Page 27 of Only You

“Do you two want to grab lunch with me and Bryson?”

“Hell yeah, let’s go to the Retro Diner. Steph is always talking about their burgers, and you know I can always eat,” she quickly answered. I smiled because I could tell we were trying not to make things awkward.

“Ok, I’ll meet you there in thirty.”

“See you soon!” She returned. I hung up the call and continued driving, deciding to take the long route. I never thought about how freeing it was not to have any hair until the wind was hitting my scalp. I would probably never let it grow back. Besides, I did not miss re-twisting them every two months.

I finally arrived downtown and found a parking spot near the diner. I popped Bryson out of the back seat and pulled down the stroller’s wheels. It was a Doona, a fancy car seat and stroller combo that Brice insisted I have. I appreciated it now because if I had tolug Bryson in a carrier the two blocks to the diner I would have been pissed.

There weren’t many people out as I’d seen in previous times I’d been downtown. A Child’s Haven was close, but I typically went the other way during lunch. I glanced at the time to see that it was almost noon. I sped up my walk to beat the corporate lunch rush.

As I hoped, the booths hadn’t filled. I quickly found one where we could sit out of the way of people passing by. I scootched into the booth facing the door to see Jourdan when she walked in. A bell hung over it and rang whenever someone came in. This was the first time that I’d been here. It had the iconic steel-plated walls and red booth seating, and all the wait staff wore fifties-style uniforms and aprons, adding to the nostalgia.

“Good afternoon, Ma’am. Are you ready to order?” The waiter asked.

“If you could give me a few more moments, I’m waiting on a friend.”

“Sure thing,” he said after leaving two menus and walking off. The bell ringing above the door caught my attention. Jourdan was walking in. I stood and waved my hand to get her attention, and then she headed my way. When she made it to the table, in a thoughtless act, we embraced each other, squeezing tight and letting the hug last longer than it should have. We finally separated and took a seat.

“You look cute. I can’t get over you and this new hair,” Jourdan said.

“Thank you. But girl, I literally just threw something on.” I wore a

simple high neck open back ribbed bodycon midi dress and a pair of Fendi FFold slides. I laughed when I looked at the baby because we both had the same stroller seat.

“So this is why Brice came home with this expensive ass stroller,” I said and laughed. She gave me a deadpan expression and head tilt before speaking.

“Girl, Stephon is insufferable regarding Angel, only the best for his baby girl. I ain’t mad at it though. I thought that I’d made him soft but for Angel his ass is Jello pudding,” she said and laughed. I gave her a smile of my own.

“Tayla, I know I apologized before about everything that happened, but I truly am sorry.”

“You want to make it up to me?” I asked and she nodded.

“Let me shoot you back.”

“Tayla Renae Young! I barely grazed you. How about I let you scratch me really hard until you draw blood?”

“Jourdan Nichelle Rockwell! Put your arm across the table,” I said, and stared her down in the most serious face I could conjure. After a moment, we both burst into laughter.

“I’m happy you’re here,” she said. The tone in which she spoke let me know that she wasn’t only talking about North Carolina. She was happy that I pulled through.

“Yeah, I’m here. I’m moving forward and not looking back, as long as you are,” I said as she held my hands across the table.

“Thank you. It’s more than I deserve, I love you,” she said and smiled.

“I love you, too,” I returned. Then we parted to look over the menu before the waiter approached to see if we were ready to order. Jourdan ordered the burger and fries she’d been craving, and I ordered two hot dogs and fries.

“So, back to this ‘job’ you were on. I told you to let someone glaze your already done biscuit, not knead a new one and bake it in your oven.” Her mouth fell open.

“I don’t think I ever told you, Brice asked him to marry me. I’d seen him before Brice presented him with the proposition. When I saw him, I just knew and didn’t object. The whole Stephon situation was clearly out of my control,” she said, shuddering her shoulders after she spoke.

“Obviously with your Doona Stroller!”

“Look who the hell is talking, miss, no girl. Brice is the homie!”

“The Brice situation was clearly out of my control.”

“Exactly, Doona twin,” she said and laughed. The waiter interrupted our laughter to bring us our meals. We said a quick prayer before digging in.

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