WIDOWer

CHAPTER 3

It’d been almost a month of late-night phone calls and cancelled lunch dates since Warren and Bria’s dinner date. Warren busy with plans of opening two new locations at work and with the start of a new school year for his daughter, Julie. And Bria busy working with a new client and rapidly approaching the end of a quarter. The last few months of the year were always chaotic for her, but quarterly reports seemed impossible sometimes and dealing with new clients was a nuisance. Thursday night around eight o’clock, Bria’s phone rings

“Hey, how are you?” Warren states

“I have a headache. How are you?” she replies

“I’m sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?” he asks

“No, I’m just about to leave work.”

“Burning the midnight oil, ha?”

“Yeah, I’m trying to avoid working Saturday.”

“I’m a few blocks from your office, you wanna grab dinner?” Warren asks

“I…” she begins then pauses

“I understand if...”

“No, it’s… I would love to. But I really just wanna go straight home and take a hot bath” she states

“I’d be open to you bringing me some take out, but I know you have to get home to your daughter.” She adds

“I’m happy to bring take out. There’s no school tomorrow and she’s at a sleepover.” He states

When Warren arrives, he gives Bria a quick kiss then says

“Even after a long day your gorgeous!”

Bria smiles and says

“Thank you!”

“I Thought you would be a while. I was about to take a quick shower”

“I know you’re tired, I just wanted to see you. I’ll let you get to your bath” Warren replies putting the bag of food on the counter

“Wait, you’re not eating with me?” she asks glancing inside the bag

Warren gently touches her shoulder, then kissing her forehead he whispers

“Enjoy your dinner and get some rest!”

Grabbing his arm, Bria says

“I’d enjoy it more if you stayed and joined me.”

“Is that so?”

With a bright smile Bria responds

“Yeah, I’ve kind of missed you!”

That weekend, Warren and Julie have their annual balloon release. Since the first-year anniversary of Mia, Warren’s late wife’s death, he and Julie write notes to Mia, put them inside balloons and then release them into the night sky.

Mia had been tragically killed in a semi-truck accident four years ago. When a drunk driver ran a red light and t-boned her car, killing her on impact. Following her death, Warren had been awarded seventeen million dollars in a wrongful death suit. After an investigation into the company revealed a number of their drivers had been ticketed with DUIs on the job and never disciplined.

Saturday night they both sit at the dining room table. Julie is done with her note in under five minutes

Mommy,

I still miss you and I wish you were here.

I’m doing great in school. I just started 3rd grade and I have all A’s

Daddy always tells me that you would be so proud of me.

My birthday is next month, I’m going to be 8

and I really wish I could be a big sister, just like you.

P.S. Daddy still misses you too!!

-Love Jewels

Unable to get past Mia on his letter, Warren puts Julie to bed then comes back out to the dining room table, to try and finish his letter for their balloon release tomorrow.

My Dearest Mia,

Today marks four years and even now I miss you more than words can express.

I see you in Julie more and more every day.

Ever since she turned five, she’s been saying she wants to be a big sister, like mommy was.

I guess the stories of you that she hears from Jacob have become her life’s dream.

After you, I never could have pictured myself with anyone else

But about a month ago, I met an amazing woman, Bria.

I doubt I’ll ever be able to completely get over losing you,

I’m still so unsure about the future,

But Bria seems like she could become a part of whatever comes next.

I miss having you to bounce ideas off of.

You made me a better man, even in your death.

Loving you always and forever!

-Warren

Sunday morning, Bria stops by Susan’s house on her way to visit her parents for the day. When she arrives, she finds Susan and Julie are in the kitchen making waffles.

Excited to see her, Julie runs over and says

“Good morning, Aunt Renee!”

“Good morning honey!” Bria replies giving her a hug

“You are getting so tall.” She adds

“I’ll be a year older in eighteen days!” Julie states

“Oh, will you now? So, what spectacular gifts are you looking forward to getting this year?”

Susan looks at her with an intrigued look in her eye

“I’ve been asking for a little brother or sister but, I’m not very hopeful.”

“It might even be nice to have a little cousin!” Bria laughs gesturing towards Susan

Turning back to Julie, she says

“Other than that, what can your favorite Auntie buy you for your birthday?”

“I have a whole list!” Julie states

“Let me get one for you!” she adds leaving the kitchen

Susan and Bria both laugh, and Susan says

“She is growing up way too fast!”

