Chapter 7

At the restaurant, Tapiwa felt like a very bright and colorful flower that had dared to pop up out of the ground in the middle of an immaculately trimmed lawn. Beautiful, yet completely out of place.

In a sea of black, gray, white, and the occasional shade of brown formal wear, she stood out so strongly that she was sure every eye in the place was fixed on her. Of course, she couldn't tell to be sure because she kept her head down long enough for the back of her neck to protest with a cramp.

"Would you like some water before the server takes our orders?" Asher asked beside her, trying to be the attentive, loving boyfriend.

Tapiwa lifted her gaze from her clasped hands and stared at the glass bottle next to her water glass with the hotel name and emblem covered in condensation. It looked fancy and so over the top that Tapiwa wondered if the water would taste differently. She was almost tempted to say yes. However, she opted not to put anything in her stomach just yet. Just to be on the safe side.

Her gut was in a twist of nerves. When they arrived, Tapiwa had been shocked to realize that Asher had parked his car in front of the five-star hotel. For a moment, fear had rippled through her. She'd thought Asher had just tricked her into bringing her to a hotel so he could talk her into bed.

Fortunately, before she could open her mouth and embarrass herself, Asher led them into the restaurant area by the pool where his parents were already seated. Tapiwa's nerves had only gotten worse after that.

While she had met Angela Paterson a handful of times, meeting the woman as her son introduced Tapiwa as his girlfriend had felt like meeting the executioner. Although Angela was in her fifties with maroon dyed hair, which was the only vibrant thing about the woman, she exuded an air of disapproval thick enough to choke an elephant.

Besides Angela, Lewis Paterson wasn't much better. As though his tall, surprisingly well-toned build wasn't intimidating enough, the man wore domineering authority like a second skin. When he spoke, Tapiwa wished she could hide under the table and disappear.

It wasn't that she wasn't used to men who held themselves like kings. Her father was the same. Still, somehow, Lewis made her wish the dinner was already over and done with. Unfortunately, it hadn't even started since the guest of honor, the birthday boy, hadn't even arrived.

Yeah, Tapiwa thought, she wasn't risking putting anything into her stomach just yet. Not even water. "No. Thank you. I'm fine," she answered quietly.

"What exactly is it that you do, Tapiwa?" Angela suddenly asked. "I haven't spoken to your mother in some time. She hadn't mentioned last time that you were in school."

Tapiwa's eyes snapped up, met Angela's piercing gaze, and dropped back down to the table. She swallowed and then licked her lips before mentally calling herself stupid when she remembered that she had lipstick on. Damn it!

Before Tapiwa could gather herself and stop behaving like a mute fool, however, Asher answered his mother. "Tapiwa works in a library, Mom."

"The girl can't answer for herself?"

Tapiwa cringed, wishing she could slap herself. As far as first impressions went, this was a disaster. But then she reminded herself that it didn't matter. She would dump Asher in a week or two and Angela Paterson would gladly breathe a sigh of relief because Tapiwa was certain the woman thought her unworthy of her precious son.

Angela may have been a friend of her mother, but Tapiwa suspected that was only because the two had grown up in the same neighborhood. Once Miranda had married a farmer, their statuses had changed. They may have kept in touch over the years, however, Tapiwa was certain Angela didn't consider Miranda the same way the other woman did her.

A beautiful, cool breeze from the pool blew over Tapiwa just then. It was a wonderful relief from the heavy smell of expensive perfumes and delicious food that she wasn't sure she would be able to swallow when the time arrived to consume it. The cool air was also like a calming caress from the sky telling her to hang in there.

She took a deep breath and tried to dig deep for some semblance of courage. Yes, she wasn't intending to remain in a relationship with Asher, but Angela Paterson could tone it down a little and pretend to be civil. In any case, Tapiwa wasn't going to allow the woman to walk all over her like a doormat.

