hello, Boss Lady. I was just telling Miss Tits here about how she’s a knockout tonight. What do you think?”
Stella turns her attention to me, her expression immediately warming and softening as she looks me up and down. “My, my, I ain’t seen you dress like this in a while. I almost forgot how much of a beauty you are when you’re not moping around. Not quite the lady that I know you are . . . but you will definitely make a man’s blood boil.”
“Thank you,” I reply, feeling a little shy. “I just felt like having a little fun tonight.”
Stella nods sagely. “I said it before, but if I knew where that bastard who wronged you lived, I’d go shoot him dead right now. Welcome back to the land of the living, honey.”
Loving warmth fills my heart as I take in Stella’s words. I’m so indebted to this woman. Besides helping me with a job, she’s been a constant source of emotional support.
It’s funny how fate brought her into my life. I met her when I first got to town and needed a job on the weekends. Stella had a sign in the window and hired me on the spot.
A year later, when I was at my lowest, Stella was the one who said I didn't need to go back home to Aunt May.
I was determined to stand on my own two feet, and Stella understood that. She never judged me as I was figuring things out.
And if it wasn’t for Stella, I’d have never met Tiff, who I ran into my second night on the job. We hit it off, laughing our asses off and meshing immediately. Now we’re roommates, two crazy gals making it in an unfair world, in a town that’s growing wicked fast, and trying to keep our sanity in the meantime.
“Damn it, is it hot in here to you two?” Stella asks, wiping at the sweat on her brow before fanning herself with the towel at her waist. “I’m sweating like a hooker in a revival meeting.”
Tiff shakes her head, already laughing. “I’ve told you before, if I had titties that big, I wouldn’t even be able to stand. It’s no wonder you’re sweating like a mouse in the lion cage at the zoo carrying those things around.”
It’s not the best joke. It’s not even a very good one. Still, I laugh so hard that both of them look at me like I’m crazy.
I swear, the only reason I got through the dark months was Tiffany. Her making me laugh is like a dose of medicine, and right now, I feel so good that even a cheesy joke like that is enough to make me burst out.
Stella mutters something about a dead waitress and having space to hide the body in the back before shaking her head, giving us a rueful smile. “Maybe I need to get that reduction the doc’s been going on about. Let’s face it, I don’t exactly need these things to nurse babies no more. My baby making days are long over.”
“No way!” I protest vehemently. “People pay good money to get those. And yours are real, which makes them even better. Look at Dolly Parton. She loves hers.”
Stella scowls. She knows about my Dolly fanhood, but she’s more of a Reba McIntyre fan herself. “Honey, Dolly’s got way more money than I’ve got. She can hire some young boy toys over there in Dollywood to carry hers. One for each side.” Stella uses her hands to lift her full breasts up a few inches higher, mimicking what the imaginary titty-carrying-guys would do.
We all laugh, giving each other a quick hug. “Here’s to every woman having a boy toy, or two, to take care of us.”
Stella wipes at her eyes as she calms down. “All right, all right, enough joking around. It’s a packed house and there’s work to be done. Way things are lookin’, you two arrived just in time. Lord knows, Carl is about to burn the whole damn place down if he doesn’t get some help. If he wasn’t my son, I’d have fired him a long time ago. I don’t know what I’ma do with that boy.”
“Have him join the Army?” Tiff quips. “They know how to deal with a fuckup or two.”
“Tried that . . . Navy wouldn’t take him either,” Stella gripes, fanning herself some more. “You two hurry out there. I’m gonna go sit under the fan while I do next week’s