“Yeah, and you need to have her a little cousin, so she’ll have somebody to play with.”

“Auntie Renee can have her a little cousin too!”

“No, ma’am!” Bria replies as Julie walks back into the kitchen

Handing her the list she says

“It just seems long.”

Apple tablet

Smart watch

Camera

Noodlies

Needoh

Simple dimple

Any kind of Pop-it or Fidget

“You are right, It’s not long at all. I can certainly do at least two of these” Bria states glancing over the list

“I’ll have to google them to see what most of them are, but I got you.”

“I gotta run but I wish I knew you were here. I would have come and hung out with you guys” Bria says

“It’s ok, I’m leaving in a little while” Julie replies

“Ok, I’ve started the count down to the big eight!” Bria laughs and giving her a hug Bria adds

“I love you and stop growing up so fast!”

“I love you too and I’ll try!” she responds then Bria turns to leave

“Hey Renee, what did you want?” Susan asks

“Nothing, I’ll talk to you later. Have fun!”

“Ok, tell mom and dad, I said hey” Susan states

A few minutes down the road, Bria’s phone rings

“Hello!” she says

“Well, hello beautiful!” Warren states

“Hey! So, how is the hardest working man in Florida?” Bria states not having heard from him in several days

Laughing, Warren says

“I’m better now that I’m hearing your voice. How’ve you been?”

“I’m good.”

“What do you have planned for today?”

“I’m headed to Jacksonville to visit my parents. Why, what’s up?”

“Nothing, but I did want to ask you something” he pauses

“Is this another hypothetical?” she laughs

“No, this is genuine.”

“Some friends of mine are going bowling Thursday night and I was wondering if, you liked to bowl?”

“You mean like you wanna go out in public together?”

“What do you mean, we’ve been out in public several times.”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“Ok, Bria, drive safe and enjoy your visit!” Warren states after a beat

“Wait, Warren!” Bria replies

“Yes ma’am” he says sweetly

“What happened?” she asks

“Nothing, we’ll finish this conversation another time, in person.” he replies

“Call me later, on your drive home” he adds

“Ok, bye” she replies ending the call

Monday afternoon, Warren arrives at Bria’s office. The front desk calls Bria and says

“Bria, your one o’clock is here. A Mr. Daniels.”

Bria glances at her calendar, seeing it’s blank and unsure who he is, she says

“Ok, send him up.”

Walking to the elevator to meet Mr. Daniels, Bria is pleased to see Warren’s face when the doors open. When she sees his handsomely seductive smile, she whispers

“Mr. Daniels!”

Walking up to her, he gives her a quick embrace and kiss on the cheek.

“Hey gorgeous!” he whispers

“What are you doing here?” she asks with a bright smile

“I have a meeting. After you” he states gesturing towards her office

Shaking her head, she turns then, walks back to her office and when he walks in and has a seat, she closes the door.

“So, this is your glass castle, where all the magic happens!” Warren states

When Bria sits down across from him at her desk, she asks

“What can I help you with Mr. Daniels?”

“I’m going bowling Thursday night with some friends, and I was wondering if, you would join me?” he states all too serious

Bria laughs and when she sees how serious he is, she stops.

“By friends, do you mean Doug and Marcus?”

“Yes, and whoever else they bring”

“Did you tell them about me?” Bria asks

“Because, I haven’t even told my best friend about us. I thought we were just taking things a day at a time” she adds

“We said that almost two months ago” he replies

“I wasn’t aware that things had changed?” she smirks

“I’m changing it now, if you let me.” He states

“I mean, sure. I’d love to go bowling with you but is it going to be in the capacity of, the girl you kick it with, your girlfriend, or just Bria?”

Warren stands up, then walking around her desk, he leans back on it and says

“Bria, I’d love for you to kick it with me at the bowling alley, as my girlfriend Thursday night at seven.”

“Now, is there anything else you need me to say before I can confirm our plans and get back to work?” he adds inching closer to her

“I’ll go bowling” she says finally

“As my girlfriend, as in, in an official capacity!” he states continuing to lean in threatening to show the entire office that their meeting was anything but professional

“Yes, Warren!” she replies with a slight smirk wishing her office wasn’t quite so transparent

“Thank you!” he states standing up

“Will you walk me out?” Warren asks all too sweetly

“You are a complete mess!” Bria states shaking her head then getting up from her desk

“You have no idea!” he mutters opening the door

When they leave the office and head to the elevator, they pass by Jennifer.

