Page 121 of Buy Back My Love

She laughed, and I reached for my phone. “For real, though, thank you for coming back to me.”

“Girl, please. You stuck with me now.”

She sent my money, left me a nice tip, then stood by the door taking pictures of her nails for another two minutes before she finally left.

As soon as the door closed behind her, I started cleaning my station. I threw away everything disposable, wiped down the table and chair, and put my tools up to disinfect. I did not play about cleanliness and never had.

I had just grabbed fresh towels and started straightening the rows of polish when “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” came through the speaker overhead.

I paused and turned it up a little. “Oh, I ain’t heard this in forever.”

I was moving my hips while I cleaned when a voice came from behind me.

“You jammin’ in here.”

My whole body went still because I knew that voice. I turned around and found JB standing in the doorway holding flowers, shopping bags, and one of them little jewelry boxes.

“JB. What are you doing here?”

“I need a manicure.”

I stared at him. “Don’t come in here with that. Turn around. I got another client coming.”

“I know.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What you mean you know?”

JB just stood there while I grabbed my tablet and checked the schedule. My next appointment was booked under a name I didn’t recognize.

I read it off the screen. “Gina Burrell.”

A little smile pulled at his mouth. “That’s me.”

I looked from the tablet to him. “You booked an appointment under the name Gina?”

“I knew if I used my name you was gon’ cancel it.”

“JB, don’t play with my appointments. This how I make my money.”

“How I’m playing with your money? I paid.”

I tapped into the appointment details and stared at the screen. “You booked a full diamond set?”

“That was the most expensive thing on there.”

“You are pathetic.”

“Just do my nails.”

I looked at him. “You want the full diamond set?”

JB gave me a look. “Hell nah. Give me a manicure like you used to.”

“Then sit down.”

He walked farther into the suite and held the flowers toward me first, but I didn’t touch them.

“I ain’t ask for none of that.”