Second Time Around Read Free Page B

what would he think? What would he think about her body? What would he think about the changes that she made with her life? It had been quite a few years and still, Korie couldn’t help herself thinking about him.
    Just as quickly as she asked the question, she dismissed it. She jumped in the shower, lathered up with her favorite vanilla-scented body wash, and rinsed off.
    When she stepped out from the bathroom fully dressed, Jayna was there with a small cup of black coffee in hand for her girlfriend. They each drank their coffee and talked about what was going on in their careers. Twenty minutes later, they were out the door and running the trail at the park.
    As Jayna ran, she was looking for wealthy men at the park. As Korie ran, she tried to make sense of the dream that she had this morning.
    Jayna knew Korie would judge her, so she never mentioned when they ran that she was also looking for men. Korie knew, but she also knew enough not to say anything.
    Korie was preoccupied as they ran because the dream she had was so vivid and so real to her.
    He must be out there thinking about me or talking about me and that’s why he’s on my mind, she thought.
    Korie couldn’t shake the feeling that something major was about to happen in her life. The question was, would the major event would be good or bad? She liked the fact that she was happy in the dream. Did it mean that marriage was around the corner or something else?

Chapter Three
    Darren Howard awoke from a sound sleep. His alarm was set to go off and waken him to the sounds of “Struggle No More” by Anthony Hamilton as it did every morning during the week. Darren got up, stretched, and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. He then ran bathwater and stepped into the living room to boot up his laptop.
    He made his way to the coffee machine and brewed some Exotic Coffee, checked the final tally of the stock market, and stretched his six-foot frame to its full length as he tried to get the last of the morning kinks out.
    He was up this early because he had a full agenda of errands to run before seeing his first client. Darren was a therapist for Chicago’s elite. He counseled pro athletes, R & B singers, CEOs, and other celebrities.
    He charged 300 dollars an hour, which was nothing to his clientele. Because he made his own schedule, life was good. He worked when he wanted, made a great salary, and had a lot of the finer things in life. The only thing that was not complete was his love life. That was another matter entirely.
    He grabbed the universal remote for his condo and switched the overhead speakers on. His favorite slow songs began to play. Darren went into the master closet and pulled out a pair of white-on-white gym shoes, blue designer jeans, and an equally expensive T-shirt. He laid the ensemble on the bed and headed back to the bathroom.
    The steam was billowing off of the water in his custom-made Jacuzzi. Darren slowly eased into the water and practically lay down in the water until it was at chin level. He sat in the tub and relaxed for about an hour, listening to jazz and neo-soul.
    When he was completely relaxed and his mind was free, he got up out of the water and rinsed off. His mind was wandering a lot this morning and he couldn’t seem to figure out why. He needed his music this morning to be a distraction. He had a lot on his mind. One of the chief things bothering him was how lonely he felt these days in spite of having just about every material thing that a man could ask for.
    When he stepped out of the tub and onto the thick rug on the bathroom floor, he listened to “And I Am Telling You” by Jennifer Holliday. Jennifer Hudson’s rendition followed as he began to shave and air dry. Most people Darren knew loved Jennifer Husdon’s rendition better than the original. Darren thought the original was a classic. He playfully used the shaver as if he were singing the song himself. His cracking falsetto was