Page 17 of Where There's Smoke…
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Senior replies with a smile. Raven nods.
“Yeah, sis. We know how much this means to you and how much it meant to Granddad,” Raven adds with a small smile. I nod, trying not to get emotional as thoughts of him drift into my mind.
This fundraiser was one of the things he looked forward to every year. He always said that he loved how it brought the whole town together. He was always big on community and being there for your neighbors and those in need. Honestly, he was the kindest, most selfless person I’d ever had the privilege of knowing. Angel reminded me a lot of him. They both had big hearts and would stop at nothing to make sure that everyone around them was well taken care of. I admire that trait and aspire to possess it as well.
“Oh, my god, something smells so damn good,” Raven suddenly says. She sniffs the air a bit and looks around until she stops. I follow her gaze over to the stall forTaste of Heaven Bakery. I smile to myself. Of course. “Whatever they’re serving over there, I want some.”
“Let’s go see,” I state, and she nods as she follows me. Senior tells us that he’s gonna wait with the kids for their snowballs. “Okay, we won’t be long.”
As we approach the stall, Rae immediately looks at all the sweet treat options. Meanwhile, I was looking for a treat of my own, except what I wanted wasn’t on display behind a clear case. I craned my neck to see if she was behind one of the taller workers, but when he moved, it was one of the other ladies who worked with them. Was she not here yet?
“Excuse me,” I say, stopping one of the guys. He looks at me. “Is Angel not here yet?”
“Uh, she was just here,” he says as he turns to look behind him. “Huh…where in the world did she slip off to that fast?”
“Sorry, guys! I had to make a few phone calls, but everything is good!” I hear the sweetest voice say right before she comes from behind the stall.
I think I forgot how to breathe as my eyes drink in her appearance. Today, she wore a yellow sundress decorated with little white flowers that stopped right above her knees and displayed all her curves. She paired it with soft yellow Converse, an Apple Watch with a white band, and a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant.
She also wore silver hoop earrings that matched the small one she had in her septum. Her face was lightly made up, and she was wearing one of those lip glosses that I loved to kiss off her. She was still wearing glasses as usual, but these had white frames that matched perfectly with her outfit. Then, to top it all off, her hair was braided in medium box braids that flowed down her back beautifully.
She was stunning in every sense of the word.
“Oh, hi, Raven!” she greets my sister excitedly. She pulls her in for a hug, and she giggles. “How are you today?”
“I’m doing great,” Raven replies with a smile. “I came over because I smelled something heavenly. Are those…red velvet cinnamon roll cupcakes?”
“Yes, they are!” she says excitedly as she opens the clear case. She grabs the tongs and carefully takes one out before placing it into a small, plastic container. She hands it to Raven. “It’s on the house! Consider it an extra tip for squeezing me in last minute yesterday. You’re so talented and I love how my hair turned out so freakin’ much.”
“Shit, you don’t have to tell me twice,” my sister replies as she bites into the soft pastry. “Thank you, Angel. You are the sweetest.”
“Damn, where’s mine, Sweets?” I joke before licking my lips. She looks up at me, and her eyes immediately light up. “Come give me some love, mamas.”
“Hi, Phee!” she squeals as she comes around to where I am. She drapes her arms over my shoulders as mine find their way to her waist. I lean down to kiss her softly before pulling away.
“You look good in this lil dress,” I flirted, my hands traveling lower, but she shook her head as she giggled.
“Chill out,” she says under her breath. I look around, and a few people are looking at us, including my sister. She gently guides me around the back of the stall, where there aren’t any prying eyes. “You’re gonna have the whole town talking about us.”
“Woman, you know I don’t give a damn,” I laugh, pulling her back into my arms. “You’re my girlfriend, and I’m not afraid to let everyone know. Are you?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she frantically says. “It’s just that you feeling all up on me in public would not be ideal.”
“Ah, you’re right,” I nod. “I’m sorry. I promise to save the touching until we’re in private.”
“Thank you, Phoenix,” she chuckles, shaking her head.
“Sweets, don’t call me Phoenix unless you want me to drag you to the nearest bathroom and rest your legs on my shoulders,” I say as I stare down at her. She gasps. “You know how much I love the way my name sounds when you say it. Don’t tempt me, love.”
“God, you’re so fine,” she sighs as she stares up at me. I flash her a smile and wink. She leans in closer, and my eyebrows furrow. “Wait, are you wearing diamonds on your teeth?”
“Oh yeah,” I chuckle. I run my tongue over the small custom grills I have on my two upper canine teeth. One was silver with a diamond in the middle, while the other was silver with a heart cut out. “I have a small collection of them. Some are for a singular tooth, and some are for two teeth. I even have one that covers my whole bottom row.” I smile, and she lightly grips my chin to pull me down to get a better look. “You like them?”
“You’re so freaking cool,” she smiles as she continues to admire them. “Also, your teeth are pretty. I know that is a weird thing to say, but dang. Everything about you is perfect.”
“That’s funny because I think the same about you,” I reply as I cock my head to the side. “Now, how about we go back to doing what we’re supposed to be doing? Because I promise you, if you keep looking at me like that, I’m gonna drag your fine ass to my truck and you’re just gonna have to try to muffle your screams as I feast on that pretty pussy.”
“Chill outtt,” she giggles before pushing me away. She walks around me, and I admire her ass and the way it sways. “Stop staring at my booty and come on, Phee.”
