shaking your asses in them uniforms. That’s our daily entertainment. ‘Specially the tall sister with the braids. You tell her Big Raymond says what’s up.”
Rhea and I shared an excited glance.
“Have you met her?” I asked, brightening at the sight of his dimples when he talked about Willa.
“Haven’t had the pleasure,” he said. “What’s her name?”
“Willamena,” I said. Rhea elbowed me, and the big guy laughed. Oh, whoops.
“Willamena.” He said it with a smile like he was tasting and savoring her name. “Hot damn. No, but she fine.”
“We’ll tell her you said hi,” I assured him.
He raised his chin in a nod and walked out with the basket on his hip. Troy turned and gave us finger guns. “Holler if you need us!”
I gave him a finger gun back. “Thanks.” He grinned and caught up to Big Raymond.
“Oh, hell yes,” Rhea said, immediately getting on her phone to call Willa. She put it on speaker since we were alone.
“Big Raymond is in love with you!” Rhea said when Willa answered.
“Who?”
We quickly told her everything.
“You told some dude my name? What’d he look like?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “He was hot, though. Way taller than you. And big. Like, stacks of muscles big.”
“You lying.”
“She’s not lying,” Rhea said. “And the cutest fucking dimples.”
“Dimples? Oh, hell nah, which way’d he go?”
We all laughed, and I was glad Big Raymond was on her radar. It was hard to meet people in our job. When it was time to get the laundry and go back, I glanced one last time at my phone and sighed. It was just really strange not to talk to him. I couldn’t help but worry that something had happened.
Rhea and I touched the pepper sprays in our pockets and looked both ways down the street before walking into the cold darkness with our baskets, giggling quietly.
“Hey,” I said when we were nearly at our door. “When are you going to make vindaloo?”
I was obsessed with anything curry.
“I can get the stuff this week.” I cheered as she flicked the door open and said, “Get your booty in before we freeze to death.” I went in and held the door with one leg while she came in too. I felt a rush of cheesy love for her at that moment. After years with friends who didn’t understand me, and who made me constantly feel on my guard, it was amazing to have people who I could be myself with and feel accepted.
“Hey, Rhea?”
“Yeah?” She shrugged down her scarf so it wasn’t covering her mouth.
“Thanks for being awesome.”
“Oh, my gawd, you’re such a sappy fucking sweetheart. Thank you for being awesome too.” We shared big, dorky grins and started to go up.
“Hey, wait,” she said. I stopped and looked at her. “I know you’re stressing about that Shawn guy, but I need you to know and believe that you’ll be okay no matter what happens.”
My heart twisted in my chest, knowing she was trying to prepare me for the worst. There was no denying the chemistry and bond Shawn and I had made in a short time. But it was all so complicated. I wasn’t naïve enough to think it wouldn’t be a bumpy road.
I forced a small nod. “Okay.”
But when I turned to head up the stairs she grabbed my hand and made me look at her.
“You’re complete right now, as you are, boo. You need to know that. No man defines you or your worth.”
I wanted to believe those words. I wanted to feel complete. I wanted to be enough on my own. How does someone get to that place?
I swallowed and stood taller, giving her a nod. “Thank you.”
“Mm-hm. Now move.” She gave my butt a stinging slap and I yelped, moving. “And when we get upstairs I want to hear all about the Silas drama Beth mentioned. I’ve been meaning to ask all night and forgot.”
“Oh, no,” I said. “Is she telling people about that? Poor Silas!”
“It was just me and Willa, but yeah,” she said. Both of us were breathing slightly heavy when we got to the top. I blamed the laundry we had to carry. “So, it’s some good tea then?”
“It’s hot tea,” I said reluctantly of the gossip.
In the apartment I sat cross-legged on the rug to fold my clothes while Rhea dumped hers on the couch. I told them the whole conversation and they hung on my every word.
“I feel bad for him,” I said. “If this was a girl, we wouldn’t want her