I decided to wear skinny jeans, a white sweater, and black ankle boots. Nothing too over-the-top, though it was fancier than my usual yoga pants and long-sleeve shirt.
My phone rang, and I grinned when I saw who it was. “Hey, Candace.”
“Oh, don’t even ‘hey’ me, you bitch. I’ve been texting you all day.”
“I texted you back!” I replied with a laugh.
She huffed. “No, excuse me, that was not a reply to my question. You told me you would fill me in on Monday. That’s not going to work for me. I’m coming up with the key you gave me and helping you dress for dinner.”
“I’m only going to my parents’ house.”
Through the phone, I heard the sound of my downstairs door unlocking and then locking again.
“Are you here now?”
She drew in a long, deep breath. “If you honestly think my ass is gonna wait until tomorrow to get the scoop, you are delusional. I’m on my way up.”
I pressed my lips together tightly to keep from laughing. “I’m in my bedroom.”
“Right. Be there in a minute.”
The line went dead, and it wasn’t long before I heard the front door of my place open and close. I turned to face the doorway of my bedroom and waited for my best friend to appear. Candace was honestly more like a sister to me. I was so grateful that she left her family in Boston behind to help me with Turning Pages. She’d been right there with me every step of the way. From the moment I bought the store, to when she packed up her life and moved to Boggy Creek a few years ago.
I knew it had to be hard for her, and I wouldn’t even try to understand what it was like to be a person of color living in a predominantly all-white community. Everyone in my immediate circle welcomed her with open arms, including my folks, who simply adored her. Kyle and Bishop, of course, tried to sleep with her for at least a year. Candace had fun with it and flirted shamelessly, only to keep turning them down. It was kind of fun watching them chase after her. Candace was stunningly beautiful, both inside and out. I was positive I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the last five years without her by my side.
When she walked into the room, I couldn’t help but smile. Her shoulder-length curly hair was pulled up and piled on top of her head, and she wore a light blue sweater with black pants. She looked like she was ready to take on the world, but I knew better. She wanted answers about last night, and she was going to get them.
With a smile, I said, “Don’t you look nice.”
Her soft pink lips pulled into a hard frown as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at me with her deep brown eyes. “I was at church, where your ass should have been, confessing all those delicious sins you are about to tell me.”
I felt my cheeks turn red. This was the first Sunday I had missed going to church with her in a long time.
I knew Candace wasn’t mad about me missing mass; she had missed a few Sunday morning services herself. No, she was pissed I hadn’t filled her in on the date last night yet.
With a huff, she walked into the room in full-blown bitch mode. “I cannot believe you’ve been ignoring––”
Her words stopped as she came to an abrupt halt. Her mouth dropped open, and she blinked rapidly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Oh. My. Gawd,” Candace replied, her mouth falling open once again.
“What!”
With a slow shake of her head, she walked closer to me, bringing her hand up to her mouth.
“Are you…are you about to cry?” I asked in disbelief. “Did something happen?”
Stopping right in front of me, Candace dropped her hand and reached for both of mine while she nodded frantically. “Yes. Yes! It’s happened. Praise Jesus Almighty, it’s finally happened!”
“What’s happened?” I asked, so confused I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack. “What’s happened!”
A wide grin moved over her face. “You had sex! No, no, wait.” She held up her hand and then pointed at me. “You had hot, passionate, orgasm-inducing sex!”
My eyes widened, and I opened and closed my mouth at least five times. When my voice finally caught up to my brain, I replied, “What…do you mean?”
Candace rolled her eyes. “Don’t even go there with me. I know you too well. You are way too relaxed right now. I also have it on good authority that you didn’t come home last night.”
“Who told you that? Is nothing in this town private?”
She folded her arms across her chest and gave me a cheeky grin. “Actually, I didn’t really know that, total fishing expedition, but thank you for confirming it.”