Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
Brandy Noel
I SPENT THE NEXT COUPLE weeks focusing on my new location. It was in Desoto, Texas, about fifteen minutes south of downtown Dallas. It was a nice, family-focused area, and if I didn’t plan on hightailing it to Colton, I’d be looking at houses out this way.
I picked up a cute storefront in a shopping center that sat right off the highway.
The shopping center already had a gym, a grocery store, nail shop, pawn shop, and even a mechanic you could pull up on.
A couple of fast-food places were directly off the highway and as soon as you turned in you would see my spot , Yoga Me Plenty .
It sat between a beauty supply store and a restaurant. Five doors down were the gym.
I’d already gotten happy welcomes from the businesses in the center, had my walk through with the contractor so I could tear down and build up a couple of walls, and gone through the building inspection since I got a few outlets installed through the space and extra lighting.
Stella was my go-to for all graphics and advertising because she already did them for her realty business.
She helped me secure this spot and my other two locations as well.
She had a good eye and would give me extreme detail on what needed to be done or what I would be spending at the end of it all.
Marsha and I were in the middle of painting an accent wall when Stella unlocked the main door and walked in. That made Marsha jump and splash paint right on my chest.
“Shit,” I grumbled.
“My bad. My bad. I didn’t expect her to have a damn key. You know my nerves be real bad,” Marsha replied.
Stella laughed and put her hands up in mock surrender.
“Bish, I come in peace, and I grabbed y’all something from Gator Pit too.”
She just had to mention my favorite BBQ spot in the neighboring city of Lancaster. It was a true gem. Their BBQ fell off the bones, and baby, we were about to eat good.
We made our way to the back. I made sure we had a breakroom with a huge fridge, Keurig machine, and three tables with chairs, a private bathroom for employees, and my office with an en suite. Another door led to the back of the building, but I wouldn’t be using it.
I made sure we had something heavy blocking it too. Since Jeffrey knew I was out this way, I had to make sure he didn’t mess with my business. It didn’t matter if he hadn’t been heard from or not. He always showed up when he was good and ready. I had to make sure I was prepared.
“Okay boo, you definitely turned this place around,” Stella said as she looked every which way. “It looks really good.”
“Thanks, boo. Marsha’s been in her bag with this. I let her take creative control,” I replied.
“Okay, Big Marsha! Not the little one, ahh!” Stella said, shimmying and sticking her tongue out like she was Megan Thee Stallion. Marsha joined in the dance and I shook my head as I grabbed paper plates and a roll of paper towels.
Stella placed the bag down then took the contents out. She handed me two containers and the same to Marsha. I waited for Stella to pull out her food and she only pulled out a little side dish of mac and cheese. Marsha looked at me then back to Stella with a raised brow.
“Bish I know you didn’t eat without us,” Marsha said.
“Man, I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten today and by the time I walked out of there, my stomach was in my damn throat. My bad. It was only a pulled pork sandwich. I didn’t want to get anything too heavy because I have an open house later,” Stella explained.
“Mmhmm. You still want me and bae to come through and act like we’re interested? Shit be fun lowkey,” Marsha said as she opened her container.
“Did you lock the door?” I asked Stella. She nodded, then I went back to my food.
I opened the collards and went in. Like Stella, I hadn’t eaten much of anything today.
I didn’t want to get behind on painting.
I had furniture being delivered for the waiting area and needed these walls dry.
I could afford painters but what was the fun in that?
I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty to make my vision come true.
“Yes, can y’all please? Seems like these clients like to think someone else is going to take their dream home,” Stella replied.
She was surely right about that because I was one of them. I got really upset when someone tried to take my first location in South Carolina. They had me effed up. I put in an offer they couldn’t match on purpose and got my spot. Same with this location. I was great at negotiations.
“I got you, boo. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, Brandy, are you ready for your trip? You’ve only been cancelling it for like three weeks now,” Marsha asked.
“I was ready when I booked it, but now that we’ve been working on this spot, I hadn’t really thought about it. I know I need to go though.”
“Yeah, before Chardonnay comes here and drags your ass out there,” Stella said with a mouth full of food.
“I’m not canceling this time. Marsha and Mary already made sure I wouldn’t. Mary is going to take over the classes up top and Marsha is gonna bring big bro in to help finish the renovations here. Only thing I have left is packing and checking in,” I explained.
