That shocked him. “D- does he know?”

“Of course, he does. Unlike you, I don’t keep secrets from the ones I care about. He and I know exactly where our relationship stands and what to expect from it. In fact, after my blind date tomorrow, we plan to hook back up.” She began backing away. “You know, he’s been there for me in ways you never were, understands me in ways you never will, and well, shit. Not only is he incredibly hot, he’s also the best damn kisser!” When Jordan’s face fell blank, she laughed a little before walking away singing SWV’s Weak in the Knees.

Temi woke late the next morning. After her confrontation with Jordan, she couldn’t help but call Thom immediately. The two of them laughed long and hard over his reaction and feeling a bit nostalgic they sang several songs by SWV; a montage which began with Weak and ended with I’m So Into You. If she wasn’t aware of it before, she was keenly aware now that Thom was the greatest friend she could ever have.

Since she was meeting Facundo at Waterside around two o’clock, Temi had time to run by her mother’s before heading to Norfolk. Etheridge Manor, the neighborhood where she grew up, was an older development built in the eighties. Filled with cute starter homes, wide roads, and sidewalks, Etheridge was a wonderful place to raise a family. Temi had fond memories of meeting her friend Heather up the street and riding bikes from Etheridge Manor into Etheridge Woods where the houses were larger and surrounded by older trees. The friends they had in Etheridge Woods tended to have families who were a bit wealthier than their Manor counterparts. But none of that mattered to the children in the area; friends were friends and chilling together, roaming the neighborhood, was awesome.

“Hey, baby!” Her mother was sitting on the porch speaking with a neighbor when Temi pulled up. “All right, looky here, Mr. Norris. Doesn’t my baby look good today!?!”

Temi waved off the compliment and said good morning to her mother’s neighbor as she gave him a hug. “How ya doin’ Mr. Norris?”

“We’re doing okay, Artemisia. I was just taking a walk around the neighborhood when I saw your mom sitting out here.” Then he turned to Temi’s mom. “Haven’t spoken in a while, have we Jada?”

“Nah, we haven’t. Been speaking to the kids though. Paul mowed my lawn two days ago.”

Temi smiled. The Norris’ were a lovely family. Temi used to babysit for them when she was in high school. A son and two girls, Paul being the eldest followed by Grace and Kathleen; each a beautiful combination of their parents John and Laura in looks as well as smarts and kindness. “It’s nice of them to stop by to help you, mom.”

“Yep. We’ve got a good bunch in this neighborhood; don’t we John?”

Mr. Norris smiled. “We sure do.” Then he turned back to Temi. “You are looking especially nice today, Temi. Are you and that young man you’re dating getting into anything fun today?”

“No.” Temi screwed up her face and sighed. “Jordan and I broke up a little while ago. All of this,” she raised her arms and gave a turn, “is for the blind date a friend set up for me.”

Though John looked sad for her, Temi could tell he wasn’t really surprised. “Artemisia, I’m sorry to hear about your split, but I am glad it hasn’t stopped you from getting back out there.” Then he walked over and gave Temi a warm hug. “When the time comes, you’ll meet the right guy. You’re too good a young lady to settle for anyone less than the best.”

All she could do was smile. It was hard to imagine that with all the wonderful people she knew that she could ever be so disappointed with her life. While her mother and John began to say their goodbyes, Temi inwardly berated herself for the way she had been wallowing in her self-pity. After all, her life could be worse. She could be going through this alone, without anyone to cheer her on.

“Well, Artemisia, we’ll have to get together some time. I’ll talk to Laura about having you and Jada over for dinner one night soon.” John was backing up to the sidewalk. “It would be nice to have more time to catch up.”

“Yes, it would,” Temi waved to him. “Have a nice walk. We’ll see you soon.”

