Synithia Williams - Overtime For Love

Cory’s grin was filled with teenage manipulation. “I’m old enough.”

“You’re still a kid. A kid I’m responsible for.” She pointed to his room. “Go save the princess.”

Cory huffed and she waited for the argument, but his phone buzzed. He looked at it, then jumped up from the couch. “I gotta take this.” He was down the hall and out of the room before she could ask who was on the phone.

Nate chewed gum and smirked. “You’ve got something going with Isaiah Reynolds?”

Angela wished she had another bag of marshmallows to throw. Dang teenagers and their big mouths. Cory was only in this camp for one month. She could avoid showing how much she wanted to swoon over Isaiah for one month.

She looked around for her keys. “What? No.” The keys were on the end table next to the couch. She snatched them up.

Nate leaned back on the couch and crossed one ankle over the other knee. “Then why does Cory think something is going on?”

“He recognized me from the club.” She looked toward the hall to make sure Cory wasn’t coming back. Cory knew she was a bartender; he didn’t know where she served drinks. “He came into Sweethearts after they won the championship.”

Nate nodded his head as if everything suddenly made sense. “Ahh, so he’s trying to get you in bed.”

Angela slapped Nate’s arm and laughed. “No, he’s not.”

Nate scooted away and shrugged. “That’s what it sounds like to me.”

“Regardless of what it sounds like, we can’t hook up even if I wanted to. Cory would get kicked out of the camp and I’m not going to ruin his summer more than his parents already have.”

She was Cory’s support system for the summer. As much as the idea of being responsible for a teenager scared her, she wouldn’t let fear keep her from doing her best to smooth out this rocky patch.

“You’re not going to disappoint him,” Nate said. “There aren’t many people who would take in their brother’s child without one word of complaint. I haven’t heard you say a single negative thing since Heather dumped him on you.”

Nor would she. Of course she was mad Heather dropped off Cory and then hadn’t called since, but the idea of Cory thinking she resented having him brought back her own ugly memories of her aunt’s daily reminders of how much of a burden she and her brother were.

“He wasn’t dumped on me. I’m his aunt and I can handle things. I’m not upset about having Cory here. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he’s happy and comfortable until his mom returns.” If she returned. Heather hadn’t set a definite return date. Her brother had four more years until she saw him.

“You aren’t the least bit worried about what will happen if she isn’t back before school starts?”

A cold sweat broke out over Angela’s skin. She took a deep breath. No need to freak out about something that hadn’t happened. “I got this,” she said with a confidence that was a little shaky on her part. “I can handle whatever comes my way.” She eyed the strength tattoo on her wrist and ran her finger over it. Her and one teenage boy for a few months. She could do this on her own.

Nate stood, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a side hug. “Nothing ever shakes Angela Bouler. I know you got this. You always handle your business.”

Nate’s confidence in her abilities overpowered her own doubts. “Which means I won’t get him kicked out of camp just because Isaiah Reynolds might be interested in me.”

“But if there was no camp issue, you’d want something to happen?”

A buzz of excitement tickled her. “I don’t mess with the guys I meet at the club.”

“Then why are you grinning from ear to ear?”

She forced the smile off her face. “I’m going to be late from work.” Nate laughed and heat spread up Angela’s neck and cheeks. “’Bye, Nate.”

Nate chuckled and walked her to the door. “I’m just saying, when you hook up with Isaiah Reynolds, don’t forget you’ve got friends that want tickets.”

Angela waved him off. “Thanks again.” She ignored his laughter as she went out the door.

Okay, so the idea of getting to know Isaiah Reynolds a little better wasn’t terrible. She’d been interested that night they’d talked in the club, but he’d left without a backward glance. Then on Monday, when she’d bumped in to him, she’d thought he’d been flirting but he’d brushed off her assumption only to kinda flirt with her the rest of the week. Or maybe she just wanted to believe he was flirting. She couldn’t get a read on him. Which made her feel silly for the way her pulse raced and her body buzzed when he’d touched her wrist. She was in the middle of a crush and he was looking at her as if she was just another random fan.

Maybe he didn’t want to risk Cory’s place in the camp, either?

If there wasn’t the issue of Cory getting kicked out of camp, then she would flirt a little harder and put herself out there. She wasn’t looking to get married and become dependent on a husband, but she didn’t shy away from letting a guy know if she was interested. Cory wasn’t going to be in camp forever. If she got the vibe again, she could drop the hint that after camp was over, she’d be willing to get to know him. After all, not going after the things she wanted wasn’t in her personality. She’d gotten this far by trusting her instincts and every one of her instincts said Isaiah felt a little of what she felt, too.

Chapter 5

“I don’t have to work tonight. Maybe we can try out that trampoline park?” Angela suggested to Cory while she walked him into camp.

Cory’s annoyed sigh would have made disgruntled teens everywhere nod in approval. “I’m thirteen. I don’t want to go to a trampoline park.”

Angela gritted her teeth and counted to ten. The boy had been in a state all morning. He wouldn’t tell her what was wrong, but the mood had grown over the weekend. Angela chalked it up to teenage mood swings.

She held open the door for Cory. “Fine. No trampolines. How about a movie?”

He dragged his feet through the door. “There’s nothing out right now that I want to see.”

Annoyance, meet my last nerve. “What do you want to do?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled.

Angela couldn’t suppress her sigh. Try to remember what it was like to be thirteen and moody. She remembered her aunt making Angela and Darryl feel like unwelcome houseguests the entire time. If anything, she worked harder to make Cory feel welcome in her tiny apartment, but damn, could he at least try to meet her halfway? She didn’t know what to do when he just clammed up.

They walked in silence to the front desk and Angela smiled at the young man behind the counter, then signed in Cory for the day. She’d barely gotten her signature on the paper before Cory turned his back to her and stalked toward the opening of the gym.

“Cory.” Angela dropped the pen on the desk and raised an eyebrow.

He sucked his teeth and grunted. “What?” He faced her with a glare.

“What?” Oh, hell no. Being patient with him was one thing, but letting him talk to her as if she was nothing was not about to happen.

She walked over, took his arm and pulled him away from the other arriving kids. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but this attitude stops now. You do not snap at me and say ‘what’ like I’m some annoyance you’re forced to deal with.”

“You mean like I am to you?”

The retort slapped her in the chest. “What are you talking about? You’re not an annoyance.”

“But you’re forced to deal with me. I know I’m a burden. You had your own life and I’m messing everything up.”

Angela tried to keep up. Where had all of this come from? Last week he’d been happy about camp and teased her about liking Isaiah. Now he was angry and accusing her of not wanting him around? What could possibly have changed over a weekend?