Chapter One #2
Maybe that was another reason that Noelle was good at this particular side hustle.
She knew how loneliness could house itself inside your body and sit on top of your heart.
Even six years later, she still vividly remembered the emptiness she felt as she’d packed up her junior year dorm room, knowing full well that losing her scholarship meant that she wouldn’t be able to return to UMD to finish her senior year.
Her ex, CJ, hadn’t bothered to say goodbye to her, even though he was the reason she’d gotten into trouble and lost her scholarship in the first place.
But then again, the only person she could truly blame was herself. No one had told her to get mixed up with him and jeopardize her future.
As Noelle stepped outside onto the sidewalk, a group of girls walked by, laughing among themselves as they marched on in their high heels.
It was early July, and the air was hot and muggy.
People were out and about, enjoying summer.
Noelle couldn’t remember when she’d last taken time off to do anything that remotely resembled summer fun.
Unless she counted the afternoon last August when she’d gone to that run-down indoor water park with Tati, and middle school boys had catcalled them while they’d floated down the lazy river.
Noelle lived in New Jersey, a state lined with beaches, but she hadn’t been to the shore in almost three years. Working and saving every bit of money to go back to school was more important.
Her phone vibrated with an alert that her car ride was four minutes away.
At the same time, she heard the karaoke bar entrance door open and close behind her.
She turned around and came face-to-face with one of Justin’s groomsmen, Brian.
He was medium height with light brown skin, and he must have come to their outing straight from work, because he was still wearing a suit, although he’d ditched his tie and unfastened the top buttons of his shirt.
Noelle had noticed Brian looking at her across the table at dinner, and upstairs during karaoke, he’d sat unnecessarily close to her on the couch, “accidentally” brushing his hand across her thigh as he’d reached for his drink.
In her line of side hustle, Noelle was often hit on by drunk guests who were excited to see a new face in their familiar ecosystem.
But she held firm on maintaining boundaries with her clients and their loved ones.
It was the only way to keep things professional.
And on a personal level, she had no interest in dating right now.
Why willingly give away what little time and energy she had to someone who more than likely wouldn’t bother meeting her halfway?
She’d learned the hard way not to set herself up for disappointment in that regard.
“You dipped without saying goodbye,” Brian said as he approached her with a lazy smile. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyelids drooped. He was drunk, obviously. “Broke my heart a little.”
Noelle forced a smile. If Tati were here, she would have told Brian to fuck off without thinking twice.
But Noelle hadn’t been hired for an Ultimate Best Friend package in a while.
It had been an unusually slow summer for Bridal Bestie.
Last summer, Noelle had worked at least two weddings a month.
This summer, she’d worked one wedding in May, and the wedding she’d been assigned to in June had been called off at the last minute because the wedding planner had discovered that the venue was hiding a black mold infestation.
Noelle had zero weddings lined up for July and August. Weddings were just too expensive now.
People were opting to get married at the courthouse or to elope abroad.
Noelle needed this gig with Sheree. It was good money, and she didn’t want to screw up her payday by cursing out one of the groom’s best friends.
“Yeah, I’m just tired,” she said, stepping toward the street and putting space between herself and Brian. “I’m heading home now.”
He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll stand out here with you. This city’s dangerous. Somebody might try to snatch your pretty self up.”
He winked. Noelle fought the urge to grimace.
Most days, she wore a Hidden Gems Books T-shirt and a pair of jeans and sneakers.
When she wasn’t working, she wore whatever clothes she bought off the sale rack.
For her Bridal Bestie gigs, with the exception of the bridesmaid dresses that were provided for her, she borrowed cute clothes from Tati.
Like the sleeveless navy blue bodysuit, high-rise barrel jeans, and silver Mary Janes that she wore tonight.
A few days ago, when Tati had last been home, she’d styled Noelle’s hair in goddess braids that fell down her back, which Noelle wore loose.
