“No, I’m going home tonight. I miss having my own space. I just won’t open any doors.”
She shook her head. “Better yet, I’m spending the night. You don’t like guns, but I have a southern father who wouldn’t let merest until I owned at least three. Or is your boo coming through?” She winked.
“No, he’s busy tonight.”
She nodded. “Then it’s set.”
I’d be lying if I said knowing she'd spend the night wouldn’t make me feel the least bit better because it did. Her company would help.
“Then maybe you could tell me more about this new beau of yours that you have yet to let me meet.”
I smiled hard. “Maybe.”
We spent a while longer in the shop, then left. I was walking into my apartment with my baby in tow when my phone started ringing. I immediately jumped but had to check myself. When Siri announced it was Oden calling in my headphones, I answered quickly.
“Hello, handsome,” I greeted before he spoke.
“Hey baby, have you made it home yet?” His concerned tone earned a reaction from my body within seconds.
“I just walked in the door.” I set my bag down on the counter and looked around. Everything was as I left it. Nothing seemed out of place and it smelled just like I’d left it, lavender with a hint of lilac.
“I wish you would have let me be there when you went back.” He sighed into the phone just as I heard something sound like it was chucked in his background.
“I told you I’ll be fine. I have my taser. Now what are you doing?”
“Chopping wood, baby. You know you can’t never have too much.”
“I bet that’s a sight to see.” I sighed to my hot ass self.
“Let me know when you are free and we’ll definitely get that scheduled.”
“And I definitely will.” I smiled at the thought, moving through my place, not so sure why I missed it so much. It was empty, so empty that it felt cold. I didn’t remember feeling that at first, not until now, being here alone.
“What are you eating for dinner tonight, beautiful?
I giggled. “You don’t want to know and I don’t want to tell you.”
He laughed. “As long as it ain’t cereal or whatever you call girl dinner.”
I laughed so hard I almost didn’t hear the door being knocked on. Oden did because he quickly asked me who was at the door.
“It’s most likely Ava. She’s spending the night tonight so I’m not alone ’cause my man is nowhere near.”
“Wouldn’t be the man who told you to wait a few days, would it? So he could go with you, right?” Another chuck in the background later and I was sliding my defiant ass to the door. He had me there.
A small bark from Chauncy.
“I mean, considering the fact that I would have been walking around naked, I don’t know.” I opened the door for Ava and moved toward the kitchen. Him asking me about dinner had me thinking about it. A bowl of dry Cheerios was calling my name.
“That doesn't sound bad at all.” He chuckled. At the same time, I got a notification on my phone.
I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Yeah, until I have to wor—” My sentence trailed off when my eyes locked on the text message sent to me from a number I didn’t recognize. It was a video and of course I clicked it. When it began to play, my eyes ballooned at the footage of me entering the building, the elevator, walking to my apartment, then entering my apartment. It cut off there.
Another message came in.
Unknown:Welcome Home, Jade.
“Jade, what’s wrong?” Ava asked when I dropped my phone.
