Page 23 of Nothing Like Your Ex

Kwinn glanced at Jabari. He was staring straight ahead, but the slight sneer tugging at his mouth told her he was listening. Chris used to be his teammate but was traded as well. Jabari would’ve preferred to play for the Miami Sun instead. They had a much better roster than the Knights.

“I understand, girl. Moving can be a hassle,” Kwinn said.

“Yeah, plus Chris was talking to Jabari some weeks ago, and he told him you weren’t accepting any new projects. Is everything okay?”

Kwinn’s smile dropped as she cut her eyes at Jabari. He didn’t make a move to look her way.

“He said what?” Kwinn wondered, hoping she'd misheard or that Sasha had mixed up the conversation.

“They were on the phone, and I asked what your schedule looked like. He let us know you weren’t taking on anything new. I figured you were backed up and didn’t want to assume anything, so I gave it a few weeks before reaching out.”

Kwinn’s pulse quickened as she forced herself to remain calm. “Oh, he must’ve just meant for the week. You know men don’t be paying attention sometimes.”

She was trying to lighten the mood and not throw Jabari completely under the bus.

“Trust me, I know.” Sasha chuckled.

“But I’m still working. I have a couple of projects underway right now, but I’m definitely taking on new ones.”

“Oh, good. I was going to be pissed if I had to hire someone else and they messed up the vision.”

Kwinn laughed lightly even though her chest was tight. “No, we’re not having any of that. Shoot me an email with what you have so far, and I’ll take a look at everything, including my availability.”

“Okay, perfect. I’ll send everything over to you in a few hours. If not, then for sure by tomorrow. The kids are still on summer break and have me on the go, girl.”

“Aww, I know they love that. It’s the perfect way to get accustomed to the city,” Kwinn said.

Sasha sighed. “They’re having the time of their life while I’m fighting for mine.”

The two shared a laugh.

“But I’ma let you go. I’ll have my ideas over to you soon,” Sasha reiterated.

“Sounds good. Talk to you later,” Kwinn said and hung up.

Placing her phone in her lap, Kwinn said nothing for several seconds. Over the years, she’d come to realize that not everything required an immediate reaction. Given how she was feeling right now, she was liable to smack fire from Jabari’s ass. She’d never want to be the cause of a wreck or a domestic violence case, so instead of going with her first impulse, Kwinn exhaled and, as calmly as she could, asked him the number one question.

“Why would you tell them I wasn’t taking on any new projects?”

Jabari sighed. “Kwinn⁠—”

“No. Answer the question.”

“You weren’t taking as many when he asked me.”

Kwinn drew her head back. “You don’t know that. Why the fuck would you interfere with a client of mine as if that’s cool?”

“Is all the cussing necessary? It’s not that serious.”

Unable to process what she was hearing, Kwinn’s eyes widened. “It’s not that serious? Boy”—she laughed, beyond pissed— “you so lucky we’re in this car right now.”

“You getting all riled up for no reason. You weren’t taking as many and had slowed down a bit. I didn’t lie completely,” Jabari weakly explained.

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t accepting any new projects. I slowed down some because I was making sure you were good.”

“But I didn’t ask you to do that.”

The words slipped from his lips before Jabari could stop them. Evident hurt filled Kwinn’s eyes, but she refused to let him see it. Giving him any satisfaction of witnessing the pain he’d just caused wasn’t happening. Turning toward the window, Kwinn blinked quickly, swallowing the ache in her throat.