Chapter 1 #3
I nodded, grateful for my mother’s input.
She never steered me wrong and was somehow always right.
She and I talked for a while longer about nothing really in particular, but everything at the same time.
That’s just how we were though, professional babblers.
I left her place around eight, driving right past my father’s home on the opposite side of the compound.
They were married but lived separate lives in separate homes.
Their marriage was arranged, but for them it was never a happily ever after.
Per my mother, she tried to love my father, but he was a spineless, cheating bastard…
all her words. Either way it never made me look at her in any type of way, given I knew who my father was and what he did.
We weren’t the closest, but I loved him.
That didn’t mean I didn’t know about the women my age he frequently spent time with or the things he was into.
I steered clear of him when I could, and that was pretty often given I never really saw him.
My relationship with my father also hit an all-time low when he tried to cast out my brother.
Charles always thought he was superior, like he should have been looked up to and worshiped, never mind the fact that he too was human, just like all of us.
I made it into the city from Bluffwood with fifteen minutes to spare, so my first stop was this little café right up the block from my shop.
It was called Coco’s and it was the cutest. I always said one day I was gonna take my laptop and do some work at one of their free tables, but I had never gotten around to it.
I was always busy or going somewhere, just like right now.
After securing my hazelnut macchiato with two extra shots of espresso, I rushed to my shop. No part of me could exist without my extra coffee, given I didn’t really sleep. When I did, I took cat naps. Caffeine kept me sane and going, even when I would have rather stayed in my bed most days.
The vibrating of my cellphone interrupted my thoughts, prompting me to pull it from my back pocket after I’d set my purse and things on the desk in front of me. I had a message from my client, asking if we could reschedule her appointment.
I shook my head, irritated because I could have definitely stayed my ass in bed instead of rushing here. Deciding not to respond, I set the phone down and feasted my eyes on the black, sequined, form-fitting gown that had been waiting on this woman to come in for her final fitting.
I was annoyed. She was a good client, but her time management and ability to care about the time of others was shitty.
Like what was wrong with telling me last night she wouldn’t make it this morning?
Moments like this made me question my profession.
For someone who didn’t like people, I damn sure had a profession that depended on them.
But damn, even as a young girl I always played dress up, always took apart the pieces of my dresses and made them into what I wanted with my little sewing machine.
I loved what I did, even though people were less than favorable.
Since I was early, I decided to work on something I had been putting off.
It was a wedding dress idea I had in the middle of the night.
Why, I didn’t know, especially since I wasn’t getting married any time soon and neither were any of my friends.
Then there was the one who was already married.
Nope, no wedding dress needed over there.
I circled it, my eyes taking in every intricate piece. Who was I kidding, how could this dress be for anyone but me when it was my size? God, who was I supposed to marry?
My phone began ringing again, making me look down at the screen. This time it was my brother calling. That was a call I wouldn’t miss, considering Kolton was my everything besides my mother.
“Yes, Kol,” I answered, standing to my feet from the shelf I had been searching for pins through.
“Don’t be talking to me like that, like I’m fucking bothering you.”
I laughed. “How do you know you aren’t? And what can I do for you, brother?”
He laughed. “Shit, nothing. I was calling to check on you. I heard you were at Ma’s house today. You got something you wanna talk about?”
“Why does it have to be something I want to talk about? It could just be me wanting to see our mother.”
“’Cause I know you, Kars. And I’m your brother. You got to Mommy’s house for solace and a place to hide. Now, come through. I got you for a meal and something to drink, maybe.”
I smiled. “I’m at the shop. I’ll stop by later.”
“Aight, let me know, and another thing. Stop sending me money.”
Laughter escaped my chest. “Stop telling me what to do with my money, Kolton. How I spend it is my business. You’re my little brother, so if I feel like you need it, I’m gonna give it to you.”
“By two fucking minutes, Karsyn. Cool that little shit.”
I cackled. We were twins, but nobody knew that. Not because it was a secret but because neither he nor I broadcasted it. “I still came out two minutes before you, so shush.”
“I said what I said, and I’ma let you get back to business, but you got about two days before I come to you.”
“I hear you and I love you too. I’ll be your way at some point this week,” I assured him.
“Mhmm.”
After my phone call ended with my brother, I attempted to go back to the dress that took up more space in my brain than a little bit.
Before I could even make it back there, I had yet another call coming through, but this one I was tempted not to answer.
It was from none other than Posydiann. I answered though because he had this nasty habit of showing up when I didn’t.
I sighed, answering the phone on speaker. “Yeah, Psy.”