Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
“Sandra, how many more appointments and deliveries do we have to make before we can call it a night?” Evie asked her assistant as Sandra Weber handed Evie her cappuccino from Sugar Bites Bakery.
The amaretto cappuccino had her damn near foaming at the mouth; it smelled so good.
But the shit was piping hot, so she had to force herself to leave the addictive drink alone before she burned her tongue and couldn't enjoy the drink or sucking dick and tongue kissing like she preferred.
“Let’s see,” Sandra placed the box of donuts on the back seat and grabbed her iPad from the center console.
After unlocking her iPad, she scanned the calendar and clicked on today’s date.
“The formal dress you just did for Ms. Kaye is our next appointment. We just have six more deliveries and—I’m sorry, seven including the emergency delivery for Paula, and then we’ll be done for the day. ”
“Perfect! That’s what I like to hear. We’ll be done with all that in no time.” Evie said excitedly as she backed out of the parking space and drove toward the parking lot exit. As she merged into traffic, her thoughts drifted to what she was going to have for dinner.
“Yeah,” Sandra agreed. “Since we set a system in place for deliveries and you came up with the idea to go mobile and let the customers know that you were extremely strict with mobile appointments, we’ve been able to take more orders as well as get double the workload done.”
“True,” Evie agreed with a smile. “Those changes were needed and have been a lifesaver in making my business run so much more effectively. But none of my plans would’ve worked without you and the crew.
Y’all helped bring my visions to life. I love ya down bad.
Ya really work ya asses off for me, especially you.
I know I tell you all the time, but I couldn’t ask for a better, more awesome assistant. ”
“You do, and I appreciate the praise, but I couldn’t have asked for a better boss to work for.
There are so many female bosses, managers, and supervisors who don’t care how they treat the women who work for them.
It's even more disheartening when it's our own kind doing it to us.
You do a lot of good; you're gonna always get back tenfold.
So thank you for respecting me, knowing my worth, and though firm, you're fair.
And most of all, you care. So the way I see it, you're pretty awesome too, boss.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Evie said as they pulled up to the next drop-off address on their roster. “You ready to knock the rest of these deliveries and alterations out the park, Sandra?” Evie asked before she took a few sips of her cappuccino.
“You know I stay ready; let’s do this.”
Evie chuckled as they exited her van and headed up to the home of the next customer.
Now, if I could just get my gotdamn personal life in order, I’d be on cloud fucking nine.
Despite her personal life being in shambles, Evie was so proud of herself for finally following her own path professionally after years of pacifying her parents.
Well, mostly her father. Like him, she went straight to college to study dentistry to become a dentist. Though the profession was never in her heart, she excelled, graduated with honors, and followed in his footsteps.
She worked under her father and even ran her own office for a while.
While her father was happy, she couldn’t fathom continuing to live for her father.
So, three years ago, she quit, and it was the best day of her life.
Her father, on the other hand, was beyond distraught and heartbroken, and he even stopped talking to her for a while.
Though he’s since apologized, it was pretty much a backhanded joke because he still had something smart to say to her every time he decided to speak.
He got downright disrespectful when he found out through her mother that she’d decided to pull out her grandmother’s old sewing machine and supplies and use it to make a living.
One that her father wasn't at all happy about. Nor the fact that she was able to do it effortlessly because the money she’d saved up while being a dentist was footing the bill for her dreams. Her father hated the day his mother ever taught her how to sew and encouraged and nurtured her talent for drawing.
Not only had those skills been literally making her money since high school and were where her true passion lay, but they were also what she loved more than dentistry.
And how she had become the proud owner of Buttons, Bows & Threads, a mobile alterations and garment delivery service.
While she still accepted appointments for the various services she offered at her small brick-and-mortar location from ten to six, a big chunk of her operation was mobile, and she loved her job.
When she finally made it home just after seven thirty, she kicked off her kicks, stripped, poured herself a glass of water, and headed straight for the shower.
