When she was done eating she rinsed her plate and left it in the sink before making her way into the living room and lifting her guitar from its stand. She sat down on the couch, pulled the pick from between the strings and began to play. She wasn’t great at it. But she found that playing grounded her in a way that nothing else did.
*****
Nicole slung her purse across her shoulder as she stepped out into the sweltering heat and locked her front door. She immediately regretted having traded her shorts for jeans, but she supposed it was necessary if she wanted to avoid a lecture on modesty from her mother, who seemed unable to accept the fact that her daughter was no longer 15. Except when it came to the topics of marriage and grandchildren of course.
Nicole grimaced at the now familiar squealing sound that came from beneath the hood when she started her car. She really should get that checked out, she supposed. But one problem at a time. For tonight, all she had to do was get through dinner.
When she reached her parents’ red brick house she pulled her Cavalier into the driveway behind their white Cadillac. She sat in the car for a moment before shutting it off and making her way up the sidewalk to the front door. Sprinklers gently showered the lawn, lending it a lush greenness that it never could have achieved unaided in the arid Texas soil, and two rose bushes stood on either side of the winding sidewalk where it met the porch. Nicole rang the doorbell and waited for her mother to answer it.
Her mother opened the door and ushered her in. The two of them made small talk as Nicole set down her purse and helped set the table. Her mother heaped generous portions of roast beef, potatoes, and carrots onto white china plates with vine patterns wrapping around the edges. Her father joined them and the three seated themselves around the table and bowed their heads as her father said grace.
“So,” her mother said as they began to eat, “Is there anyone special in your life these days?”
Well, she certainly doesn’t waste any time, Nicole thought to herself.
“No, not really,” she said with a shrug.
“Well, your father and I aren’t getting’ any younger, you know. It would be nice to have at least one grandbaby.”
She said it in a joking tone, but Nicole knew that she was only half joking.
“I don’t know what to tell you, mom,” she said. She had to work to keep her tone light.
The truth was that she just didn’t have any interest in dating. It wasn’t that she wanted to be alone. That was far from true. But she simply had no interest in any of the men in town and she wasn’t about to settle for someone she wasn’t attracted to. She wasn’t sure what the answer was.
Thankfully, her father changed the subject. They passed the rest of dinner with idle chit chat and Nicole heaved a sigh of relief as she finally stepped out the front door and made her way back to her car. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the eastern horizon in brilliant shades of orange and pink.
Nicole turned her key in the ignition and winced at the shriek that sounded from under the hood. She could swear it was getting worse. No more putting it off. She’d have to get it seen to in the morning.
*****
Nicole rolled over and blindly smacked her alarm clock until it finally fell silent. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and pulled on a pair of shorts and a black tank top with pink lace around the edges. As an afterthought she threw her hair into a loose bun. Then she called in to work to let them know she would be late, slipped on a pair of sandals, and headed out to Henderson Auto Repair.
Well, looks like they’re not gonna be able to get to it today, she thought when she saw how many cars were parked along the side of the shop. Well, she could at least find out when they would be able to get to it and bring it back then. She parked the car and made her way into the office. The bell over the door clanged as she walked in and after a minute a woman came in from the garage.
She was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a white tank top. A chain hung from her belt loop to her back pocket and she wore a pair of black work boots. Intricate sleeves of tattoos covered both of her arms and she wore a small silver hoop in her left nostril. Her short black hair was mussed and her hands, arms, and clothes were covered in grease. She had the bluest eyes that Nicole had ever seen.
The two locked eyes and neither of them said anything for a long moment. Nicole’s breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded in her chest. It was the other woman who finally spoke.
“Can I help you?” she asked in a rich, husky voice. Nicole could have melted on the spot.
“I…” She cleared her throat and started again. “I was wondering if you could take a look at my car. It’s making an awful squealing noise.”
“Sure thing,” the woman replied. “Just pull it around into the first bay.”
And with that she disappeared back into the garage. Nicole let out a long breath and tried to compose herself. Just what in the hell had that been?
She just makes me nervous, that’s all. She’s intimidating, she told herself. She pushed it out of her mind and went to pull her car into the garage bay.
The woman was already waiting and Nicole rolled her window down so that she could talk to her.
“Sounds like you need a new belt,” she said.
“Is that something major?” Nicole asked.
“Nah,” the woman replied. “I can do it right now if you want to go ahead and shut it down.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“That’s awesome, thank you so much,” Nicole said as she killed the ignition.
“No problem. Just leave me the keys. You can wait in there where it’s cooler,” she said, nodding toward the waiting area.
“Thanks,” Nicole said as she stepped out of the car and handed over her keys. She quickly made her way back to the waiting area. Part of her wanted to stay and watch the woman work, but she just made her feel so…something. She still wasn’t sure what to call it.
She didn’t have to wait very long until the woman returned.
“You’re all set,” she said as she punched a few keys on the cash register. “Your car’s parked out front.”
“Thanks again,” Nicole said as she dug in her purse and handed her money over to the woman.
“Don’t mention it,” the woman said with a small smile. Her hand brushed Nicole’s as she handed her keys back and Nicole felt an electric tingle pass through her.
