Page 51 of Happy Trails & Honey Pots

My mom refused to go to the judge to grant me permission to get married, even though I needed to be married so I could have medical insurance for the baby. Thankfully, my father agreed to do it. It was the one and only time in his life I’d ever seen him oppose my mother.

“The girls are already in the back.” Heather tilted her head to the side with a wide smile.

“Okay, thanks.”

I was running my usual fifteen minutes late. It boggled my mind that in school, I had never been late for a class, and in my professional life, I had never clocked in a minute past my scheduled shift, but in my personal life, I was constantly running late. It had to be some sort of self-sabotage or psychological issue.

“Hey!” I smiled and waved as I walked in the back.

Ashley and Nadia were both seated on a curved, pressed velvet light pink sofa, sipping out of champagne flutes.

“You made it!” Ashley smiled widely.

“Sorry, I’m late. I needed to take a shower after my shift.”

“Is that Zoe?” Daphne called out from behind a large wooden door that looked like it belonged at the entrance to a castle.

“It is!” I called back.

Nadia scooted over and patted the cushion beside her. “You haven’t missed anything yet.”

“Oh good.” I lowered down as Ashley passed me a glass.

“So, I think I got the job,” Ashley lifted her flute in cheers. “I start next week.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Nadia enthused.

“Yay!” I clapped.

Ashley smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Her grandson,” Ashley stated flatly.

“Her grandson,” Nadia repeated. “What’s wrong with her grandson?”

“You mean apart from having a stick up his ass?” Ashley took a drink.

“So, you’renota fan,” Nadia stated the obvious.

“I haven’t even met him, and I hate him. He’s making my job miserable.”

“You haven’t even started yet, have you?” I took a sip.

“Exactly.” Ashley lifted her arms as if that was the point.

“So why don’t you just not take it?” Nadia proposed.

“And let Mr. Stick Up His Ass win?” A fire I had never seen before lit in Ashley’s eyes. “Never.”

Nadia and I both exchanged a look. I don’t know what that man had done to get on Ashley’s bad side, but I certainly would never want to be where he was.

“Okay,” Daphne’s voice came from behind the door a second before it opened. “What do you think?”

Lissette, who worked with Heather, walked out first. Daphne was right behind her, and she stepped up on the pedestal in the center of the room. She was met with audible gasps from all three of us.

I covered my mouth with my hand.

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