Chapter Four
1294 Words
Mrs Price invited me to her house for dinner!!
I spent the whole evening of the next day flipping through my small pile of clothes. My friend, Clay, was sitting with legs across my bed.
“I don't think I've ever seen you as tense as this, Liv. Not even when I met you along the road on your first day in New York city.” He said, sounding amused.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled out a decent looking nude dress.
“That woman doesn't look like the kind to have average friends Clay, I can't go there looking below average.” I said.
“Okayyyyyy, that is the one,” he drawled out, pointing at the dress I was holding.
“You think?” I asked, holding the dress to my body and making a small swirl.
“Girl, you'll slay in that. Who knows, you might meet some sexy hulk that'll sweep you off your feet at the dinner,” he said with a wink.
Rolling my eyes, “no thank you, Clay. I'll pass on that.”
“Well pass him to me then. I would love to get some of that rich white boy ass,” he said with a wink.
Clay was as straight as my hair rollers could get and was the hoest hoe alive.
“Liam is spending the night at Eva's right?” Clay asked me again.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Really now?”
He shrugged, giving me a fake innocent look. “I would have loved to spend more time with my godson. Besides, he loves me more than Eva.”
“You said you were going to be busy tonight C, you know I wouldn't have minded bringing Liam to yours instead,” I said, giving him a glare.
Clay laughed. “I'm messing with you Liv.”
I scowled openly at him before chucking a pair of jeans at his head.
“Where'd you even get the idea that Liam loves you more than Eva?” I asked with a coy smile.
Clay shot me a dark look. “Don't start with me chica,” he warned jokingly.
I laughed at Clay's mock-threatening tone, feeling some of the tension ease from my shoulders.
"Alright, alright fine," I conceded, holding up my hands in surrender. “It’s a never ending battle between you and Eva anyways.”
Clay was the first person I met when I got to New York and Eva was the lady I met at the coffee shop that day who offered for me to rent her spare room without initial pay. I met Clay again at a restaurant about a week later and since fate wouldn't bring the same person to me twice without a reason, we hit it off in an instant.
“I need to take a shower real quick, help me pick out jewelry to match?” I asked with a pout.
He shooed me into the bathroom and I took a quick shower before coming back out to meet him in the same position I had left him.
“Clayyyy, come on,” I whined.
He looked pointedly at me and then at my small vanity mirror table. A pair of earrings, a necklace and some bracelets. I blew him a kiss in appreciation before slipping the dress on.
I struggled with the zipper for a bit before huffing and looking at him.
Clay hopped off the bed, crossing the room to assist me. As he worked on the stubborn zipper, I caught his eye in the mirror.
"Be honest with me, C. This is crazy right? I mean, I don't know this woman and I'm attending some fancy dinner at her place just because she asked?"
Clay's fingers stilled for a moment before he gave the zipper a final tug that finally gave way. "Look, Liv, it's not crazy. She must have seen something in you to make her ask you to come over, how about you go there and find out?”
“What if she invited me just to embarrass me?”
“Did she know who you were before yesterday?” He deadpanned.
I snorted, unable to argue with his assessment. "Fair point."
"Besides," he continued, giving my shoulders a squeeze. “Besides, when was the last time you got all dolled up like this, huh?"
I wrinkled my nose, trying to remember. "God, I don't know. Liam's third birthday? And even then, 'dolled up' was basically putting on mascara and a prettier shirt."
Clay's laugh echoed through the small bedroom. "See? It's about damn time.”
Some minutes later Clay was helping me into his beat-up Corolla. "What's the address again?"
As we drove through the city's evening traffic, my hands were fidgeting with my phone, fighting the urge to call Eva and check on Liam one more time.
Clay noticed, of course. He always noticed. "He's fine, Liv. It's crazy how you still get anxious when he's spending the night somewhere else,” he said with a light chuckle. “Eva's got this.”
As if on cue, my phone buzzed with an incoming call. Eva's smiling face lit up the screen.
I let out a breath before swiping to accept the call. "Eva! Hey, how's everything going?"
Eva's warm voice came through the speaker. "We're doing great, Liv."
I let out a small sigh of relief. "That's amazing, Eva. Thank you so much for doing this."
"Are you kidding? It's my pleasure.” There was a pause, and then Eva spoke up again. "He did ask to say goodnight to you, though. You got a minute?"
"Always," I said, my heart swelling. There was a rustling sound, and then Liam's sleepy voice came through the phone.
"Mommy?"
"Hey, baby," I said softly. "Did you have fun this evening with Aunt Eva?"
"Uh-huh," Liam mumbled, clearly fighting sleep. "We made cookies and played superheros and Eva let me stay up to watch cartoons but don't tell mommy okay?"
I bit back a laugh, shooting an amused glance at Clay. "That sounds like so much fun, sweetheart. I'm glad you're having a good time."
“I'll be there to pick you up in the morning, baby. I'm sorry I can't tuck you into bed, remember we talked about how mommy has a special dinner tonight?"
"Oh yeah," Liam replied, yawning. "With the pretty lady from work?"
"That's right," I confirmed, smiling at his description. "Now, you get some sleep, okay? Goodnight, I love you to the moon and back."
"Love you more," Liam murmured, his words slurring with exhaustion. There was another rustling sound, and then Eva was back on the line.
"See? Told you everything was fine," she said with a playful voice. "Now go enjoy your fancy dinner party.”
As I hung up the phone, I caught Clay giving me a strange look out of the corner of his eye. "What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head with a small smile. "It's just... you're a really good mom, Liv."
I felt a lump form in my throat. “Thanks, C," I managed, blinking back the threat of tears.
We drove through large gates that were wide open then pulled up in front of a magnificent marble house. Clay leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. "Have fun."
As I made my way up the steps to the front door, I could hear the muffled sounds of conversation and laughter from inside.
My finger hovered over the doorbell for a moment as I gathered my courage. "Here goes nothing," I muttered to myself, and pressed the button.
The door swung open almost immediately, revealing an oddly familiar pair of eyes.
- Writer