“I’m Cassidy, by the way,” the woman said. “I’d love to take you out for a drink sometime.”
“I…I can’t,” Nicole stammered. “I mean…that is, I shouldn’t. I…” She felt herself growing redder with each word.
“Say no more,” Cassidy said with a smile, holding up her hands. “I understand.” She turned as she reached the door to the garage. “Damn shame, though.” And with a wink she disappeared into the garage.
Nicole stared after her for a moment before turning and heading out the front door. The encounter stayed on her mind all the way to work. Seriously, what the hell had that been back there?
*****
“Sooo?” Matt asked teasingly.
“So, what?” Cassidy said. Matt snorted.
“Don’t you ‘so what’ me. I saw the way you were looking at her. Not to mention you bumped her to the front of the line,” he said with a laugh.
“So, nothing,” Cassidy said with a shrug. “She’s not interested.”
“Ah. Damn shame.”
“That’s what I said,” she laughed.
They both returned to their work, but Cassidy couldn’t get the thought of her out of her head.
*****
Nicole sat in her living room idly strumming her guitar as she tried to sort through her thoughts. It had been three weeks and she still couldn’t stop thinking about her brief encounter with Cassidy. She almost wished she had said yes to going out with her. But then what? What did that solve? She still wasn’t even sure exactly what it was that she was feeling or
what to do about it.
It wasn’t like it mattered anyway. That opportunity had passed her by. Unless she wanted to go back to the shop and talk to her, which she wasn’t about to do. She sighed and propped her guitar up on its stand. Maybe getting out of the house for a little while would help to clear her head.
She slipped her sandals on, grabbed her purse, and headed to the grocery store. Maybe it would make her feel better to cook something other than microwaveable dinners for a change. She headed for the Super S grocery store. As she got a basket she briefly wished that she had bothered to make a shopping list.
Oh well, she thought. I’ll just wander through the aisles and grab whatever looks good.
She ended up with a lot more than she had intended to buy, but she supposed it was just as well. It would be nice to have real food in the house for once.
She had driven 5 miles of the 8 and a half miles to her house when she heard a thumping sound and had to pull over. She let out a low groan as she examined the flat passenger side tire. She hated having to call her parents, but she supposed there was no avoiding it. She sighed and pulled out her cell phone.
“What?” she said as she looked down at it. She had absolutely no service. “No, no, no. Don’t do this to me, come on.” She walked up and down the deserted stretch of highway trying to get a signal, but to no avail.
“Great,” she said, slipping her phone back into her purse and returning to the car. She supposed she would just have to change the tire herself. How hard could it be? She opened the trunk and moved her groceries to the back seat so that she could get to the spare tire and the jack in the bottom of the floor of the trunk.
Once she had gotten them out she went to the flat tire and started trying to figure out where to place the jack.
“Ok…ok. Here? Or no, here.” Once she was satisfied she started trying to jack the car up. It was easier than she had thought it would be.
“Ok,” she said, picking up the tire iron and staring at the lug nuts. “What was it? Lefty loosey, righty tighty…? Yeah, that was it. I got this.”
She positioned the tire iron over one of the lug nuts and heaved with all her strength. But the wheel turned and she couldn’t get any traction.
“Oh, come on!” she said throwing her hands up in exasperation. The tire iron clattered to the ground when she let go of it. What the hell was she supposed to do now? At the sound of tires crunching she looked up to see a blue Mustang pulling to the side of the road behind her.
Thank God, she thought. She stood up and dusted off her hands as the Mustang rolled to a stop. Her heart skipped a beat as the driver stepped out. Cassidy.
“Looks like you could use a hand,” she said, nodding toward Nicole’s car.
“Yeah,” Nicole said with a weak laugh. “I hope it isn’t too much trouble.”
“Not a bit,” Cassidy said. Nicole couldn’t help but notice the curves of her against her jeans and tank top as she knelt next to the flat tire. She quickly looked away.
“Looks like you had a fair start on it,” she said, taking a drag of the cigarette between her fingers. Nicole just laughed nervously.
Cassidy held the cigarette between her lips as she let the jack down and reached for the tire iron. She loosened all of the lug nuts, repositioned the jack slightly, and jacked the car back up before removing them. Nicole felt silly for not having thought to loosen them first. Within minutes Cassidy had the small spare tire on and the flat tire loaded in the trunk.
“Now, you don’t wanna drive too fast on that thing,” she said. “And don’t leave it on too long. Try and get a replacement as soon as you can.”
“I will,” Nicole said.
A silence fell between, and the two women stared at each other for a long moment. Cassidy pulled a sharpie out of her back pocket and reached for Nicole’s hand. Nicole held her breath as Cassidy scrawled a phone number across her palm.
“In case you run into car trouble again,” she said with a wink. And with that she turned, got back into her Mustang, and drove away. Nicole stared after her until the car disappeared over the top of a hill.
Nicole couldn’t think about anything else for the rest of the afternoon. Cassidy occupied her every thought. Finally, her heart beating nervously in her chest, she dialed the number that Cassidy had written on her palm. She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
Nicole froze for a moment, unsure of what to say.
“Hello?”
