Chapter 26 Hendrix
CHAPTER 26
HENDRIX
S o the theme is personal glamour?” Soledad asks, sitting cross-legged on the overstuffed bench in my closet. “That’s pretty broad.”
“It is,” I say absently, flicking through a few dresses I’ve never worn. “The invitation said interpret how you like, but you can best believe everyone will bring their A game. Heavy hitters in fashion and entertainment will be at Zere’s birthday party.”
Maverick won’t be there, though.
The thought has intruded on my peace of mind ever since he left my apartment last night. I practically kicked him out, but have been aching ever since. I stuff that unwanted emotion down and hold a sequined minidress against my chest, the electric blue almost hurting my eyes under the overhead lights.
“What do we think?” I ask, standing in a nude bra and underwear. “Too bright?”
Soledad squints exaggeratedly. “I think that dress took me down to twenty-fifty vision.”
“Shut up.” I laugh, tossing the dress on top of her head and turning back to my seemingly bottomless selection of clothes.
“You live in a loft apartment and your closet is bigger than mine in a six-bedroom house.”
“Well, this was originally a guest room, remember? I have more clothes than guests, so this room got remodeled to suit ya girl’s needs.” I study the glass-enclosed cubbies that hold my myriad shoes. “I need to find those Rene Caovilla sandals. These are alphabetized, but I don’t see the ones I’m looking for. Now where did I—”
My cell rings in my pocket before I can finish the thought. I pull it out and frown down at the screen.
“It’s the front desk. Probably those wings we ordered.”
“I could’ve made my famous pineapple habanero wings with my special sauce.” Soledad shimmies her shoulders and preens.
“All your food can’t be famous, and all your sauces can’t be special.”
“Have you ever tasted anything of mine that wasn’t special?” She folds her arms, her expression smug. “I’ll wait.”
“Lawd, spare me this woman and her culinary ego.” I answer the call. “Yes, hello.”
“Delivery for you, Ms. Barry,” the attendant says. “Buzz them up?”
“Of course. Thank you.” I replace the phone in my pocket and turn back to survey the dresses. “The party is next week so I want to figure this out in case I need to buy something new. I just have so many clothes I’ve never worn, I figured I’d start here.”
“No one would ever accuse you of being frugal,” Soledad drawls, rolling her eyes.
“They better not.” I affect being affronted. “And ruin my rich auntie rep?”
The doorbell sounds and Soledad hops up. “I’ll go get these subpar wings you insisted on subjecting us to.”
Chuckling, I dig through the stack of clothes piling up on the center table until I find my silk robe and slip it on.
“Hendrix!” Soledad calls from downstairs. “I think you wanna come down.”
“I am.” I tie the robe at my waist. “Just gimme a sec.”
I start down the stairs, but halt halfway at the sight waiting below.
My living room is overflowing with roses. Huge, oversized bouquets of roses. Not pink or peach, but some soft, sweet marriage of the two colors. And the young delivery guy keeps bringing them in.
“Oh, my God.” I cover my mouth with both hands. “What is this?”
“Roses!” Soledad squeaks, bouncing on her toes.
“But where’d they all come from?” I resume my walk down the stairs slowly.
“There’s a card.” Soledad waves a tiny white envelope above her head and swings her little hips from side to side in a jig of glee.
As soon as I’m close enough, I snatch the card from her hand, playfully baring my teeth at her. “Gimme that. Mine, I believe.”
“I wanna see,” she whines. “Who sent them?”
As soon as I take it, the card feels like it’s imprinting on my hand. I don’t have to open it. I know the roses are from Maverick. My stupid heart does this floaty thing, rising to the top of my chest like a buoy and bobbing along the surface of my common sense.
“Could you sign for them?” The out-of-breath delivery guy asks once the last of them are inside the apartment.
“Sorry. Sure.” I take his pen and sign. “Just lemme grab my purse.”
“Oh, no.” He shakes his head, adamant and grinning widely. “Strict instructions not to accept any tip. Believe me. It’s taken care of.”
“Okay, well, thank you.”
“And we’ll send someone out next week to dispose of them,” he adds.
“I’ve never heard of that,” Soledad says, her nose buried in a bouquet on the kitchen counter. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“For the right price,” he says. “It can be.”
He gives us a little salute and leaves.
I consider the roses overtaking every clear surface in the room. I should be pissed. I told Maverick no, but does he respect my wishes? Give me the space I obviously needed? No.
And yet I’m fighting an irrepressible grin as I walk through a forest of scented petals.
“Champagne roses,” Soledad says, rubbing one of the petals between her thumb and forefinger. “Symbolizing charm and grace, but also giving rich-lady vibes.”
I stare down at the card, not wanting to see, but driven by curiosity to rip it open.
“You’re killing me, Hen,” Soledad groans. “Open the card.”
“Oh, yeah, right.” I say it like it’s not the absolute only thing on my mind. I casually slide my fingernail beneath the small flap and extract the card.
Just getting started, Gorgeous.
—Mav
Soledad snatches the card from my nerveless fingers and swiftly stutter-steps from the kitchen counter into the living room.
“Ohhh!” Soledad gasps, her wide eyes pinging from the card to my face and back again. “Mav as in Maverick Bell?”
“The one and only.” I fall onto my sectional, taking emotional support from the familiar cushions.
