His change of demeanor is making my heart hurt. Have I just lost my friend? “But I liked it,” I assure him wholeheartedly.
He smiles sadly at me. “That’s the problem.” He starts the car. “I did too.”
He reaches over and closes the car door before driving away, leaving me standing in the middle of the parking lot, wondering if I just lost my job as well as my friend.
I don’t know how much time passes before I hear a car beep behind me. I turn to see Nat smiling and waving at me through her car windshield. As soon as she sees my expression, her face falls. She quickly occupies the parking spot James had used and jumps out of the car. “Okay. Whose ass do I need to kick?”
I’m still in shock. I can’t believe that just happened. Shaking my head, I tell her, “No one’s. Just a shitty day.”
She wraps an arm around me and coos, “Naw, cheer up, glum chum. We’re going to Tina’s for dinner!” She shakes me back and forth in a silly dance, and cheers, “Yay! Free dinner! Poor people love free dinner! You should be ecstatic!”
Stupid sister, making me laugh when I really want to cry. “You’re a dork.”
She bunches up her nose. “Yeah, well, you smell bad. And that’s not even a joke. Get upstairs and wash your stinky butt.” We make our way upstairs together while I half-listen to Nat tell me about her day. When we reach our apartments, she pushes me to my door. “You got a half-hour to get ready. And by half-hour, I really mean twenty minutes.”
As soon as I unlock my apartment door, I fish my wallet and work ID out of my pocket and throw them onto the counter. Holding my cell in my hand, I quickly type out a text.
Me: I’m so sorry, James. I understand you’ll probably want to stay away from me, but I need to know. Are we still friends?
A minute passes before my cell pings.
James ‘The Boss’ Whittaker: Of course.
My gut clenches. Great. From hugging and joking, to a two-word response. Talk about being demoted. I walk from the kitchen into the bathroom. I throw on the light and step inside. “Motherfucker!” I shriek as I’m attacked from behind. Needle sharp teeth bite into my ankle and teeny claws firmly wrap around my foot. As I lift my foot high in the air and shake it, kitten securely attached, I wonder if today can possibly get any worse.
Surely not.
At least, I hope not.
Chapter Sixteen
Helena
“I mean, I just don’t see the need for them, is all. They look so poofy and stupid. Who the hell uses them these days anyways?” questions Nat. I’ve only been half-listening to her as we drive from the apartments to Nik and Tina’s house. “Hello? Earth to Helen!”
That catches my attention. “Don’t call me Helen, bitch.”
She turns in her seat to look at me in the back seat while Ash drives. “We’re discussing something serious here. I need you to tell me I’m right.”
Looking out the car window, I rest my chin on my balled fit and sigh. “Sorry. What are we discussing?”
“The banning of the cravat worldwide.”
I bunch my nose. “We’re Croatian. Croatians invented the cravat. In fact, cravat is a French term meaning ‘in the style of the Croat’. I don’t want to ban the cravat. Ties exist because of the cravat. I like the cravat. I like ties too.”
This has peaked her interest. Her brows rise. “No shit?”
I nod. “No shit.”
She turns in her seat. Then she announces, “I say we get the cravat back into fashion. I’ll discuss with Tina.” Smirking, I look into the rearview mirror to find Asher looking at me. My smile falls and I quickly look away. Stupid man. Stupid, nosey man. Ruining my life and such.
Finally, we arrive at Tina’s house. As soon as we’re parked, Nat jumps out and heads towards the front door. I move to follow, but a hand at my elbow stops me. “Wait.”
My shoulders stiffen at Asher’s urgent tone. “What?”
“We need to talk.”
Snatching my elbow from his grip, I walk away from him. “No. We most certainly do not.”
When I walk inside, I find Tina there rubbing her swollen belly. She smiles at me. “Hey, sweetie!”
I hug her tightly. “Hey, sexy mama.”
She squeezes me. “I feel so bad for not having you over earlier, but with the kids, and work, and everything in between,” she frowns, “I really don’t have a good excuse other than I’ve been busy.”
We pull away from each other and I reach for her hand. “You’re busy incubating my nieces or nephews. You’re forgiven. A thousand times over.”
It’s almost as if she can’t help herself. She grips my cheeks and kisses them both. “I love you.”
“Love you more, Teeny.”
Mimi spots me and winks. “Shake that ass, baby.”
I grin at her and add a little sway to my step. When I reach her, I turn. She places both hands on my butt cheeks and squeezes. A silence encompasses the room. I look around to find all the men in the room looking down at Mimi’s hands. Trick, Nik, and Max have an identical dreamy look on their faces, while Asher’s lips twitch. Trick suddenly announces, “I have to use the bathroom,” at the same time Max states, “I’m needed in the kitchen.”
They both scatter, and Mimi cackles. “Fucking amateurs,” she taunts, then she kisses my cheek. “How you doing, babe?”
Thoughts of this afternoon swarm my head. I force a smile. “Fine. Just fine.”
A look of confusion crosses her face. She sniffs the air and utters, “I smell bullshit.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s nothing.”
Before she can dig, I move over to Lola and wrap my arms around her from behind. “Lola, why are men dicks?”
She pats my arm, leans back into me, and laughs through her nose. “I realize I should have the answer to this question, being that Trick is Trick, but I don’t.” She pouts. “Sorry.”
Speak of the Devil. Trick appears in front of us. He looks up and spots me. He fakes offence, “Did you sneak in here without saying hello to me? What kind of monster are you?”
I play insulted. “I would never!”
He takes a finger and taps his cheek. “Pucker up, sister.”
I reach over to kiss his cheek, but at the very last second, he moves and I kiss his lips. I squeak and slap at him while Lola laughs out loud. “Get out of here, you little shit!” Both laughing, Lola looks to me and says, “I’d apologize for him, but,” she shrugs, “you totally fell for it.”