Page 64 of Until Nalia
“I brought you Olive and Oregano.”
“Oh.” My mouth literally waters. “I’ve been dreaming about their hummus.”
“Brownie points, since I got you the exact thing you had the last time we were there.” He doesn’t need brownie points; he’s literally the definition of if he wanted to, he would. I shouldn’t compare him to Cole. It’s not fair when I was totally okay with the amount of time Cole and I did or didn’t spend together. But with Logan, he’s always checking in and making it clear that he wants to see me. It’s nice, nicer than I thought it would be.
Touching his mouth to mine in a soft kiss, he lets me go and walks over to the counter, and begins unloading stuff from the bag he brought in.
“What do you want to drink?” I go to the fridge and open it up. I went shopping recently, so it no longer looks like a college kid who games all day is the only one who lives here. “I have Coke, Diet Coke, sweet tea and juice.”
“Coke works.”
I grab a can of Diet Coke for myself and his Coke, then walk back to the counter. Taking a seat on one of the stools, he comes to sit next to me.
“How’s working going?” he asks, passing me a fork wrapped in plastic. I almost laugh out loud; we were just making out, and now we’re sitting down to eat together and talking like nothing happened. Is this normal? I’ve never done it before, so maybe.
“Good, just going through e-mails and making calls. You?”
“Alright, I’m just focusing on getting Billie’s car ready and hoping it will motivate her to get her license.”
“Does she want to drive?” I know I did, but I also know that Harmony was not even a little interested in getting her license. She was all too happy to have Mom or Dad drive her everywhere.
“Yeah, and she took the written and passed it with flying colors, but it’s taking her some time to work up the courage to take the road test.”
“I remember how nerve-wracking that is.”
“I think a couple of her friends psyched her out when they took the test and failed, and she’s worried that’s gonna happen to her.”
“The good thing is you can always retake it,” I tell him between bites of food. Seriously, it’s so good I have to stop myself from wiggling in my seat.
“That’s what I told her.”
“What kind of car did you get her?”
“It’s her mom’s old Toyota. I know some parents are cool with getting their kids a new car, but I’ve had way too many parents come into the shop after their kids total their first car that was way too expensive for a teenager in the first place.”
“My first car was a hand-me-down, and it passed through both of my sisters before it was given to me. I loved that car, and honestly, I was just happy that I didn’t need to depend on my parents to drive me around.”
“I’m sure she’ll feel the same, she’s not a kid that is big into labels or name brands, which I’m thankful for since I can barely afford the face products she asks me to buy.”
“Girls are a different breed, even Zuri is starting to get into that stuff, and she’s only ten. I can just imagine how expensive she’s going to be in a few years.”
We share a smile.
God, this feels good, normal, and… My phone starts to ring, cutting off my thoughts. I look down at it on the counter between us and see that it’s coming from a correctional facility in Colorado, which means it’s Sharon. Like someone took a needle and pressed it against my skin, I instantly deflate like a balloon. I don’t want to answer, but she hasn’t called in a while, so I don’t feel like I have a choice but to slide my finger across the screen and put the phone to my ear.
“Hello, this is a call from…” An automated voice comes on, then it goes to Sharon’s voice. “Sharon Herbert, an inmate from the Colorado correctional facility, would you like to accept?”
“Yes,” I say as I feel Logan stare at me.
“Nalia,” Sharon greets.
“Hey, Sharon, how’s it going?”
“I’m still locked up, so how do you think it’s going?” she asks, sounding tired and angry, not a great combination.
“I’m sorry,” I say out of instinct.
“Yeah, well, if I could afford a new lawyer, I might be able to get out of here.” I don’t reply to that. First, I don’t think that any lawyer would be able to get her out, and second, it’s no one’s fault but her own that she’s in there in the first place. It’s not like she didn’t know the consequences of selling drugs. “Where’s Zuri?”
