Officially Over It - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,7

baby.

Like me, she was single and wasn’t really willing to mingle.

Unlike me, she felt as if something was missing from her life.

Where I thought it was cake, Sierra thought it was a baby.

So she’d had an appointment with a doctor that was going to help her get pregnant.

Hell, last time we’d been at work during lunch, I’d helped Sierra choose from possible sperm donors through a registry.

“Fine,” I said. “If my hair’s a mess, it’s on you.”

“If your hair is a mess, I’ll braid it and make it badass,” she countered. “See you in a bit.”

I got up and reluctantly moved through my morning routine.

Once I had my teeth brushed, eyeliner and mascara in place, I slipped into my soft lilac scrubs that we wore in the NICU and slipped my feet into my favorite lilac-colored Crocs.

When I got to the living room, I picked up my massive bag that was still holding my computer and jewelry box.

Slipping it onto my shoulder, I walked to the door which I’d barricaded with my recliner the night before.

It wouldn’t have held whoever decided to come into my place off for long, but it’d given me enough courage to stay there that night.

The cops had thankfully been very nice about doing a walk through after taking my report, and the moment that they’d left, I’d gone about shoving the chair into place.

I just wished I could get it behind the door again once I left.

Sighing in annoyance at the fact that I wouldn’t be able to do that, and I’d have to leave my place unattended for a bit while the super came to fix my lock—again—I closed it behind me and acted like I locked it in case anyone was watching.

It wasn’t a surprise at all to see the drug dealer at my car again.

That was where he liked to conduct his business.

Keeping my eyes downcast, I got into my car and backed out without once making eye contact.

It was only when I was pulling out that I looked up to see the drug dealer grinning.

Asshole.

I arrived at the restaurant with minutes to spare and smiled when Sierra got out of her car and hurried to me.

“How did last night go?” she asked with a grin.

I groaned.

“Last night was awful,” I admitted. “I was the reason that the cake spilled all over the floor—which I know you heard about from somebody by now. And after I left and arrived home it was to find my place broken into.”

Sierra grimaced.

“You really need to move out of there,” she urged.

I shrugged. “It takes money, honey.”

Sierra rolled her eyes. “You have the money. So you don’t pay so much on your student loans. I know that they’re not crippling.”

She was right.

But I didn’t want to have them at all, hence the reason I was paying more than I needed to a month. I didn’t want them to hang over my head for the next ten years like a wet blanket reminding me that I was a dumbass.

Another car door shut and I looked up to find one of our newest additions to our weekly lunches.

Hastings.

“Hey, Hastings!” I waved at my new friend.

I’d actually met Hastings through another friend that I’d graduated college with, Amelia, first. But then Hastings had gotten prego by Sierra’s brother and now I really had the time to get to know her.

Hastings smiled softly at me. “Hey, Reggie. It’s very nice to see you.”

I felt an intense surge of pleasure.

Why couldn’t Nathan say things like that to me? Why did it always have to be straight women that showed me that kind of attention?

“It’s nice to see you, too,” I replied before gesturing toward the door. “Y’all hungry?”

It was an hour into our lunch, my hair was braided, and we were just finishing up our food when Hastings got up to go to the bathroom.

“So, do you want to go tubing with us?” Sierra asked curiously.

I was already shaking my head.

“It’s too cold,” I explained, licking sauce off of my fingers.

“Please,” Sierra begged. “She needs all the help she can get right now. She needs friends. And you’re so sweet, Reggie. And she knows you because you worked with her sister.”

She held out a photo of the river that she wanted me to float that was pulled up on her phone.

I looked at the tube that Sierra wanted me to use to float down the river in, and then back to my friend.

“It’s like, eighty degrees out. The water’ll be freezing,”