The Nicest Guy in America

by Angela Benson

  She continued to watch as Marty took shots of him on the phone at his desk, on the couch with his remote in hand. This room fits him, she thought. The dark woods exuded strength and warmth even as he did. The collection of East and West African masks on his wall and the collection of black figurines on his sofa table told her he appreciated his heritage.

  When the shoot moved to Reggie’s patio and he changed into the knee-length shorts Marty had suggested, she had a chance to study him more. Just as she’d always thought, the brother was fine. Too fine, if you asked her. It wasn’t fair that he had those dreamy brown eyes and that buff body. It just wasn’t.

  Again, she wondered why those women had dumped him. After being held in those strong arms, feeling those big, muscular thighs against hers, and resting her head against that broad chest, she knew it must have been difficult. Those women must have sensed something seriously lacking in Reggie to let him go, because the brother was too fine to let go on a whim.

  But fine didn’t say anything about character, she knew. And that’s where she suspected Reggie was lacking. Though none of the women had mentioned his character flaws in their nomination letters, there could be no other answer. Hadn’t she herself gotten a glimpse of his shallowness and selfishness?

  “That’s it,” Marty said. He went over and shook Reggie’s hand. “You’re one of the best subjects I’ve shot. Most people are so uncomfortable that I have to take three times as many shots to get half as many good ones as I’ve shot today. You’re a natural. Have you ever thought about modeling?”

  Reggie chuckled, as if he thought the idea was ridiculous. “Who? Me?”

  “Yes, you.”

  Reggie shook his head. “I think I’m a bit too old. Maybe when I was younger.”

  “Don’t reject the idea out of hand, man,” Marty said. “Advertisers are trying to reach men in your age group because you’re the ones with the cash.” Marty checked his watch, then turned to Kim. “If you don’t have anything else for me, I’m going to try to check out the lab at the local paper and see if I can get these prints developed so we can see what we’ve got.”

  “No, that’s it for today, Marty. Thanks. You did a great job.”

  “I’ll show you out,” Luther said. Kim turned to him, realizing that she’d forgotten he was still there.

  “Want something to drink?” Reggie asked, walking toward her.

  She stepped back so he could open his back door. “A cold soda would be nice.”

  He flashed her his smile. “I think I can provide one of those. Follow me.”

  She followed him to the kitchen and took a seat on the stool at the counter.

  He grabbed a couple cans of soda from the refrigerator and handed her one. “So,” he asked. “Where do you want to go on our first date?”

  Chapter 10

  “What makes you think I’m going out with you?” she asked, taking the can of soda he offered. His fingers brushed hers and their eyes met. She lowered hers first and he wondered if Ms. Washington was as immune to him as she said she was. “Going behind my back to my boss is not the way to win me over.”

  He popped the tab on his can. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I couldn’t think of any other way to persuade you to give me another chance. You left me no choice.”

  “So now it’s my fault,” she said. “Typical male response: always shift the blame.”

  Reggie chuckled. She sure was cute when her eyes flashed as they did now. “You’d better watch it or that chip on your shoulder is going to fall off and break your foot.”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do with either you or Jim.” She sighed a frustrated sigh. “Why is what I think of you so important anyway?”

  Reggie couldn’t explain that to himself. “I’m just concerned about my reputation.” The half-truth fell easily from his lips. “Wouldn’t you be concerned about yours?”

  She shook her head. “Do you really think people are playing that close attention?”

  He sipped his soda. “My family in Oklahoma City is. I’ve already gotten two calls from them. I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a call from my mother asking me what I did to make that cute little lady so upset.”

  “Cute little lady, huh? Are you sure those are your mother’s words and not yours?”

  He grinned. No, he’d use other words to describe her. Sexy. Alluring. Inviting. “I’m sure. Now tell me about this boss of yours. He seems like a real character.”

  “Hmph. You should know. I’m beginning to think you two were separated at birth.”

  Reggie chuckled. “Somehow I get the feeling that isn’t a compliment to me or your boss. Show the man some respect, even if you have none for me.”

  “I do respect Jim,” she said. “To a point. But I don’t agree with him on this issue.”

  Reggie propped his elbows on the counter, rested his face on his hands and looked at her. “I gather this isn’t the first time he’s pulled rank on you.”

  “Hardly. Jim’s management training came straight from a drill Sergeant’s handbook.”

  Though her words were harsh, the near smile on her face told him that she really liked Jim. “That sounds like him,” he said. “What’s it like working for him?”

  Kim sipped from her can of soda. “He’s gruff, but overall he’s fair. As far as bosses go, he’s all right.”

  “You sound as though you’d prefer not to have a boss. Tell me what Ms. Kimberla Washington does prefer.”

  She eyed him skeptically as if wondering about the sincerity of his request.

  “Humor me,” he said. “We’re supposed to be getting to know each other. Unless you’re one of those women who’ll only talk to a man after he’s spent a bundle of money on her.”

  She placed her soda can on the counter and leveled a stare at him. “If we’re going to get to know one another, as you put it, you’re going to have to stop with the insults.”