She cleared her throat. "My apologies. Yes, I can speak for myself," she said, not meeting anyone's gaze. "I'm not in school right now. I decided to work and raise some money before I enrolled to ease the burden on my parents."

A brief silence fell around the table, as though no one had expected her to speak. Then Lewis broke it. "That is very commendable of you, young lady. And what do you wish to study when you do enroll?"

For some reason, Lewis' words made Tapiwa straighten her back and lift her chin a little. "I-" The words froze and then proceeded to choke Tapiwa as her gaze was drawn to the man who had just walked over to their table.

It couldn't be! With humiliating horror, Tapiwa fell into a fit of coughs. Her entire body jerked and trembled with each attempt to heave up a lung. Her eyes watered and she couldn't see clearly anymore. Not that she wanted to.

Voices rang out around her and she felt a firm pat on her back, which she assumed came from Asher. God, Tapiwa wished the ground would open and just swallow her whole. She closed her eyes and tried her best to control her body.

At the back of her mind, Tapiwa was glad she had no plans to stay in a relationship with Asher. Because after the slushy incident a week ago and now choking on air, she was sure the man thought she was a complete idiot. She cringed when she thought of how many people must be watching her right now.

"Here," a deep, male voice said, and then Tapiwa felt the rim of a glass pressed against her lips and a firm hand cradled the back of her head. Without thought, she blindly parted her lips, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. "Take a sip first," the voice instructed.

Several sips later, Tapiwa was certain her lungs would remain in her chest. That was great and all, but then she realized she had to face the embarrassment she had just created. It took another deep breath and a lot of pep talk, but she finally opened her eyes.

Tapiwa blinked a couple of times to clear her vision and then realized her lungs were really putting in their notice of retirement. She couldn't draw another breath. Suddenly, her chest felt tight and her skin tingled where the man's hand still cradled the back of her head.

Concerned dark brown eyes held her gaze. Tapiwa couldn't look away. She hadn't seen his eyes that morning because the man had been asleep, but now that she saw them, a knowledge settled deep in her bones and told her she had looked into those eyes before. If Tapiwa had any doubts that the man in front of her wasn't the man she had given her virginity to, it flew off with the breeze from the pool.

Her eyes roamed his face in a daze. It was him. Or someone with an uncanny resemblance. He had the same short hair neatly cut close to his scalp. His strong jaw was not as clean as it had been the other morning, though. Although Tapiwa could see that the shadow of hair dusting his jaws was from a long day and not a new fashion sense.

The man also had the thin eyebrows she had admired while he slept. They were now drawn together in a confused frown, but damn, the man was even more handsome when conscious; Tapiwa thought with a shudder that seemed to wake her lungs up and she gasped and finally leaned out of his touch as though it burned.

The man's frown deepened, but he gave her space and stood. Oh! Tapiwa was suddenly breathless for a totally different reason. The last time she had seen him, the man had been naked save for a sheet draped over his lower half.

While the image of his naked chest and arms was burned in her brain, seeing him in a black suit with a pink shirt and no tie, leaving the top two buttons open, was the stuff of dreams. If Tapiwa was one to daydream about handsome men who made her feet turn to jelly, this would have definitely been a candidate.

But just as the thought crossed her mind, Tapiwa's brain fired questions. What was the man doing there? She didn't think coincidences went that far. Oh, no. Dread immediately filled her stomach.

Tapiwa looked up, away from the man, and realized everyone at the table had stood up after her little show. Her eyes darted from one face to the other and now that everyone was in the same place, Tapiwa realized why she'd thought the man was a little familiar.

Still, she shook her head as though that would change the facts that were clear as day in front of her. It didn't. And a second later, Lewis confirmed Tapiwa's worst nightmare.

"Jadon, son Why don't you put the glass down and have a seat? I think we have made enough of a spectacle."

Jadon? His name was Jadon. Tapiwa nearly whimpered. There was no denying it. Asher had mentioned his elder brother's name was Jadon. Her mystery man, the man she had sex with at the party, was Asher's elder brother.