I turned to see Marcie Taylor, one of my old acquaintances from art school. I hadn’t spoken to her in years. She was one of the many people I’d lost touch with after my diagnosis. It was no fault of hers. I just wanted to be alone when my life was spinning out of control.
“Girl!” she exclaimed as she came over, arms out, huge earrings I was sure she’d made swinging. “It is so good to see you.” She bent over and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me as if she meant it.
“You too.” I smiled, and she stepped back, her eyes scanning the display behind me. “These pieces… Wow! This is what you’ve been working on during your hiatus? I’m sure they’re selling like hot cakes.”
“I’ve gotten three offers so far. I made all these pieces in a little under three weeks.”
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about. The talent is unmatched, honey!” She snapped her fingers, stopping in mid-snap when she noticed Quade standing there. “And who’s this handsome young man? Your date?”
“It’s not a date. This is JaQuade. My… friend. He’s my ride for the night.”
“Mmhmm,” she said, grinning as she reached out to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, JaQuade.”
“You too,” he said, politely offering her his hand to shake.
“You look familiar,” Marcie said, squinting.
“I get that a lot. Guess I got a familiar face.” Quade shrugged, and I bit back a smile. That seemed to be his go-to line anytime somebody recognized him but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. I looked up at him, giving him a look that said his secret was safe with me. It wasn’t my place. If he wanted to keep that part of himself hidden, I respected it. He had a right to protect his peace.
“I guess so.” Marcie flicked her head like she was still trying to figure it out before her gaze danced between us.
“Well, y’all look good together.” She grinned, putting her hands up in surrender. “That’s all I’m gonna say.”
“Oh, we do?” He took a step closer, like the distance between us offended him. “We might fuck around and start rumors, huh?”
I choked on nothing but air. My stomach did a whole somersault, and I let out a dry laugh, trying to keep my composure.
“Marcie!” someone called, and she turned around, one hand lifted in a lazy wave before glancing back at me.
“Oop, my man calls. I told him we were leaving an hour ago.” She pointed over her shoulder at the man who was waiting by the exit. “You still got my number, right?” I nodded. “Call me tomorrow. We gotta catch up.”
“Of course.” I smiled, giving her a soft wave as she slipped over to the guy, and they walked out the door. As soon as she was gone, I turned my attention to Quade. The night was basically over, and I was ready to go. Like he had read my mind, Quade was already walking toward the door, car keys in hand.
“So, what you feelin’ for dinner?”
“Dinner?” I blinked.
“Yeah.” He smirked, like I’d missed something obvious. “Told you we were celebratin’ tonight.”
“Oh.”
He raised an eyebrow, amused. “I know you ain’t think I was just dropping you off after this? Nah. That ain’t how I move.”
My stomach flipped again. He was asking me out for dinner. That qualified this as a date, right? Oh, God. This was a date. I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone under the guise of checking something. I needed to tell somebody.
Me:
Tea… I think I’m on a date with Quade.
Her response came back in under five seconds.
Teagan:
No shit, Sherlock . Duh.
I swallowed a laugh and rolled my eyes. I didn’t even know why I had texted her.
Teagan:
