number, especially when she was seeing someone. She knew there was no real harm until there’d been actual phone conversations, but she alwaysfelt it was the beginning of trouble. She was standing there, well aware it was too late to chicken out now, and giving the wrong number wasn’t an option because she was sure to see him again sooner or later. Besides, with the way Jayon had been acting lately, she had every right to make a new friend; he wasn’t being much of one lately. It didn’t hurt that Marcus was handsome and had a real nice body; a friend that was nice to look at was always a treat.
    Marcus had whipped out his cell phone and began typing her name in his address book. Once he was done, he asked for her number, and she began to read it aloud to him as she typed his name in her cell phone. Once he was done typing in hers, she typed in his, and they began to wrap it up. Just as Jordan was putting her headphones back in her ears, Marcus joked that if she didn’t keep her promise within the week, he was going to press charges against her for bumping into him. Jordanjust laughed, thinking he didn’t know she was an attorney and would eat him alive. As she jogged off, she made sure she had her running form just perfect and cute, so in case he was watching he would be looking forward to running beside her in all her glory.
    By the time she turned the corner, she couldn’t seem to