“You have a daughter?” She asks with excitement. I nod. “Can I see her picture?”
“Sure,” I reply, stopping to pull my phone from my pocket. I quickly pull up one of my favorite photos of Sera and then hand the phone to her. “This is my princess, Serenity.”
“Aw, she's so cute!” She exclaims, and I chuckle.
“Thank you, Syd,” I say as she hands my phone back.
“Does she go to school yet? If not, when is she gonna come here? We can be friends! I have a best friend named Lily, but there’s nothing wrong with having more than one. You know, I always wanted a little sister. Can you talk to my mom about that, please?”
“Syd, are you out here talking this poor woman’s ear off?” A gorgeous woman asks as she steps out of Winter’s classroom. I’d seen her twice when she was dropping off Syd, so I assumed this was her mom. She turned to me with a smile and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Autumn, Syd’s mom. Sorry, she can get a little excited at times.”
“Nice to officially meet you. I’m Zseyah, the music teacher here.” I smile, shaking her hand. “And don’t worry, I don’t mind. My daughter is the same, and she’s almost three. I’m pretty sure she got it from her godmother.”
“And this one definitely gets it from her grandmother,” she chuckles. I nodded, laughing along with her. “Well, let us get out of y’all’s hair. I know y’all probably are eager to get home on this Friday night.” She flashes me one last smile before turning to Winter, her smile suddenly more timid. Interesting. “See you around, Winter.”
“Likewise, Miss Noble.” She smiles.
We say our goodbyes, and Autumn and Sydney are off down the hall. I turn to look at Winter and notice that she’s still watching them until they leave the building. When her eyes finally meet mine, a soft pink hue reaches her cheeks, and all I can do is smile. So, my suspicionswereright, huh?
“What?” She asks, averting her eyes.
“Winter Hughes, you have a crush, don’t you?” I ask with excitement.
She looks down the hall before pulling me inside the room and closing the door behind us. “Ugh, is it that obvious?” She asks.
“Yes! You were staring at that woman like she had an angelic aura around her,” I tease. She waves me off, but I can see the small smile trying to form on her lips. “She seems sweet, and she’s gorgeous. You should ask her out.”
“I-I will,” she says, only slightly confident. “I just…hope she likes women. I should probably find that out first, right?”
“You definitely should.” I nod. I pat her on the back and flash her an assuring smile. “I’m rooting for y’all. Just remember to invite me to the wedding if it ever gets that far.”
“I will,” she chuckles with a nod.
We talked for a while longer before I excused myself back to my classroom. The workday had ended, but I didn’t have to rush out today to get Sera since my sister had picked her up early. Bria wanted to have a girls' weekend with her, so she’ll be in Lafayette with them until Sunday night. I missed her already, but I knew that she was in good hands.
As I exited the parking lot, I thought about what I wanted to eat for dinner tonight. I knew that Kay would be over because, let’s be real, when wasn’t she? I was starting to think that the apartment she had in the city was a waste of money because she was never there. But I didn’t mind her staying over. I loved the company, especially when Sera wasn’t here.
“Hey, Zee. What’s up?” Kay answered after I’d called her.
“Hey, Kay. I’m doing great. How’s business going?” I ask, maneuvering through traffic to get to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I was craving pho and a nice, cold Thai iced tea.
“Can’t complain,” she replied. “Where are you?”
“Heading toMini’s Cafe. I’m craving pho. Want me to pick you up something?”
“No, actually, I’m not too far from there. Mo and I had to drop off a delivery, so I could ask her to drop me off over there. You mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” I smile to myself as I pull into the parking lot. “We haven’t gone out to eat alone in a while, so I’m excited.”
“Facts,” she agreed. “Well, it’s a date then. See you at ten.”
“Okay,” I replied before hanging up.
Well, it’s a date then.
Those five words replayed in my head over and over while I waited for her to show up. Was this adatedate, or was I thinking too much about her words? God, what was wrong with me?
I shake my head, trying to think of a way to keep myself busy while I wait for Kay. The restaurant was located inside a hotel, so I’m sure there was something I could get up to. So, I gathered my things, but right as I reached for the door, my phone rang. I pulled it out and smiled at my sister’s name on the screen because I knew it was most likely Sera.
