Page 13 of Business Casual

His weary brown eyes stared into mine with a mixture of kindness, pride, and love. “I know you will. And I also knew you were going to get that job.” He squeezed my shoulders. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.” I turned and looked at Avery. “I’m going out the back to get to the car. But thanks again and I’ll see you around, I’m sure.”

“Call me to let me know you made it safely,” Avery suggested.

I frowned. “No, thank you.”

Lifting my hand in a wave, I strolled out of the autobody shop with my godfather ambling behind me. He watched me the entire time I got into his precious car and when I pulled out of the garage, he grinned and pointed.

The purr of the engine was one thing, but when I got onto the road and pressed the gas, I got chills. There was always something special about a car that had been rebuilt from scratch with love and attention. Jimmy had The Mustang since before I was born. My father had a cherry-red one just like it.

By the time I got home, parked in my spot, and made it inside, my phone was ringing.

“How did everything go?” Keisha asked. “Did you get the job?”

“Yes, I did! Sorry I didn’t call you sooner,” I told her as I stepped out of my heels. “It’s been a hectic day.”

“Congratulations! That’s amazing! Do you want to tell me everything now or when we see each other tonight?”

“I’ll tell you tonight. Do you know what you’re going to wear?”

“It depends. Do you know where you want to go?”

“Comida Sabrosa,” I answered without thinking.

“Oh so you want to celebrate, celebrate! Okay, I’ll probably wear the little floral dress I’ve been trying to wear for the last week. What are you wearing?”

“I’m going with a little black dress tonight.”

“Nice! Okay, I’ll pick you up at seven.”

And as usual, Keisha Mann arrived at seven o’clock on the dot. And by seven thirty, we arrived at the restaurant.

“…and then I left to go to HR to fill out paperwork for the next hour,” I concluded.

“So, you almost had a date with your boss,” she said as we got out of the car. “That’s risky. Hot, but risky.”

“Yes, I know! I wish I had a picture to show you.” I fanned myself dramatically. “He was worth the risk. If I didn’t need the account, I might’ve…” I let the sentence trail off and wiggled my eyebrows.

We laughed our way through the front doors of Comida Sabrosa.

My eyes swept the room and took in the vibrant greens that decorated the establishment. The vibrant music pumped through the speakers and a handful of professional salsa dancers were tearing it up on the dance floor. The place looked completely different since the last time I was there.

“The whole vibe is different,” I said as we sat down at the end of the bar. “I love it.”

“Yeah.” Keisha nodded. “It took a little while for them to rebuild after the fire, but clearly it was for the best.”

“Agreed.” I grabbed my menu. “Oh, you didn’t tell Lamont where we were going did you?”

“I did, but I explicitly told him not to tell Avery.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

“How did the car situation go?”

“It was fine. He spent the whole time alternating between hitting on me and apologizing for Katrina’s jealousy.”

Keisha shook her head, her sisterlocs swinging gently. “The fact that he’s still trying after all this time is just strange at this point. He has a whole girlfriend and yet he’s still pining away for youafterhe lied and cheated on you. He needs help.”

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