"So how are your parents?" Ms. Betty asked.
"They're good, divorced now," I explained. "When my grandparents passed, my dad moved back to North Carolina. Lives on a farm with my uncles if you can believe it. I try to visit a couple of times a year. And my mother moved to Seattle where she's dating some white man." My brows raised as I sipped my drink.
They laughed.
"And how is that?" Angel asked.
I shrugged. "I mean—as long as she's happy, I'm not mad about it. He's cool with me."
"Do they know about you—?" Ms. Betty let the sentence hang.
I exhaled slowly. "My mother does. My father—no." I shook my head. "He couldn't handle it," I admitted. "I'm his only daughter."
"What does your mother think of it?"
"Honestly—" I looked between them. "She was hurt. Couldn’t understand why I would want to do it. Cried because I dropped out of college. It was a whole thing. But my mother knows she raised a headstrong daughter. I'm gonna do what I want. I don’t really care about what society feels I should do with my body."
"That's powerful," Ms. Betty said softly. "I was raised a bit more traditional and stricter, but I've always admired womenlike you." She touched my hand gently. "I wish I could've been more independent in my youth, but that's why we raised Angel to be the woman she is."
"I think it's freaking amazing how you just don't give a damn about what anybody thinks." Angel chimed in with a grin. "That's why I couldn't wait to hang out with you. I want to pick your brain about…everything," she laughed.
Chuckling, I picked back up my drink. "I'm an open book. Mostly."
Our food arrived and we began to eat ordering another round of cocktails. We were feeling our drinks because our eyes got lower and our laughter got louder. Everything was going perfect until—
“Gianna.”
The sound of my name froze me mid-laugh. The voice itself…I recognized it instantly.
My smile faltered as I slowly turned my head to see him approaching slowly.
Boss.
My stomach dropped so fast. He stopped in front of our table dressed in all black, one hand tucked into his pocket. He looked calm and composed, and his eyes were locked directly on me.
Ms. Betty and Angel turned curiously, both of their expressions shifting into polite confusion as they looked between us.
Boss smiled. “Afternoon, ladies,” he greeted smoothly.
“Afternoon,” Ms. Betty replied kindly though I could already tell by the slight narrowing of her eyes that she was assessing the energy.
Angel looked between us too. Observing because the air had changed instantly.
I set my drink down carefully, forcing my expression back neutral even as my nerves started sparking under my skin. “Boss,” I acknowledged evenly. “Hi. What are you doing here?”
He shrugged lightly. “Having lunch.” His eyes dragged over my face briefly before returning to my eyes. “Didn’t expect to run into you though.”
He was lying. I knew it immediately. Something about this felt too intentional. Running into him at Remy's restaurant may have been a coincidence—this wasn't. I stayed calm. Didn't want to ruin the wonderful vibe we had created.
Boss’s attention shifted toward Ms. Betty and Angel again. “Sorry to interrupt y’all,” he said smoothly. “Mind if I borrow her for a second?”
My heartbeat sped up. Angel’s eyes flicked to me, curiously. Waiting on my cue.
I smiled lightly even though tension was crawling up my spine. “Excuse me for a moment,” I said softly.
Ms. Betty nodded slowly. “Of course.”
I pushed my chair back and stood, smoothing down my dress while Boss stepped aside to let me pass. The moment I reached him, his hand landed lightly against the small of my back. Possessive but subtle. It was enough to make my stomach knot. I smoothly side-stepped his arm as we walked towards the patio entrance and stepped outside.
