Page 17 of Fever: Love In Scrubs

“ D on’t get in here and get beside yourself,” I jested to Jamari.

She rolled her eyes. “I know the drill, Daddy. No long nails, no over the top designs. Yada, yada, yada. You’ve only told me this every time we come here.”

I grinned. “Glad you know.”

We got out of the car and headed inside. After telling the receptionist what we wanted, she directed us to a pedicure chair. We got comfortable and I rolled up my sweats, so they didn’t get wet. Jamari picked out her colors while I relaxed with my feet in the water.

“Daddy, can I get this?” she asked, shoving her phone in my face.

I peered over at the picture. It was a simple French manicure with a couple rhinestone designs.

“That’s fine.”

“Can my nails and toes match?”

“Sure, Jamari.”

She beamed with excitement as she showed the picture to her nail tech.

I chuckled to myself as I relaxed into my seat again.

I noticed the smiles and stares from a few women across from us.

It never failed. Every time I took my daughter out, I got the flirtatious glares or compliments from women about how they loved seeing a strong black father.

It was flattering, until it wasn’t at times.

Jamari talked my head off about school and everything under the sun as our feet soaked.

It was good to see her in better spirits.

Since she’d gotten that message from her mother, she’d been a little down.

She felt bad about telling me what happened and I had to reassure her that she did the right thing.

Since then, Amandela hadn’t called or texted her.

It had been two weeks, and she didn’t fight to see her or contact her.

It was like she put on a show for me in that apartment, but according to social media, she was out living her best life, kid free.

She’d been in the club and posting pictures with the Kevin nigga like nothing happened.

When Jamari showed them to me, she broke into tears, feeling like her mother was happy to be rid of her.

That shit broke my heart and pissed me off.

I was more sure than ever that I was doing the right thing in seeking full custody. I’d already contacted my lawyer who had already served her with the paperwork. It didn’t seem to faze her because she hadn’t said a word about it.

The bell above the door rang, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Wynter walking in. She was dressed in an off the shoulder top, form-fitting flare-legged jeans, and sandals. Her hair was pulled into a sleek top knot and gold hoops dangled from her ears.

A smile spread across my face as our eyes met. I was smiling so hard as I stared at her that I didn’t even notice Jamari watching me until she said something.

“Daddy, who are you staring at?”

She followed my gaze to the door. When she looked back at me, a grin was on her pretty face.

“Is that her?”

“Yes.”

“Oooo! She’s pretty!”

She turned her head towards the door and waved frantically. Wynter smiled and waved back. I motioned for her to come over. I could see the nervousness written all over her face as she approached us.

“Good morning,” she said softly.

“Good morning, love.”

I beckoned her to me and cupped her face before kissing her lips. So much for pretending that this was a casual run in. Grabbing her hand, I kissed her knuckles.

“Jamari, this is Wynter. Wynter, this is my daughter, Jamari.”

Jamari smiled. “So, you’re the lady that’s been having him cheesing all the time, huh?”

Wynter blushed. “In his defense, he has me cheesing too. It’s so nice to meet you, Jamari. Your dad talks about you all the time.”

“Daddy, you didn’t say anything bad about me, did you?”

“I told the truth.”

She playfully slapped my arm. “Don’t believe anything he said, Ms. Wynter. I’m a good girl.”

Wynter giggled. “I’m sure you are. Is it okay if I join you?”

Jamari’s smile widened. “Yes! I’ve been wanting to meet you. I told Daddy he deserves to be happy, and you seem to make him happy.”

Wynter squeezed my hand. “He makes me happy too.”

The nail tech came over and directed Wynter to sit in the chair next to me. She got settled and rolled the legs of her pants up before dipping her feet into the water. A moan of satisfaction expelled from her lips.

“Oooo, I needed this.”

“Long week?” I asked.

“Very. I finally finished unpacking the house and putting things in place. Now I just have to decorate to my liking.”

“Ms. Wynter,” Jamari said, leaning over. “Daddy says you grew up here.”

“I did.”

“Why did you move away?”

“That’s personal, Mari,” I said.

Wynter shook her head. “It’s okay, Jaxson.

” Then, she turned her attention to Jamari.

“My mother passed away in childbirth and my father couldn’t handle her loss very well.

He developed a habit of keeping everything that reminded him of her and eventually my house was too cluttered and unsafe for me to live in, so I went to live with my aunt. ”

“Awww… that’s sad. Did he get better?”

“No, baby. He never got any better.”

“I’m sorry. Daddy is always on me about keeping my room clean. I guess I can see why it’s so important. I love my aunt, but my little cousin would drive me crazy if I had to live with them.”

Wynter chuckled. “Trust me, I get it. My cousin drives me crazy at times too, but she’s my best friend. She’s always had my back.”

“Do you like being back here?”

