It was going to be perfect for another season of racing. I wouldn’t have to stay with my mother and grandmother. But that season never happened. The trailer now sits in storage at my grandmother’s place.
“Well, well.” Lennox chuckles from the passenger seat, and I look over to see her holding a deep red rose. It’s beautiful, with a gold ribbon wrapped around it. “I guess he might be into you. There’s even a card.”
I take the rose from her and lift it to my face, inhaling its scent deeply. I love roses. Opening the envelope, I find a simple card written in his flowing script.
Nymph, I wish you hadn’t run from me, but I’ll make it right. Thank you for the gift you gave me last night. I saw this ribbon, and it reminded me of your eyes while you were lying in my bed.
I press the card to my chest. How can this mean nothing? My heart gives a hard thump as I tuck the card into the center console. It’s for my eyes only. I rest the rose on top of the console before we take off.
We head into the art district Lia likes to visit. There’s a tattoo parlor a friend of hers owns, the salon she goes to, and the new bakery that just opened. I park in the lot next to the bakery. Lia is already here, waiting. She meets me at my door. Her belly is so round from her pregnancy that she waddles full on. I was only three when she had Jude, so I don’t remember her being pregnant with him.
“Hey, Andi.” Lia smiles. She spots the rose on the console and looks between Lennox and me. “Okay, whose is that?”
“Don’t look at me.” Lennox throws me under the bus. “Must be the late-night queen here.” She backs it up and runs me over again.
I slide out of the truck. “I met someone, and it’s really new. I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
“Okay, keep your secrets.”
This is why I love her so much. My mom and grandma would say that being in a relationship now is stupid because I’ll bemoving as soon as I get my degree. They’d also say shit like I don’t need the distractions from classes or from healing.
“I will.” I sass back and hold out my arm for her to walk with me.
“Girl, I feel like a beached whale right now. These boys are so big.”
I lean forward and hold out my hand, silently asking before rubbing her belly. She nods, and I place my hand on her stomach. “How are Auntie’s boys doing?” I whisper to her belly when she comes to a stop. “Be good for me. I’ll see you soon.”
“I love that you’re so excited for them.”
“Aren’t you?” I ask as we start walking again.
“I am. I just mean that… Well, with you not…” She trails off, leaving it open, and I take a deep breath.
“Don’t listen to them,” I say, knowing exactly what she means. “I tell you that all the time. They don’t know what I want from my life. I can’t wait to have children. I got on birth control to regulate my periods. When I find the right guy, I’ll stop and have kids then. When I want, not when they want.”
“Dang, girl, your family makes me glad I don’t have one.” Lennox chuckles as we open the bakery door.
The woman behind the counter is a pretty blonde, with a cute, small boy with dirty-blond hair beside her. They’re signing back and forth, and she turns to us before he does.
“Just a moment.” She smiles at us before turning back to the boy. She signs something to him, then starts talking. “You can use your voice, Mace. Practice. No one will laugh at you, and if they do, Mama will kick their butts.”
The boy laughs, and then tries to speak. “They told us to practice.” His voice has a high-pitched quality to it, different from other children his age. He also fluctuates his sounds, taking his time with each word. The boy skips over to a table and starts working on something before the woman turns to us.
“Hello, welcome in. I’m Keighley.”
“Hello, I’m Lia. Do you own this place? I’ve been in a couple of times before. I love it here.”
“Thank you. No, I don’t own it. I help my friend part time when I don’t have a shift at the hospital. She’s out today.” Keighley informs us, then proceeds to tell us what she has fresh in the cabinets.
I order a raspberry tart, while Lia and Lennox each order cake pops. We all get cups of tea and sit down at a small table, biding time until my appointment.
“Have you changed your mind about cutting your hair?” Lia asks me.
“Nope. I’m tired of it being this long. I want something easier to manage and that won’t give me headaches.”
“Joely is awesome. You’ll love her,” Lia says.
“I’ve never had a hairdresser cut it. Grandma always just trimmed my ends.”