“Okay! I see you, boo. I really think it’ll be good for you. All that fresh country unpolluted air, the scenery, the animals, the lake. Ugh, it’s a dream,” Stella said.
“Did Colton just make you come bish?” Marsha asked playfully.
“Hoe, shut up!” Stella said as she threw a plastic spoon at her.
I laughed and shook my head. Those two always kept my spirits high. I always smiled hard with my girls.
“Oh Stella, how much for the food? I’ma Zelle you right quick,” I said while pulling out my cell phone.
I took another bite of my collards then drank a couple sips of water as I went to open my app. When I finally logged in, I choked on my water.
“Bish, are you okay?” Marsha asked as she rubbed and patted my back.
It took me a little bit to get my throat together and by the time I looked at my friends they were both full of concern.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” I coughed a couple times then wiped my mouth with a paper towel.
“What’s got you choking and shit? I thought you ain’t have no gag reflex,” Marsha said, then burst into laughter from her own half joke.
“Bish I don’t,” I replied, then rolled my eyes. “I just damn near dropped this phone from what I just saw in my bank account.”
“What you mean? Did Jeffrey get access to your funds again? Shit, let me go ahead and drop you something. Don’t worry about the food, boo,” Stella said. She was always so caring, but this was one time I could say she was dead wrong.
“No, boo. You don’t need to do that cuz I just got a deposit in my account for twenty Gs,” I said.
“What?!” they both said excitedly.
“Yes, girl.”
“Armond dropped money in your account?” Marsha asked.
“Technically. It’s a return deposit from the resort. They gave me back everything we spent for our trip, including the flight costs,” I replied.
“Girrllll, go call that man and tell him you gon’ suck his balls 'til his toes curl,” Marsha said.
“Bish.” I laughed. I could never take her ass seriously. “I’m gonna do more than that. I haven’t seen him in a couple weeks. I miss that sexy ass man.”
“Y’all cute or whatever but I would’ve been hit Stella up and said ride this coochie, bish! Two weeks is too long for me.” Marsha laughed.
“Uh huh and that’s why your ass got twins right now with your horny ass,” Stella said.
I finished off my greens then pulled out the sweet potatoes and ribs. I’d call Armond after I ate this food. I was hungry. Normally, I didn’t eat any red meat during the week. I saved it for the weekend, but I wasn’t about to turn down anything Stella brought for me today.
“That’s beef by the way, no pork,” Stella said as I opened the container. I was slightly disappointed in that statement. They had the best pork ribs. “They ran out, my bad. I didn’t want to wait another twenty minutes when I’d already been waiting that long to begin with.”
“Girl, no need to explain. I’ll be okay. It is after their lunch rush,” I replied.
“True. True.”
I played with my phone and sent both of my girls some money since Armond was so generous to me today.
I was just waiting for them to realize I’d done it.
While I waited, I smashed my food. Marsha was talking about how good her sandwich was and Stella was responding to an email from what I could see.
“Bish!” Marsha squealed. “I know you didn’t just send me five racks! And no, I ain’t gonna deny it this time. Thank you, boo!”
She wrapped her arm around me and squeezed tightly. I laughed and looked at Stella. She closed her email and her phone dinged. Her eyes ballooned like she didn’t hear Marsha’s reaction. Stella looked at me and nodded.
“You a real one,” Stella said. She got up and hugged me then put a sloppy kiss on my cheek.
“Eww bish, get off me.” I laughed. “You’re welcome.”
I sent Stella seven grand. That was her favorite number and she’d been helping me a lot over these last couple of years with my business. Why not splurge just a little on my day one?
I paid Marsha’s mortgage for three months just the other day.
She didn’t know it yet, but I knew she was gonna be crying them ugly tears when she found out.
She was a stay-at-home mom who was always down to help me in any way.
I had to help her family out even if they didn’t need it.
Her husband Dillan was stressed the hell out.
“D is going to flip!” Marsha said as she shimmied in her seat.
“That’s for you. Not the house. Keep that. You know I got you otherwise,” I stated.
Tears formed in her eyes and I quickly swiped her cheek after the first drop fell. She grabbed my hand and kissed it.
“You don’t know how much that meant to me just now,” she replied.