That’s right, she had our asses followed,” Austen said.
Julia took her break in one of the back rooms of her salon, a lavender curtain pulled across the doorway as she and Austen sat at the table and spoke.
“Wow, I still can’t believe that,” Julia said, sipping from a can of Diet Sprite. “Feels like my civil liberties have been violated or something. That just ain’t right.”
“Who you telling,” Austen said. After a moment, her eyes wandered up to the ceiling. A smile appeared on her face.
“Okay, someone’s having a pleasant thought. Fill me in.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nonsense, it’s nothing. What are you thinking about?” Julia said.
“Guess who I saw again last night?”
“Eric?”
“Right.”
“The one you saw naked.”
“Yes.”
“The one with the great body and the big—”
“Dick. Yes.”
“Okay, just confirming.” Julia laughed. “Go on.”
“It was late, and I wandered down to the kitchen for a glass of water, and he was there eating a sandwich. I was still pissed about what his sister did and my situation, so I just vented.”
“And what did he say?”
“Nothing. He just sat there very calmly and let me speak. Oh, and then he gave me half of his sandwich. Wasn’t that sweet?” Austen said, smiling wider.
Julia stared at Austen oddly, shaking her head.
“What?”
“Do you hear yourself? You’re thirteen again, and you have a crush on your boyfriend’s best friend.”
“Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Austen said, trying to force the smile from her face. She wasn’t successful.
“I don’t?” Julia said, scooting to the edge of her seat and staring right into Austen’s face. “I can see some red in your cheeks, girl. You’re blushing!”
“I’m not!” Austen said, covering her cheeks with her hands. “Okay, the man is fine. Well, both of them are, but Eric happens to be straight, and sexy, and brooding, and . . .”
Julia said nothing.
“What, J?”
“You’re about to marry Cobi. You’re going to be living in his house, living on his money, money that will pay your mother’s mortgage, that will get your home out of hock, and you’re daydreaming about his brother. Austen, please, if you’ve never heard a single word I’ve said in the past, hear this. Leave Eric and his big dick alone.”