49. Wren
Saturdays were for sleeping in.
At least, that’s what they should have been for.
In reality, Saturdays were for laundry, housework, paying bills, and buying groceries. In my world, anyway.
I was loading the brown paper bags into the trunk of my car, trying to talk myself out of stopping for an iced oat milk honey latte when my phone rang, the ridiculous ringtone letting me know exactly who it was.
“You’re up early,” I said, and Sabrina groaned down the line.
“Not by choice. But I found myself needing to make a hasty exit this morning,” she said, not a hint of shame in her voice. “It was either that, or breakfast with his mother, and really, who even offers that after a one-night stand?” I smiled, picturing the look of sheer revulsion on her face at the prospect of meeting the parents.
“Sounds like he got attached quickly,” I replied, closing the trunk and returning the cart to the proper place.
Only a monster left their cart in the middle of the parking lot.
As I returned to my car, movement at the far end of the parking lot caught my attention. There was a black SUV parked there, windows dark with tint. It was alone, parked far away from any of the other vehicles, and I could see that the driver’s side window was in the process of being rolled up.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to see who was driving, but between the tint and the glare from the sun on the glass, I couldn’t see a thing.
“Yeah, well, he shouldn’t have,” Sabrina said, her words drawing my attention away from the mystery vehicle. “I laid out my terms before we even got started. I didn’t even mean to fall asleep, but the stupid mama’s boy gave really good dick. Knocked my ass right out.”
“How awful for you,” I deadpanned as I climbed behind the wheel, and Bri snorted in my ear.
“You could be getting good dick, too, you know, if you just opened yourself up to the possibility.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen any time soon, babe.” I had tried dating a little a few years ago. Things went well enough, I guessed, until it came time to talk about the fact that I had a daughter. After the first two guys ran for the hills and the third tried to talk me into the fact that it wasn’t ‘too late to put it up for adoption’ I decided that dating was something I was done with.
Forever.
“It totally is an option. Daniel would be down for plowing your lady garden.”
“Jesus,” I coughed, choking on my own spit. “There’s a visual I absolutely did not need.”
“What? You know he’d be in there like a dirty shirt. The guy has been nipping at your heels for years now. Maybe it’s time you gave him a taste.”
“Sabrina, no. Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“You know why. We’ve talked about this. Repeatedly.”
“I mean, fine. So he’s your boss. So what? That doesn’t mean you can’t sleep together occasionally.”
“That’s exactly what it means,” I insisted, starting the car and placing the phone on speaker before heading for the house.
“I’ve slept with plenty of my bosses,” she continued, as though I hadn’t spoken.
“And how have those situations all worked out?” I waited while she paused, trying to think of one instance where her fucking her boss didn’t result in the end of her employment.
“But how much do you even like your job?” she asked instead.
“It’s not about whether I like my job—which I do, by the way. It’s about whether I like paying my bills and feeding my kid.”
“How is the little gremlin today anyway? Still surly?”
“You know it,” I sighed.
“That’s my girl. Fuck, I miss her like crazy. You, too, you know? When are you girls gonna come visit me again?”
Sabrina lived in St. Paul, three hours away, and missing her was like missing a limb. But there wasn’t a ton of work for an interior designer in Grand Rapids.
“Cooper is right in the middle of volleyball season,” I explained, knowing Sabrina would get it. Cooper was always an active kid, never wanting to sit still, and of all the sports she played, volleyball was her favorite.
“Fine,” she moaned dramatically. “Summer vacation is coming up. Why don’t you talk to your boss who you definitely don’t want to fuck and see if you can get some time off. Maybe we can make a week of it. Do some shopping, get our nails done.”
“Yeah?” I asked, mentally calculating what that kind of time off would cost me. “I’ll see if I can swing it. Even if I can’t make it, you and Cooper could still do it. She loves spending time with her Auntie Sabrina.”
“Of course, she does. I’m the best.”
She really was. Sabrina had been there for me when my life had been the absolute hardest, standing by my side for every significant moment in my life and in Cooper’s. Now that things were more settled, she’d finally gone out into the world to pursue her own dreams, and I was so damn proud of her I could hardly stand it.
Didn’t mean I didn’t miss her, though. Or that I wasn’t just the smallest bit jealous that she’d been able to escape this town like we’d always wanted to when I hadn’t.
As I crossed the bridge, the river sparkling in the afternoon sun, I glanced up in the mirror, seeing that same black SUV a few car lengths behind me.
“But don’t think I am not recognizing the fact that you smoothly took yourself out of the equation there, woman,” Sabrina continued, oblivious to the fact that I was watching the SUV in the mirror, trying to decide if I was being paranoid or if it was actually following me. “You deserve a break, too, Wren.”
“I know, and I’ll take one. Eventually. But the washing machine’s been acting up and Cooper has blown through another pair of tennis shoes, so it’s going to have to be a little longer until I take any time off, alright?”
Sabrina sighed, but eventually relented, understanding after all this time that I wasn’t going to bend.
Cooper came first. Always.
“Alright, well, I’m going to take a shower. I need to wash off the scent of poor choices and spend some time with Netflix and my Lelo. Have a great day, babe. Kiss my girl for me.”
“I will. Don’t work too hard,” I teased before ending the call.
I continued to drive toward my house, checking the mirror occasionally and seeing the SUV was still there, although it was farther back now. Deciding that if it was actually following me, leading it directly to my house probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Instead, I took a quick right turn, pulling my sedan into the parking lot of the police station. Stopping my car right outside the doors, I turned my head and watched as the SUV kept going, noticeably slowing down as it passed me, and then continuing on, picking up the pace and almost speeding off.
Sitting in the parking lot, I exhaled, my fingers tingling a little as I caught my breath. It was stupid to think that the SUV had been following me. I was driving down the busiest road in town, the one that connected the north side to the south and intersected with both major east and west highways. Of course, it wasn’t following me. I was being ridiculous.
But as I pulled out of the police station, my head turning right and left a few times before making my way into traffic, I still took a few extra turns before finally going back to my house.
Because even though it had been years since we’d been threatened, I was still not willing to take any chances.