I giggled. “Aunt Penny, this isn’t the first day of school, and I’m not a kid.”
She waved me off. “I don’t care about any of that. This is your first job.”
“Given to me by my uncle. I didn’t earn it.”
She cupped my face and peered into my eyes. “It’s still something to be proud of, baby. Most people who come home from prison come home to nothing. Celebrate your wins, even if you had a little help getting there, understand?”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now, spin for me!”
I playfully rolled my eyes, and I spun so she could get a three-sixty look at me. My uncle came to the room door with a smile on his face.
“You look great, baby girl.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright, Clive,” Aunt Penny said. “Don’t let those men in there get in my baby’s face.”
“Oh, they have already had that pep talk. They know not to look in her direction.”
I shook my head. I didn’t even want to think about a man. They were the last thing on my mind. As far as I was concerned, they could stay as far away from me as possible. I didn’t need one, and I didn’t want one—not as my man, not as a sneaky link, not as a friend.
My thoughts drifted back to Killian.
Once upon a time, he’d been my friend—my best friend at that. I knew he cared about me, and I shouldn’t have expected him to try to contact me after I was arrested, but it hurt me that I never heard from him. Seeing him in the courtroom, then in the grocery story fueled that hurt because why would he want to talk to me now? Maybe it was childish. Maybe I expected too much. It wasn’t like I reached out to him either, so it was what it was.
“You ready to go?” Uncle Clive asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“All right, baby. We’re gonna head out.”
He pulled my aunt into his arms and kissed her sweetly. That made me smile. He’d always been the most loving and caring man and the only father figure I’d ever had. If I were to end up with a man one day, he had to be like my uncle.
“I’m gonna bring you two some lunch later,” Aunt Penny said. She cupped my face again. “Have a great day, Alayah. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Auntie.”
She kissed my cheek then ushered us out of the room. I followed my uncle out to his car and climbed in. The drive didn’t take more than fifteen minutes. I’d been to his shop often as a kid. Usually, he let me help him change a tire or pass him a few tools. Today would be interesting to say the least.
When we got there, he introduced me to the crew. There was a mixture of younger and older men and one woman. I didn’t miss the lustful stares or the overly friendly smiles. The woman, who he introduced as Londyn, offered me a warm smile.
“You are gorgeous,” she said, snapping her fingers.
Her nails were long, and I wondered how she did any work with them. She was a beautiful girl with flawless butter-pecan skin, full lashes, bone-straight weave down her back, and a body I was sure most women went under the knife for.
“Thank you,” I said, returning the smile.
“Londyn is gonna try to make you her best friend,” Uncle Clive warned.
She giggled. “I absolutely am. It’s tough being the only female mechanic on the team, girl. They treat me like I’m delicate and don’t know anything when I could run circles around them.”
The men all spoke up in protest.
My uncle quieted them down. “All right, all right. Introductions are over. Get back to work.”
“We’ll talk,” Londyn said, winking at me.
