by M. L. Spann
Good luck with that happening. I think the stick up her ass is permanent.
“What caused her to change so much?” I asked. My eyes were glued to the TV, but I was not paying attention.
He took a deep breath and dropped his hands back into his lap. “I hate to say it, but I think the reality TV shows have gone to her head. She sees the wives and girlfriends of these athletes and she feels like it should be her. All she’s focused on right now is the glitz and glam of that lifestyle.”
I scrunched my nose and turned toward him to see his face. “What? Why do you think she feels that way?”
“I had the chance to play professional football and I turned it down. I’ve played for what felt like my whole life and I just didn’t want to go any further. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing, but the passion wasn’t there anymore. My uncle offered me a chance to run his coffee shop during my downtime and I fell in love with it. I had the opportunity to interact with people and that’s what changed my mind about playing ball. The shop started doing so well, my uncle asked me if I wanted to buy it from him, so I did, and I’ve been there ever since.”
“Wow,” I mumbled into my glass. “It’s great you followed your heart.”
“I’m glad you think so, but Vivianne doesn’t see it that way. She thinks the coffee shop is just a hobby of mine,” he said.
What a bitch. And that’s the girl you’re trying to win back?
“I hope she can see what a great guy she has before it’s too late,” I said, hoping my compliment was subtle enough to glide under the radar of suspicion. “Do you love her enough to let her go if things don’t turn out the way you planned?
“Yeah,” he muttered. “I’ll let her go if we can’t get on the same page. I don’t want to be miserable and I don’t want her to be either. Let’s change the subject to something less depressing. How did things go with your grandmother?”
“I thought you wanted to talk about something less depressing,” I said sarcastically.
I filled him in on the highs and lows of the conversation with Gram-Gram and the whole date situation.
“That’s awesome, maybe this guy will turn out to be better than the last one,” he said.
I shrugged and took a gulp of wine. “I’m sure once he sees me the date will be over anyway,” I said.
“What makes you think that?” he asked.
The wine was definitely making me feel more open. I probably couldn’t stop myself from expressing my true feelings even if I wanted to. “Take a good look at me. The guys I’m attracted to aren’t attracted to me … at all. I’ve tried every diet and exercise program known to mankind and my thighs are still rubbing together. And knowing my Gram-Gram, she probably fudged on the details of my appearance.”
“Wow, that’s not very attractive,” he replied.
I narrowed my eyes and considered kicking him in the leg. “Fuck you. Everybody can’t be perfect like Vivianne, the human Barbie … with her fake boobs and extensions. Some of us have cellulite and stretch marks, asshole,” I growled.
Jayce chuckled and repositioned himself so he was facing me completely. “Easy there, tiger, give me a chance to explain. I didn’t mean you weren’t attractive, I meant putting yourself down isn’t attractive. You’re beautiful, Bri, and the sooner you accept that and own it, the sooner everybody else can see just how beautiful you really are.”
I snorted in disagreement and folded my arms across my chest. “Don’t start that whole ‘you’re beautiful on the inside’ crap. I want it too show on the outside too,” I muttered.
“It does show, but your insecurities show too. Confidence is sexy, try it out some time. But hey, if you really want some help, I’ll be happy to work out with you and give you some of my health tips,” he said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Of course. But trust me, your self-confidence is the key to everything. Even if you get the body you think you want, if you aren’t confident then it won’t matter anyway. We’ll finish the night with a bang and eat whatever we want, and tomorrow we can start fresh,” he suggested.
“Good,” I said with a laugh. “I really wanted to finish my wine and cheese balls.”
Chapter Fourteen
I was thankful to have the day off because last night was a late one. Jayce accidently stayed until nearly five o’clock in the morning. He finally gave in and had a few drinks with me, and it wasn’t long before we somehow ended up asleep. I needed to stop spending so much time with him. The small stuff he did in friendship made my heart long for more. For example, he carried me to bed last night after I passed out.
Of course, I woke up on the way up the stairs and asked him what he was doing. I thought it was so sweet that he wanted to make sure I was in bed and comfortable before he saw himself out. I was also concerned about him throwing his back out from carrying me. Vivianne didn’t deserve him, hell I didn’t even deserve him, but at least I appreciated the effort he put into just being my friend.
I rolled over and glanced at the red numbers glowing on the alarm clock. There was no way in hell I was getting out of bed before noon. Needless to say, my rest and relaxation lasted another ten minutes before my bladder had other plans for my day. Once I was out of bed there was no going back. I trudged down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen. A piece of paper that wasn’t there before was now stuck on the fridge. I nervously inched forward to inspect the note.
Eat one cup of oatmeal and two egg whites. Call me at lunch time. Jayce.
Awww. What a sweet creepy thing to do.
I didn’t think he was serious about helping me out with my weight loss issue. I decided to take his advice and opened the pantry to retrieve the oatmeal. If he was going to take the time to give me tips the least I could do was follow them. He didn’t mention anything about the seasoning and sweeteners I should use so I grabbed my phone to give him a quick call.
“Hey, Bri, are you out of bed yet?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “I’m up. Listen, thanks for last night.”