Along the way, faint traces of Norie’s cologne lingered in the air, causing her cheeks to hike up into a big grin.
She slowed her steps just to bask in it a bit longer.
Norie always smelled so damn good. A mix of citrus and woodsy scent with a hint of sweetness.
Evie hated that he drove her crazy and couldn’t stand him, yet she was still so very deep in love with him.
As she turned on the shower, her thoughts returned to the other day when she dropped by his crib to curse his ass out.
Her pussy was soaking itself the minute she’d laid eyes on him.
He’d had that effect on her for a long time, and she still hasn’t been able to shake that shit.
Forty-five minutes later, she was stepping out of the shower when a text came through from her bestie.
Evie, the fabric you ordered for my suit finally arrived. You want me to bring it to you when I get off, or are you coming by?
I’ll come by tonight after my date.
Bitch how you got a date when you got a nigga?
Don’t do that, you know I’m breaking up with Owen as soon as he gets back in town. And I’m just out here getting to know niggas and exploring all the options available to me.
Uh huh, and when do you plan on telling Norie about all this option-exploring you doing and that you got a man?
Kam, quit playing with me. Fuck Norie. He had his chance, and he fucked up. He don’t need to know my business. He’s the one who keeps sniffing around me. I’on owe him shit. I’m over him.
Evie, what I tell yo’ ass about doing all that damn lying? Your delusional ass know you ain’t nowhere near over that man.
Yes I am. And see if my delusional ass make them suits then, since you wanna talk shit.
But I love you tho, Evie. Delusional and all.
Lmao. Bye trick. Ttyl.
Bye bestie.
Smiling, Evie tossed the phone aside, moisturized her body, slipped into a robe and slippers, and went into the kitchen.
After washing her hands, she made a pitcher of sangria, placed her gumbo on the stove, and popped a strawberry donut into her mouth that she had left over from Sugar Bites.
Thoughts of Norie floated through her mind again, which annoyed her to no end.
She was so over his shit, but she'd be lying if she said he didn’t still have a place in her heart.
The last four years had been a fucking emotional ass roller coaster, even though she managed to keep it together in Norie’s presence.
Well, for the most part. Kind of. There were a few steamy kisses and close fucking calls back then.
Especially when one of them provoked the other, and it backfired.
The sexual tension on game nights, family gatherings, and holidays stayed at an all-time high real bad for the first three years.
But last year had been pretty mellow for the most part.
This year had been pretty calm, too, up until that damn paint and sip party.
Before that, whenever Norie and Evie were around each other, they spoke but kept it moving.
And more times than not, one or both of them brought dates to the gatherings to act as a buffer to prevent slip-ups of any kind.
But not even their dates could’ve saved them from that heated ass bathroom fuck.
Evie was still genuinely hurt that Norie had remained upset with her for so long just for keeping Kamryn’s secret, but she would forever stand ten toes down behind her beliefs and her friend.
And that was one thing that would never change.
Evie remembered failing to move on with her life so many times when the shit first hit the fan, ‘til she wondered if fate was fucking with her because of something she’d done in another lifetime.
But it was because she never had the room to heal that prevented her from truly moving on.
Moving on still felt damn near impossible to her now.
Which is what she believed led her to doing stupid shit, like bussin’ her pussy wide open on Norie’s dick when she knew that she should’ve run from that big muthafucka instead.
At this point, Evie was really starting to wonder if she had some kinda mental illness because he constantly drove her crazy, yet she couldn’t fucking stay away from him.
But truth be told, she was just exhausted with it all.
Evie just wanted her happily ever after already, whether Norie would be the Prince in her fairytale or not.
Shaking away the painful memories, Evie heated her gumbo she’d made a few nights ago, poured herself a glass of mango and peach sangria, and headed to the sofa to settle in to watch Stranger Things.
After powering on her television, Evie reached for her dinner and tried, as best she could, to numb her blues.