Page 30 of Crave

“Good, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Tracy was a damsel in distress and needy as fuck. This girl is not that.”

“Look at how well it worked out for me when I went for the needy chick. Tracy can go fuck herself. This is not about her,” I say. “I’m so fucking tired of defending myself when it comes to those two. This has nothing to do with them.”

“I hope you mean that. I’ll give you some advice. If you’re into that girl, don’t backslide into that Troy and Tracy shit. She’s not going to put up with it. She’s got her shit together. She’s smart and independent. She’s not looking for a man to save her.”

I hear footsteps, followed by loud laughter. I simply nod at JD, who quickly turns the charm back on the ladies. He offers an arm to both Ebony and Diana. I do the same to Sandy and Tash, and the six of us walk to my Escalade. I toss my keys to JD, and I open the front door for Diana.

Sandy, Ebony, and Tash slide into the backseat, and I close the door to walk around to the other side to open the door on Sandy’s side.

“Come here,” I say as I grab her hand and pull her out of the car. I take her seat and offer her my hand. When she climbs back into the car, I place her on my lap.

“Don’t you have a third row?” she asks, turning her neck to look at the back seat.

“I have a bunch of crap back there,” I lie. Thankfully, it’s too dark for her to realize I’m lying. “Let’s roll, JD.” Diana gives him the address, he punches it into the GPS and drives out of the parking lot. My arms tighten around Sandy and I listen as the girls talk.

“I’m just saying,” Diana says, as she’s stepping out of my Escalade once we arrive at Sandy’s house, “you’re not your mother, Dee. Your ass needs to measure.”

“You still ate it,” she says, irritated at Diana’s criticism.

“Yeah, it was still better than average, but your name is Sandra, not Gabrielle.”

“What are you guys talking about,” JD asks as we follow the ladies up the steps leading to the front door. It’s a duplex, and Tash runs to her house on the other side to get her husband.

“Jake, your girl can cook and bake her ass off. Let me just say that up front, but she’s not at her mother’s level. Sandy’s mom never, ever needs to measure. She just knows. Our girl’s just not at that level.”

Sandy gently punches Diana on the arm but laughs at her friend’s words.

“First off, I’m not his girl. Second, you’re about a second away from no cake.” She pretends to be annoyed, but I can see she’s smiling as she opens the door to let us into her house.

“You keep telling yourself you’re not his girl. Whatever.”

When I crashed her girls’ night, getting invited back to her house was not even on my list of best case scenarios. She flicks on the light and I take my first step into her world. I’m not sure what I expected, but her place fits her perfectly. Her colors are neutral, but she has pink accents everywhere, starting with pink and brown polka dot accent pillows and a matching throw blanket neatly folded over her couch. She’s a minimalist, leaving plenty of room to walk around.

She points to a closet and tells us to make ourselves at home while she goes up the stairs into what I assume is her bedroom. I catch a quick glimpse of her bed before she closes the door.

Ebony puts on some music, and Diana takes our coats. I hear them talking to JD, but I tune them out.

I use her absence to nose around her place. I pick up a photo of two small kids, who I assume are Tash’s twins. Next, I find a picture of Sandy from when she was in the second or third grade. She looks adorable with two afro puffs and pink ribbons on each side. Her shirt is the same shade of pink as her ribbons and she’s wearing a wide, happy smile. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and snap a picture of it before anyone can notice, but when I turn around, I find JD watching me.

Sandy comes back out, but she’s no longer wearing shoes. I get a glimpse of cute toes and toenails covered in light pink polish.

“Anyone want some wine?” she asks as she walks into the room. “Tash and Chris are going to bring some beer for you and JD,” she says when she finally looks at me.

“Yes! Bring out the wine and the dessert. And let’s dance.” Ebony grabs JD and they start to dance. I follow her into the kitchen and get a view of her ass as she bends down into the fridge to retrieves two bottles of white wine. When she pulls out the corkscrew, I grab it from her and open a bottle. She gets glasses and I pour.

By the time we bring the wine out for the ladies, Tash and her husband arrive. Everyone is introduced and Chris hands each of us a beer.

“Only my wife can go out with a bunch of women and bring back two men,” he teases.

Chris is not a huge guy, but Tash is about the same height as her mother, so he towers over her. She lays her head on his chest, and he kisses the top of her head.

“Two hot guys, babe. And one’s a doctor too,” she teases back, and he slaps her on the ass, causing her to yelp.

“Hey, Jake, did you meet my brother? He’s an asshole just like yours,” Diana yells from across the room. Chris gives her the middle finger and goes back to kissing his wife.

Usher’sYeahcomes on and Ebony and Diana grab JD and start to dance with him in the corner, as do Tash and Chris.

Sandy looks at me, but instead of dancing, she walks back to the kitchen and pulls a cake out of the fridge. I help her get plates and utensils. Together, we carry everything to the living room, and over d rinks, chocolate covered strawberries, and lemon cake we celebrate Diana’s birthday.

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