“A word of caution,” Carmen added, “don’t let whatever this is get in my way at work. Or I may forget how to keep a secret.” She stood, smoothing her dress over her hips, and dropped a twenty on the counter. Without another glance at either of us, she turned and walked out, her heels clicking in even, deliberate steps.
I watched her go, and Natasha huffed and puffed about how Carmen dared say she was throwing herself at me, and that it was mutual. It wasn’t. Shedidthrow herself at me. Tonight was no exception. My focus, though, stayed on the bar door long after Carmen had disappeared into the night.
I left Natasha and took a car home. It wasn’t even that late by the time I arrived. I owned a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a modern building on the lakefront. Gazing out the window, I focused on the lights flickering in the horizon, while the blackness of the lake at night dominated the view. For a moment, I didn’t recognize the man looking back at me in the reflection. He showed a certain strain and weightedness that I didn’t like seeing there.
My phone buzzed, and a text from Natasha flashed across the screen.
Natasha:Thinking of you.
Ignoring it, I opened the email from Infinity Weddings again. I read the extensive praise for Carmen’s strategy adjustments, her digital creativity, her execution. Her name was in bold four times, yet mine appeared only once, buried in a general closing line thanking the team.
Annoyance crawled up my spine. Winning this client was no longer just my doing. However, it wasn’t Carmen’s either. She’d admitted she used Nina’s initial draft.Ninawas the only one without any acknowledgment.
I set the phone down on the kitchen counter and poured myself another scotch. As I brought it to my lips, her face flashed across my mind, unbidden. Nina Reyes looking around and then at me during that terrible presentation. Hoping to be saved. Didn’t she know I never would? She should have learned that lesson in high school.
4
Nina
“Hey, Nina!” Lynnie called from the kitchen, her voice echoing over clanging trays. “We just got orders to cater a baby shower and a bachelorette party!”
“That’s awesome!” I called back, forcing some pep into my tone.
“That’syou, girl!” She poked her head out with a wide grin. “Both of them said they found us because of some hashtag you used.”
I smiled faintly. “Yeah, I’ve been doing a few reels and testing different tags. Turns out, quirky nineties vibes are conversion gold.”
She tilted her head, teal and pink streaks swinging with the motion, brows knitting. “I have no idea what that means. But keep doing it.”
“We’ve also been getting more coffee-and-cupcake-on-the-go customers,” I added, hoping it came off as good news.
She just waved a dismissive hand. “Look at you, all invested!” Then her face brightened again. “Anyway, it’s payday! We should go out and celebrate tonight.”
In my mind, it wasn’t payday. It wasprescription refill day. Another few hundred bucks would go straight to my meds. I hadn’t had an acute episode in the past month, but I was still uninsured and without enough money for temporary insurance. Basically, I was one serious episode away from needing a hospital visit. And if I ended up in the hospital, I’d be truly fucked.
Insurance. Moving into a cheaper studio, hopefully one without a moldy ceiling, was the only way to scrape together the almost eight hundred dollars I’d need to keep coverage. I had forty-four days to enroll, or I’d lose it. Without Vinny cosigning, no landlord would have me. Another tiny chunk of dignity gone.
“I can’t tonight,” I said, searching for an excuse before she insisted on paying for me again. “I have to… see my cousin.”
“Oh?” Lynnie asked, blinking. “I know your aunt and uncle sucked, how’s your cousin?”
“He’s family.” I hesitated. “You know how that is.”
“We’re your family too.”
I looked away. Lynnie and Maddie were really trying to make up for lost time. Picking up where we left off as if we’d never been estranged. I couldn’t do it. Her determination to rewrite the last eight years of my life was sweet. Truth was, I didn’t have the energy to let people in. I’d get used to people helping, and when they stopped, I wouldn’t be able to keep my head above water.
Vinny and Lincoln had stayed close friends even after they left for college. My cousin and I weren’t close, but we’d had our moments. And I had no other options.
“I guess that’s a no?” Lynnie pushed.
“Maybe another time. I really need to talk to my cousin.”
Lynnie’s expression folded into something between a pout and a frown. “Nina… Mom and I never stopped thinking aboutyou. She was convinced your aunt and uncle were bad news. And now?—”
“It’s okay,” I said, my chest tightening. “I promise. We’ll hang out soon, yeah?”
She nodded reluctantly, wiping her hands on her apron. “Just… remember he’s not the only one you’ve got, alright?”
