I’d seen her do it before, I watched in amazement, wondering how long it had taken her to get that down to a system. More time than I had, I decided, shoving a handful of fries into my starving mouth. My taste buds sang in my head.
My joy must have reflected on my face.
“You are pitiful, you know that? A few fries and you light up like a Christmas tree. A handsome man comes in here, hauls some stuff to your back room and gives you a gift and all you can think about is how it’s going to affect your business.”
I shrugged, licking the salt off my fingers. They usually didn’t put enough salt on, but someone had known just how bad I needed it. “What else am I supposed to be concerned about? Everybody can’t go from Singleville to becoming the Bachelorette of the Year in one swoop—”
“I resent that.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear it. I know this stuff with Jordan is weirding you out, but you’re really scaring me. That dress you wore Sunday was down right obscene…” I scooped a spoonful of chocolate shake to my lips, glad to have something to shove in my mouth besides my foot. Why was I discussing this with Rochelle? I knew she was going through something, but hey, so was I. Several somethings, in fact.
The fact that no ring had appeared on her finger or that my brother had neglected to surface hadn’t been lost on me. Neither had her sudden surge of desire for a relationship. What I couldn’t understand was why? Did she need someone to want her now? To make her feel pretty again? All she had to do was look into the mirror.
I stared at the cheetah on top of the cash register. It went deeper than wanting to be pretty. That much I knew. “Have you heard anything else from him?”
Rochelle turned her back to me, continuing her fry nibbling in silence.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t worry about it, okay? I don’t expect you to understand. There are some things even you can’t get.”
On the outside again. “So I can’t ‘get it,’ huh? Why, because I’m not a mother? Because I’ve never been almost-married or whatever you and Jordan were?” I guess Trevor’s proposal didn’t give me any points.
She shoved a box of Coconut Lime body lotions over to the display case. “That about sums it up.”
Six containers of Banana Berry Mint mask lined the facial cart, all as fresh as when I’d pureed them this morning. Though I’d sell the fruit products as good for twenty-four hours with refrigeration, I wanted to give the cooler a trial run and do some bacteria challenge tests for my own information—now that I knew how to do such things. I should have given my comments to Rochelle a trial run, too. This conversation had taken a turn into the abyss of famous last words.
And of course, I started it.
Where is Tracey when I need her?
Off fighting with her husband instead of fighting with us. Leaving me on the outside of the circle of the wed and/or childbearing. How long would it be before Tracey entered the Mom Club, too? Her bumpy beginning with Ryan didn’t fool me. Tracey was too stubborn to give up on anybody. She was still my friend, wasn’t she? Lord willing, they’d stick, Rochelle and Jordan—or somebody, the way she was acting—would work things out and here I’d be, as always, the last Sistah standing.
How would I ever survive without them? Really bad, considering how I was cutting up right now. Rochelle stacked on in silence, her perfect placement showing the tangerine-colored bottles from every angle. Her rapid breathing meant she was fuming but too loyal to leave.
Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up in due time.
I shoved another mouthful of shake down my throat to cool my burning thoughts. Humility? Again? People who thought Christians were wimps had another thing coming. It was hard. Crazy hard.
Rochelle caught me staring off into space. “Are you just going to sit there? Or are you going to do some work? There’s a lot to do here and I have to go get Jericho from basketball in a couple hours. I don’t have to be here.” Rochelle sniffed and righted the last bottle of lotion on the top shelf of the three-tiered display. I’d wanted them down on the table, but she’d insisted everything be eye level or