“No problem, buddy,” he said.
Ouch. Buddy? Something about that word makes me cringe.
“I saw your note on the fridge. I’m not sure what to put in the oatmeal. I know sugar is probably not an option,” I said.
“No,” he laughed. “Definitely no sugar. You can add a touch of cinnamon and some honey if you have it. Don’t go overboard with it though. You don’t need anything on the eggs, try to eat those plain. Drink some water with a twist of lemon to help wake up your digestive system first.”
Eww.
“All right, great. Well I won’t hold you up. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong,” I replied.
“It’s cool, you’re not interrupting anything. In fact, what are you doing later on?” he asked.
I thought for a moment and drew a few blanks. “I don’t have anything planned,” I said.
“Great, do you mind going to the mall with me? I need your help picking out a few things.”
“Sure, I’d love to go,” I said, even though more time alone with him was not what I needed.
“I’ll be there around lunchtime that way we can grab a bite to eat too,” he said. I could tell he was smiling just by the way he sounded and it made me crack a grin too.
“Well, I’ll be here waiting. Later,” I said.
“Later,” he replied before hanging up.
I wolfed down the bland breakfast and headed upstairs to find something decent to wear.
Maybe I should get a new outfit for my date tonight?
I weighed my options as I thumbed through my clothes. A new casual outfit couldn’t hurt. My hands gravitated toward a simple black maxi dress for my mall outfit and I paired it with some sandals. I preferred wearing dresses when I shopped because they made trying on clothes a lot easier.
My mind drifted back over to my weight loss situation. Jayce didn’t mention any type of exercising. Maybe he planned on giving me some informat
ion about it later. In the meantime, I wasted time surfing the internet for quick calorie burning workouts. I paid very little attention to the time and before I knew it, I heard three quick beeps outside. I peeked out the curtains and saw Jayce motioning for me. He didn’t say he planned to pick me up.
I reached for my house keys and purse and hurried out the door. “Wow, I get a chauffeur for the day?” I said jokingly.
Jayce laughed as he pulled out of the driveway. “I guess you can call me that. How was breakfast?”
Nasty. Bland. Icky.
“It was interesting. I guess it takes some getting used to. Usually I have something covered in frosting for breakfast,” I said.
“You’ll get used to it, and it will pay off in the end. We can get something to eat for lunch when we get to the mall,” he explained. “Thank you for coming with me today. I’m trying to surprise Vivianne with a gift. I think things may go a little smoother if I get her something I know she likes and pair it with something a little outside the box like a poem.”
“Okay,” I said with a shrug. “Sounds like a great idea.”
Are we going broom shopping? That’s the only gift a witch like her needs.
“I’m glad you asked me to tag along, now I can get a man’s perspective on my outfit for my date tonight.”
“This should be fun. I guarantee whatever outfit I help pick will have the man begging for a second date,” he said flashing a toothy grin at me.
His smile was intoxicatingly dreamy. Those full pink lips were practically asking for me to come closer … or at least I’d like to think so. I loved the way his smile reached his eyes, because they appeared to sparkle even with the tiniest of grins.
We entered the mall and went straight for the food court. Just the smell of food caused my mouth to water. I’d do anything for a cinnamon pretzel right about now.
“Go on and have a seat. I’ll be right back with our food,” said Jayce.
I found a nice table off to the side by the window and sat down. If he didn’t hurry up and come back I was going to put ketchup on some of these napkins and chow down.
Jayce returned with two plates of rabbit food and I desperately searched for the meat in vain.
Please tell me there’s ranch dressing.
“Any dressing?” I asked.
“Yep, two tablespoons of low fat vinaigrette. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but just trust me,” he said, stabbing a forkful of lettuce.
My hunger forced me to eat the entire salad plus two cups of water. I felt a migraine coming on from the lack of sugar. We put our trays away and I followed Jayce to one of the many boutiques in the mall. While he busied himself with a table of purses, I went over to a rack of very cute stylish shoes. My eyes settled on a pair of black pumps with spikes on the heel. Those would definitely turn heads if I wore them out somewhere. I grabbed one of the shoes to check the size and price, and my heart nearly stopped. Who the hell do these people think are willing to pay four hundred dollars for a pair of shoes? I practically threw it back down, almost afraid of holding it too long.
“Hey, Bri, do you like the black one or this yellow one?” asked Jayce, holding up two different purses.
“It’s mustard,” said the store clerk.
“What?” we asked in unison.
The lady glared at us like we both had two heads. “The handbag isn’t yellow, the proper name for the color is mustard.”
Jayce and I exchanged looks with one another before turning back toward the lady.
“Um, thank you,” I muttered.
“Yeah, thanks,” said Jayce with a smile. “So which one? Black or yellow?” He cut his eyes at the woman almost daring her to correct him again. I couldn’t help but laugh as she turned a dark shade of red.
I moved closer to him to get a better look at both bags. If these bags were anywhere near the price of those shoes then I definitely wouldn’t like either one. I searched for the tag and found it hanging on the zipper on the back.
“Do you realize this thing is over one thousand dollars?” I croaked.