  “What insults?” he said. “Some women do want a man to spend money on them. It’s as if their interest in a man is in direct proportion to the size of his wallet.”

  “And you consider that a problem?”

  He shrugged. “Seems to me money shouldn’t have anything to do with how a woman feels about a man.”

  “I’m not surprised you have such strong feelings on this subject.”

  At her look of disdain, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well, I think it’s a typical hypocritical male statement.”

  He leaned back from the counter and reached into the overhead cabinet for a bag of chips. “And that sounds like a typical stereotypical female statement.” He opened the bag and offered some to her. After she refused, he reached for a chip. “What exactly does it mean?”

  She sighed and his eyes went to the rise and fall of her full bosom. Nice, he thought to himself.

  “It means, Mr. Stevens, that I get tired of men complaining about women judging them on the size of their wallets when they do the same thing.”

  “So, you’re talking about gigolos. I don’t think many men fall into that category.”

  She reached for a chip. “I’m not talking about gigolos, though I suppose they could be placed in the same category. I’m talking about the brothers whose interest in a woman is in direct proportion to her dress size.” She looked directly into his eyes. “Or in direct proportion to the size of her bust.”

  Reggie felt royally rebuked for looking at her chest earlier. “Some busts can’t be ignored,” he said and his words surprised even him. He was not the type of guy to get this outrageous with a woman. But something perverse in him made him want to provoke Ms. Washington.

  “And some men beg to be ignored,” she returned without a pause. She slid off the stool. “Thanks for the soda. I have to be going.”

  Oh, damn, Reggie thought to himself. Now you’ve gone too far. “Kim,” he called, rushing after her. He caught up with her in the living room. “Look,” he said when she turned and faced him. �
�I’m sorry. I don’t know why I made that stupid remark. Believe me, I’ve never before said anything like that to a woman I barely know.”

  He could tell she didn’t believe him and he couldn’t blame her. If he could kick himself, he would. Instead, he extended his hand to her. “What if we start over? Pretend this is our first meeting? I swear I’ll make a better impression this time.”

  She looked at his outstretched hand, then at his face. “Why should I?” she asked. “Give me one good reason why I should start over with you.”

  The first thought in his mind was the obvious one: She ought to give him a second chance because her boss would rake her over the coals if she screwed up this idea. Fortunately, he had enough sense to refrain from voicing that sentiment. “Because I need to show you that you’ve gotten the wrong impression of me. And I need you to help cleanup the damage that article did to my reputation.”

  She looked down at his outstretched hand again. “You can go ahead and drop your hand because I’m not going to shake it. I’m not making any deals with you.”

  “But—”

  She raised her hand to stop him. “Let me finish. We’re going to do this get to know each other thing because you’ve got my boss thinking that my working with you is going to mean big bucks for him. But I’m telling you, Reggie, I’m not going to lie. I’m going to tell the readers exactly what I think of you.”

  Reggie dropped his hand, relieved that she’d agreed to go through with the deal. He’d prove to her that he was one of the nice guys.

  “Don’t look so relieved,” she said. “You have a long row to hoe in order to win me over.”

  He wanted to give her a stern look, but his relief turned his face in a wide grin. “So where do we go on our first date?”

  ~ ~ ~

  A visit to the Boys’ Club had not been on Kim’s mind when Reggie had mentioned their first date, but she’d been relieved when Luther had reminded him of his regular Wednesday night commitment. She also took satisfaction in the knowledge that Reggie had almost forgotten his weekly commitment in his effort to get her to go out with him. Though she knew their being together was strictly a business arrangement, his interest definitely stroked her feminine ego.

  Now that she was here at the Boys’ Club, she couldn’t imagine a better evening. She liked sitting in this large gym watching Reggie, Luther and their friend Nate try to get the dozen or so teens ready for their first basketball game of the summer season. Watching Reggie run around on the court in his shorts didn’t prove a hardship either. No, not at all.

  His gaze met hers across the court and he smiled at her. As he lifted his hand to wave, one of the boys stole the ball from him. Needless to say, she was soon forgotten as he scrambled to redeem himself.

  “Having fun?”

  She looked up to see Nate standing before her. “A lot. How about you?”

  Nate dropped down on the bleacher in front of her and turned his body so he faced her. He was a handsome, light-complexioned guy with a face that looked thirty or so instead of the almost forty that she knew him to be. Like Reggie, he was in good shape. His easy stride said he was a laid-back guy. She wondered what Tam would think of him. She was very much aware that Reggie had two unattached male friends and she had two unattached female friends. She was already planning her next date with Reggie—a triple date.

  “It’s tiring,” he said. “But I enjoy it. These are some okay kids. They just need a little direction.”

  “How long have the three of you been coming down here?”

  “Not long,” he said. “Reggie started coming when he first moved here from Oklahoma City. He recruited Luther and me as soon as we arrived in town.”

  So, this had been Reggie’s idea. Definitely a plus for him. “So the three of you are friends from Oklahoma City?”

