Page 28 of The Prettiest Outlaw

“Nico, I don’t have a website or a business. I’m not a business owner.”

“You are a business owner, lil bit. Don’t try to talk yourself out of it. Let’s go celebrate your first big win.”

“What about your mom? Didn’t she ride with you?”

“Yeah. She’s catching a ride home with one of her homegirls.”

I wasn’t sure why, but I still hesitated a little bit. “It’s kinda late.”

He shot me a wink. “I know a place.”

* * *

We parked on a side street, crossed a busy intersection, and dipped into an alley where Nico opened a deep green door.

“Where are we?” I asked, looking around.

The room was strategically lit—dark, but notstrain your eyesdark. The place had a moody feeling—mellow and unhurried. It was a first date type of spot. This place was somewhere you came when you wanted to hang out with a person, a place where you could talk and presumably drink, because there was a large bar. The furnishings gave it an upscale and modern industrial feel. The walls were exposed brick. The booth seating was a medium-brown leather. The bar stools featured iron legs and a wooden seat. The place was small and intimate. There were a few patrons inside, but even though the place was small, it didn’t feel cramped.

“Where are we?” I repeated once I had slid into the booth across from him and made myself comfortable.

“It’s calledBreezy’s,” he explained. “Dominic owns it. It’s named after his wife.”

I gave him a smirk. “Queen Bree?”

He returned my smirk with a grin, showing me his sparkling white teeth. “Yeah.”

“Okay, I can see that they have drinks, but do they have food? All I’ve eaten since breakfast is about ten of my own sugar cookies.”

He chuckled. “Word. I was eating the hell out of those extra cookies.”

We both laughed.

“They don’t have waiters or waitresses here. You order your drinks from the bar. You order food through the app.” He directed me to the QR Code that was printed on the paper drink menu, and I hovered my phone over it.

He gave me his order. “Yo, get me the crispy chicken sandwich with fries. I’mma head to the bar. What’re you drinking?”

“Anything non-alcoholic…but tasty.”

He stared at me for a moment before saying, “Non-alcoholic but tasty. Got it.”

When he returned, he placed a coral colored, fizzy drink in front of me and took a sip from what looked like a rum and coke.

I lifted the glass he had set in front of me and turned it a few times, admiring the contents. “Pretty. What is it?”

“I forget what the bartender called it. Some kind of spritzer. It’s made with honey, vanilla, and the juice of a blood orange.”

I took a sip. “Delicious! This might be my new go-to drink.” I looked around the speakeasy. “Is this a money maker for your brother?”

He raised his glass for another taste of his drink. “I haven’t known Dominic long, but one thing I know is that dude makes money. Just check the prices of the drinks and the food. Bro targets this place at a specific demographic.”

“Seems like you’ve been able to build a relationship with Dominic.”

“Yeah, I have. He’s mad cool. We have similar personalities. We’re both pretty laid back…and blunt as hell.”

I sipped a huge amount of my mocktail through the straw, enjoying the citrus flavor.

“What gets you outta the house, lil bit? You like movies? You like concerts?”

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