Page 30 of Buy Back My Love

I don’t know what came over me once we got to that speaker, but fries turned into a McDouble, ten-piece nuggets, an apple pie, and a caramel frappé too.

Anika looked over at all the food in my lap once we pulled off. “You know you ain’t gon’ eat all that.”

“Wanna bet?”

I tore open the bag and grabbed a handful of fries while they were still hot enough to burn my fingers.

“Oh my God.”

“They McDonald’s fries, Lee.”

“Exactly.”

She laughed and kept driving while I ate. I made it through some of the burger, a few nuggets, most of the fries, and enough of the frappé to give myself brain freeze before admitting she’d been right.

I looked down at all the food I still had left. “Don’t say shit.”

“I ain’t gotta say nothing.” She started laughing again. “Your face saying enough.”

When we pulled up to Wren’s suite, my stomach was full as hell, and I was carrying the rest of my food in the bag because I refused to throw it away.

Wren and I had met in nail school, and after we graduated, she was one of the first girls I brought into Love-Lee. Even back then, she could do the kind of designs that made you mad because you had just spent an hour trying to do the same shit and hers came out better on the first try.

The second I walked through the door, she screamed.

“Look at you!”

I barely had time to put my bag down before she wrapped me in a hug.

“Girl, you acting like you ain’t just seen me yesterday.”

“That don’t count. Everybody was there.” She pulled back and looked me over. “I still can’t believe your ass really home.”

“Me either.”

She hugged me again before pointing toward her chair. “Sit down so I can get these prison nails together.”

“Bitch.”

“What?” She laughed. “I’m finna have you right.”

I sat down and looked around her suite while she started setting up. “This cute.”

Her whole setup had this nineties look to it that fit her. Bright colors, old-school pictures on the wall, music playing low from a speaker in the corner.

“How you like being in a suite?” I asked.

“It’s peaceful.”

“That sound like a but.”

“It is. Peaceful as hell, but boring sometimes. I miss having other girls around.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t go work with Hannah when she opened back up.”

Wren gave me a look before reaching for my hand. “Girl, please. By the time she got that place going, I was already good over here. I had my clients, my own money, and ain’t nobody telling me when to come to work.”

“So you like being your own boss.”