“Hey, everyone,” I greeted, causing them all to chuckle as they greeted me in return.
I was familiar with Princess, Kira, and Warren. The ladies got serviced by Raque and Mia, and Warren was JC’s client.
“He’s cool peeps, boss lady,” Princess stated.
“Is that a fact?” she asked, angling her head and smirking at me as she sat down at a table with a stack of unfolded towels.
I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her any more than she could pull hers from me. My thoughts turned to the bottle of champagne and the flowers that I wanted to give her today, but I could tell that this wouldn’t be the best time, not in front of her staff.
As they all broke up and wandered off, I drifted closer to her and took a seat at the table.
“Mind if I help?” I asked, gesturing to the towels.
“Not at all. Thanks for bringing me coffee and pastries every morning.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome. It’s the least that I can do as part of the welcoming committee.”
“Or is that your effort to be all in my space?”
I laughed and bobbed my head. “Pretty girl, I told you what type of time I was on.”
She laughed and replied, “You did,” just as her phone rang. She looked at the phone and held up a finger; she punched answer as she placed it on speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Baby, are you busy?”
“I’m folding towels. What’s going on?”
“I was just calling to tell you that I’m at the mall, and I saw the perfect little outfit for you. When I passed it up, it screamed, ‘This is for Baby!’ so I had to get it. When will you be free to swing by my place?”
“I can roll through in the morning on my way to the shop.”
“Okay, girl. I can’t wait to see you in it. That booty’s gon’ eat and?—”
She clicked the call off, and she smiled at me with a red face. I was so confused. Who was the chick on the phone buying her clothes, calling her baby, and talking about her booty? Maybe she didn’t date guys. My heart sank at that possibility, or maybe she was bisexual.
“Was that your girlfriend or?—”
Her face grew even redder as she sharply swung her head from side to side. “No! That’s my best friend.”
“Oh, the way she was talking about your booty, buying you clothes, and calling you baby, I just thought she might be something more than a friend.”
She giggled softly and exhaled. “No. We buy each other clothes quite often. We’ve been best friends since middle school, trying on each other’s clothing, and hyping each other up about our bodies. As far as her calling me Baby, that’s my nickname. All my family and friends call me that. No one calls me Tegan unless it’s in a professional setting.”
I lifted my eyebrow at that news. “I’m not trying to call you what everyone else does, but can I call you Baby until I call you something more?”
She bit down on her bottom lip and lowered her gaze. I wanted to reach out and cup her cheek, but I was aware of her staff in the vicinity, and I didn’t want to do anything disrespectful.
“Maybe on a coffee date, . . . or if we see each other out and about, or whenever we might happen to be in the same space alone, but not around my staff.”
“Well, how about we test out that theory in three days? This Friday. I’d like to take you out to dinner.”
“Friday?”
The minute she seemed hesitant, I jumped in there to convince her.
“Trust me, you need a break before the shop opens. I don’t know if you’ve ever launched a store before, but once it opens, life will get extremely busy.”
“Let me think about it.”
