Games by Wanda B. Campbell

that you’re well -off.” He reached for her hand. “What does bother me is why you don’t like me.”
    “It’s not that I don’t like you, Jason, I really don’t know you,” she answered, trying not to bruise his ego again.
    “Are you seeing someone?”
    Shay immediately thought of Brian. Although they weren’t on speaking terms, they still shared an unspoken commitment to one another, especially after sharing their bodies. “No, I’m not seeing anyone.”
    “Let me guess, you like the tall and dark type.”
    She smiled. Tall and dark; definitely Brian. “Something like that.”
    “Nice”
    Confusion masked her face. “What’s nice?”
    “Your smile,” Jason explained. “This is the first time I’ve seen you smile. You should try it more often.”
    Shay was glad the food arrived because she couldn’t get Brian out of her head. He liked her smile and her hazel eyes among other things.
    They talked more over dinner and she learned a lot about him. Jason was actually quite likeable and had a wonderful sense of humor. Like her, he was an avid reader and dabbled in poetry. She still wasn’t attracted to him, but decided he would be a good person to hang out with, a way to chase the loneliness away. When he walked Shay to her car, she accepted his invitation to the movies the following Friday and finally gave him her cell phone number.
     

Chapter 18
    The Mission Impossible ringtone on his cell phone sounded just as Brian’s hand touched the doorknob. He pulled the Smartphone from his waist clip to answer the call and immediately recognized Shannon’s number. She had called him every day since he had given her his number four days ago. Talking to Shannon helped Brian realize just how much he really missed Shay. Up until the night he took Shay into his bed, a day rarely went by that he didn’t hear her soft feminine voice. But for now Shannon Yates would be his replacement for female conversation.
    Each day he talked to her for at least an hour and yesterday morning Brian joined her for a jog around Lake Merritt. Walking toward her in Lakeside Park, Brian couldn’t help but wonder why Shannon jogged in the first place. It certainly wasn’t to watch her weight. Shannon didn’t look like she had an ounce of fat on her; she barely had meat on her bones. He kept his curiosity to himself and enjoyed the fresh winter morning, not wanting Shannon to get the wrong idea that he harbored an attraction to her body.
    Outside of a few clouds, the Oakland morning was beautiful. The mid-sixty- degree weather attracted a large amount of seagulls equal to the number of runners. On the four-mile trail, Brian had to admit that he enjoyed both the jog and the conversation. Not one time did Shannon mention Shay or flirt with him. Instead, she centered the majority of the conversation on Brian and his father.
    “My father is my best friend,” was what he told her when she asked about his relationship with his father.
    “Have the two of you always been close?” she asked slowing her slow jog to a brisk walk.
    “Since we met five years ago.”  Brian went on to explain the events to Shannon.
    “That’s amazing; no wonder you’re so close to your stepmother. Does your father pressure you into becoming a minister like him?”
    Brian slowed his pace. “My dad doesn’t pressure me to become anything that I don’t want to become. He encourages me to be me, not walk in his shadows. If I do pursue the ministry, it’ll be because I hear a call from God in my heart; not pressure from my father.”
    “I’m going to block that call,” Shannon teased. They made more small talk about him, but she didn’t talk about herself. Brian noticed, but didn’t press the issue.
    Drawing his attention back to the ringing in his hand, Brian pressed the green answer key button. “Good morning, Shannon,” he answered while locking his front door.
    “Good morning, Brian. I hope you slept well. I didn’t. I was lonely,” Shannon