Surprised to see Warren, she turns and watches them as they wait for the elevator.

“I’ll call you later” Bria whispers as the elevator dings

When she does not move to follow him, Warren gently takes her hand and pulls her on to the elevator.

Finally, the doors close and Warren gives her a long, slow sensual kiss. Then, just before the doors open, they pull away momentarily disoriented. Dillon stands watching them when the elevator opens and unsure what to make of the scene, he walks in and waits until Warren finally gets off before selecting a floor.

Bria arrives back to her office, to find Jennifer waiting for her.

“Don’t you have work to do?” Bria asks

“I sure do, but not before you tell me what that was about!” she states

“What, what was about?”

“Don’t play dumb. Have you been seeing Warren since the night y’all met?”

“How do you know, that wasn’t business?”

“Probably because nothing about that meeting looked business! Hell, I’m aroused just watching y’all together”

“And I bet the flowers you got the other week were from him too!”

Bria laughs then asks

“Are you spying on me now?”

“Yeap, and I saw Dillon come back up on the elevator with you, he didn’t look too pleased seeing you with another guy.”

Bria arrives at District 981 a little before seven o’clock Thursday night. When she calls Warren, he tells her that he’ll be right out. Once he gets outside, he sees Bria walking up in some ripped denim capris, a black freedom tee shirt and black high heel sandals.

Laughing, he asks

“Why, you gotta be sexy all the time?”

“I mean considering I’m meeting you, I can’t just come any old way, now, can I?” she replies giving him a quick kiss

“You do know there are bowling shoes, right? That you have to put on in order to bowl.” Warren asks

“Of course, I even brought socks” she mocks him with an over exaggerated surprised face

“Well thank goodness for that!” he replies taking her hand

Inside, they grab their shoes and head over to join the others. While Doug is setting up the score board, Warren introduces Bria to everyone.

“Bria, this is Theo, Nadia, Brooke, Lexi and you remember Marcus and Doug. Everyone, this is Bria.”

When Doug calls Theo over to the board, Warren leans in, whispering in Bria’s ear he asks

“Should I have said, my girlfriend Bria?”

“No!” she replies quickly sitting down to put on her shoes

“Ok, next time!” he smiles

Later, once they’ve finished the first game, Doug says

“Now, y’all might have beaten me sober. But man, I’m about to stop taking it easy on y’all!”

Warren stands up and asks

“Bria, you want to go get a drink?”

Shaking her head, she stands, and they walk over to the bar.

“Are you ok?” Warren asks

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re just being kind of quiet”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“I’m great. Thanks for coming” he states

“You weren’t taking no for an answer! But I am having a good time. That Doug is a hot mess!” she smirks

“And that’s him sober. You know you couldn’t turn down all this fun” Warren laughs

When they sit at the bar, the bartender comes right over and asks

“What can I get for you?”

“Bruce, let me get a rum and coke”

“And for you ma’am?” he asks

“I’ll have the same, thanks”

“I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back” Bria tells Warren

“Ma’am, I’ll need to see your ID” the bartender states before she leaves

Bria laughs then says

“Sure, and thanks!” after handing her ID to the bartender, she leaves.

When she gets back Warren slides her a glass and asks

“Do you smoke?”

“No, do you?” she replies slightly insulted

“No, I asked because I just realized, there is still so much I don’t know about you.”

Turning to her in his chair Warren says

“When exactly, were you going to tell me that your birthday is in like two weeks!”

Smiling, Bria says

“You saw my ID.”

Warren slides it back over to her then she says

“Thank you!”

Not letting go of it he says

“That’s not an answer!”

“I was going to tell you.” she responds finally

“When?”

With a raised eyebrow, she whispers

“On the ninth!”

Playfully slapping him on the leg, Bria asks

“Are we done bowling? Or what?”

“Yeah, I’m done bowling!” he says turning back towards the bar

Bria sits and finishes her drink and then goes back over to the bowling lanes. When it’s her turn, she bowls and then when it’s Warren’s turn, she bowls again for him. Doug turns and seeing Warren sitting at the bar on his phone, he goes to get him. They stand looking in Bria’s direction for a minute then Doug comes back alone, and Warren gets up and disappears behind the bar.

After they’ve bowled almost five frames, Warren finally comes back over to join them, well kind of. He sits on the seats behind them.

