Chapter 9
NINE
Saturn
“Are you sure you’re good with keeping Sparky?”
“Yes. At this point, he’s mine just as much as he is yours. I think I’ve been a good dog mom since he’s been around,” I admitted.
Mccoy was getting ready to head out to some part of Kentucky I’d never heard of.
He found a car he couldn’t pass up and was now making a last-minute trip.
I didn’t know much about Kentucky, but I knew there were certain areas Mccoy didn’t need to be in after the sun went down.
The only thing that gave me peace was knowing Justin was going with him.
The two of them had their concealed carry licenses, but I was still worried.
“I’m just making sure, baby. Having a dog is like having a child and I feel like I’ve been asking you to keep him a lot. I’m not trying to take advantage of your help.”
“I know that. That’s why I don’t mind. He’s good company anyway. I think my mom is gonna want to hold him hostage though,” I stated as I rubbed Sparky’s back.
Tonight, my parents were forcing my sister and I to come over for dinner. In their defense, it had been a while since I stopped by to see them. They came to the shop when they had time, but even that hadn’t happened lately.
“Mrs. Baker likes dogs?”
“Hell yes! She’s where I got my love for animals. Growing up, we always had a dog or cat running around. The only reason they don’t have any pets now is because my mom hasn’t found a dog she wants,” I shared.
“You should take her to where I got Sparky from. They had a lot of new puppies there. What do you wanna do tomorrow? I wanna make your first weekend off one to remember.”
Sighing, I leaned back against my pillows and thought about how freeing it felt to have a couple days off.
For the past couple months, Sapphire had been going above and beyond.
She took good care of the store when I had to step out to handle things and she’d also proven she could handle herself in the middle of a rush.
To give her a little more responsibility, I’d been allowing her to open and close the store without me.
My anxiety had been through the roof the first couple times Sapphire ran the store without me, but I’d come in and everything was still in one piece.
One day last week, I’d gotten so burned out that I was snappy with everyone left and right.
I was annoyed with people and needed a break.
That same night, Mccoy and I got into our first altercation.
He ended up going home and I felt so bad that I was knocking at his door not even an hour later.
We talked things out and he suggested that I start taking days off.
Normally, I would’ve gone back and forth with him, but I had no fight.
Mentally, I knew I needed to step away more often than.
I couldn’t expect to run a successful business if my mind wasn’t right.
Surprisingly, I had been looking forward to having the time off all week. I even let Sapphire have today off so she wouldn’t feel overworked.
“I was thinking we could start the day off with a nice breakfast. Then maybe go to the movies since I haven’t been in forever. After that, we can do whatever but I wanna end the day with a nice steak for dinner,” I revealed.
“Okay. You want breakfast and dinner cooked?” Mccoy asked as he pulled his T-shirt down his muscular frame.
“Let’s go out. We cook every day.”
“I got you, baby. You want me to come back over here when I get back tonight?”
“Yes. I’ll still be up by the time you get back.”
Approaching me, Mccoy leaned over and kissed my neck and lips before whispering in my ear.
“I miss you already, beautiful. If I didn’t have to make this trip, I’d be laid under you right now. I’ll call you to check in, but I promise I’m coming right back to you,” he let me know.
Nodding, I turned my head and kissed him back until he pulled away.
Since we started having sex, my feelings for Mccoy had deepened.
The little things he did, like sending good morning texts, were now things I looked forward to.
I knew I was falling in love, but the feeling being mutual made it even better.
“I’ll be here. Now go, so you can get back.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Not even ten minutes later, Mccoy left out the front door.
I missed his presence already and I’d be sure to ride with him on the next trip.
I had a few hours to burn until I had to be at my parents’ house, so I grabbed my laptop and started looking up information about Pleasant Springs University.
Although I wouldn’t be attending for a while, I figured there was no harm in doing my research.
I’d been told that having credits transferred and all the paperwork that came with being a transfer student could be a hassle.
As I looked through the list of prerequisite classes, I made a mental checklist of all the ones I’d taken already.
