Only One for Me by Candace Shaw

tiger ready to pounce on his
prey.
    “ I … must’ve
misunderstood.”
    “ How’s your
mother?”
    “ Fine.” She wanted to keep
her answers short. The less he knew about her life the
better.
    “ I was disappointed to
learn she has cancer,” he said with sincerity in his voice. “Please
give her my best.”
    “ She’s in remission and
doing a lot better.” Yasmine tried to avoid eye contact with him,
but it was hard since he overpowered her personal space. Plus, she
was pinned against the car and his hand was still on top of it over
her shoulder.
    “ How long will you be in
Memphis?”
    “ Until the beginning of
summer.”
    “ Maybe we can have dinner.
Go over the wedding plans and catch up.”
    “ I can’t,” she said in a
strained voice.
    His hand slid off of the car, brushing
her shoulder and down her bare arm in the process. Yasmine winced
at his subtle, warm touch. They stared at each other in silence,
and she was scared of what he may do or say, especially when he
stepped toward her, closing what little space was between them. His
sexy mouth was just inches from hers, and she yearned to kiss him
to know what heaven felt like again.
    “ Well, if you change your
mind.” He paused, brushing a curl off her forehead that had fallen
out of her headband on her brisk walk to the car. “Call me. My
contact information is in the packet the coordinator gave
you.”
    Stepping back, he turned to open the
car door for her. Without acknowledging him, she slid into the car,
tossing her coat and purse onto the passenger seat. She reached to
close the door, but he shut it for her and stood outside for a
second, staring at her through the tinted window before walking
away. Tears burned her eyes, but she was too mad to let them roll
down her face.
    She started the car, turned on her
cell phone, and noticed she had several missed calls and voicemails
from Sherika. Yasmine had forgotten to turn her cell phone back on
after a meeting with a group of elementary school
principals.
    She activated the hands free system to
call Sherika. She had some explaining to do. Yasmine pulled out of
the parking lot as the phone rang through the speakers.
    “ Yasmine. I’m so glad you
finally called me back. I’ve been—”
    “ Why on earth is Cannon
suddenly the best man?”
    “ Calm down. I didn’t know
until right before the meeting either. Doug had been trying to call
me, but my third graders did a mock test this morning to prepare
for the upcoming standardized test, so you know cell phones can’t
be on.”
    “ I don’t know if I can …”
She tried to hold back the tears, but it was no use. One streamed
down her face followed by another, and she wiped them way before
they clouded her vision as she drove.
    “ You can’t back out!
You’re my best friend.”
    Yasmine could hear the urgency and
panic in her friend’s voice, and she felt bad. She couldn’t be
selfish, but planning a wedding with Cannon wasn’t exactly on her
bucket list.
    “ It took everything I had
not to slap him … or worse, kiss him.”
    “ Girl, I know he hurt you,
but please try to suck it up for me. I need you.”
    Yasmine sighed as she turned onto the
interstate. They’d been best friends since fifth grade when Sherika
moved to Memphis from Gary, Indiana. They went to middle and high
school together, as well as Tennessee State University, pledged the
same sorority, taught together in Nashville and then New York until
Yasmine moved to Atlanta a few years ago to finish her doctorate.
Both only children, they were more like sisters, and Yasmine knew
she couldn’t disappoint her best friend.
    “ If you weren’t my girl
…”
    Sherika let out a big sigh. “Oh thank
goodness, and I promise there really isn’t much you have to do with
him.”
    “ If you say so. I have a
cake tasting appointment on Friday afternoon, and he’ll be there to
sample the groom’s cakes.”
    “ I’m kinda glad you’ll be
there at the same time. Doug just wants