He turned the bag over and looked at the price and then looked back at me with a grim expression. “Vivianne didn’t mention how much it cost when she asked for the bag,” he muttered.
“Of course she didn’t. No sane person would even suggest something so outrageous,” I replied. “I just put back a pair of shoes that were over four hundred dollars. I’m sure we can find her something just as cute in one of the outlet stores.”
“Yeah,” said Jayce. “But this is the one she wants.”
Honey, if you like it then I love it. There’s no way I intend to buy anything in this place.
“Okay, well get the yellow one then,” I suggested. There was no point in putting up a fight, his mind was made up anyway.
Jayce scrunched his nose and held one bag in the air and then the other. He sighed and put them both back on the table, thought for a moment, and picked up the yellow bag.
“Well, I guess I’ll get this one,” he said.
I gave a tight smile and followed him to the register. He looked back at me and looked positively green as the lady gave him the final total and waited on him to pay. He passed her his credit card and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Here,” she said, shoving the box at him.
He took it and offered her a charming smile. “Thank you. My girlfriend is really going to enjoy this purse. She really likes yellow.”
The way he was teasing the woman was absolutely hilarious. The woman’s top lip peeled back over her teeth like an agitated pit bull. We walked out of the overly-priced boutique and headed for the more reasonably priced stores.
“Do you know where you’re going for your date?” he asked.
“Nope. Gram-Gram didn’t offer too many details. I don’t plan to dress up anyway. My plan is to just find something casual,” I replied.
“Casual,” he repeated, thumbing through a rack of clothes. “Do you have a favorite color?”
“Mmmhmm. Black.”
“Black? That’s a rather morbid color. Black makes me think of death and funerals,” he said frowning.
“Black is slimming,” I replied.
“Okay great, that means no black. You don’t have anything that needs slimming. Just be yourself and be confident remember? How about something purple?” he asked.
What sage advice, sensei.
“Fine, purple it is then,” I said. A few minutes later Jayce tapped me on the shoulder with an arm full of clothes.
“Here, get started with these,” he said.
I could barely hold the pile of stuff he shoved at me. I stumbled my way to the dressing room and took a look at what he selected.
Size ten? Size twelve? Who the hell does he think he’s dressing?
“Um, Jayce, I need bigger sizes!” I shouted.
It took a few moments for him to make his way to the dressing room. “Okay, what do I need to swap out?”
“Everything,” I mumbled in embarrassment. “The pants need to be a fourteen.”
“Pass me the ones that don’t fit and I’ll get the sizes you need. Are the tops okay?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I replied.
I tossed the pants over the top of the door and waited for Jayce to come back. He returned with a few pair and threw them back over to me.
“Make sure to come out and model the outfits for me.”
I made a face at the door and waited for him to walk away. Based on the clothes he picked out, I could tell the man had taste. It took me a few wardrobe changes before I had the courage to actually leave the dressing room. As soon as I rounded the corner, Jayce pulled his face into a frown.
“I don’t like the shirt, it’s a little big,” he said. It was a little awkward standing there watching him scrutinize my appearance, but I found myself open to trusting his opinion more and more.
“Try the fitted top and the gray pants,” he suggested.
Like an obedient c
hild, I returned to the small room and changed clothes. The top he suggested was clingy and cut very low. My breasts were pushed up and out making a special appearance for whoever glanced in my direction. I tried to tuck them down so that they weren’t so out there.
“Are you okay in there?” he asked.
I answered his question by stepping out into the open. The pants cling to my body like a glove, although they were not as uncomfortable as I thought they would be.
“That’s it, that’s the perfect outfit,” he said, scanning me from head to toe.
“You don’t think it’s a little snug?” I asked nervously.
Jayce’s eyes lingered on my breasts for a few seconds before gravitating to my face with a seductive smile. “Trust me, there’s no way this guy doesn’t ask you for a second date. You look great and you have an excellent personality too.”
“Aww, thanks for the compliments,” I said. My cheeks flushed and I quickly wiped my damp palms on the pants.
“Go on and get changed,” he said. “Once you get undressed hand me the clothes.”
I quickly shimmied out of everything and pulled my own clothes back on. By the time I made it out of the dressing room, Jayce was already standing at the register.
“Here you go,” he said handing the bags to me. “Consider this your ‘thank you gift’ for helping me out with everything.”
My mouth flapped open to protest as I fished around in my purse for some cash.
“I won’t accept any money from you, Bri, I’m serious. If you don’t mind, I only have one more stop to make,” he said.
“Thank you,” I mumbled. “For everything you’ve done. It really means a lot to me.”
“No problem, I like seeing a smile on your face,” he said. “Now I need you to help me pick a new cologne. I love having a woman’s input separate from the sale’s person before I buy a new one.”
We walked over to the fragrance section and I inhaled enough scents to make me dizzy. The person at the counter handed us a small container of coffee beans to “clear our palettes” but it really didn’t help. I was ready to throw in the towel and suggest whatever we sniffed next. Luckily the next scent was one that touched me in all the right places. If a man walked by me wearing whatever this was, he would find me naked in his bushes ready for whatever he had in mind.