“I think it’s time for an update.” Soledad sits beside me and tucks one leg beneath her. “The last time we discussed Mr. Bell, he was firmly in the ‘just friends’ category.”
“Yeah, about that.” I fold my lips in and recall the way Maverick sucked them like they were the sweetest delicacy. “So last night, he came into town.”
“Okay.”
“And then we went to the Waffle House.”
“Interesting choice for a man who could buy out Waffle House,” Soledad says. “But continue.”
“And then we came back to my place. Here. And we…”
I bury my face in my hands, cheeks heating not with embarrassment, but with the memory of those moments when I gave myself over to the passion that consumed every rational thought.
“We may have, you know, done some dry-humping.”
“Dry-humping?” Soledad places both feet on the floor and leans forward.
“Is it still considered dry-humping if you come?” I risk a mischievous look at my friend. “’Cause lemme tell you, it was one of the best orgasms of my life .”
“On this couch where I’m sitting?” Soledad leaps to her feet. “Ewww, Hen. I need to disinfect.”
“Girl, sit down.” I grab the belt loop of her jeans and pull her back to the sectional. “There were no fluids released on this couch so calm yourself, Mrs. Mayer.”
“So not just friends, huh?”
“We are. I really want us to be because he…” I swallow and eye the card on the coffee table. “His friendship has come to mean a lot to me. I love talking to him, but it can’t be more than that.”
“Because of Zere?”
My eyes fly up to meet hers. “Of course because of Zere. I mean, maybe she is dating, but I think she’d feel some type of way if anything happened with Maverick and me this soon.”
“And if she wasn’t a factor?”
I don’t even want to speculate about that. I can’t allow myself to entertain any reality where I could give in to this.
“But she is, and I won’t endanger Chapel’s chances, or my chances for that matter, at getting this TV show made. She’s worked hard and she deserves this opportunity.”
“You deserve it, too,” Soledad says softly, “but you are someone who deserves all things, not just one.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, almost afraid to hear her explanation.
“I know you don’t want kids, and that’s fine. I get it. I respect it. I believe it.” Soledad pauses. “But you’ve never said you don’t want a partner.”
“No, because I do. The right partner, not just settling for someone because everyone thinks there’s a clock ticking.” I suck my teeth. “Fuck that. I’m not interested in spending one day with someone not worth my time, much less years.”
“Guess I’m a cautionary tale on wasting years with a trash man, huh?” Soledad looks down at the slim fingers settled serenely in her lap.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Sol.” I reach over and grab her hand. “I know Edward wasn’t like that when you first met. And he hid so much from you for so long.”
I hate the thought of Soledad feeling even an ounce of shame when there’s no woman I admire more, considering all she has achieved and how far she has come on her own.
“Honey, I’m fine,” Soledad laughingly assures me, bringing my knuckle up for a quick kiss. “I got my man now, the right one. And let me tell you, ain’t nothing like the right one.”
I nod my agreement as if I understand, but if I’m honest, no one has ever felt right.
Not until…
No one except…
“Do you remember what you told me when I was about to ruin everything with Judah because I was so hung up on making sure I had my shit all the way sorted and healed before starting another relationship?”
“Vaguely? I mean, obviously it would have been something brilliant and wise because it’s me,” I joke. “But the specifics are hazy.”
“Well, I remember.” Soledad’s already soft expression goes even softer, even sweeter. “You said Judah might seem to be the wrong person for me. I mean, he did send my husband to prison.”
“An act of valor, if you ask me,” I say, and we both laugh.
“So he seemed to be the most wrong person imaginable,” Sol continues, “but you said it sounded like the universe delivered exactly the right one because of how he loved me, understood me.”
“I said that?”
“Sure did, and you know what else you said?”
“Wow, I was really on a roll, huh? What other pearls of wisdom did I drop?”
“You said being whole means acknowledging all our parts. And that there were parts of me that wanted to be held, want to be needed and loved.” She pauses and searches my face. “I know there’s a part of you that wants to be a successful producer, to fulfill those ambitions, but is it at the cost of the other parts? The parts that might want something else? That might want someone ? Will you have to sacrifice those other parts for this one?”
I keep my face smooth, but there is a spinning top in my head, scattering my thoughts with every rotation.
“There was one last thing you said,” Soledad continues softly.
“Well, damn,” I say with a shaky laugh. “Did you record this conversation?”
“No, but I replayed it over and over in my head. It was the nudge I needed to pursue the love of my life, so it stuck with me.”
“What did past Hendrix tell you, in her infinite wisdom?”
“You said don’t throw it away. Give it a chance .”
I absorb the words, an echo of advice I shared that helped my girl make the right move and choose the true love of her life when her trauma and uncertainty made her hesitate.
“I said that?” I ask after a few seconds of silence. Soledad’s smile is too watery and sweet for my taste so I smirk and say, “Chile, and you listened to me ?”
“I’m so glad I did. I didn’t lose my independence or all the things I’d fought to learn about myself when I chose Judah. I was ready for him because of those things.” She leans forward to cover my hand with hers, holding my eyes with the compassion and love in hers. “The right one won’t ask you to give up your dreams, but will care just as much as you do about them.”
Last night, was Maverick asking me to give up my dreams? Or asking to run with me while I chase them?