What He's Been Missing Read Online Free PDF Page A

pinched Ian’s cheek. “I can’t believe he planned all this behind my back. Such a blessing. But it’s no wonder. You know, I’ve been so busy organizing the girls I mentor at the Sankofa Institute. That keeps me away so much. I’m just happy my loving kingman puts up with all my volunteer work.”
    â€œIan’s always been quite the understanding kingman . My bestie,” I said, nudging Ian in the gut.
    He nodded rather mechanically. When Ian and Scarlet had started dating he used to complain about some of her half-baked ideas about the world, about politics and revolution. She was in a place where we used to be when we were in our early twenties and still thinking we could save the world by building one house with Habitat for Humanity. Then we’d gotten real jobs and had bigger fish to fry. Not that we didn’t want to build the house. That was important work. But our days bragging about it were long gone. And time to commit to it was just plain limited. Sometimes Ian dragged me out for drinks to get away from Scarlet’s philosophizing about things she only half understood.
    â€œ My kingman.” Scarlet pinched his cheek again. “What about you, Rachel? Do you think you could find some time to come down to the institute to work with the girls? I know you’re really busy with your business and all, but they could use someone like you there—you know, you grew up poor in the country, first in your family to go to college—that kind of thing. They’d relate to you.”
    Scarlet was holding my arm the entire time she spoke. Ian had pulled that little book out of his back pocket and I was thinking maybe it wasn’t me she should be holding onto.
    â€œYou OK, Ian?” I asked.
    â€œYeah. Yeah.” He fanned himself with the little book. “Just a little hot in here.”
    â€œYeah, babe.” Scarlet fanned Ian with one hand without stopping to look at him. “Speaking of hot, Ian tells me you have a new beau who kept you out last night so you couldn’t join us at Masquerade.” She grinned at me with pursed lips like I was her old aunty who’d somehow stumbled upon a boyfriend.
    â€œReally? I have a beau?”
    â€œYeah, that’s what Ian said.” She was pointing at him now, but still not looking. “It’s not true?” Now she was looking like I was her old aunt who’d just been pushed in front of a bus. Her black and purple fascinator suddenly became a funeral mourning hat. She shot me a complimentary sad face.
    Ian rolled his eyes to suggest that I simply agree with Scarlet.
    â€œOh . . . beau? Beau? You mean a boyfriend?” I asked.
    â€œYes, a boyfriend!” Scarlet’s smile returned.
    â€œYes, I do have a boyfriend. See, I don’t speak French,” I said with a bit of hidden sarcasm I was sure would make Ian laugh, but he didn’t.
    He rolled up his little book some more. Wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
    Scarlet frowned and then smiled tightly like maybe I’d just been disinvited from visiting the Institute on account of my not knowing what “beau” meant.
    â€œIan, you sure you’re all right?” I asked again. The color was slipping from his face.
    Scarlet finally turned to him.
    â€œActually, you know what, Rachel, can I talk to you in the other room?” Ian asked.
    â€œBut we’re about to cut the cake,” Scarlet said. “I mean . . . aren’t you all about to cut the cake for me?”
    â€œIn a minute, babe,” Ian said. “I just need to talk to Rachel.”
    â€œBut what about my big birthday surprise?” Scarlet smirked coyly like a seven-year-old. I’d seen Ian fall to his knees for this display from her before.
    â€œIn a second, hon,” he said in a way that clearly shocked both Scarlet and me. “Rach—” He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room before Scarlet could find