thick lips and dazzling white teeth, and she’s wearing a paint smock with nothing else beneath. She’s the youngest person I’ve seen here so far, looking like she’s in her late twenties or early thirties. With her cool vibe and striking features, she’s beautiful.
“Hey, Hum,” the woman says in greeting.
“Bea, this here is a new guest,” Hum Judy motions to me. “What are we calling you, honey? Have you decided on a name that sings to the beat of your soul?”
Shit. I forgot to nail down the whole name thing.
“Uh…”
I look down at the XXX on my wrist. Thirty…Triple…Tri…X…
“Trix? Trix Valentine?” I blurt out.
Hum Judy taps her lips. “Yes, I think it’s a perfect name. So organic.”
“Thanks.”
Bea looks me up and down with a nod. “Alright, Trix, so I guess you’re bunking here with us,” she says before moving aside to let me in. “You’re lucky. Gary Palomi was on the schedule for last month, but his hut doesn’t have indoor plumbing, and everyone knows that Palomi drops the worst bombs in the outhouse every time he goes out there. He stinks up the whole sidewalk. You don’t want a roomie with a reputation like that.”
“Yikes.”
“You good here, Bea?” Hum Judy asks.
Bea waves her off. “We’re good. I’ll take care of her.”
Hum Judy blows me a kiss as she starts walking away. “If you need anything, just come on over to my place—you can’t miss it. Our hut is painted like a pink armadillo with the pot pipe in its mouth.”
Honestly, I’m not even surprised.
Chapter 10
Once Bea invites me in and shuts the door, she wipes her hands on her smock and takes a good look at me while my ears pick up on rock music playing somewhere above us.
“So what’s your story? Get tired of The Man and decide you’re gonna live your truth?”
I nod, thoroughly impressed that she figured me out so easily. “Yes, exactly! The man’s name is Warren, and he doesn’t believe I’m going to get him to fall in love, but I am.”
Bea’s brows nearly hit her hairline. “Not what I meant, but okay,” she says before gesturing around the house. “Let me give you the tour of our hut.”
I finally take the time to look around, and I’m immediately dazzled. What this place lacks in square footage, it makes up in originality. I run my gaze over the smooth wooden walls. Unlike the outside, the interior wood is all painted white, and everything is open, allowing the floor plan to use up every single inch of space.
There’s a small sitting area right behind me, an eat-in kitchen ahead with funky chrome and black appliances that are about a third of the usual size, and a ladder leading up to a loft above. The floors and counters are all black too, setting off the walls nicely, but then there are pops of color around to draw the eye. Cherry red mini-chandelier, teal pillows, a yellow rug, purple built-in loveseat, and pop art hanging on the walls. Even the ceiling has color, with stained glass for a skylight.
“Wow. The whole hut thing seems like an unfair name,” I comment.
“Believe me, some of these places are huts,” she tells me. “But we built this one ourselves. That’s what we do. We build and design tiny homes.”
“Wow, that’s pretty rad. You kick ass at this,” I tell her honestly.
Bea grins. “We’re gonna get along just fine, Trix Valentine.”
She looks over her shoulder at the loft, raises her finger and thumb to her mouth, and then lets out an ear-splitting whistle.
“Hey, Blue! Get your ass down here! We’ve got a new roomie!” she shouts.
The rock music shuts off, and a head pops over the railing of the loft. “What?”
“I said get your bony ass down here!”
I hear mumbling, and then the woman starts climbing down the rungs of the ladder and striding over to me, completely naked except for a pair of goggles hanging around her neck. She looks at me curiously. “Hey, I’m Blue.”
“Trix,” I tell her, offering my hand to shake.
“Nice tattoo,” she comments, looking at my wrist as she shakes my hand. “I’m always supportive of those who want to celebrate their sexual prowess.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
“You finish soldering that piece?” Bea asks her.
“Don’t be so impatient. It takes finesse,” Blue answers, scratching at her dark nipple.
With both of them standing side-by-side, I study their mirrored features. The same smooth dark skin, full lips, and kind brown eyes. Their figures are curvy, but while Bea is semi-clothed in