Giving My All to You

by Sheryl Lister

  Brandon laughed. “Well, just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll set up a meeting. Is this only for the second gym?”

  “No. I’m rearranging some of the equipment here to create a space, as well. With two floors, I have a little flexibility.”

  Brandon stood. “Okay. Are you playing today?”

  “I don’t know. I have a few things I need to finish, but I may poke my head in the door. Are Malcolm and Omar coming?”

  “I got a text from Malcolm yesterday and he said he’d be here. I’m guessing he talked to Omar.”

  “Dad say anything else about when you’ll take over?”

  “No.”

  “What are y’all old men doing up here? We playing ball or what?”

  Brandon and Khalil turned to find Malcolm standing in the door. Brandon said, “Who are you calling old?” He noticed Omar, Morgan’s husband, standing off to the side chuckling. “What’s up, Omar?”

  “It’s all good,” Omar said, entering the office and doing a fist bump with Brandon and Khalil.

  The men filed out of the office and went downstairs to the basketball court. They shot around while waiting for Justin to arrive.

  “Do you think the Cobras will take it all again this year?” Khalil asked Malcolm and Omar. The LA Cobras football team had won the championship last season.

  Omar sank a jump shot. “I think we have a good chance to repeat.”

  “We still have our key offensive and defensive weapons, and my brother over here,” Malcolm said, gesturing to Omar, “is moving to the wide receiver position permanently this year. With Marcus Dupree at receiver on the right, we’ve got the two best in the league. Of course, with me at running back, what do you expect?”

  Brandon shook his head. “No shame in your game, I see.”

  Malcolm shrugged. “I learned from my big brothers.”

  “What’s up, good people?” Justin strolled over to where the other men were and they went through another round of greetings. “Are we playing Horse today, since there are five of us?”

  “That’ll work,” Brandon said. “Although, if you miss as many shots as last time, you’ll be spelling horse and out of the game before we go around two times.” They all laughed.

  “Ha-ha, funny. Just toss me the damn ball.”

  “I think I’m gonna help my brother-in-law out today,” Khalil said. “I have to get back to the office, so you can play a little two-on-two. Go easy on him,” he added, causing the men to laugh harder. “It’s that married thing.” He shuddered.

  Omar lifted a brow. “You have something against being married?”

  “Hell, yeah. Too many beautiful ladies, so little time. I’ll check y’all later,” he called over his shoulder as he left.

  Malcolm chuckled. “He does have a point. I say you married men team up and let us single brothers show you a little somethin’ somethin’.”

  Brandon folded his arms. “Unless you’re scared.”

  Justin and Omar shared a look, and Justin said, “Let’s go.”

  In the first few minutes of the game, Brandon and Malcolm went up four to nothing. Brandon tossed the ball to Omar to take it out. “Guess it’s true that once you’re married you lose some of your skills.”

  Omar passed the ball to Justin, who threw it up toward the basket where Omar dunked it. “On the contrary, we haven’t lost anything.”

  The trash talking continued and Justin and Omar pulled ahead, needing one point to win. Justin laughed. “Looks like the married men are conducting the lessons today, right, Omar?”

  “True that, my brother.”

  “Quit talking and play ball,” Brandon groused.

  “Gladly,” Omar said, dribbling the ball twice and sinking a shot from three-point range. He let out a whoop and he and Justin high-fived. “Guess we won’t be needing that consolation prize today.”

  Justin laughed. “Maybe you two ought to try marriage...get rid of some of that aggression and tension. I can’t tell you how relaxed I’ve been since marrying Siobhan. There’s nothing like waking up beside that one special woman every day.”

  Omar smiled and nodded. “Amen.”

  Malcolm waved them off. “Whatever. I’ll pass.”

  Brandon didn’t comment. Hearing Justin and Omar talk affectionately about their wives—not like he expected them to say anything less about his sisters—automatically made Brandon think of Faith. Why am I thinking about her? I am not looking to get married anytime soon. But he couldn’t help it. How was she managing with her injuries? Had she gotten another car? Was she eating enough? And would she let him kiss her again? His mind said he needed some space, especially after the unexpected sensations he’d felt when kissing her. He couldn’t get the feel of her kiss out of his mind and wanted to do it again, leisurely this time, until he got his fill.

  “Brandon.”

  Malcolm’s voice broke into his musings. “What?”

  “I asked if you were coming with us to Omar’s parents’ restaurant for lunch.”

  Brandon hesitated. “Nah, not today. I have something I need to take care of.” He met Justin’s knowing smile. “I’ll catch you guys next time.”

  “Must be pretty important,” Justin said with a glint of amusement in his eyes as they headed for the showers.

  “Yeah, something like that.” Justin had been the only person Brandon had mentioned Faith to in passing. Obviously, he had easily put two and two together. Brandon quickly showered, dressed and said his goodbyes.

  He didn’t realize how much he wanted to see Faith until he caught himself nearly sprinting across the hotel’s parking lot to her room. What am I doing? He slowed to a walk, but the closer he got, the faster his heart raced with anticipation. He knocked and shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from hauling her into his arms as soon as she opened the door.