Once John had disappeared down JoAnn Circle, Temi and her mother sat together chatting about nothing at all. It was nice to relax and not think of anything too heavy. The weather was fine out and there were more people walking and biking in the neighborhood than there had been all summer long. The oppressive summer heat always forced residents inside in search of air conditioning, but with the approach of fall and the promise of cooler weather, people were out in search of fresh air.

“Well, my dear, I think we have covered everything under the big blue sky,” her mother placed a fist to her hip and leaned back to fully look her in the face. “You going to tell me about this young man you’re going to meet?”

Temi shook her head. “There really isn’t much to say. You remember my friend Tahleeah?” When her mother nodded, she continued. “Well, she’s hooking me up with her boyfriend’s cousin. His name is Facundo Hernandez. He’s a real estate attorney, and apparently, he owns one of the Homerama homes in Hickory. You know, in the Edinburg Meadows neighborhood… from 2007 or 8?”

“Huh.” Jada didn’t seem very impressed. “Is he a nice young man?”

Temi gave a little exasperated sigh. “Mom, I haven’t met him yet. Tahleeah says he’s nice, but she’s only met him a handful of times herself. Then again, I don’t think she would knowingly set me up with a serial killer.”

Her mother laughed. “So, what are you two planning for the afternoon?”

Temi leaned back on her elbows and stretched out her legs. “I’m not sure. Just hanging out, I guess. To be honest, I’m not planning on staying out too long. I’ve made plans to meet Thom for drinks and a movie between six-thirty and seven.”

“Oh, Thom,” her mother’s face lit up. “How is he? Tell him I’m mad he hasn’t been by to see me in a while.” Temi smiled. Her mother liked Thom just as much as she did if not more. In fact, when Temi couldn’t take time off from work to get her mother to a few of her follow-up appointments with her doctors, Thom would take her. Again. Not Jordan. Thom.

“I’ll tell him. But… be gentle the next time you see him. He has been keeping your daughter from falling apart lately.”

Temi left her mother’s home at a half passed one. On a good day she could make it from Etheridge Manor to downtown Norfolk in fifteen to twenty minutes; speeding of course. However, with so many people out enjoying the weather, she decided to leave herself a little cushion to prevent being tardy. She arrived downtown with five minutes to spare and found street parking one block from the main center. The idea was for her to meet him out front under the Jillian’s sign. He would be wearing slacks and a Hawaiian style shirt. Shouldn’t be hard to spot.

No. He sure wasn’t easily missed. Facundo was beautiful. Temi couldn’t believe her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but whatever it was; she hadn’t been thinking Diego Luna level hotness. Surveying him as she walked up, she noticed that Facundo was stout, in the literal sense of the word, not fat. He was muscular with caramel skin, dark hair and beautiful hazel eyes. Despite his very loud floral shirt and the scruff on his chin, Temi could tell he was actually a very clean-cut sort of guy. His hair was carefully sculpted, his slacks held crisp, clean, creases, and his shoes looked as though they were freshly polished. Reaching the spot where he stood, she squared her shoulders before sticking out her hand. “Hello. You must be Facundo.”

Rather than taking her hand in his, Facundo stepped back to assess her; making Temi feel more than a little self-conscious. “Wow,” he exclaimed, “have you lost weight?!?”

It wasn’t exactly how she imagined their first meeting going. Temi lowered her hand. “Yes. How do you know?”

“I apologize for staring but you look great,” he shoved his hands in his pockets and continued checking her out. “I’ve seen pictures, beach pictures from Carlos’ birthday back in June.”

Temi cringed a bit. Those had to be the worst pictures she had ever taken. She had been so embarrassed by her weight that she had bought a one-piece suit, the first she had owned since she was fifteen or sixteen. She purchased a slimming one-piece, and the tummy band within the suit was uncomfortable. “And you still wanted to go out with me?”

