Page 47 of Dirty Money
“Great. Well, anytime with West is always great. That sounds so weird coming out of my mouth. But it’s true. And yours?”
“I met someone last night,” Britt told her. “He’s tall, dark, and extremely handsome and I know this might sound insane but Aullie I think he might be the one!”
Aullie sat up straight. “Huh?”
“I met him at the beginning of my shift and he hung out the whole night and we went out for breakfast when I got off and we talked until the sun came up. That’s why I’m calling you so early. I haven’t even gone to bed yet. It was amazing!”
“His name?” Aullie asked as she tapped her fingertip to her chin. Her friend’s news had ignited something inside of her.Was that jealousy she was feeling?
“His name is Julio Garcia. He’s a Latino. My parents will be thrilled,” she gushed. “We talked about everything. Our hopes for the future…”
“And what are they?” Aullie interrupted.
“Kids, a big house, great jobs. He already has one. He’s a manager at a car dealership. He’s living in an apartment in Queens but he’d love to get a house. And he already told me to stop by the dealership, later on, today and he’s going to set me up in a demo car. Can you believe that?”
“I can’t believe you’d let him do that,” Aullie said as she shook her head. “You’d let him take care of you that much?”
“I don’t see why not,” Brittany said with an air of agitation to her voice. “He and I are like complete soul mates. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I wouldn’t?” Aullie asked with more than a bit of anger in her voice. “I think Weston and I are pretty damn close to being soul mates. So, I think I should understand what the hell you’re saying, Britt.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not as committed as we are,” Brittany touted, further aggravating Aullie. “He wants three kids, just like I’ve always wanted. We’re both dog people. We both love beef enchiladas and raspberry tea. It’s like he was cut from the same cloth I was. When he touched me, I felt like electricity went all the way through me.”
“Did you have sex with him?” Aullie asked as chills ran through her. When she and Weston touched, the same thing happened. She thought that meant they had a special connection. But if Brittany had found the same thing with a random stranger, maybe it wasn’t so damn special after all.
“Sex, no,” Britt said. “We made out hardcore, though. I thought you’d be more excited for me, Aullie. You’re kind of making me feel like you don’t care.”
“I care,” Aullie said, beginning to feel bad about not being there for the one woman she was actually close to. “I’m happy for you. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I’m pretty sure he’ll come to the bar again tonight. You can meet him then,” she said. “Aullie, are you feeling okay? You sound a little down in the dumps.”
“I wasn’t down. I was pretty damn great.”
“Until I called you?” she asked.
“Well, yeah. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. You see, last night Weston asked me about when I’d be ready to have kids and I told him it would be a good while from now. And you felt confident telling a man you didn’t even know about your feelings where kids were concerned. It makes me feel like something’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you. I wear my heart on my sleeve is all. You keep yourself wrapped up in a tiny bundle that few get to know very well.”
Aullie thought about what she’d said and felt like her friend was right. “I don’t want to be a closed off person. Not where Weston is concerned.”
“Then open up to him about everything. Really let him know who you are and what you’re about.”
“Even I don’t know that. The only thing I know for certain is that I love to paint and would do it even if none of my art ever sold. And I do love that man. That’s all I know.” Bruce crawled onto her lap as if to remind her of his existence as he purred, loudly. “Oh, and I love my kitty cat, Bruce too.”
“Okay. But what about other things, Aullie. Think about it. How many kids do you see in your future?”
“So much talk about kids I’ve heard in the last twelve hours. They aren’t a thing I’ve ever thought about. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I just have never contemplated anything past graduating from college.”
“That’s a bit shallow, don’t you think, Aullie?”
“Maybe. Damn! I gotta go, Britt. I’m happy for you and can’t wait to meet this man who’s swept you off your proverbial feet. Have a great morning and I’ll see you tonight at work.”
“You sound mad,” Brittany said, making Aullie feel even worse.
“I’m not mad. I’m just aggravated at myself. I just want to go take a long bath and reflect on my life.”
“Okay, sorry for upsetting you. It wasn’t my intention. Bye.”