  “May I help you?”

  He masked his surprise at seeing the unfamiliar woman and took a hasty glance at the room number to make sure he was at the right one. He was six-four and towered over her by more than a foot. She had to be at least an inch or two shorter than Faith. The petite woman with honey-brown skin placed a hand on a curvy hip and lifted a brow. “I’m looking for Faith,” he said.

  “And you are?”

  “Brandon.”

  A smile curved her lips and she slowly looked him up and down. “Well, well.”

  Not particularly caring for the scrutiny, he felt his irritation rising. “Is this her room?”

  “Depends.”

  Before Brandon could form a reply, Faith appeared in the doorway.

  Faith rolled her eyes at the woman. “Stop it, Kathi. Come on in, Brandon.”

  The woman chuckled and disappeared into a bedroom.

  He followed Faith to the sofa and sat next to her. “How are you?” The swelling on her cheek seemed to be going down and the cuts on her face were healing, but she still favored her right arm.

  “Getting better. Sorry about Kathi.”

  “No problem. Is she your sister?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No. Best friend and second mother,” she added wryly. “She flew down for the weekend to help me out. What are you doing here?”

  Brandon shrugged. “I was concerned about you and wanted to make sure you had everything you needed, but I see you’re being well taken care of.” He had a hard time understanding why he felt such disappointment. A strange reaction since he had never cared one way or another about a woman spending time with a friend, well, except for Lisa Wilson in the ninth grade, but that didn’t count. He made a habit of steering clear of long-term relationships and usually had no problem moving on to the next woman. But there was still more he wanted to learn about Faith.

  She placed her hand on his. “I know I said it before, but
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done to help me. If you hadn’t been there that night... You are one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I wish...”

  “You wish what?” he asked when she trailed off.

  “Oh, nothing.”

  Brandon brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back. “It had to be something. What were you going to say?”

  “I was just going to say I wish there were more people like you.”

  He had hoped she would say that, like him, she wished they had more time to explore whatever was happening between them. “Thank you.” Not wanting to leave, but knowing he should, Brandon rose to his feet. “I don’t want to intrude on your time with your friend. I just wanted to check on you.”

  Faith slowly came to her feet and trailed him to the door. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Count on it.” For a man who typically went out of his way to avoid anything more than a casual liaison, he seemed to be heading in the opposite direction.

  * * *

  Faith was glad Kathi had come to help, but would have liked to spend more time with Brandon.

  “So that’s Brandon,” Kathi said.

  She turned from the door, crossed the floor and reclaimed her seat on the sofa. “Yep.”

  “You were right. He’s a gorgeous specimen of a man—tall, nicely built, and that face... Mmm mmm mmm.”

  “Is that why you were in the middle of grilling him like a suspect when I came to the door?”

  Kathi placed her hand over her heart and feigned innocence. “Who, me?”

  Faith skewered her friend with a look. “You really need to stop doing that. Brandon is a nice guy.”

  “What’s going on between you two? You just met the man a couple of days ago and you’re all defensive.”

  “I’m not being defensive.”

  Kathi studied Faith. “You like him, don’t you?”

  Faith shrugged. “What’s not to like? Not only is he good-looking, but caring and thoughtful.”

  “What kind of job does he have?”

  “He told me he works for a home safety company, but I don’t know what he does exactly. And since I’m only going to be here a short time, he probably didn’t think he needed to share all that.” She remembered how quickly he had shifted the conversation when she had asked about it. “If we lived in the same city, I might like to see where this goes.” She shared how he had held her hand while waiting for the ambulance, taken care of her belongings and visited her in the hospital. And when she was released, he’d driven her to the market and pharmacy, and then later brought her food. “I’ve never had a man I didn’t know do such nice things for me without asking. Or one I did know,” she added with a shake of her head. “I can’t explain it, but he’s different. A little bossy, but an all-around good guy. Her mind drifted to the sweet kiss he’d given her before leaving last night. She tried to push it aside and tell herself it meant nothing, but the memory of his firm lips moving sensuously over hers had had her tossing and turning all night and refused to stay buried.

  Kathi laughed.

  “What?”

  “I thought you wanted to go shopping. If you sit here daydreaming about Brandon, we won’t make it to the stores before closing.”

  Faith smiled. “Shut up. We have plenty of time.”

  “I don’t know. That look on your face said we might be here awhile.”

  “Whatever, girl.” She eased up from the sofa and went to retrieve her purse.

  As they pulled out of the parking lot, Kathi said, “While you were talking to Brandon, I took the liberty of Googling nearby malls. There’s a Westfield Mall in Culver City.” She handed Faith her phone. “It’s about five miles from here, straight down Sepulveda Boulevard.”

  Faith glanced down at the screen. “It says it should take about fifteen minutes.” She needed a few shirts that buttoned down the front. She’d only brought a couple and trying to lift her arm to put on her pullover tees caused so much pain, she had been forced to sleep in the short hospital gown they had given her. She activated the turn-by-turn directions.

