“Why are you like a Weeble Wobble?”
“I’m a little stiff. I’ll be okay if I walk it off.” The thought of standing any longer made me wince, but then I realized it was my right foot, and I wasn’t sure if I could even drive.
“Okay, well. I ordered us food.” Her concern had passed. “It was $42.39. I’ll send you a Venmo request. What’s your phone number?”
Between the throbbing ache and the sluggishness throughout, my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Was that the total for both of us, my half, or was I to pay it all? Didn’t she have my number? I rattled it off before remembering I didn’t have my phone.
“My phone is at my cousin’s house. Do you mind if we stop there first, and then we can pick up the food?” When I got to my car, I unlocked the doors and sat down, relieving some of the pressure.
“Umm, do we have to? Baby gets hangry. Could you do it after, when you’re alone?”
Was she baby? And I guess she had no intention of this being anything other than an eat-and-run thing.
“Of course. Just let me look at my toes, and we can go.”
“Your toes? That’s gross. If you take your shoe off, I’m likely to get sick. Baby has a weak stomach.” She covered her mouth like she was holding back nausea.
“Right. It can wait.” I gritted my teeth, hoping it would give me something else to focus on besides my agony.
She got in the passenger seat, and I started the car. The first thing she did was change the radio station and crank it up, but the pounding of blood in my ears made it impossible for me to hear anything anyway. I pressed the pedal as lightly as possible and prayed I wouldn’t have to slam on my brakes.
“Where are we going?” I shouted over the thumping bass.
“Rib Shack.”
Was this a joke? Maybe I was dreaming. This conversation gave me deja vu. I’d lived this before, right?
I lowered the music, allowing me to think—sort of. “Did you say Rib Shack?”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite. I ordered us both a full rack with pit beans and bacon.”
My anxiety was rising, my head was floating, and my foot was pulsating. Something had to give. I pulled over to the side of the road, hastily opened the door, and immediately felt the bile rise in my throat. As I purged the contents of my stomach, it felt like I was cleansing my soul. I took a deep breath of fresh air and settled back into my seat to look for something to wipe my mouth.
When I made eye contact with Ember, she had a look of disgust on her face. “Oh my god. Baby’s going to be sick, too.” As she leaned out her window, the unpleasant sound of retching once again filled the air.
She wasn’t lying when she said she had a weak stomach. As she brought her head back inside, she stared at me sheepishly.
“Sorry, that went down the side of the door.” With a casual shrug, she grabbed the napkin I was offering her.
I didn’t say a word as I drove off. The pain still flowed through my body, but at least I was less woozy.
When I arrived at Rib Shack, I parked the car and turned toward her. “Do you want to run in and get it? I’m not feeling great.”
“Really? Baby isn’t either. And if I open the door and see the vomit, I might get sick again.” She pouted, which I used to think was endearing, but now it just grated on my nerves.
But I wasn’t arguing because the quicker I got out of here, the quicker this date could be over.
“Fine.” My voice was tight, and I shuddered as I stood, trying to keep the pressure off my right foot.
As I hobbled into the place, I waited in line for my order, wondering why I hadn’t listened to myself and Sonya when we both thought this would be a bad idea. And then my mind drifted back to Caz, imagining how everything would be different if she were here. She would never have let the door slam on me, and if she did, she probably would have picked me up and hero-carried me to the car.
Even though Caz tried to come off as a hardass, she was one of the kindest souls I’d ever met. She stood up for the little people like me and gave us a voice. She made me see myself from a different perspective—a better one. And when I was with her, I liked who I was. I didn’t have to put on a show or try to be cool. She knew who I was, accepted me for me, and liked me for me.
Oh my god. How had I not seen this before?
Ember wasn’t my dream woman—Caz was.
Chapter 27Caz
Igroaned and peeled my lids open. The light was stabbing through the edge of the curtain, and I could hear people talking. Were they outside? What day was it? I was groggy, and I felt like I had a never-ending hangover.
The voices were louder than before, and they sounded closer. I twisted to see the rest of my apartment, and I thought I saw two bodies in the kitchen area. That couldn’t be right. Who would be here? My hand searched for my phone, but it wasn’t in its usual place.
If I didn’t know better, I would think I was being held hostage. In my own house, though? That didn’t make sense, but who were those people, and what were they saying?
I strained my ears, but it was still white noise. Then it appeared like they were coming closer. I quickly shut my eyes and played dead—well, asleep. Unless I was supposed to be dead, maybe I should hold my breath just in case.
“Just check on her, will you?” That sounded like Davia’s voice.
What the actual fuck?
“Why do I need to check on her? She’s your ex?” another person questioned.
I didn’t recognize them, but I was right about Davia.
“Do you want part of the money?” Davia snarled, and I bit my tongue.
What money? Were they robbing me?
