Page 32 of Sweet Love From Saturn

“I live and breathe old school cars. I was telling your dad earlier that I needed to get him down to the garage so he could see me in action. I’ve sold a few since I’ve been in Pleasant Springs.”

“Wait, was that you who sold the old mayor his car?”

“Yep. He hasn’t had it a full month yet and I see him riding around in it all the time,” Mccoy admitted with a laugh.

“Where’s the garage? I need to be comin’ to check you out too.”

Once the men were done planning a visit to Mccoy’s garage, the two of us got ready to head out. We’d gotten our to-go plates and were now standing in the doorway saying our last words to my parents.

“Oh, Saturn. I forgot to ask if you heard about the vendor’s event. It’s in a couple weeks and I think you should consider doing it,” my mother said as she showed me the e-flyer on her phone.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve always entered May’s Flowers into the competition. I wasn’t gonna say anything until everything was finalized and official though. I had no interest in doing it until Mccoy made valid points of how it would be beneficial in the long run,” I revealed.

“Well, I’m glad Mccoy has your best interest in mind. The event may seem small, but it really does get a lot of traction, Saturn. We even hang up flyers around the school.”

“I’m posting it on my social media pages as well. I’m trying to get people from Gwendal to come and check it out. Pleasant Springs has a lot to offer when it comes to tourist attractions,” Mccoy added.

By the time we finally left, the sun had set and a cool breeze was in the night air. I could tell the season was changing just from the sun going down earlier than normal. As much as I loved summer, I was over the hot days and ready to pull out my boots and sweaters.

“You expecting someone, baby?” Mccoy asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

When I looked up and saw the white Maxima in my driveway, I already knew who it was. A few days ago, Ava told me she’d be home by the end of the week. Since she wasn’t sure exactly when, it’d slipped my mind until now. A part of me was happy she was here, but I also had my guard up since I didn’t know what part of her I’d be getting.

“That’s Ava’s car.”

“Why didn’t she call and tell you she was here?”

“She probably did. My phone died right before we left my parents’ house,” I explained.

When I got out of the car and made my way to Ava, she stood there with a hand on her hip. Ava wasn’t much bigger than me, but she was much curvier. The blonde box braids in a bun on top of her head looked to be freshly done and the gray jogging suit she wore looked painted on. My childhood best friend had always been beautiful.

“Saturn, look at you! You look so good, boo.”

“Thank you, girl. You look good too. When did you get in town?” I asked as we embraced.

“Earlier this afternoon. I was gonna call you then, but I wanted to get settled and get some sleep before I did that. Driving from Cali to Pleasant Springs is something I’m never doing again. I felt like I’d never get here,” she explained.

“I wouldn’t either. That’s a long way to drive. How long were you on the road?”

“Two days. At first, we were gonna have everything shipped and just fly back, but my mom didn’t want certain things to be left with movers.”

“That makes sense. I’d probably be the same way with things that can’t be replaced,” I admitted.

The idea of having someone move my belongings sounded good and convenient, but no one was going to treat my things like I would. Old photos and things I kept for memories were priceless, so I completely understood. Before Ava could respond, Mccoy walked up behind me, causing her to glance at me with a smirk.

“Ava, this is my boyfriend, Mccoy. Baby, this is my best friend, Ava,” I introduced.

Standing behind my back, Mccoy extended his hand for Ava to shake. The smirk on her face let me know she had something to say but wouldn’t while Mccoy was around.

“It’s good to meet you, Ava. Baby, do you want me to come back later?” Mccoy questioned when he focused back on me.

“No. You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.”

After he explained that he wanted to give Ava and I some time to catch up, Ava made it clear she wasn’t planning to stay long. She just wanted to come see me since she’d made it back to town. Once the three of us made it inside, Mccoy and Sparky headed to my room while Ava and I took a seat on the couch.

“I love this furniture set. Leave it to you to have white couches,” Ava gigled as she looked around.

“I always told you I’d have white couches. I looked at a few other colors, but I couldn’t pass the white up.”

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