Page 66 of A Lifetime in 30 Days
Vanna:Again, you know it!
Ronni and Jamaica had rented a party bus for just the three of them to travel to the party. It would be the culmination of their special time with Vanna before the big celebration. She loved them so much for sticking with her through everything and for knowing exactly what she would like to kick off tonight’s festivities. They would already be on the bus when it arrived at her house at five; then they would head directly to the venue for a mini–photo shoot before the party started. Vanna was especially looking forward to that because the only photos she had of them together were the ones they used their phones to capture. This was going to be a phenomenal way to memorialize this moment of two of the most important people in her life enjoying this day with her for all time.
Aden:I pray today will be everything you hoped and more.
This man and his buttery words. Could she be filled with more happiness than she was at this very moment? That was it—this feeling, this smile on her face, this energy to get started with her day, this joy was exactly what the words on that card meant. This was the feeling she wanted to grow, this was what she needed to feed, right here.
Vanna:I think it will. Thank you for getting it off to a great start.
Granny called up the stairs then, announcing that breakfast was ready. She’d thought she smelled bacon while she was texting but had chalked it up to wishful thinking since she’d mentioned breakfast in her text. But Granny’s words were confirmation, and Vanna wasn’t wasting another second. She pulled on her robe and pushed her feet into her slippers. Replaced the card in the box and went back to the nightstand to grab her phone and slip it into the pocket of her robe. Then she opened the door to find Frito standing there with an expectant look on his face.
“Were you sent up here to get me?” she asked as she stared down into his oddly cute face.
His response was one of those ridiculous growl-mumbles that she wished she could really decipher instead of guessing what they meant. “Did you just wish me a happy birthday?” She smiled down at him this time and could’ve sworn his panting response was him smiling right back.
Vanna followed him down the stairs like she needed an escort and walked into the kitchen to see all her breakfast favorites: french toast, bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs, orange juice, and a bowl of watermelon and green grapes.
“Happy birthday, Vannie,” Granny said as she came over to hug her.
And Vanna hugged her right back. “Thanks, Granny. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby.”
Tonight was the pinnacle of Vanna’s FFSF celebration. Dinner at Simplicity, a new chic restaurant owned by Domonique Sampson, a friend of hers and Jamaica’s from college. Domonique had gone on to culinary school after college, then returned to DC starting out with a food truck, then moving up to a pop-up, and now, for the last three months, her first restaurant. Vanna had been eager to support her old friend, and Domonique had been ecstatic to make tonight a very special night for Vanna.
The decor was top tier, not that she’d expected anything less. Simplicity had an art deco design, with warm cream-and-teal walls, and gold-and-cream accents in the table linens and at the host stand. Sleek, dark cement floors and a combo of low- and highboy tables in the main dining room. White wrought iron furniture occupied the patio area. That’s where Vanna’s party was being held—thank the Lordfor the fantastic weather, not too muggy on this late summer’s evening, and no rain in sight.
The smaller square tables on the patio had been put together to create three nine-foot-long tables, draped in white linen cloths. Pink satin bows were tied around the backs of the white chairs. Small vases overflowing with dark- and light-pink roses created a runner down the center of each table. Gold candelabras held long blush-pink candles at measured intervals, and clear chargers rimmed in gold marked each place setting. There was a bar at the far end of the patio, with Vanna’s signature birthday drink—the pink vodka-lemonade—at the top of the drink menu. In another corner was a picture backdrop of pink, gold, and white balloons. The last part of the photo shoot with her, Jamaica, and Ronni had been taken there, with the bulk of the pictures at different locales around the city that the party bus had stopped at for that purpose specifically.
“Like a bunch of cotton candy, just like I said,” Jamaica said, coming up to stand behind Vanna.
They’d been at the venue for half an hour now. The party was set to start at eight, and people had begun to arrive. But Vanna was staring at the picture backdrop and thinking of how blessed she was to be here in this moment.
“It’s pretty,” she said, not bothering to toss Jamaica a nasty look. It didn’t matter what her friend thought of the decor tonight because this night was all about Vanna. Jamaica knew that and respected it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to joke about what she also called “little-girl colors” along the way.
“I was coming to tell you that Croy and Davon just arrived, so you know that means the party is going to get started whether you want it to or not,” Jamaica said.
“Oh no,” Vanna began with a shake of her head. “The DJ already knows to play light jazz until we bless the food. Then we’re going to eat, I’ll say my thank-you’s, andthenthe party can begin.”
Jamaica raised a brow. “Oookay, well, I’ll go over and try to explain the order of the service to them, but they’ve already stopped at the bar.”
And bythey, Vanna knew she really meant Davon, because he always drank more than Croy.
“Y’all better get y’all’s men. I’m not in the mood for no foolishness tonight,” she said, but her tone was light and easy.
Just like her mood.
Which, about fifteen minutes later, was lifted even higher when she saw Aden walk out onto the patio. It was the first time she’d seen him in person since the night of their argument two weeks ago. He wore black slacks and a white shirt, a black vest and a tie that matched the dusty-rose color of her dress. He walked toward her in that signature confident way he had, and her heart almost thumped right out of her chest.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clasping her hands behind her back. She’d tried to look away from him, to appear unbothered by his appearance, but failed dismally. The good thing was that, as transfixed as she seemed to be on him, he was equally as focused on her even as he moved through the crowd. He never broke eye contact with her and didn’t bump into anyone in the process. It was almost like they all knew to get out of his way, to let him through to his desired destination. To her.
The DJ was playing some smooth-jazz rendition of a Luther Vandross song, and Vanna thought it couldn’t be more appropriate ... if she and Aden were having this second reunion alone at her place or his. Beneath the evening stars and surrounded by fifty guests, including her grandmother, she couldn’t run and jump into his arms, wrap her legs around him, and whisper her nastiest thoughts into his ear. But damn, if that wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do.
“Hey,” he said when he was close enough to reach out and pull both her hands into his.
“Hey,” she whispered just as he brought her hands to his lips for a soft kiss to each one. The smile that spread across her face couldn’t becontained, not that she even tried. “Why didn’t you tell me you still planned to come tonight?”
Throughout all their communication this week, Vanna had been careful not to invite him anywhere, and he hadn’t invited himself anywhere. Of course, he already knew the schedule of plans for her FFSF weekend, and by the time they’d begun speaking again, tonight’s celebration was the only thing left. Still, she hadn’t wanted to bring it up, hadn’t wanted to give the impression that she needed him here with her tonight. But she was damn glad he was here.
