Zac thought he was hallucinating from sleep deprivation when he saw her. The angel from the parking lot was seated a few feet away and this time he was not going to let pride lose her again. When she first approached him, his first mind was to turn down her offer to help with the baby. Although his little houseguest was not exactly welcomed company, Zac wasn't about to pass her into the arms of danger. Fatima couldn't have been more than 5'6. Then she turned to put the baby in her car seat and he caught a glimpse of her curves. Today, her dark blonde/brown hair just skimmed her shoulders. The style exposed a clean fresh face. She looked so sweet, patient and kind. All the things Zac never identified with and the baby still insisted on testing him for. Zac picked up the baby so they could thank her again for her help. "We'd love for you to join us," he said. Baby smiled wide co-signing the invitation and convinced Fatima to accept.
They ordered and after, she kept him engaged while they waited for lunch. Between sips of her drink, Fatima asked, "Were you born in Atlanta?" " No, New York but me and my family moved here when I was 4." He responded while holding out a spoonful of applesauce for the baby. "Do you live around here?" "No, I'm visiting from New York. A friend of mine is getting married in a couple of weeks." "I've been dying to ask you about something." She grinned. "The fish?" "And whipped cream, the baby oil, duct tape, sesame seeds and hot dogs." "I did not have sesame seeds and hot dogs." "Might as well. You had everything else," he joked. "I was waiting for you to return with whips and chains." Holding up a finger, she added, "But I did have duct tape and baby oil." "Amateur." "I forgot to ask. Any happy hookers on the streets of Atlanta this morning?" "No doubt."
Tucking her hair behind an ear, she said quietly. "All that was for a bachelorette party. We used it for party games." "And here I thought I needed to step up my skills and Google syrup to learn something new." "You?" she asked. "I doubt it." "What about me?" She hesitated before leaning in to whisper. "All of those condoms." "What about them?" Her cheeks turn red, something he noticed happened every time they were together, except this time she got really quiet after. "I see," she said softly. She picked up her lobster roll and took a bite. He watched her before grabbing his burger. "You mentioned earlier something about traveling. Where do you plan to go next?" he asked, changing the subject. She shrugged and he noticed the sparkle in her eyes was missing. "I want to explore South America for a month at least. Maybe go hiking in the rainforest while I'm there." "When?" "Not certain. It all depends on what happens with Styles by Fatima. Enough about me," Fatima said as she reached for a kettle chip. "How did you end up watching such a sweetheart like Patricia?" Patricia? Oh, she means Lindsey. Zac decided to let the slipup go uncorrected since the baby was temporary. "No, tell me more about Styles by Fatima. That's impressive for a business that's been operating less than five years." "Soooo Zac what school did you attend?" "Morehouse." He said proudly. "What what your major?" "Economics but I later got my real estate license." "So I could of been coming to you for advice instead of getting on you about the condoms." "Don't forget the drunken hookers. They weren't just for me." She didn't laugh this time at his joke. "They're still on the kitchen counter at my house. It wasn't what it looked like. I was just having a bad day and..." "Must have been a monumental one." "Extremely. But then I ran into this beautiful woman that made me smile for the first time in weeks." "Sounds like this guy I met in a grocery store parking lot." Paris pulled a pacifier out of her mouth and squealed. "I bet he looked good, too," he teased. She giggled. Their server appeared with a slice of chocolate cake and three dessert forks. "There's no way I'm giving you any until you learn how to change your own diaper," He said to the baby, as he forked off a piece. Instead of helping herself to a bite, Fatima fidgeted with her napkin, crumpling it between her fingers. "Actually... I'm not sure why I'm about to tell you this but I could use an unbiased ear if you don't mind. It's about this offer someone made for Styles by Fatima. I'm not sure what I should do." "What's up?" he asked. Fatima took a deep breath and then explained what could very well be the biggest decision she would ever make.