“So,” Nicole finally said, “How about that drink?”
Chapter 4
Nicole chopped bell peppers and onions as she waited for Cassidy to show up. She had suggested dinner at her place instead of going out for drinks. It seemed a bit much like a date, which she kept trying to tell herself that it wasn’t. But she wasn’t really big on going out and drinking and there just weren’t that many options in a small town like Mason.
She poured herself a glass of Merlot to help calm her nerves. She had just finished it and settled into the warm glow of a buzz when the doorbell rang. The sight of Cassidy when she opened the door took her breath away.
It was the first time that Nicole had seen her that she wasn’t covered from head to toe in grease. She wore a short pleated skirt and black boots with a low-cut top that had ‘SLAYER’ printed across the chest. She offered Nicole a single red rose. Nicole opened her mouth to point out that this was not a date, but then she stopped. So what if it was a date? Would that really be so bad?
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the rose with a smile. “Come in.”
Cassidy looked around the room with clear admiration as Nicole found a vase, filled it with water, and put the rose in it.
“I love your place,” she said.
“Thanks,” Nicole said. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“That would be great,” Cassidy said, joining her in the kitchen. God, that voice. Nicole practically melted every time she heard it. She got another wine glass and filled both glasses before she started cooking.
“Anything I can do to help?” Cassidy asked.
“Would you mind setting the table? Plates are over there, and silverware is in that drawer,” Nicole said, pointing.
“Sure thing,” Cassidy said. She set the table and then sat down to wait while Nicole finished cooking. It didn’t take long.
“So,” Cassidy said once they had finished their meal, “Not to be cliché, but what’s a nice girl like you doin’ in a place like this? I mean, how did somebody like you end up stuck in such a little Podunk town?”
Nicole shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Just grew up here I guess. I could ask you the same thing.”
“Same, I guess. I left when I was 16, but I came back to take care of my grandpa.”
“That’s good,” Nicole said. “I mean that you would do that for him. How come we never met though? I mean since we both grew up here.” Cassidy shrugged.
“I kept to myself a lot,” she said. “I remember seeing you around sometimes. You were a year behind me in school.”
“Ah,” Nicole said. “That explains it.”
They continued to talk and Cassidy helped Nicole clear the table before they went into the living room.
“You play?” Cassidy asked when she saw the guitar. “That’s awesome.”
“A little,” Nicole said. “I’m not very good at it yet.”
“May I?”
“Of course.”
Cassidy took up the guitar and sat down on the couch. Nicole sat down next to her and waited for her to start playing. She closed her eyes and let herself be swept away by the music as Cassidy began to play Stairway to Heaven. Her voice was a rich, smoky alto. When the last notes of the song had faded away she shrugged and handed the guitar over to Nicole.
“Your turn,” she said.
“No, I couldn’t,” Nicole said. “I’m really not that good.”
“That’s ok,” Cassidy encouraged her. “I want to hear.”
/> Nicole took the guitar hesitantly. She had never really played in front of anyone before. But something about the way that Cassidy looked at her, earnest and expectant, made her feel at ease. She began to play a song that she had written, clumsily at first and then with growing confidence. Cassidy placed a hand on her knee as she played, sending shivers of electricity through her.
When Nicole had finished playing she set the guitar back in its stand and neither of them said anything for a long moment. Cassidy leaned forward slowly and gently brushed her lips against Nicole’s before leaning back and looking into her eyes, as if waiting for some sort of sign or permission. Something about the intensity of that gaze set Nicole on fire. She leaned forward and pressed her lips hard against Cassidy’s. It was all the encouragement that Cassidy needed.
She pushed Nicole back against the couch and wound her fingers through her hair, her tongue parting Nicole’s lips. Nicole opened her mouth willingly, her tongue searching out Cassidy’s hungrily. Every inch of her burned with her need, a need that had never been satisfied. She let out a low moan.
Cassidy pulled away for a moment, her nipples clearly visible through the thin fabric of her shirt. Nicole quivered with anticipation as Cassidy slowly slid her hand up her thigh beneath the fabric of her skirt. She drew a shuddering breath as Cassidy pulled aside the fabric of her panties and slipped a finger inside of her. She moaned softly as Cassidy slowly withdrew her finger and traced slow circles around her clitoris.
“Bedroom?” Cassidy breathed huskily.
“That way,” Nicole answered, pointing.
Cassidy pulled her up by the hand and Nicole led the way into her bedroom. She turned to face Cassidy. The want and the need in Cassidy’s eyes echoed her own. Cassidy pushed her gently back onto the bed and laced her fingers through Nicole’s as she sought out her mouth again.
Nicole moaned as Cassidy released one of her hands and moved to caress her breast. She moved her hand under Cassidy’s shirt to feel her it. She wore no bra and it was warm and soft, her nipple a gentle point against Nicole’s palm. Cassidy sat up and pulled her shirt off, allowing Nicole a full view of her full, round breasts. Nicole bit her lip as she drank in the sight.
AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN FICTION: BWWM ROMANCE: Billionaire Baby Daddy (Billionaire Secret Baby Pregnancy Romance) (Multicultural & Interracial Romance Short Stories) Page 111