A Case for Romance. Melanie Schuster

room. Ease up off Johnny. I was a coast-to-coast hound before I met Billie. When a man meets the right woman, he becomes the right man for her. Am I right, baby?” he asked, looking at Billie.

      “Yes, you are,” she answered. “Johnny, there may be hope for you yet.”

      Johnny didn’t respond to her encouraging words. “Jason, maybe I can get a straight answer from you. Are Todd and Ayanna involved?”

      Jason looked surprised. “No, not at all. They’re friends and occasional dance partners, but Todd is too wrapped up in his work to get into a relationship. If he was, I’d know because his mouth runs like water. They’re totally friends,” he assured Johnny.

      Johnny’s face relaxed into its normal smile. “That’s good to know.”

      The outside door opened, and Johnny’s father, Boyd, walked in with Sadie, who was glad to see everyone. “What’s good to know? Where’s my breakfast? My grand-dog and I are ready to eat.”

      Johnny was fondling Sadie’s ears and didn’t answer. Lee was more than happy to fill in the details, though.

      “Your son was finding out whether or not the adorable Ayanna Porter was involved. He’s happy that’s she’s available,” she said archly.

      Boyd shrugged his broad shoulders as he went to inspect the spread Billie was preparing. “I’m glad to know that, too. It’s about time you settled down, son.”

      Everyone waited for Johnny’s usual declaration that he was going to stay single forever, but it wasn’t forthcoming. “You could be right, Pop,” was all he said. “You want me to set the table, little sister?”

      Lee and Billie were shocked by his laconic response, but Boyd and Jason acted as though nothing was amiss. Mother and daughter exchanged a look that said they’d be talking about this at great length once they were alone.

      Ayanna’s peace was invaded once again when she saw Johnny at church. She had been enveloped in the serenity that always surrounded her every Sunday, when she got a tap on the shoulder. Turning around to find the source of the tap, she saw Johnny looking even better than usual in a fabulous gray suit. His shirt was pale blue and his silk tie had a rep pattern in shades of blue and gray and to make matters worse, he smelled terrific. He was smiling at her, too, which made her heart give a few extra beats. Great, fine, swell. Here she had just prayed the man out of her mind and here he was in the flesh, temptation personified. She mustered a smile and a greeting.

      “I didn’t see you earlier. Where were you sitting?” she asked politely.

      “We were sitting about two rows behind you. I saw you,” he said with that darned sexy smile. “You look good from the back, but even better from the front.”

      Ayanna felt a bit of heat from his words. She always liked getting dressed up for church, and she’d worn a pink linen Ralph Lauren suit she’d gotten from the consignment shop. It was brand new, too; the tags were still on it. It was her favorite spring outfit, and hearing his compliment was nice but unsettling considering the blazing hot dream she was trying to delete from her mental hard drive.

      He took her arm like they’d been walking together for years, and before she knew it, they were outside the church with his family. She greeted everyone and looked around for Alec and Cameron. The sooner they got out of there, the better it would be for her peace of mind.

      Cameron came out of nowhere, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Where’s your brother?” she asked, after he exchanged polite greetings with everyone.

      “He’s headed to the car, I think. He said he was starving.” Cameron grinned.

      “Well, why don’t you all come on over to the house? We’ve got tons of leftovers, so we thought we’d just have a second-day party,” Billie said.

      “Thanks, but I told the boys I’d take them to Dave & Buster’s,” Ayanna said.

      “One of my favorite restaurants,” Johnny said. “Mind if I tag along?”

      “No, that would be great,” Cameron assured him. “I wanted to ask you some more questions about your foundation, if that’s okay, Mr. Phillips.”

      Ayanna looked down at the peep toes of her Payless wedge-heeled beige sandals. Why did her children have to have such good manners? She looked up to see Johnny pointing at his father.

      “That’s Mr. Phillips over there. Just call me John,” he said. “Why don’t we go in my car?”

      Ayanna finally found her voice and said something about changing clothes. That’s how they wound up in a mini-caravan, with Johnny following her to the small brick home she shared with the boys. Cameron and Alec rode with Johnny, and she led the way, giving herself a pep talk as she drove.

      “Quit being a drama queen. It’s just an afternoon with the boys and Johnny. It’s not like it’s a date. He has no idea that you have a dirty little mind, and there’s no reason for him to find out. Just chill, and try to act like a grown woman instead of a schoolgirl,” she mumbled.

      She pulled into the driveway and was already at the back door when Johnny and the boys arrived. Alec and Cameron bounded out of the SUV with Johnny following at a more sedate pace.

      “Mom, we got an idea on the way over here. Guess what John’s favorite meal is?” Cameron asked.

      “I couldn’t possibly. What is it?” she asked faintly.

      “Lasagna! We told him what a good cook you are and how good your lasagna is, and I know there’s some in the freezer, so why don’t we all have dinner here?”

      Alec joined in the plea, double-teaming her. “Yeah, Ma, that would be fun. Can we stay here, please?”

      Ayanna looked at their pleading faces helplessly. They were so hard to resist when they asked for something—and they asked for so little. She bought some time by opening the back door and entering the kitchen. She put her purse and keys on the table and turned to face the three of them. “But this was supposed to be a treat for you guys,” she said. “I’m sure Johnny would rather go to the restaurant than eat here. Besides, I don’t have any Italian bread and, umm…” She vainly tried to think of other reasons why this was a bad idea.

      “I can’t think of anything I’d like more than eating here with you and the guys. And if you need anything from the store, we’d be happy to go get it for you. We’ll clean up afterward, too. And,” Johnny added persuasively, “I’ll take you all out to Dave & Buster’s later in the week or on the weekend or whenever you like. How’s that for a deal?”

      Ayanna looked at the three pairs of eyes that were all beseeching her to agree, and she caved. “Fine. I’ll get the lasagna out while you guys change clothes, and then you can go pick up a few things for me. And that kitchen had better be spotless,” she said playfully.

      “Cool!” Alec and Cameron slapped each other five while Johnny gave her a satisfied smile. She wondered what she had just gotten herself into.