She smiled at him and playfully elbowed his side. They should’ve looked away then and finished the trip in amiable silence, but her smile faded as their gazes remained locked. He leaned in, beckoned by the heat of her body and the sweet scent of her skin. At this point, he didn’t care what his hypothetical fake dating guidebook would say, he wanted to kiss her.
And he would have done it if she hadn’t, in the next instant, licked his right cheek. The droning radio was the only distinguishable sound for many seconds.
“Ah, you had frosting,” she said, fidgeting with her glasses.
He nodded like it was a sensible explanation and as if his heart wasn’t racing. The cogs in his brain ground to a halt, and he couldn’t formulate a response before the car pulled up in front of her apartment complex.
Retta pushed her door open and slipped out with the bird plushie in hand. “Sorry about the…” She touched her face. “Have a good night.”
She walked through the security door and disappeared within the building. He was so caught up replaying what had happened, he almost missed it when the driver asked, “Where to next, sir?”
ChapterNine
Sitting in Kym’s kitchen,Retta swiped some raisins from a bowl on the counter. It was safe to say her friend had officially entered nesting mode. The living room had baby gear in different stages of construction, stacks of books crowded the dining table, and the house had already been babyproofed. Retta had offered to help her get organized, but she was having none of it.
“How’re things with Steve?” Kym asked as she removed her second tray of cookies from the oven.
It took several seconds for Retta to remember who the hell Steve was. Why did it feel like a lifetime ago?
Retta cleared her throat. “Ah, he ghosted me.”
Her friend spun around with a glob of cookie dough in her hand. “Asshole. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“That doesn’t bode well for your ‘sexy date for my cousin’s wedding who happens to be marrying my ex-boyfriend’ mission,” Kym said.
“We should workshop that title.”
“Really? I think it rolls off the tongue,” Kym said, shrugging. “So, what’s next? Do I need to take time off after all?”
“You mean to give birth? Yeah, probably,” Retta said, staring pointedly at her friend’s belly. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got it figured out.”
Kym squinted and pointed a spatula at Retta like a sword. “What’re you not telling me?”
Retta took another handful of raisins to emote casualness and effortlessness before she said, “I’m kinda seeing someone.”
Her friend’s arm dropped. “That’s great.”
She nodded, but before she could reveal the whole truth, a voice from the front of Kym’s house said, “Hey, sorry I’m late.”
The distinct click of heels was detectable before their friend Nia fully entered the room in a short dress that swung about her curvy body.
“Who knew you can develop a fear of driving after not doing it for months?” Nia asked as she set her expensive purse and two brightly colored shopping bags on the chair.
Nia’s life was particularly glamorous, think Fashion Week and other gigs that took her all around the world.
Retta often thought she was busy and barely keeping it together, but seeing her friend somehow manage a hectic schedule while still wearing high heels, kept her grateful that she could at least wear Crocs to work.
“Oh my God, you’re so pregnant,” Nia said, going over to Kym to hug her and marvel at her growing midsection.
“Forget about my big ass belly. Those shoes,” Kym said pointing at Nia’s stilettos.
Nia kicked up her heel. “These? They were sent to me last month. Speaking of the perks of my job…” She retrieved the bags she’d entered with and handed each of them one.
“Babe, you didn’t have to,” Kym said, already pulling the pretty tissue paper apart to reveal a beautiful cashmere baby blanket, sweater, and hat set.
Retta found a lovely pair of small hoop earrings that she gaped at for a while before asking, “Girl, how much did these cost?”
