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“Excuse me.” A familiar voice cut through their celebration.

Carla turned to find Lennox, dressed in all black, a baseball cap on his head, a clean-shaven face, and an alluring smile on his face.

“Heeeey.”

Lennox held his arms out. “What’s up, girl? You’ve been MIA.”

Carla laughed nervously. She’d been ghosting Lennox for a while, pretty much since New Year’s Eve.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to ignore me.”

Carla sighed. “We should talk.”

“Gladly.”

She glanced at her girls. “I’ll be right back.” Carla stepped to walk off.

“Um, missy.” Tina grabbed her elbow, and Carla glanced back. “What do you have to talk about with him?” she whispered, leaning towards Carla’s ear.

Carla held up her finger at Lennox, turned full circle to Tina, and whispered in a lean-back.

“I’ve got to get him off my back. I haven’t mentioned how much he’s called me, but,” she shrugged, “I have been ignoring him. I need to tell him to stop calling.”

Tina inhaled a breath and scrunched her nose. “I suppose. But hurry up, we have some more celebrating to do, remember?”

Thinking about the joint, Carla snickered. “Gotcha.”

She slipped out of Tina’s snare and headed to the bar with Lennox.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lennox leaned against the bar. “Gin and juice for me, Sex on the Beach for the lady.”

“Oh, you don’t have to get me anything. I’m good.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Is that okay?”

Carla offered him a dry smile. “It’s your money.”

“Thank you.” He scanned the room, then dropped his eyes over her curves. “You’re looking good tonight. As usual.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s up with you? Why are you so short with me?”

The bartender approached with their drinks.

“Appreciate you, man,” Lennox said. His eyes went to Carla’s cleavage, then dropped down to her thighs. “You’ve been working out. You look better than ever.”

Carla’s gut tightened. Her transformation wasn’t for him. It was for her, and…Jacob. Her dry smile was back, and Lennox was getting agitated.

“Aye.” He grabbed her elbow. “I said, what’s up with you? Are you ignoring me now? I’ve been calling like I’m a stalker or something.”

“Why have you been calling me so much?”

Lennox balked. “Why haven’t you answered?”

“I’m busy.”