Page 5 of Hot Shot
“Curtis said to tell you hi and that he’ll call tonight. Want to tell me what that’s about?” I ask, desperate to change the subject.
“Let’s just say he’s under consideration to tune my engine up.” Judy pats her curly brown hair, a big grin on her face.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mumble around a bite of cracker.
“What, dear? I’m in my midsixties, not dead. I still have needs. You can’t tell me your engine doesn’t need tuning up after the year you’re having.” She punctuates each of her sentences with a raise of her eyebrows.
I shake my head and roll my eyes at her before focusing back on my snack.
I hope when I’m her age I look as good as she does. She doesn’t look a day over thirty-five. A by-product of working out every day, maintaining her brown hair with regular appointments with her stylist, Botox—although she claims to never have had it—and dressing like she’s in her thirties. Don’t get me wrong, she looks fabulous.
I, on the other hand, found my first gray hair recently and am starting to get wrinkles. I make a mental note to ask Judy about her skincare routine since her skin is always amazing.
“Anyway, my car should be fixed now,” I say, changing the subject. Again.
My aunt means well, but I’m not interested in anything right now, even only an “engine tune up.” This year has been a whirlwind and I’d like to get through the rest of it without any more stress or drama in the form of relationships or hookups.
“Good. How’d your meeting go this morning?”
I sigh. I was hoping we wouldn’t get into this right now but here we are.
“It was okay. Even if I was fifteen minutes late because I couldn’t find any place that didn’t require me to parallel park.” I pause and Judy chuckles.
She knows how I feel—she’s heard me lament over it many times in the few months I’ve been here. The city sure loves its street parking. Which requires one to parallel park. A skill I’ve never mastered.
“The lawyer was great. Gave me a lot to think about. Asked a lot of questions I didn’t have the answers to. She referred me to an accountant and a commercial real estate agent. That is if I decide to follow through with the idea.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
I shrug and pick up the last piece of cheese, popping it into my mouth.
“I thought your dream was to open a custom cake shop. This is the first step.”
It is my dream but it’s scary to think about investing all that money into a location, equipment, and staff, because it could fail. Most small businesses fail in their first couple of years. I’ve seen that firsthand recently.
I’m not sure if I’m ready to risk it. I don’t know if I trust myself to take another chance. I took a couple of chances earlier this year and they left me with a broken friendship and my heart torn apart. Not to mention broke. I’m not sure if I’m ready for another risk.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for it. I like my job at Sugar and Crumbs. I get to make cakes there.”
“Whatever you decide, I’ll support. I just don’t want you to give up on your dream. You don’t have to do this alone, you know.”
“Thanks.” I stare down at my empty plate.
“Before I forget, your father texted again.”
My mouth goes dry, and I reach for the glass of water in front of me and take a sip. “What’d he say?” I finally ask, my heart racing.
“He said he hasn’t heard from you. I thought you were going to talk to him and finally meet him. He wants to get to know you. Now that you’re both in the same city, it’s the perfect opportunity.”
“I said Imightagree to meet him. Why is he texting you? How does he even have your phone number?”
I huff out a breath, shaking my head. I don’t know how he got my number, and he somehow also has Judy’s? After all these years of radio silence, why does he suddenly want to communicate?
Judy tilts her head, making eye contact with me before saying, “Your mother wrote him letters a few years back. She left one with her lawyer to give to him when she passed away. It had both of our numbers in it. I think she felt guilty. He called me when he got the letter. That’s how I know.”
“Guilty?” I cross my arms. “What the hell did she have to feel guilty about?”
“Stopping you two from having a relationship. Taking the decision about you out of his hands. I think you should meet him, sweetie.” Judy splays her hands on the counter, leaning toward me waiting for my response.
