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“Renee, you’re the pretty sister and you know it.”
“Yeah, everyone has always told me I have a pretty face. Like that’s a compliment or something.”
“Yeah, people are assholes…hey, have you talked to Nicky since her birthday?”
“Uh-huh. She called me to talk mess about you. She’s pissed you won’t let her move into your vacant apartment. I told her I didn’t blame you for not leasing it to an unemployed career student. Now she’s pissed at me, too.”
I was just about to reply when I looked up and saw a sight that made me cringe. “Hey, I gotta call you back,” I said abruptly.
“Oh, okay. Hey, I’m glad you called. Love you.”
“Me, too. Love you back.”
I ended the call and tried to figure out a way to sneak out of the crowded café without being seen. Finally, I said fuck it and stood up, having decided to just walk out of the place with my head held high. I was at the door when I heard, “Angie?”
I kept walking. After all, the place was packed and they were playing some pseudo-Caribbean music over the sound system and people were talking, so it was possible that I just didn’t hear him.
I was almost at my car when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Angie?” he repeated.
I sighed and turned around to face him. “Hey, Benny,” I said softly.
He looked the same—tall, athletic build, smooth chocolate skin, piercing dark eyes. And behind him stood his lovely wife, Joslyn…and their three or four or five kids. All boys, because Benny came from a family of boy breeders.
“Hey! I thought that was you! So did Joslyn.”
I didn’t bother speaking to Joslyn. There was just something about your high school best friend sleeping with your boyfriend while he’s still your boyfriend and she’s still your friend and then marrying him less than a month after he breaks up with you that makes it hard for a girl to smile and say, “Hi.” Ten years had passed, but that kind of thing was just hard to get over.
Probably sensing that a warm reunion was not on the horizon, she said, “I’m gonna go on in and order something for the boys,” to Benny and gave me a little nod before herding her kids in the opposite direction.
“So, how’ve you been?” he asked with this huge grin on his face.
I couldn’t exactly say I was still recovering from a three-year-old break-up, have an intimate relationship with a vibrator, and spend most of my nights cuddled up in bed watching Netflix or YouTube videos, so I said, “Bye, Benny.”
As I pulled the door open and slid into my car, he moved closer to me, and said, “Angie…”
I looked up at him with a furrowed brow. There was something odd about his voice.
He glanced back at the café and then fixed his eyes on me again. “I should’ve said this years ago. I’m-I’m sorry.”
I stared at him and felt his sincerity in my heart, but still, I slammed the door shut and started my car. I sat there and watched him hang his head as he headed back into the café, and then I left the parking lot.
*****
“Hi, my name is Ryan Boyé, and I’m calling about the duplex apartment you have for rent. Is this Angela Strickland?”
I activated the speakerphone and laid the phone on my bed next to me as I continued taking my faux locks down. They were well past their time. “Yes, this is she. What do you want to know about the apartment?”
“Well, I was actually hoping I could see it tonight. I’m leaving town in the morning, been looking for a place to stay all day. Saw your flyer at the Aragon Café a few minutes ago and thought I’d see if it was still vacant.”
“It is, but this is really short notice, and well, you’re a man. I don’t usually show men the unit by myself…”
“I can understand that, but I’m in a crunch, and I promise I’m not a dangerous person…”
I blew out a frustrated breath. On one hand, the space had been vacant for two months now, and I was missing that income terribly. I’d already had to dip into my savings a couple of times, and there were a couple of hair events I wanted to attend—if I could make myself leave town—that the rent money would pretty much cover. On the other hand, he was a man, and I didn’t trust men on any level. I wasn’t lying when I said I usually never showed men the apartment alone. Normally, Renee or Nicky accompanied me. Nicky was evidently still pissed at me since she wasn’t returning any of my calls, and I didn’t want to call Renee and interrupt whatever quality time she might have been spending with Robert since I knew she wasn’t on-call for the birthing center that night.
“Can you hold on a second?” I asked.
“Sure…”
