Page 18 of Double

By the time this heifer stopped at a table with a picturesque view of the water, I was frowning. When she addressed her next comments to Double, my frown deepened. “Is this table okay with you?” the heifer asked Double.

He glanced down at me, caught my frown, and screwed his own face. “What’s the problem? You don’t like the table?”

I’d been raised to be polite under any circumstance. Campbells never let you see them sweat or let you know that you got under their skin. It wasn’t like me to be rude, but after the last few weeks I’d had, I didn’t have it in me to be phony. I looked purposely at the hostess. “The table’s fine. I don’t like the . . . people.”

The hostess gasped before rolling her eyes at me. I rolled mine back.

Double chuckled. “Stop playin’ with me, Wife. You know you’re the only woman I see.” He bent at the waist and placed his lips to my cheek as he helped me remove my coat. “It’s you,” he whispered as he pulled away. He arranged my jacket on the back of the chair.

I wasn’t sure if my heart went into overdrive or shutdown in response to the sensation of Double’s lips on my face. All I knew was that something malfunctioned. He had to help me into my seat, but based on his chivalrous behavior, he probably would’ve done that anyway.

Old girl dropped the menus and muttered something that I didn’t hear before she and her mismatched ass and thighs switched away.

Double eyed me as we sat across from one another. I tried to keep the menu in front of my face, but at the same time, I wanted to see him. “You jealous, Sweetheart?” he asked when our eyes finally connected.

“I’m not, usually.” It was the truth. I had never been jealous over a man in my life. But Double wasn’t just any man; he was my husband . . . whether we were in love or not.

“I’m not a cheater. Loyalty is like . . . a thing for me. I demand it, and I give it willingly. You have my loyalty, Sweetheart, for as long as I have yours. I won’t cheat on you or embarrass you.”

I leaned across the small table and whispered. “But I don’t have any . . . experience. You haven’t even tested out the equipment. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I never do. And I’m not worried about your lack of experience. That just means that I won’t have to break any bad habits.”

My heart rate went into overdrive at his words.

He must’ve noticed because he spoke again. “Pick out what you want to eat for dinner. We got plenty of time to talk about me and you.” The corners of his cheeks raised in a small smile. “I’m not gonna rush you. I’m on your time.”

I nodded before looking down at the menu—as if my head wasn’t spinning, and my eyes could actually focus.

Our waiter arrived. He was polite and knowledgeable about the restaurant’s offerings. He took our orders, grabbed the menus, and walked away.

“If I didn’t tell you before, you look really nice.” His eyes swept over me quickly, taking me in.

Iredia was located in the Caribbean, so it went without saying that the climate was tropical with even the coldest temperatures never really dropping lower than the seventies. The temperature when we stepped outside of Double’s house was in the low forties and would have chilled me to the bone had it not been for Lyric’s advice. I told her that I’d never owned cold-weather wardrobe pieces. I’d never owned or even worn boots. So as I sat across the table from Double in a cream-colored, chunky knit sweater dress and cognac-colored suede boots, I felt simultaneously warm, cozy, and cute.

“Thank you.”

“How was it, working with Lyric?”

That garnered a smile from me before I gushed. “I loved working with her. She’s so nice, Jayson. I—” my hand flew over my own mouth when I realized my mistake. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I called you that.”

His eyes stayed serious, even though his words were playful. “You must want a spanking when we get home.”

I skirted past his flirtation with a quick giggle. “I don’t. I promise you I don’t.” I sighed. “Anyway, I really like Lyric. She’s really friendly and super knowledgeable about fashion. Iredia’s not a fashion hub, per se, but we do our thing.” I bragged slightly on my homeland. “We follow fashion trends. Lyric knows her stuff.”

“I figured y’all would hit it off. I’m saying, I have a lot of cousins. Of all of them, Lyric is one of the most chill.”

“Is the guy who hit my friend over the head with the butt of his gun her brother?”

He chuckled. “You remember that, huh?”

“Yeah, I remember that.” I widened my eyes at him. “He hit Faylise for no reason.”

“No, Lucky and Lyric aren’t siblings. Actually, they aren’t even related by blood. Lyric is on my mother’s side of the family. My mother and her father are cousins. Their mothers were sisters.”

I nodded. “She told me.” I left off the fact that she told me their deep, dark family secrets.

“Lucky is from my father’s side. His mother and my father are siblings.” He took a beat. “And I agree with you. Lucky ain’t have to hit your girl.”