  He nodded. “We grew up together and have been friends since elementary school.”

  Kim wondered what it was like to have known someone that long. She’d been pretty much a loner growing up. A situation she knew was a result of her over-protective parents. She hadn’t had any long-standing friendships until she’d gone off to Spelman and met Leslie and Tam.

  “So what do you think about Reggie and everything that’s going on?” she asked Nate.

  He studied her curiously before answering. “I don’t know,” he said. “At first, I thought his participation in your contest was a good idea. It seemed harmless enough. That article you wrote—”

  “I didn’t write it,” she corrected.

  “Okay, that article that quoted you so much. Anyway, at first I thought it was funny, but now I’m not sure. Reggie’s a good guy and he doesn’t deserve some of the things you said about him.”

  “Those things weren’t said about him specifically,” she said, feeling a need to defend herself. “They were statements about men in general.”

  “And that makes it better?”

  “Did his article make anything better?” she challenged.

  “That’s different,” Nate said. “Reggie was writing from experience in his article. That other article was written from pure speculation and had nothing to do with him.”

  Kim admired Nate’s loyalty to Reggie, though she wondered if it was misplaced. She was about to follow up on his comment about Reggie’s article being written from experience when Reggie joined them. “Your turn, man,” he said to Nate. “I need to take a breather.”

  Nate cut Kim a quick glance. “Translated that means I’ve been talking to you too long.” He got up and hopped off the bleachers. Looking back at her, he said, “Think about what I said.” Then he ran and joined the action on the court.

  “What did he say?” Reggie asked, dropping down next to her.

  “Oh, nothing,” she said. “We were just talking.”

  “About me, I assume.”

  “What makes you think we were talking about you? Maybe we were talking about Nate. He’s a nice guy.”

  Reggie lifted a questioning brow. “Nice guy?”

  “You know what I mean. He seems like one of the good ones.”

  “And I don’t?”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “But it’s what you meant.”

  She didn’t want to start arguing again, so she swallowed the smart retort that came to her lips. “Has it occurred to you that you have two unattached male friends and I have two unattached female friends?”

  He grinned. “Don’t tell me you want to play matchmaker?”

  She shook her head as much in answer to his question as to stop her heart from responding so wildly to his arresting grin. “No way. I was only thinking that my friends don’t know too many people in town and your friends seem nice. I think it might be a good idea to get them together.”

  His eyes showed his skepticism.

  “For the article, of course. You can learn a lot about a man from the company he keeps.”

  “So you’re suggesting we pair your friends up with mine so they can glean information about me.”

  She nodded. “And maybe they could have some fun in the process. As a matter of fact, the six of us could. Think about it.”

  “I am thinking about it,” he said with a smirk. “I didn’t have a group meeting in mind when I said I wanted us to get to know each other.”

  She knew he didn’t think so, but triple-dating was the perfect plan. “Maybe you’re right. It might be best if I talked with them myself. Do you think they’d mind spending some time with me?”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” he said. “You’re getting to know me, not them. Remember it’s my reputation that’s being trashed, not theirs.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. By getting your friends in on the article, I’ll be able to present a more rounded picture of you. Do you think they’ll go for it?”

  Reggie looked out at his friends on the court. “I’ve seen your friends. Nate and Luther will go for it, all right.”

  Reggie sounded so disappointed that Kim wanted
to laugh. She refrained though and kept her face straight. She might enjoy dating Reggie Stevens, after all.

  ~ ~ ~

  “So when’s our next date?” Reggie asked after he’d escorted her to her car. She’d learned some things about him tonight that were more compatible with the Reggie she’d imagined him to be than with the Reggie he’d seemed since she’d known him here in Atlanta. “And this time I want to pick you up.”

  “That’s not necessary,” she said. Or safe, she thought. Her best bet was to keep as much distance between her and Reggie Stevens as possible. Now that he was becoming a good guy in her eyes, she knew she’d have to fight falling for him. “Besides, my girlfriends will be coming along. We’ll meet you there.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not the way we do it in Atlanta.”

  “How do you do it?”

  “Well,” he said, leaning close to her, “in Atlanta the man picks the woman up for the date and then drives her home when the evening is over. We even meet and greet parents.”

  He was so close that she stepped back. Unfortunately, the car behind her didn’t give her much maneuvering room. “I hope that doesn’t mean you’re dating teenagers.”

  He laughed outright at that statement and his deep chuckle caused a shiver to run down her spine. “You’d be surprised,” he said. “There’re some pretty o—, I mean mature, women still living with their parents.”

  She chuckled. “Good save.”

  “You keep me on my toes, Ms. Washington. Independent women like you demand political correctness.”

  “You sound as though you have something against independent women. Do you?”

  “Not me. Maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe independent women have something against me.”

  She couldn’t imagine what any level-headed woman would have against Reggie Stevens. She was beginning to think she liked him better when she didn’t like him. This Reggie was dangerous to her mind. “And why do you think independent women have something against you?”

  He looked deep into her eyes. “Can you stop being a reporter for about five minutes?”