All this to say, Noelle was aware that she looked nicer than usual tonight.
And because of her five-foot-three-inch height, she was also aware that people sometimes assumed she couldn’t take care of herself.
But she didn’t leave the house without pepper spray in her purse and she wasn’t afraid to use it.
“That’s nice of you,” she said. “But I’m okay, really.”
If Brian heard her response, he pretended not to. “You mentioned at dinner that you work in Jersey City,” he said.
Noelle nodded, eyes on the rideshare app. The car was two minutes away.
“I live in Bayonne,” Brian said. “We should get together and chill some time.”
Damn, was he really gonna make her say it? Fine. Better to get this over with now rather than wait until the wedding in a couple months when he inevitably cornered her again.
“Actually, I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said.
He blinked and huffed out a surprised chuckle. “No? Why not?”
She was saved from having to answer him as her phone vibrated in her palm. Her rideshare car turned and drove down the street toward them.
“Oh, look, my ride’s here. It was nice to meet you, Brian. Have a good night!”
She double-checked the car’s license plate and verified that the driver was there to pick her up before diving into the back seat.
“Can I get your number?!” she heard Brian call as the car pulled away.
She let out a grateful sigh of relief and sank deeper into the back seat. It wasn’t until they were driving through the Holland Tunnel that she realized she’d left her old leather jacket on Sheree’s shoulders.
It was too late to turn back now. She sent a quick text to Sheree about finding a time to meet up soon to get her jacket back.
Of course! I’ll bring it to you asap! came Sheree’s immediate reply. Thanks again for working with me.
Noelle’s phone chimed again with an email from Bridal Bestie, confirming that Sheree had paid for tonight.
Seven hundred and fifty dollars. Amazing.
Of course, the agency deducted their 20 percent commission.
So Noelle took home six hundred dollars.
It was the one hang-up she had about Bridal Bestie.
Imagine if she was able to keep the entire fee for herself?
She could do this work on her own, but she liked the legitimacy that the agency provided.
By the time this agreement ended in September, Sheree would have paid a total of two thousand dollars, with sixteen hundred dollars going to Noelle.
It all put Noelle one step closer to obtaining her bachelor’s degree, and after she graduated, she planned to apply to grad school to get her master’s in library and information science.
During her first go-round at college, Noelle had spent more time chasing after her ex-boyfriend than she had contemplating her future.
Amid one of the toughest times in her life, the library had provided solace and had helped her discover a newfound love of reading.
She knew that her goal of becoming a librarian would put her in even more student loan debt, but after six years of zigzags and unexpected detours, at twenty-seven years old, she had discovered her calling.
And she wasn’t going to give up on herself now.
Noelle hung her keys on the hook by the door and slipped off her shoes as she stepped inside the apartment that she shared with Tati in Brickton, a small town in North Jersey, about a fifteen-minute drive from Jersey City.
She and Tati had lived in their apartment for almost three years.
The building was only a few blocks away from the apartment building they’d grown up in.
Noelle and her mom had lived on the floor above Tati’s family.
Now Noelle’s mom, Portia, lived in South Carolina with her husband, Bill.
They were both middle school teachers who’d met on a dating site four years ago.
They’d encouraged Noelle to move with them to South Carolina, but Noelle hadn’t wanted to intrude or feel like a burden on their happily ever after.
And if anyone deserved a happily ever after, it was her mom.
No matter how many years had passed, Noelle’s bones still rattled when she thought of the phone call she’d received from her mom’s old coworker, shakily telling Noelle that Portia had been in a car accident and Noelle had better get to the hospital.
Noelle remembered the bright lights and shiny hospital floors.
The chaos of the emergency waiting room, the twist and pull of her stomach muscles as she tried her best not to have a panic attack while her mom was in surgery.
She’d been twenty-one years old then. A frightened recent college dropout who was wholly unprepared for what might happen if things with her mom didn’t turn out okay. But thankfully, they had.