Page 72 of The Boss

After I coyly suggested that my poor friends would only get so much enjoyment from watching me shop, she suggested that I spoil them too. The day would be on her!

It’s the perfect day for gal-paling around Portland. The sun is shining in a perfect cloudless sky, and the temperature is a dreamy eighty degrees. I’ve got on one of my breeziest sundresses, paired with comfy, stylish sandals that let me roam the city blister-free. My mom would flip if she saw these chic designer sunglasses I’m rocking! And my freshly styled hair? Let’s say it’s turning heads all over NW 23rd Street.

Even since dating Julianna, I don’t get to come up here that often. Bit too out of the way for my girlfriend to deign going somewhere for the evening, and honestly, the vibe is hardly hers. Julianna likes the right kind of pretentious. Touristy utopias don’t apply.

But it’s right up my alley! I’d come here every day if I could.

My friends Kelly and Selkie likewise love this neighborhood, especially on a beautiful day like today. We are quite the sight as we half-frolic down the shady sidewalks, gaping in storefronts, realizing that we can actually afford to shop in these stores when I have my girlfriend’s black card on me, and you know what?

It’s so much fun!

My friends don’t have a whole lot of money, but I go a little crazy. If they try something on that suits them, I buy it when they’re not looking. If nothing else, Selkie’s birthday is coming up, and Kelly is studying abroad next semester. She needs a new wardrobe, right?

We step out of a cute boutique in one of the converted Victorian houses, sharing happy sighs as our shopping bagsweigh us down. I’ve got a new, gauche belt to cinch some of my favorite dresses. Besides, doesn’t Julianna love a good challenge when it comes to undressing me? Or maybe that’s me who loves giving her the challenge…

“My feet are killing me,” Kelly bemoans. “Why don’t we get something to drink? I’d die for a boba tea!”

Duh! Has she been reading my mind?

My favorite teahouse in the city is on the second floor. I’m feeling some cool iced tea, but my friends want boba… and the sign saying that they’re out of tapioca isn’t going to deter us from waiting for the stock to come back in. In the meantime, I order us a small pot of tea to share on the terrace overlooking the busy, touristy street.

We’re not the only ones out here. We grab the last table up in a canopy of trees shielding us from the warm sun. A cool breeze tickles my aching feet the moment I sit by the railing. I had no idea how much they hurt.

Selkie pops back inside to use the bathroom. Kelly groans when a political news alert hits her phone. While she babbles about something I don’t even pay attention to, I turn on my phone to find a message from Julianna.

“Can’t wait to see you tonight. I’ve been thinking about how good you taste all day.”

I squirm in my seat, crossing my legs.

Selkie returns the moment someone brings us our small pot of tea and three cups to share. Warm steam rises into the air as Kelly graciously pours us a cup. We toast to having what may be the last free day of the semester.

“To studying abroad,” we say to Kelly.

“To graduating,” we say to Selkie.

“To hot internships that lead to hotter girlfriends,” they say to me.

I blush. Well, when they put it that way…

Our conversations are perfectly meaningless as we take the loads off our feet and load up our bladders with tea. With the occasional flirty text from Julianna that says she’s thinking about me, I am so damned content that I can’t help but feel that the other shoe is about to drop.

Man, I have no idea.

A young woman steps through the door, carrying a Lush bag. Instantly, the scent of handmade soaps competes with the more exotic scent of our tea. Between that and the flowy, beachy pink skirt wrapped around the woman’s long, tanned legs, my eye is drawn to the beautiful face snorting at my presence.

Kelly and Selkie stop talking. I, in my endless stupidity, think it’s a great idea to acknowledge Cher’s sudden arrival.

I haven’t seen her since she was fired from her internship at Bradford & Marcon.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” That’s all she says as she sits by herself on the other side of the terrace. She leans back in her chair, Chromebook out and sunglasses don her face. Her giant iPhone cover mimicsPride & Prejudice.Fitting, hm?

“Friend of yours?” Kelly asks. Both she and Selkie steal glances at Cher behind them. Damn, she blows us all out of the water in the looks department. And I say this while acknowledging that none of us are bad to look at. Kelly’s a cute blonde with bobbed hair and a hot style that suits her curvy figure. Selkie can wear shredded jeans and a torn band tank top and still look like she belongs anywhere she goes. And me? I may be the plainest of Janes, but the glow of love emitting from my heart lights me up more than the expensive clothes and hairstyles I now have.

“We were in the same internship until…” I text them so Cher can’t overhear me talking shit about her.“Until my girlfriend fired her for being a bully.”

Kelly laughs once she gets her message. Selkie shakes her head.

Someone brings Cher a large iced tea and tells us that they have tapioca back in stock. Both of my friends rush inside to order their favorite boba flavors.

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