"Girl why didn't you tell me your childhood boyfriend was going to be here!! He is flipping gorgeous too!"

"That would have been ratings heaven!" Madison squealed in delight.

"First of all, he was not my boyfriend but my friend ok."

"Second of all I had no idea he was going to be here I am just as surprised as you are."

"And third I haven't seen or spoken to him in nearly twenty years so how I was I supposed to know that he was going to show up!"

"Wait what? He was your bestie why have not spoken to him in so long? Why?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Yeah, it is a long story and today is not the day for me to tell it ok."

"Ok ok." She holds her hands up.

"I'll be patiently waiting." She looks over at Terry and Jason standing off to the side whispering to each other and staring in our direction.

"Friends smiends that man hasn't taken his eyes off of you this whole time ok."

"Speaking of staring you down." I lean in and whisper.

"Terrance has been boring holes in your back for the last 2 hours what did you say to him?"

She looks back at Terry and he bestows her with a gorgeous smirk as to say yeah, I know ya'll are talking about me.

She blushes and quickly turns her head and faces me.

"Nothing I just asked him about his business, and we talked about the remodel on camera and I got his permission to use the footage he shot.

"You were sitting right next to me, so I don't know why you are asking me dumb questions." She gulps the remainder of her champagne and begins hiccupping.

I tap her on the back and look at her face, she is flushed and nervous.

"Why didn't you tell me he was so good looking I mean dang."

"I could barely look at him during the taping and my back broke out in a cold sweat!"

"I have got to hurry up and get back to New York where I am safe."

I looked at the normally cool as a cucumber Maddy and I smirk.

She looks back at them and Terry does nothing to hide the fact that he is staring at her.

He smiles at her unabashedly and she blushes prettily and turns away.

She sighs dramatically "Why did he have to be so much older and Asian?"

"I mean don't get me wrong he is absolutely gorgeous, but my mom would have a cow if I brought him home."

"What why?" I asked dumbfounded.

"Because the only love is black love no if ands or buts." She replies like she had said it a million times.

"What? I am shocked I have never seen your mom that way? Is she racist?"

"No, she is not racist she is just a product of the segregated South she thinks that relationships and marriages are doomed to failure so why set yourself up for heartache."

"Plus, the kids have hard time their either not black enough or vice versa, now that I can actually see because I have mixed friends who have had those same struggles growing up."

"They were too dark for the white side, not dark enough for the black side."

"It's sad really."

"Yeah, I have seen that firsthand with Josh growing up, kids can be cruel."

"Luckily, he has a great family that welcomed his mother and loved him unconditionally."

She looks at Josh and then me and smiles.

"He is very blessed considering his father is Korean they can be worse than white people when it comes to mixed race relationships especially if one of the partners is black."

"This is true." I reply.

"So how do you feel about it?"

"About what?" She replies.

"About dating an Asian man?" I look at her intently.

She looks thoughtful for a minute.

"You know truthfully I have never thought about them as an option, as you know my ex was mixed and that is the closest to an relationship, I had been in."

"All my boyfriends before him had been black, mind you there was only three but still you get my point."

"Momma almost had a heart attack when she saw a picture of him and really didn't accept him until she met his family."

"But to this day she blames our divorce on his white blood!" She looks at me and we both burst out laughing!

"No, she did not!"

"Yes, she did like him cheating on me and knocking up someone else was only because he was half white."

"Wow!" I reply outdone her mother is a piece of work.

"Right, I had to gently remind her my brother cheated on his black wife so what was his excuse?"

"What did she say?"

"Girl nothing, she changed the subject really quick."

I look back and see both Terry and Josh walking over to us.

"So, you’re saying that if Terrance asked you out you'd say yes?"

"Who said he was going to ask me out?"

"Well, we're about to see in 2 seconds because they are on their way over here."

"And since I can't run and hide neither can you, we are in this together!"

She takes a sip of her drink and puts it down.

"Ok that is enough of that because I am not trying to get drunk."

"Yes, please don't get drunk ma'am I need you to have your wits about you so when I say WE have to leave you can run out of here with me ok."

"K"

"Ladies come and sit and eat with us."

Terrance says and goes straight to Madison and pulls her by the waist.

My eyes bug out my head at his forwardness and she looks like dear caught in headlights for a second.

She recovers and looks down at his hands and removes them and gives him a sickly-sweet smile and leads the way to the table.

I press my lips together to keep the giggle from escaping and look at Terry who is watching her walk away with a wistful expression on his face.

He looks at me and I raise my eyebrow at him.

He shrugs and walks off quickly behind Madison.

I shake my head and laugh.

"Well, well what an interesting turn of events huh?"

I look behind me and see Josh standing there looking over at Terrance and Maddy as he pulls out a chair for her.

"I have never seen him rebuffed like that; this will be fun to watch." I can't help it I laugh out loud.

"You are still a mess." I look at him as he walks and stands in front of me.

"I haven't changed to much, maybe gotten a little bigger around the middle and a few errant gray hairs, but I am still me." He smiles softly.

I look up at him and he reaches over to smooth one of my curls around his finger.

Our eyes meet and my breath catches in my throat, fear crawling its way up my gut to my chest.

"Don't." I back away and walk around him heading toward my office.

"Ana."

He races after me and grabs my arm and pulls me into him.

"Don't make a scene!" I hiss.

He looks around and sees Terry and Maddy watching us and waves to them.

He looks and sees my office door open and pulls me in and closes the door.

"I won't I promise I just want to talk to you ok, please you owe me that at least."

"I owe you?" I scoff and kiss my teeth.

"Let's get one thing straight ok." I point at his chest.

"I do not owe you anything whatsoever, you were the one who stopped the communication."

"C'mon that is crap, and you know it, the polite "Oh how is school? How is Korea?