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“Sounds like you had quite an interesting life,” I chuckled in response. My back was turned to her, but I knew she was rolling her eyes.
“You can’t imagine. If all I did were take care of old women and go on vanilla dates, I would have been super bored.”
“Well, I love my job. Besides, taking care of old women pays my bills,” I said, making air quotes.
“Lies. You don’t need to stroke my ego.” I grabbed a cup and poured her a glass of water. I set the cup down before her. “Thank you.” She took a quick sip of the water.
“All I’m saying is that you need to have a life outside this. Give that man a show. Make sure he always remembers why he gave you that huge rock on your finger.”
At that, I raise an eyebrow. “Oh, do tell. Why is that?”
“You’re a beautiful, hardworking, and very sexy young lady. That’s why.”
“Well, this beautiful and sexy lady is getting off work soon and going on a date,” I chirped, stressing the ‘date.’
I grabbed a napkin and wiped down the kitchen counter. Just as I was rounding up the task, Ms. Georgia, Valerie’s only daughter, walked into the room with her son, Eddie. She wore a short black gown that clung to her body and showed lush curves. Like her mother, she always smiled, although she never said much in my presence. She worked in finance and was barely around when I was. We only spend a few seconds around each other when she returns from work in the evenings and the mornings when I resume work, and she leaves for the insurance company too.
“Hello, Eddie. How was school?”
“Hi, Aunt Zoey.”
“Hey, Mom. Hello Zoey. Something smells divine in here,” she said, sniffing the air.
“I baked cupcakes for Eddie’s birthday.”
The young boy’s face lit up in glee as he raced to the kitchen. “Thanks, Aunty.” I gave him a small pat on the head. “Want to try one?” He nodded briskly.
“Yeah, and I don’t get any,” Valerie grumbled, and we all burst into laughter.
I shrugged on my grey wool jacket and grabbed my shoulder bag. “I’ll see you all tomorrow. And Eddie, happy birthday in advance.”
I pulled my jacket tighter as I walked out of the huge Crawford estate into the chilly evening air. My sweet black Mazda was parked out front, so I hurried into its warmth. I double-tapped my phone screen, which lit up, washing the enclosed space in bright pink light. I checked the time; it was a few minutes past 7 pm, and my date with Malcolm wasn’t until 8 pm.
Ding!
The sound of a text notification startled me, and I nearly dropped my phone. It was Malcolm.
‘You off work?’
I hurriedly typed a response. ‘Yes, just leaving.’
‘Alright. See you soon, beautiful.’
The diner where we were to meet was a ten-minute drive away, so I had some time to spare. I stopped by a cosmetic store and shopped for lipstick. The sales assistant was kind and offered me a discount. At exactly 8 pm, I walked into the diner and spotted Malcolm in our favorite window booth. His sleek black hair was laid back, and he looked dashing in a black button-down shirt and khaki pants. He flashed a smile as I approached him.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, you.” I took a seat opposite him and laid my hand fondly on his. “How was work?”
“The usual.”
“I already ordered your favorite crispy fried chicken and sauce, and it should be ready any minute now.”
I flashed him a grateful smile and took a quick look around. It was a weekday, so traffic was low, and most tables were unoccupied. Malcolm cleared his throat loudly to get my attention.
“I’m sorry you had to take Jason. Olivia had an emergency,’ I explained with an awkward chuckle.
“It’s fine.” He smiled wryly.
