Erica looks at me slowly and nods. “Okay. Sure. But I did want to ask you if there is a reason you have been avoiding Wes?”
“I haven’t been avoiding him. You know how busy I’ve been.”
“Girl, exactly, I do know howunbusy you’ve been. How unbusy we’ve both been. You seem to be avoiding him like the plague.”
“No, I’m not. He’s just out of town a lot.”
“Then why is it that every time you agree to come over for lunch or dinner with my parents or grandparents, and you found out he was going to be there, you didn’t go?”
“I didn’t realize that had happened,” I say, pretending I have no clue what she’s talking about.
Erica is my best friend, and I love her dearly. I share everything with her, but I’m just too embarrassed to talk to her about her own brother. No one wants to hear that their best friend has a crush on their brother. Orhada crush. I shudder as my brain shuts down all thoughts. I don’t even want to think about Wes and the past.
“Let’s just have the time of our lives tonight and forget about everything else,” I say quickly.
“So, Dom Perignon and caviar it is,” she says, grinning.
“Do you think Rudolpho and Steve can afford that?” I’m skeptical.
“I think they’re undercover millionaires or something,” she says, grinning. “I mean, only really rich men can be that outrageously obnoxious and think they’re going to get away with it.”
“Oh, you think so?” I say.
“Of course!” She grins, laughing. “They are absolutely loaded. I bet by the end of the night, we find out they’re dot-com millionaires or something.”
“Okay. Well, if you say so. You definitely have more experience with the rich men of the world.”
“Girl! The only rich men I know are my brothers, and they haven’t exactly been forthcoming in introducing me to any other rich men they know.”
"Rude." I giggle. "They should be hooking you up."
“I don’t want my brother to feel like he has to take care of me.”
“But, we’re going to him for money for the podcast.”
“For a business,” she says. “I’ll be working for it.We’llbe working for it. I don’t just want it handed to me and be oneof those women who takes everything for granted and isn’t appreciative of everything.”
“You would never be like that, Erica.”
“I don’t know if I wouldneverbe like that.” She giggles. "I was born into a life of luxury."
“True. I don’t know what I’d be like if I were born into a life of luxury either.”
“You’d be the sweet, lovable Sabrina that you always are.”
I laugh. “I don’t know about that, but thank you for thinking so.”
“Come on. Let’s do this,” she says as she opens the restroom door. We both take deep breaths as we head back into the wild.
We walk back to the table, and I try not to groan as I watch Rudolpho picking his nose and wiping it on his jeans.
Disgusting!
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I say as I look over at Erica.
“Me either. This podcast better blow up.”
“You’re telling me!”