Page 45 of In Her Own Way
“See?” Shanice said. “Okay, Miss Jessica, see you next Sunday. Bye.” And with that, thelittleended the call, and Jessica sat back, stunned.
“Whoa,” she said out loud. “The universe is certainly delivering today.” She giggled when a thought came unbidden. “Hey, universe, can you send me someone like Daddy Vic? Kind, thoughtful, funny, intelligent?” She giggled again, thinking about Daddy Vic’s avatar picture. “And make her cute?”
Chapter 13
Victoria
Yesterday was filled with visits to apartment complexes and places with rooms for rent. Nothing suited her. It wasn’t that Victoria was being a snob and looking for something like the bachelor-pad condo Madison had rented to her in Denton Heights, at a loss no doubt, but she wanted something she could afford and something that felt safe. Maybe she had to move farther out from the city.
Her Tuesday shift finally came, and Erin lingered.
“Vic,” Erin started, but then didn’t say anything else. Victoria wasn’t in the mood to discuss the disastrous dinner again, and Erin’s disaster of a mother. For the last two and a half days, Victoria had basically been avoiding her cousin.
“I’m curious,” Victoria said, changing the subject that hadn’t gotten started, “does this camera system have audio?”
Erin glanced at the panel of fifteen silent camera feeds. “I’m saving up to replace the whole system. Donny tried to get the audio to work, but he couldn’t. I mean, if he couldn’t, then I certainly wasn’t going to try.”
“So, they probably don’t have sound then?”
Erin shook her head. “Not that I know of.” She put on her coat and said, “Hey, walk me out, okay?”
Victoria put her windbreaker back on, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and put on a wool hat. She’d dug the hat out of one of her boxes that was now residing in Erin’s living room.
They walked in silence until they got to the locked front gate.
“Hello, beautiful,” Erin’s boyfriend Robby said, his face beaming. “Did you—” He motioned toward Victoria.
“No,” Erin said succinctly. She unlocked the front gate and let her boyfriend in. After giving him quite the soulful kiss, she pulled off a glove and held up a small but sparkling engagement ring. Her face was now lit up. She looked so happy.
“Fuck, Erin,” Victoria said. She pulled her cousin into a hug. “Congratulations. When’s the wedding?”
“Not sure,” Erin said, seeming almost sad.
“What?” Victoria asked, quite seriously. Was her cousin being forced into a marriage? Was a child on the way? “What?” she said again.
“I want to elope, but my family,” Erin said, “you know.”
Victoria knew that a thousand different looks crossed her face.
“Babe,” Robby said, “we don’t have to decide right now. Let this Vic-gate thing blow over first.”
Victoria laughed. “‘Vic-gate?’”
“I told him that my mom was basically harassing you the whole dinner.”
“Sorry that happened, man,” Robby said and smacked Victoria in the chest. “Did you see me at the dinner? No, you didn’t. I had towork.” He used air quotes around the word work.
“My mom…” Erin said but stopped. “I just…” Her tears started flowing. “I can’t deal.”
Robby pulled her into another hug, and Victoria rubbed her back.
“No decisions right now,” Victoria said. “Girl-cousin power.”
“Girl-cousin power,” Erin repeated, and they bumped fists like they had when they were kids.
“Wait,” Robby said. “Oh, shit.” He released Erin and took a step back. “You’re a chick,” he said to Victoria. “Holy fuck. I didn’t realize. I’m sorry, man. I mean, woman.” He turned the brightest shade of red. “Whoa.”
“You thought Victoria was a guy?” Erin asked, a grin creeping up her face.
