Page 1 of Tempted By the Taurus
Pullinginto the parking lot of Creme Cafe Coffee, I parked my car. After removing my sunglasses from my purse, I slid them on and put my purse on my shoulder. As I stepped out, I heard a baby screaming at the top of his lungs. His parents tried soothing him to get him to be quiet, but it didn't help. I shook my head sadly and pushed forward. It made me wonder if I would have a family of my own one day. Given the way my love life was set up, I had my doubts. I hadn't had a relationship in over five years. At thirty, I hadn't yet found anyone worthy of my love.
I strolled to the door of the café, and before I could pull the handle, the door opened. With a polite smile, I thanked the man who held the door. While holding the door open, the scent ofroasted coffee and baked goods filled my nose. Even from the outside, I could hear the loud chatter of customers in the cafe.
"No problem, beautiful," he stated with a wink.
With a shake of my head, I entered the café and removed my sunglasses from my face. I scanned the small building until my eyes landed on two women sitting by a window, chatting to themselves. I strolled toward my friends, making sure I didn't run into anyone. The café was packed this morning.
I took a seat and removed my purse from my shoulder, setting it on the back of the chair. "Good morning, ladies," I greeted, putting my sunglasses in my purse.
"Morning," they greeted with a wave and a warm smile.
Jaiden pointed her finger at me and leaned forward. "You gave us a time, and you didn't show up on time." She tapped her wrist, indicating an invisible watch. "How does that work?" She threw her arms out to the side and eyed me.
I smiled with a half shrug. "My bad. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to wear." I stared down at the red and black two-piece skirt suit I wore.
The corners of Sariyah's lips lifted. "And you look so cute, best friend."
I beamed. "Thank you! I'm going to place my order since y'all didn't order anything for me. I'll be right back." I got up from the table to stand in line. It was fortunate that there were only two people ahead of me.
"Good morning. What would you like to order?" the friendly cashier asked with a smile on her face.
I scanned the menu for a quick second before turning my attention back to her. "Morning. Let me get your French vanilla coffee with a ham and cheese croissant."
She smiled. "Yes, ma'am." She rang me up and gave me the total. "Someone will be over at your table shortly."
I paid my tab and returned to my table. "What did you guys do this weekend?" My eyes went from one to the other.
Sariyah dropped her head. "I went on my date. I thought I was about to end up with a one-night stand or something, but it didn't turn out that way."
I laughed. "Oh no, why do you say that? Was he not showing interest in you like that? You did say he was a Scorpio like me, so I know he had to be coming on to you."
One thing about me is that I wasn't afraid to let a man know how I felt about him when I was in a relationship.
She frowned. "Girl, no. The date was okay, but I don't think I'll be seeing him again. Tuh, the freak didn't come out."
I burst out laughing. Sariyah didn't mind saying what was on her mind.
"Why not? You sent us a picture of the guy, and he looked good," Jaiden noted.
Sariyah exhaled deeply. "He kept checking his phone. I expect a man to give me all his attention. That's not something I want to deal with. That let me know that when we hang out, he would be distracted. Oh, no, sir. He had the wrong woman."
Jaiden nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's a red flag. What was so important?—"
She was cut off by the server, who set my order down in front of me. "I hope everything is to your liking."
I beamed as I eyed my food. "Oh yes, ma'am. Everything looks amazing." My mouth watered as I eyed the ham and cheese croissant.
"I wish I knew what was so important, but he doesn't have to worry about me calling or texting him again. On to the next," Sariyah pouted.
Out of the three of us, Sariyah was the hopeless romantic. She had already planned out her wedding, down to the underwear she would wear. All she needed was the relationship.She'd been trying to find love for the longest, but Prince Charming had yet to come. The toads had been out, though. I prayed that the man she ended up with treated her right.
"Sometimes it be like that," Jaiden mumbled.
I tilted my head to the side and studied her. "How would you know?" I arched an eyebrow. "You're married."
Jaiden's eyes bounced from mine to Sariyah before she averted them. "That I know, but still..." She dropped her head back to the mug in front of her.
It was best to leave it alone for now, but I knew she was keeping something from us. One thing I learned from the past was never to push her. When she was ready to talk to us, she'd call us with a bottle of wine.
