Watching their exchange, I decided to head out and give them some space. “I’m actually gonna go. I have a few errands to run,” I lied. “Y’all eat and hang. Me and KJ will be here on Sunday, Daddy.” I put my coat on and grabbed my bag. “I love you. I’ll see you later, Fawn.”
I left before they could try to convince me to stay. I wasn’t about to be the third wheel. Not even for my dad and his boo.
As soon as my butt hit the driver’s seat, my phone rang. It was Danae calling. Connecting my phone to Bluetooth, I set it on the car mount to answer.
“He…”
“You busy?”She cut me off.
“For a rude ass ho, I am,”I replied, rolling my eyes.
“Seriously, Thyri. Are you busy? I need you.” I didn’t detect any seriousness in her tone. I did hear a little stress though.
“Nah. I’m not busy. I just left from seeing my daddy. What’s wrong?”
“Listen, I desperately need to vent about this lunatic, Aura. Where you wanna meet? And if it’s the airport, I got a bag in my trunk right now if it means temporarily escaping his crazy ass.”
I laughed.“One thing you gon’ wanna do is vent about that man who you claim you don’t want as yo’ man. And as your cousin, it’s my job to listen. So, yes, I’m free. Not for a flight but something more lowkey like the nail salon.”
“Perfect. I need a fill-in and a pedi. I know where we can go too. My treat.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Send me the address.”
“Okay.”
I hung up, and the address came through. I could only imagine what Aura had done to my cousin now.
I walkedinto Spoiled Luxury Nail & Spa and spotted Danae at the second station. I’d been to this particular nail salon a few times with her, and the customer service was always top tier. The employees moved fast, but it never took away from the quality of the work. They earned every tip they made.
“Welcome to Spoiled Luxury. Do you have an appointment with us today?” A woman dressed casually in all black with the shop name on her shirt greeted me at the front desk.
“Hey. No appointment today.”
“Okay, no worries. What were you looking to have done?”
“A gel mani and pedi. I was actually meeting someone here. That lady right over there.” I pointed at Danae.
“Oh, you’re Nae’s cousin.”
I nodded.
“Okay, cool. We have you already set up. Here’s your drink menu. You can take a seat at the station right next to her.”
“Preciate it.”
She smiled and handed me a laminated card with a list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, another added luxury. With my menu in hand, I walked over to Nae.
“Hey, boo,” I greeted, hugging her from behind.
“Hey, cousin. You smell good.”
“Thank ya.” Taking off my coat, I draped it over the chair, along with my bag.
“Have you met Marli? She’s the owner.” She introduced me to the woman doing her nails.
“Hey, love. Nice to meet you,” she spoke.
“Nice to meet you too. I love your place. You really did your thing.”