“It’s been an adjustment, but things are looking up. It’s different from what I remember, so maybe that will be a good thing.”

“Maybe Daddy and I can show you around some more.”

Wynter smiled. “I’d like that.”

I was in my chair smiling to myself listening to them talk. My baby asked her so many questions and Wynter was happy to answer. I never brought women around her. As far as she knew, her daddy wasn’t dating or interested in anybody. She didn’t know how lonely I’d been at times over the years.

While I held a lot of anger from my divorce, I was more so hurt.

At one point, I did love Amandela. I thought we were end game and when it blew up in my face, that shit was like a stab in the heart.

I didn’t really swear off women, but I didn’t let many get close to me.

If it wasn’t sex, we weren’t getting to know each other on a personal level.

It was different with Wynter. I was still trying to figure out what it was about her that had me so drawn to her. Maybe it was her aura. Maybe it was her smile or the way she carried herself. Whatever it was, it was captivating as a muthafucka.

Jamari already seemed to like Wynter and that was good enough for me. Today was shaping up to be a good day.

After the nail salon, Jamari decided she wanted to go play mini golf.

Silver Run had recently opened a mini amusement park that had Top Golf, go carts, water bumper carts, batting cages, laser tag and an array of other family friendly activities.

I just knew she was about to run up a tab on my dime and I was okay with it.

She’d smiled more today than she had in weeks. It was good to see her be a normal kid.

After getting our gaming cards, we headed for the mini golf course.

“I’ve never played this,” Wynter said when it was her turn.

“It’s easy.” I stepped up behind her, close enough to catch a faint whiff of her sweet perfume. Reaching around her, I placed my hands on her hips. “Let me show you.”

“Daddy!” Jamari exclaimed. “You’re being fresh.”

Wynter giggled.

“I’m being helpful,” I defended. “Alright, your feet shoulder-width apart.”

She spread her feet.

“A little closer, love. You’re not starting a wrestling match.”

She laughed and elbowed me while adjusting her stance. My chest brushed her back as I wrapped my hands over hers on the grip of the putting stick. I prayed my body wouldn’t react to being so close to her.

“The trick is all in the wrists,” I said softly in her ear. “You’re not swinging like a bat. You have to glide the put. Smooth and easy.”

Wynter tried to focus on the ball, but her ass against my crotch was making it difficult.

“I think you’re just trying to distract me,” she said, looking over her shoulder at me.

“Maybe,” I said with a grin.

I guided her arms back, then forward in one fluid motion. The ball rolled straight toward the hole, dropped in, and the little bell rang again.

Jamari rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a show-off, Daddy.”

“Take your turn, lil’ girl.”

She giggled as she claimed her spot and set up her ball. Wynter and I stood behind her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her temple.

“I might need another lesson on the next hole,” Wynter whispered, a smile in her voice.

I chuckled. “I’m a great teacher and I work for tips.”

“Oh?” she teased. “What kind of tip?”

I smirked. “That depends on how generous you feel.”

I leaned down and pecked her lips before focusing my attention back on my baby. She was being all extra in trying to get the right angles to sink a hole in one.

“Time’s ticking, Mari,” I said.

“You can’t rush the perfect shot, Daddy.”

Standing, she positioned herself and tapped the ball. We watched as it rolled, narrowly missing the hole.

“See! You messed me up.”

I chuckled. “Excuses, excuses.”

“You’ll get the next one, Jamari,” Wynter said. “I’ll make sure your dad keeps his mouth shut.”

Jamari smiled. “See, Daddy. Support.”

I laughed and waved off her dramatics. We continued through the course with playful banter at every hole. Jamari was getting a kick out of having somebody to trash talk with whenever I missed a shot. She was laughing with Wynter like she was her new bestie and it made me smile.

“You missed again,” she taunted. “That makes what, Ms. Wynter? Three in a row.”

“That sounds about right.”

Jamari grinned and poked my side. “Somebody is off their game.”

I grabbed her up in a playful headlock, causing her to squeal as she tried to get loose. She started tickling me, knowing how much I hated that shit.

“Stop, lil’ girl!”

“Don’t tell me you’re ticklish,” Wynter said, laughing.

“He is,” Jamari confirmed. “A big man like him is ticklish.”

“I’ll have to keep that in my back pocket,” Wynter said, smirking at me.

“You tickle me, and I’ve got something for you.”

“We shall see.”

We stared at each other for a moment, smiles plastered to our faces. For just a brief second, all I could see was her. It wasn’t until I heard the clicking of Jamari’s camera did I break out of the stare off.

“Y’all look so cute,” she said, showing us the picture. “You look all in love.”

It was a nice picture, and it captured the essence of the budding feelings growing between us. I could see myself falling for Wynter and I hoped she could see herself falling for me too.