Don't Go Baking My Heart

“I dunno.”

Remi leaned over to read it too. “Girl, you didn’t ask? This man is definitely on a wooing mission.”

She hadn’t mentioned it at all. Had acted as if she hadn’t gotten it, and he wasn’t asking either.

Cherisse was watching her closely. “You don’t want to be wooed?”

“He’s probably not serious anyhow, so it doesn’t matter.”

Remi shook her head and turned her chair back around to face the laptop. “Devon King? Not serious about something? Say that again, and really listen to yourself.”

Reba sighed. “Look, fine, if it’ll get you off my back. He told me he wants more than sex. Which, uh, surprise, we’ve been having. Until now, I guess, cuz I said we wouldn’t be doing that anymore. It’s clearly clouding his judgement. What am I supposed to do with this supposed ‘more’ that he claims he wants? Let’s say, hypothetically, I did feel something that isn’t just sexy feelings. But I don’t want to?”

“Been there,” Cherisse said.

“Still there,” Remi joined in.

Reba got to her feet, needing to direct all this pent-up energy and frustration elsewhere. “Him and me don’t make sense outside the bedroom. Relationships aren’t even my thing!”

“You’ve tried like once,” Remi informed dryly.

“Sex is my expertise. I’m good at it. It’s been proven, over and over, that I’m not girlfriend material. I’m not…” She bit her lip, turned away. Tried to swallow past the sudden thickness in her throat.

“Oh, honey,” Cherisse said behind her.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Cherisse’s hands came around her, enveloping her in a hug. “I’m sorry those fools made you feel like that. Fuck those assholes.”

“With a rusty rake,” Remi added, joining in on the hug fest by placing her arms around Reba’s front.

Reba let them surround her with their love and mushiness for a few seconds, breathing in and out to ensure she wasn’t actually going to cry.

She tapped at Remi’s arm. “As much as I’m loving this sexy sandwich, can you just…step back a sec? Both of you, please?”

They gave her much-needed space, Remi going back to her chair and Cherisse sinking into the couch. Reba looked back and forth between them.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Trina sort of told me the same thing about Devon. He doesn’t play around, and I get that, but this is a lot to process.”

“So process it. At your pace, even if we’ve been on your ass about it. Just really think about it without letting every experience before colour what could be. Trust me, I know how a shitty past can mess you up.”

She trusted Cherisse. Knew she, Remi, Trina, and Ayo had good intentions. At the end of the day, she was the only one who could decide how to proceed. If Devon was truly showing her he was serious, maybe it was time to pay more attention.

“Now, I need you to take me somewhere,” Cherisse said, slinging an arm around Reba’s shoulder. “It’s a Sweethand-based surprise, actually.”

“Ooh, yes!” Remi clapped.

Reba looked between their smiling faces. “What’s going on? You two keeping secrets?”

“Yesss. Send me pics of her face!” Remi went back to her work as Reba tried to figure out what Cherisse was up to.

Whatever it was would be a good distraction from this entire Devon mess.

Boss lady wasn’t breaking,though, no matter how hard Reba tried. Cherisse’s lips were sealed as she gave Reba directions to wherever the hell they were going. The drive gave her some time to think about what they had told her.

She had made a half-hearted attempt at being in a serious relationship. When that backfired, she had gone back to what she knew, was familiar with. Fun flings with guys that her parents would definitely never approve of. Damn, had she been sabotaging her happiness all this time?

“Turn in here,” Cherisse instructed.