Page 27 of Sweet Love From Saturn

ELEVEN

Saturn

“Hey, boo. How was your weekend off?” Sapphire asked as she put on her green apron.

“It was good. Mccoy took me to Chicago.”

“Oooh. Did you get some of the infamous Harold’s Chicken?”

“We didn’t have Harold’s, but we had Uncle Remus. Apparently the two are rivals,” I stated with a chuckle.

It wasn’t a lie though. With Chicago being so close to Pleasant Springs, I was well versed on all things Chicago. In my opinion, both chicken places were good, but indeed tasted different. I didn’t prefer one over the other, but I did appreciate the lemon pepper Harold’s offered.

“Oh, I’ve eaten there too. When I was younger, my parents took us to Chicago a time or two for vacation. It was always during the Taste of Chicago. We’d get a hotel and stay for the whole week. My dad’s best friend is from there, and he’d given us the run down of the city and where to eat. Before we came home, my dad would take us to Harold’s and to one of the Maxwell Street polish places. He only liked the original locations though,” Sapphire explained.

“That sounds like a nice mini getaway.”

“It was. I haven’t been to The Taste in years, but I’ve heard it wasn’t the same anymore. I’ve thought about taking Kylie to one of the museums, just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Anyway, here are the candles you ordered. You never told me how you liked the others.”

“I loved every scent, girl. The cashmere vanilla is my favorite though. I wanted you to bring these so we can start selling them here. Before we closed last Thursday night, I took the candles I had off the shelf to make room for yours,” I explained.

“Wow. Thank you, Saturn. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just keep them coming, please. I’m almost sure they’re gonna sell out quickly.”

“What about the ones you were selling?”

“Girl, I got those from a vendor. I like them, but I like yours better. I’ll support however I can. You’re passionate when you talk about candle making and I think you should keep the idea alive. You’re truly good at it.”

The tears in Sapphire’s eyes let me know she was moved. It wasn’t my intention to make her cry, but I did want to encourage her. I knew personally that a few words of encouragement could get a person far. Work felt different today. My mood was light and I felt like a new woman. While Sapphire took care of customers, I got the delivery arrangements ready. I was in the middle of listening to one of my favorite songs when Sapphire called out for my attention.

“So when you were gone, Mccoy’s friend came by. He bought a few roses, but he was trying to get to know me. Everything was cool until I mentioned I had a baby. I’m not with Kylie’s father or anything like that, but I froze up when he started asking questions about my relationship with him. There’s nothing to hide, but that’s a part of my life I don’t share with many people. I’m a private person, but I think he took my silence to mean something it doesn’t.”

If Mccoy hadn’t mentioned Justin’s interest in Sapphire, I probably would’ve been surprised. I wasn’t around Justin often, but I’d been around enough to know about his former life. There were a few nights I laid under Mccoy while they were on the phone and overheard certain things. Justin’s past life was full of one-night stands and meaningless sex partners. Mccoy would never discuss his business with me, but I was aware that as an adult Justin had never been in anything committed. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were with Sapphire, but I was hoping he could read the room and treat her differently. Sapphire carried herself a certain way and she came as a package deal.

“I’m assuming you care enough to try and clear things up?” I asked, choosing my words wisely.

“I guess so. I haven’t dealt with a man in a while and he would be the first since having Kylie. I don’t even know how I would balance that. I don’t want my child around a man who won’t be in my life for long,” she explained.

“I understand that. I’m sure I’d be the same way if I had a child. Did you guys exchange numbers or anything?”

“He gave me his number, but didn’t take mine. He told me to reach out when I was ready.”

“Okay, so text or call him to clear the air if that’s what you wanna do. The worst that can happen is he loses interest.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m stuck on what to even say to this man. I feel like a teenage girl who has no experience with guys. I’ll probably call him tonight after I get Ky to bed. He’s fine as hell, but I feel like there’s more to him. He gives ladies’ man and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“I guess you’ll have to get to know him to see what he’s about. All I say is be careful, but I’d say that about any man. I know from my own experiences that men can embarrass the hell out of you and not feel bad about it at all.”

“Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. I may not talk about it, but I’m a single mother for a reason.”

Part of me wanted to question Sapphire’s statement, but I didn’t want to intrude. Whenever she wanted to talk about her situation, I’d be here to listen. Until then, I wouldn’t pry. As my workday came to an end, I closed and locked the shop. Sapphire had left about ten minutes before me since I had a few things to finish in my office. When I got in my car, all I could think about were the oxtails I had slow cooking in the crockpot. They’d been on for about eight hours and the only thing left for me to do was make the side dishes.

Ten minutes into my drive, I heard a loud pop and my car felt uneven. Already knowing what happened, I pulled over and assessed the damage. Like I thought, my front tire on the passenger side was completely flat. I was pissed because I could look at it and tell I’d have to buy a brand-new tire. There was a donut in my trunk, but I didn’t know how to change a flat. Taking my phone out of my purse, I called Mccoy and waited patiently for him to answer. When the voicemail picked up, I hung up and dialed him again. I’d talked to him a few hours ago and he told me he was still at the garage working. Since that was the case, it irritated me that he wasn’t picking up.

“Dammit!” I shouted in frustration as his voicemail played again.

Trying my best to calm down, I sent him a text and got back in my car to wait for a few minutes. As the minutes passed, there was no call or text back from Mccoy. He had no idea what was going on with me, but I was so damn angry with him for not answering that I felt like I’d pop at any moment. The sun was starting to set and I needed to get home. When I remembered Aaron was home, I called his phone and he answered on the second ring.

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