I was damn near at the finish line, which excited me even more.
Before exiting the school’s website, I put my email address and phone number in for them to keep me updated.
Once I was out of bed, I went to my closet and pulled out a pair of black leggings and a brown fitted T-shirt.
It didn’t take me long to shower and do my skin routine.
My hair was in a fresh flexirods set, leaving me to only have to clean up my edges.
As I concentrated on laying my baby hair just right, my phone rang.
I had to stop what I was doing to make sure I was reading the name right.
We hadn’t talked in so long that it felt awkward she was even calling.
“Hello?” I answered hesitantly.
“Saturn? Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. How are you?”
“I’m doing good, girl. What about you? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you, so I wanted to call and see how you were doing,” my once best friend stated.
Ava and I left off on indifferent terms. I hadn’t seen her since my grandmother’s funeral and didn’t care to keep up with the friendship after that.
Since I hadn’t tried to reach out to her, I decided to put my feelings to the side and hear her out.
If Ava was really calling to check on me, she would’ve done it long before today.
The real reason for her call would eventually come out.
“I’ve been okay. Running the shop, but that’s about it. What about you? How’s Cali life?”
“It’s getting old. I never thought I’d say this but I miss home. Cali is getting more expensive by the day and I’m just over it.”
“What kind of work are you doing now?”
“I’m still vlogging, but my engagement is decreasing, which isn’t a good thing. I’ve done several different unboxing hauls in the last few months and it’s like nothing is sticking.”
“What are you unboxing?” I questioned curiously.
“Purses from Fishers and Angels.”
“Well, that might be the problem. Your content might be becoming unrelatable. Think about it, what percentage of your target audience can actually afford those types of things? You have to take things like that into consideration. I’m not saying it’s not nice to have, but I think you should showcase more items within their reach,” I suggested.
Fishers and Angels was a high-end luxury store, equivalent to Hermes, and that was where the problem lied.
The average working-class person didn’t have thousands of disposable dollars to drop on a purse.
I wasn’t an expert in content creation, but I knew from a consumer standpoint I wouldn’t follow people I couldn’t relate to.
“One of my homegirls told me the same thing. I just thought all women loved to see unboxings of that type of stuff. Back to the drawing board I go,” she sighed.
“It happens. I’m going through a rebrand with the shop myself, so I understand how it feels to start from scratch. You just need a fresh mind with some fresh ideas and you’ll be fine.”
“I know. I’ve been thinking about moving back home, Saturn. I’m frustrated and just feel alone.”
When Ava’s voice cracked, sniffles followed and I was at a loss for words. Honestly, I was almost shocked this was happening right now. Ava used to make it seem like Cali was so much better than Pleasant Springs.
“What’s going on, Ava? Like, what’s really going on?”
“It’s my parents. They… they’re going through a rough patch right now and it’s killing me.
My mom was able to get our house back in Pleasant Springs, so I’m thinking about moving back with her.
Then… People are just different. When I first came out here, I had so many friends and was invited to so many parties that I couldn’t keep up.
Now, I feel like I don’t have anyone. I don’t know if you remember the guy Chris I was telling you about, but even he turned out to be no good.
Four years of my life down the drain for a fuckin’ cheater! ” she spat angrily.
“I’m sorry, girl. I had no idea you were going through so much.”
“Don’t apologize, Saturn. You did nothing wrong.
After the way I acted the last time I saw you, I don’t blame you for not keeping in contact with me.
I should be the one issuing an apology. I’m sorry for not being there the way you needed me when Grandma May passed away.
My head was stuck so far up my own ass that I didn’t care how selfish I was being,” Ava stated through sniffles.
My heart truly went out to Ava and everything she was going through. I had to admit I felt much better now that she’d apologized for her shortcomings. I wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but I always tried my best to be selfless when my friends needed me.
“It’s cool, Ava. I appreciate your apology, but we don’t have to get into all of that right now. You’re going through enough and the last thing I want you to do is stress over something neither of us can change. I’m still here whenever you need me.”