Heads nodded, but no one really looked at him as they got to their feet and collected purses and diaper bags. Darrin was so calm about having just upset the balance of theirlives.
Deja linked her elbow around Cedar’s ramrod-straight arm. It took Cedar a moment to realize she was showing support, showing that she believed her side of the story without coming right out and saying so. She relaxed her limbs and bent her elbow so they were linkedtogether.
“Will you walk out with me?” Deja asked. “I’m feeling warm, and I don’t want to wait for Teo to make it out of thecrowd.”
Cedar glanced over her shoulder and saw several people watching them. Just like before, they waited until Teo was done with his meal before showing obvious interest. Thank goodness. The idea that they’d been eating in a fishbowl made her squirm. Life with Teo was definitely different than regular old Cedar’s life hadbeen.
“I’ll take Akoni,” Elijah offered. “Keep him away from the cameras andall.”
“Thanks.” Cedar relaxed a littlemore.
Instead of dropping her for the embarrassment she’d caused them by blurting about her and Darrin’s past relationship, Elijah and Deja rallied around her and helped her out. They’d gone above and beyond what was expected from a brand-new friend. And they were her friends. After tonight, they’d solidified her loyalty tothem.
She and Deja wound through the tables, making better time than Teo, who was stopped every few feet for a selfie and a handshake. They reached the front doors and spun around to wait for the guys. Teo was laughing with a man and his date, already stepping away to signal his need to move on. Elijah was a few feet behind him, holding Akoni. Darrin had come back from the men’s room and was smiling and talking with Elijah. His hands were moving, but they were controlled, calm. She could only imagine what story he was makingup.
A sick feeling began to overtake her. One that was like poison moving from her center then slowly through her veins, and a pounding in her pulse points returned with a vengeance. Suddenly, she was a vulnerable young teen with an overbite and stringy hair. Her mom said everyone went through an awkward stage, but Cedar returned there every time she faced a high-pressure situation she didn’t know how to handle. It hauntedher.
“Don’t look at him,” Deja instructed. “Not until you can be calmer than heis.”
Cedar huffed, turning her back to the room and folding her arms. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, I want the job, but I can’t say if I want to work with him again ornot.”
Deja rubbed her back. “And part of you still loveshim?”
Cedar snorted a laugh. “I’m not sure I know what love is supposed to look like. I thought we were in love, but then he broke up with me so easily that I question my love-o-meter.”
Deja smiled. “Ah, see. Now, with me and Elijah, there was no doubt. It’s said that when you find the one and the time is right, you’llknow.”
Cedar nodded. “I can’t help but wonder where I would be if Darrin hadn’t broken up with me. Would we be opening Just for Curls together?” She shook herhead.
“But you wouldn’t have met Teo and Akoni,” Deja offered. “Nothing happens by chance, my dear. You need to embrace where you are now and then figure out where you want tobe.”
Cedar agreed. “I can’t change thepast.”
“But we don’t have to let it ruin our lives or kill our dreams. That’s giving ex-boyfriends far too muchpower.”
Cedar paused. “You think I’m beingweak?”
“I think you are stronger than youbelieve.”
“Thank you for believingme.”
Deja patted her hair. “Between you and me, I could kick that guy to the curb. Looking at me like I don’t measure up to some cheerleader? Pft. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean my brain turned off or my body isn’tbeautiful.”
Cedar laughed. Darrin’s signature charm had failed him with Deja. For some reason, that made Cedar like her all the more. “You weren’t fishing for it, but I’m throwing this one in the boat: You are so beautiful that you put butterflies toshame.”
Deja lifted her chin. “That’s what I’m talking about.” She pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “Okay, give me your number, because I want to go out with you without theboys.”
It was Cedar’s turn to glow. “I’d likethat.”
They exchanged numbers just as Teo and Elijah—and unfortunately Darrin— made it to the waiting area. Darrin stepped forward and offered his hand to Deja. She eyed it dubiously before taking his in a limp hold and removing it without actually shaking hands. He made his way through the men next and saved Cedar forlast.
“It’s wonderful to see you again,” he said for all to hear before wrapping her up in a hug. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in her ear. His special occasion cologne brushed against her memories, making Cedar forgive him a smidge. He pulled back and patted her arm. “Let me know about the partnership. You have mynumber.”
Cedar stared, unable to express the dozens of questions and comments that stampeded through her brain. Before she could gather a complete thought—Darrin clicked his key fob and strode away. She did have his number, and she felt like a slime ball for keeping it in her phone even though she had slid right from the internship tonanny.
The next thing Cedar knew, she was in the passenger seat of Teo’s SUV and they were pulling into traffic. She’d been so caught up in her head and yes, even part of her heart, that she didn’t remember saying goodbye to Deja and Elijah or clicking her seat belt inplace.
Teo hadn’t said a word, or if he had, she hadn’t responded with anything more than a soft grunt. The sun had set while they were eating, and the streetlights made dark shadows across his square jaw and chiseled features. He gripped the wheel with both hands, his tricepsbulging.