  After a few minutes, Kathi asked, “So have you decided when you’re going to call your father?”

  Faith leaned her head against the seat and sighed heavily. “No. I was all for it when I first found out, but now I think I’m getting cold feet. But reading his letters makes me angry at my mother all over again. It breaks my heart that all he had were memories of me up to my second birthday. In some of those letters, he sounded so sad.” Her emotions welled up again remembering reading one letter where he wrote about missing her so much sometimes that his heart hurt, but he wouldn’t give up hope that he’d hold her in his arms again.

  “Then maybe you should just go ahead and call him. It seems like he’ll really be glad to see you.”

  “Maybe. I’m just really nervous about the whole thing.”

  Kathi found a parking spot in the crowded mall and cut the engine. “Do you have your father’s address?”

  “Yes, why?” She had saved the directions in her phone.

  “I know you’re not quite ready to meet him, but we could drive by his house after we leave just to see what kind of place he has.”

  She thought for a moment. She had never made it to his house the first time and she was curious about what it would look like. “Okay.” They stopped first to check the store directory. “I don’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes. I just need a few tops to get through the next few days. I should be okay by the end of the week.”

  Kathi pointed. “Here’s a Target and an Old Navy. You should be able to find something in one of those places.”

  Faith did find some cute tops in both stores and at great prices. Afterward, they walked over to Subway. Use of her right hand was still limited, but she could manage a sandwich and some chips. Back in the car, she pulled up her father’s address and gave Kathi directions.

  Kathi groaned. “What is it with this city? It’s the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday. Why is there traffic like it’s Friday at rush hour?”

  She laughed. “I have no idea. I’ve been here less than a week.” It took ten minutes to go two miles and Faith considered telling Kathi to get off at the next exit and turn around so they could go back to the hotel. Finally, the traffic eased.

  “This is a nice area,” Kathi said after they exited the freeway.

  It turned out that her father’s house was only five minutes from the freeway and located in an established neighborhood with larger homes and manicured lawns. Faith pointed. “It’s the one on the left with the black sedan in the driveway.”

  Kathi slowed to a stop and parked across the street, but left the engine running. “Nice house. Do you know if he’s married or has other kids?”

  “None of his letters mentioned a wife or children, but that doesn’t mean anything.” The one-story house didn’t fit the picture of a bachelor. With the car in the driveway, she assumed he was home and silently wished he would step outside, just so she could see what he looked like. After another minute, she told Kathi, “We should probably leave so folks don’t think we’re up to something.”

  Kathi put the car in Drive and headed back the way they came.

  Later, lying in bed, Faith thought about the recent changes in her life. Soon she would meet the man who had given her life. The man who, for twenty-eight years, had never stopped believing he’d find and reconnect with his daughter. But when she closed her eyes, it was face of the man who’d come to her rescue that she saw. The man who kissed her with a sweetness she had never experienced, the one who, despite her good judgment, she wanted to know more about.

  Chapter 5

  Monday afternoon, Faith and Kathi stood at the counter in the car rental office. “I’m so glad you came down.” No matter what h
appened, she could always count on her best friend to be there. She smiled, remembering how Kathi had come over after Faith’s last breakup. While watching a comedy movie, they had stuffed themselves with pepperoni and mushroom pizza, wine and popcorn. It had been just what Faith needed. And she had done the same for Kathi a time or two.

  Kathi waved her off. “Girl, you know I had to make sure you were all right.” She took the paperwork from the agent and penned her signature in all the designated areas. The woman handed Kathi her copy. “Thank you.”

  Faith got her rental, then drove Kathi to the airport. “Call me when you get home.”

  “I will. And you be careful with that arm. I’ll be in and out for the rest of the week in a training class, but let me know what happens with your father...and Brandon. You wouldn’t happen to know if he has any brothers, would you?”

  She laughed. “No, I don’t. And what about the guy you’re supposed to be dating?”

  “The key word is dating. Not married.” A police officer outside the terminal blew his whistle. “Guess I’d better get going. Take care, sis.”

  “You, too. And thanks for being here.”

  Kathi climbed out of the car, grabbed her bag from the backseat, threw up a wave and disappeared inside the terminal.

  Faith pulled away from the curb. With the construction, traffic and confusing signs, she got lost twice before finding her way out of the airport. She smiled thinking about Kathi’s last statement. The woman was outrageous. But the question was a good one. She didn’t know much about Brandon other than his first name, that he worked at a home safety company—a lot—and his family got together for dinner on some Sundays.

  While driving, nervous flutters filled her belly. The last time she was behind the wheel hadn’t ended well and she was very conscious of every car around her. Faith managed to make it back to the hotel without mishap and breathed a sigh of relief.

  She spent the next hour working on a website, but kept getting distracted with thoughts of her father. Now that she had seen where he lived, she was even more curious about him. Her arm was healing nicely, so she needed to plan her visit. She saved her work and shut down the laptop.