He looked up at Temi then and smiled. “You were beautiful then. How was I supposed to know you would be more so now?” With that one comment Temi knew she was in for it. This man was smooth, and his voice; though born and raised in Virginia, was still affected by his Latin heritage. “Why don’t we take a walk… get to know one another a little better,” Facundo offered his arm with a big smile that was all pearly white with full lips. She wondered if his kisses would be more like the quick and lusty ones of Jordan’s or slow, sweet, and caring like Thom’s. Then she caught herself… it’s funny she would bother comparing him to Thom; his kisses really didn’t count.

 Since they didn’t have a set plan, they walked to a bench overlooking the river and just talked. Facundo was much like his cousin, Carlos. He was funny but could also be intense and flirtatious. He told her, in great detail, about his work and interesting real estate deals he had helped bring about. His parents were still living, he was an only child. He was very close to his family and very loyal to his friends. He had a live-in girlfriend for three years, but when they began to talk about marriage, they realized they wanted different things in life. The breakup was sad but amicable. “So,” he looked down at their linked fingers before looking back up at Temi, “now that you know just about everything there is to know about me, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

Temi smiled and looked down at their hands. She was nervous, and she didn’t know why. Her heart was beating so fast, and she prayed he couldn’t hear it because it was thumping loudly in her ears. “How about this,” she looked at him. “You tell me what you know, and I will fill in the blanks… and make corrections.”

He raised his left brow and his lip curled on one side. “All right. Let me see.” The way he was looking at her made Temi warm all over. She couldn’t imagine any woman not wanting what he wanted. “You attended Hickory High School, graduated from UVA, when your mother got sick, you moved back to Chesapeake to help take care of her. You work in a call center, and you just broke up with your boyfriend of almost four years.”

Temi was shocked but tried not to show it. She had known absolutely nothing about Facundo until she arrived, and yet here he was walking around with the Cliff’s Notes to her life! “Wow, someone’s done their homework.”

“Ehh… a little cyber stalking here and there.” He was joking. Temi laughed.

“All right. Let me fill in the blanks. I was born in Lexington, Kentucky, but my family moved here when I was eight. I graduated with honors from Hickory. My father passed when I was in my final year at UVA, but before leaving us, he made me promise to finish on time. I graduated, on time, with degrees in Marketing and English. Upon graduation, I was offered a job at a marketing firm in New York, but I turned it down to take care of my mom. April would have been my 4^th anniversary with my then boyfriend, Jordan. We were going to go to Barbados to celebrate, but instead I caught him having sex with one of our neighbors in my bed. My best friend’s name is Thom, T-H-O-M; the “h” is silent. You don’t need to worry about him; he’s gay, and he has been helping me get my life back in order.” She took a pause and rolled her eyes up as she thought. “Yep, I think that’s about it.”

Facundo sighed, “I am so sorry. You deserve better.”

“Ya, well…” Temi didn’t finish her sentence because Facundo had taken the opportunity to kiss her. His lips were soft and his kiss, full of passion. He unwound his fingers from hers and moved his body closer, holding her face in his hands. Temi couldn’t think, she just placed her left hand to his face. He deepened the kiss, teasing her mouth open with his tongue. He smelled so good like musk and citrus. His mouth was masterful, somehow slow and passionate but at the same time, playful and romantic. She never thought such contradictions were possible in one kiss.

“Mommy, look.” Temi heard a young girl whisper to her mother. The surprise in the girl’s voice brought Temi back to her senses. Slowly… gently… she ended their embrace. But it didn’t last long as he began nibbling her ear.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we met,” he whispered.

This was too much. She liked it, but it was too fast. She couldn’t think. With both palms on his chest, she pushed him back; ever so gently, just enough to look him in the eye. “Facundo, this is… too fast. I… I don’t want to get lost… or swallowed up by you.”         

He smiled and kissed her. Not a deep, passionate kiss like the one before, but one that was light and sweet. “All right. I will dial it back if you promise to see me again.”

Temi laughed and shook her head. “Wooo. I’m not sure I could avoid it.”

He laughed too. “Probably not.” Then he stood and offered her a hand, “Would you like to go for a walk?” She nodded.