Jazz: Vol 3 of the Still Waters Series

Chapter 36

Rico pulled up in front of the house a few days later while I was sitting on the porch. Remmey was gone, and Claire was in her room with the baby.

I watched him step out of his car.

It was like he looked finer every time I saw him.

He was tall, slim, his skin was golden, and his hair was black and wavy. He wore it slicked back like the old players back home. He didn't wear his hair natural like everyone else did.

Or maybe that was his natural hair. Maybe he was...from an island...or something. Me and Claire had that hair, too, but I knew he wasn't Creole, like us. Rico walked like those old players back home did, too. Like life was good and everything was everything.

I liked it.

Everything about him was just so...smooth.

He paused by the car and smiled up at me before moving forward and stepping inside the gate.

I smiled back.

We grinned at each other until he reached me and then he sat down beside me.

It was so hot that day I had my shirt tied all the way up and my shorts as short as I could get them. But I still had Wally B's jacket on over all of it to hide my back. My red flip flops matched my top and Rico flicked his eyes over me before speaking.

It seemed like he was looking as much at my clothes as he was checking out how I looked in them.

"Hey, Jazz." He sat close enough for his knee to touch mine. A current went through me.

"Hi, Rico." I blushed.

He fingered a button on my jacket. "You ain't hot?"

I frowned and shook my head no. That was the first time that anyone there had ever mentioned the army jacket that I wore with everything every day. Rico quickly changed the subject and looked back at the door.

"Remmey around?" He said it like he already knew Remmey wasn't home, but I shook my head no, anyway. "So, you just...out here by yourself?"

His eyes told me he wanted to take me inside.

I blushed again and looked down at my feet.

When I did, he moved another inch closer to me.

I looked back up at him and gestured toward the house. "Claire in there. Wit' the baby."

"Oh." Rico nodded. "What do you do all day?" I kind of blinked in surprise. Nobody had ever asked me that.

I shrugged and looked down again.

Rico put his hand lightly over mine.

"You don't have any friends?" I looked back into his eyes, but didn't answer. He gazed at me for a minute like he was lost in thought and then said, "Your eyes are beautiful."

Nobody had ever told me that before, either.

He read my face.

"Your old man don't tell you that?" I just stared at him. I didn't know how to answer that question, and he knew it. "Remmey. Remmey don't tell you that?"

I shook my head no.

"He don't tell you you're beautiful?" I shook my head no again. Rico moved his hand to my leg. I shifted in my seat. "Well, you are." I looked down shyly. "You're a very pretty girl." I looked up at him and smiled. "How old are you?"