Ree
"Good morning." I smile as I sit down across from my best friend.
"Either the dick was good or your ex got ran over by a truck. Which is it?" She asks as soon as I sit down.
I would be surprised but Lynn is the most blunt and straightforward person I know.
"As much as I would love the second option, it's definitely the first." Without a doubt. I feel myself grin as I recall everything. You know it was a good fuck when you can still feel it the next day.
"The perfect bon voyage?" She asks sipping on a mimosa.
"Maybe. I don't know. I'm reconsidering settling down."
She raises one perfectly arched brow at me.
"I don't know. Last night just made me think... I'm not saying I don't want to settle down, that is still the plan; but who says I have to be celibate while waiting for Mr. Right?"
A waiter comes and takes our orders.
"You were saying." Lynn prods after he is out of earshot.
"Last night was amazing. And it reminded me how much I love new experiences and wild nights. I mean, I'm young, hot and unattached, why am I cockblocking myself? Why am I all of a sudden in a hurry to settle down anyway? The plan has always been to be married at thirty. That's five years away. I can allow myself some new experiences along the way."
I also planned on making my first million before thirty and I'm this close to closing this deal that will launch me to greater heights. With the money from the deal I could afford the life I have always wanted. I can be a stay at home mom then start my own business when my kids are older. Maybe I should focus more on that than finding Mr. Right for now.
"What?" I ask when I notice her incredulous look.
"Nothing. I just haven't seen you like this in a while." She shrugs sipping her mimosa once more.
"Like what?"
The waiter brings our drinks before she answers and I notice him checking me out.
He looks way too young for me, but I give him a flirty smile anyway and watch the colour stain his cheeks.
He leaves stuttering something about our food coming soon and I hold back a laugh. My eyes then meet Lynn's as she finishes up her first glass.
"What?" I don't like that knowing look on her face.
"I didn't say anything."
"But you were thinking it."
"What was I thinking?"
I swear I love her, but she can be so infuriating.
"I take it the deal with Sarrid is going well." Now this makes me smile.
"We are so close, babe. I can smell it." It smells like success.
"Good. Ali could really use it. She won't say anything, but things have been rough since the accident."
I sigh.
Of all of us, Ali is definitely the worst off financially. She had the toughest childhood, and falling pregnant at sixteen really didn't help. But she's also the most prideful and won't take our help.
"Yeah, well this deal is going to change all our lives." Ali will finally be able to quit her retail job and travel. Maybe even go to college. I know Ems has been swamped at the bakery and really wants to upgrade her equipment. I can finally quit my entry level job to be my own boss and Lynn...
"Well, I guess it isn't life changing for you." I realise.
Sometimes I forget just how well off Lynn is. Lucky bitch. She has never had to work a day in her life. And she probably never will.
She hits me with another shrug knowing it's true.
Which is why it bothers her to see any of us struggling. Lynn may come across as a total bitch sometimes, but she has a heart of gold and would help any of us out without thinking twice.
She pays for most of our girl's nights or events and buys us the most amazing gifts including a yearly girl's trip. We have all offered to contribute, but she shrugs it off and never cashed our cheques. Lynn gifted Ems with a huge cheque to open her bakery as soon as she graduated culinary school and has a college fund set up for Gaea. Unfortunately, that is as much as Ali is willing to take. She outright refuses anymore help.
In a way, I admire her. Actually in many ways. Not only is she raising a queen, she has also never let her be circumstances keep her down. Of course she has her moments, but she always pushes through and surprises all of us.
Especially with this app.
None of us took her seriously at first. At least, I sure didn't. But she kept on pushing and convinced us to all give it a try. The app was her baby.
An app that provides consumers with knowledge.
I know, any search browser can do that. But our app is much more user friendly.
Working at a makeup counter, she sees how often we as consumers do not know anything about the products we buy. The app basically gives you real, researched, clear information about any beauty product you buy. Everything from how "organic" it really is, actual private reviews and ratings, tips on how to use it, and so on. No lie, you can even find out the ethics of the company if you want to.
She had clearly put a lot of thought into it and her and Lynn spent a year developing, testing and all that other stuff until we finally had an app. Em, who is a bit of a social media celebrity, went full out with the marketing. Even getting some of her influencer friends to spread the word. And guess what, people love it. Vegans can find out if products are cruelty-free, the socially conscious support brands in line with their beliefs, and the average person can learn the best ways to use products.
We have been making decent money from it, but when the first company approached us with their offer, I realised what we were sitting on. I got to work finding the right company to work with and have been negotiating prices for a whole month now. Our final meeting is this Friday.
Maybe I should be at church right now instead of brunch.
"How bad is it?" I ask thinking back on Ali's finances.
Four months ago her mom was in a car accident that totalled her car and broke her leg. It is a miracle, really, that that was the extent of her injuries considering how awful the crash was. The other driver succumbed to her injuries.
Even so, I know the medical bills must have been astounding and neither of them are insured.
To make things worse, her mom has probably not been paid for all the time off she had to take. Mom and dad paid to have their car fixed up for them, but just like her daughter, Lora was too proud to accept any more help.
I sigh realising how bad things must be. They must have both cleared out their savings. Dammit, just when things were going well for them.
"Like you said, this money will be life-changing." She reminds me.
It will, it really will. It'll be great to see both Ali and Lora finally catch a break.
I have to make sure I get the best deal possible.
Our food is brought out and conversation switches to the week's events. Most of it is the usual gossip, news and a lot of work stories from me. Another old classmate is getting married, politicians are acting insane, my boss is a dick. We have had this same conversation more times than I can count, but somehow it is never boring. We make bets on how long the marriage is going to last, before discussing the downsides of capitalism, then topping it all off with twenty minutes of bashing my boss. Perfect Sunday morning.
Later that night I have a great dinner with my family.
My mom has always reserved Sunday nights for family dinner for as long as I can remember. It can be a bit much, especially when we were in college and Xavier was serving. Skype dinners are a little excessive. But it has really helped us remain close over the years.
And my mama will find a way to make you pay if you miss it.
She's crazy, but we all love her for it.
I'm blessed. My girls and my family are my constants.
They're all I need right now. At least I know I can trust them. They would never hurt me.
Plus, my skin is popping these days.
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Thoughts on the chapter?