Synithia Williams - Overtime For Love

She softened her voice. Concern replaced her anger. “No, you’re not. You’re my nephew and I love you.”

“Before my dad went to jail I saw you about once a month—if that—and less than that after. Now I’m supposed to believe you’re happy to have me in your apartment?”

Except for some holidays and birthdays she hadn’t spent a lot of time with Cory before now. Only because Angela had always thought Heather was selfish—funny how her instincts has been right on that. It didn’t mean she didn’t love him. “I would do whatever it took to make sure you were with family instead of put in the system. You’re not a burden. We’re making things work.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to make things work. I don’t need my parents and I don’t need your pity.” He turned to walk away.

Angela took his arm and spun him to face her. “Where is all of this coming from? What’s gotten into you?”

He jerked his arm away. “Just go to work, and leave me alone.”

“Cory.” Isaiah’s stern voice broke into their argument. “Don’t talk to your aunt like that.”

Angela’s heart imploded. Just what she needed—Isaiah witnessing how inadequate she was at dealing with teenage mood swings. She turned to him and wasn’t too embarrassed to miss how good the green of his Gators T-shirt looked against his skin, as it draped over his muscular torso.

“I’ve got this,” she said.

Isaiah looked from her to Cory’s slumped shoulders. “I know, but I can’t stand by and watch one of my camp kids be disrespectful. Cory, you need to apologize to your aunt.”

Cory nudged his foot against the floor. “Sorry.”

Isaiah crossed his arms over his chest. “The way you were disrespecting her was sorry. I need you to apologize. Like a man. Lift your chin and look her in the eye.”

Cory raised his head and squared his shoulders. When he met Angela’s eye, there was a flash of regret. “I’m sorry, Auntie.”

Angela placed her hand on his arm. He stiffened and glanced around. Several other kids from the camp watched. She squeezed his arm instead of pulling him into a hug. “Cory, I love you. You’re not a burden and you’re not unwelcome. I know we’re still working things out, but we can’t get through them if we don’t work together. You can talk to me about anything. Don’t forget that.”

He nodded and the stiffness left his body. “I know.” His gaze darted to the side. A young girl Angela recognized from the camp walked by on her way into the gym. Cory glanced back at Angela. “Can I go now?”

Angela nodded and dropped her hand. “We’ll talk more later.”

“Twenty laps,” Isaiah said to Cory. “Learning to control your emotions is part of the discipline you’ll need to be professional at anything. Think about that while you’re running.”

Cory sighed, but nodded and trudged into the gym. They both watched him go.

“What’s going on with him today?” Isaiah asked.

Angela shrugged. She wished she knew where this burden nonsense came from, but Isaiah didn’t need to know all her business. “He was in a bad mood when he woke up this morning, but it really started brewing over the weekend.”

“He lives with you?” Isaiah’s dark eyes met hers. She felt the force of his gaze like a blow to the stomach. It took her breath away. Without Cory there between them she was acutely aware of Isaiah’s closeness. They didn’t touch, but she could still feel him. His nearness was like an electric current in her vicinity. Powerful, potent and potentially dangerous.

She shifted away slightly. The distance didn’t help. Isaiah was a big man and her instincts didn’t want to escape his gravitational pull. “I’m his guardian for now. For the most part, things have been going really well. It’s just when he gets like this...” When I have no clue what I’m doing. “I’m still learning the mind of a thirteen-year-old boy.”

His shoulders relaxed and he arched an eyebrow. “You really don’t want to know everything that goes on in the mind of a thirteen-year-old boy. Trust me.” He chuckled. His laugh was low, warm and sexy.

“Is it that bad?”

Isaiah rubbed the back of his head and gave her a smile that had her sliding back into his circle. “Worse than you can imagine. I’ll talk to him today and keep a close eye on him. He’s a good kid, but I can tell he’s got a lot going on in his head.”

“You really don’t have to do that. I’m not asking for any special treatment. Thanks for stepping in. I was about to go straight fool on him and that wouldn’t have helped.” She didn’t like appearing as if she needed assistance, but she had to admit, Isaiah diffused Cory’s sour attitude much faster than she had.

“It’s no special treatment. When it comes to all of the kids in the camp, if I think one of them is struggling with something I talk to them. Sometimes it helps to talk things out with someone who isn’t a parent.”

“That’s one of the reasons I thought he’d be willing to talk to me. I’m not his mom and he’s never hesitated opening up to me before,” Angela said, frowning.

“If he’s staying with you, then he’s probably viewing you as a mother figure.”

Angela cringed and fought back panic. Mother figure. She reached for the diffuser charm she wore on a slim chain around her neck and inhaled the scent of lavender. She could do this. It was only for a summer.

“I guess you’re right.” She met Isaiah’s eyes. He seemed to watch where her fingers toyed with the charm of her necklace in the V of her blouse. Angela dropped her hand. For several tense seconds, the air stuck in her lungs.

He quickly looked away. Angela tilted her head to the side. Was he blushing?

Before she could be sure, he ran a hand over his face and shrugged. “Because of that, he may be more comfortable talking with someone else.”

“Someone like a famous basketball player whose memories of being thirteen will seem much cooler than mine.”

Isaiah shoved a hand into the pocket of his black basketball shorts. “Believe me, my teenage memories are very boring. Chess-club member, anchor for the school morning-news show, the ugliest glasses you’ve ever seen. I was an official nerd. Far from considered cool.”

Angela took in his tall, toned body and handsome face. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine him as a nerd. “You’re joking.”

“I’m dead serious. My younger brother and older sister were the cool ones. I was the geeky middle brother along for the ride. My dad put me in basketball when I was fourteen to help me get exercise. I ended up liking basketball more than chess. Some days, I still can’t believe I made it to the pros.”

She’d seen him play and couldn’t imagine him not on the court. Finding out he hadn’t always been a superconfident jock actually made sense. He was the “good guy” of the team. The one with the preppy bow ties and always in the news when the team did something in the community. She’d admired that about him. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little nerdy.”

“I didn’t feel that way then. Girls did not look my way.” His voice didn’t hold any hint of lingering resentment, but just enough self-deprecation to make her chuckle.

“If they’d known you’d grow into such a fine man they wouldn’t have ignored you.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. The hint of red appeared beneath his pecan skin, which in turned made him even cuter.

“That’s the thing,” he said. “I wouldn’t want them to like me because they knew I was going to be a professional baller. I’d rather they liked me because I was me.”

“I’m sure there were other girls like me, who tended to crush on the smart guys in class. I don’t like brashness and bravado. I prefer someone more laid-back. Someone I can talk to all night about anything and everything.”