“Bro, you done bowling?” Marcus asks

“Yeah, I’m about to take off.” Warren replies not even looking up from his phone

Bria stands watching him for a moment, then walks around to him, taking his phone she sits on his lap.

Raising his chin up to meet her gaze, she says

“I’m sorry!”

When he doesn’t respond, she leans in and gives him a long slow kiss.

“Get a room!” Doug suggests

“On, second thought, don’t!” he adds causing everybody to laugh

After looking into his eyes for a moment Bria starts to get up but Warren grabs her waist

“You ready to go?” he asks

“Yes!”

After they’ve said good night, Warren walks Bria to her car and says

“I’m still mad at you, but I accept your apology.”

“Why are you so mad? You literally left me hanging out with your friends by myself.”

“Birthdays are important. You never know when it’ll be your last one” he mutters leaning against the car

“I really am sorry. I didn’t think about it from your prospective.” She whispers

“I’m sorry too, that was wrong!”

“Where did you disappear to?” she asks

“I had to go take care of something.” He responds standing up

“It’s getting late, and I don’t want to keep you out too late on a work night” he adds

“You have a babysitter tonight?” Bria asks

“Yeah, I gotta be getting home too.” he replies

“You think you’ll have time to grab lunch with me tomorrow?” Warren asks

“I’m pretty sure I can squeeze you into my schedule, Mr. Daniels!” she smirks

“Thanks again for coming tonight, I really did have a good time.”

“You mean until you found out my little secret!” She smiles

“Well, yeah. That doesn’t leave me a lot of time to find the perfect gift!” Warren states

“No, absolutely not! That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I don’t want you to get me anything” Bria states

Warren smiles then Bria says

“I’m serious, promise me you won’t buy me anything!”

Warren just stands watching her, waiting for his response

“Good night, Warren!” she says finally

“Night Bria!” he replies when she gets into her car

Bria intentionally arrives to lunch a few minutes late. When Warren gets up to pull out her chair, he says

“Happy Friday to you too!”

“Hey Warren, how are you?” Bria asks

“I’m at lunch with the most beautiful, captivating, intelligent and sexy…”

“Would you stop!” she murmurs cutting him off

“Ok, all jokes aside. Are you still mad because I won’t promise not to buy you something for your birthday?”

“Yes, we just met. We haven’t even known each other for six months.” She states

“What does that have to do with buying you a gift?”

“You’re right. But I don’t want a gift from you!” she responds

Warren sits staring into her eyes for a minute then the server comes and takes their order. Once she leaves, Warren finally says

“Ok, fine. I promise!”

“You what?”

“I promise I won’t buy you anything for your birthday!”

“Thank you!” she replies

“For the record, you are just as stubborn as me!” he states

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” she laughs

“So, what are you doing this weekend?”

“Oh, so, now were back on talking terms!”

Bria just shrugs her shoulders

“You are a trip. This weekend Jewels and I will be in full on birthday planning mode.”

“Neat, when is her birthday?” Bria asks

“It’s a few days before yours, on the fourth” Warren states

“Cool, my niece’s birthday is the same day”

“Do you want more kids?” Bria asks

Warren laughs then looking up at her, caught off guard by her question, he asks

“Why, are you pregnant?”

“No, god no!”

“It’s just a question!” she adds

“Well, I haven’t had a vasectomy!” he states

“Ha ha ha! Very funny!” Bria states

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, I’m open to it.”

“What about you?” he asks

“I mean, it’s kind of late in the game for me, but who knows.”

After their food arrives, Warren says

“Not to change the subject, but I did want to ask you something.”

“Ask me what?”

“About Scope. Do you like working there?” he asks

Completely caught off guard, Bria looks around then asks

“Why would you ask that?”

“I mean, it’s a normal question, right.”

“Do you like working at the amusement centers?”

“I absolutely love it! But we’re not talking about me. Answer the question.”

“I feel like this is a trick question” she states

“Bria, it’s just me. Your boyfriend. Asking you if you like your job.”

“I absolutely love it!” she states

“You’re lying!” he laughs

“I want an honest answer. You can either answer now or later when you get off.”

“What’s happening when I get off?” she asks with a raised eyebrow

“Nothing, I’m gonna stop by to continue this conversation.”

“You are welcome to come by, but my answer is what it is”

“Ok, we’ll see!”

That evening, Warren arrives a little after six. When he rings the doorbell, Bria answers with a big smile

“Whoa, I literally just got here. You’ve got perfect timing” she states

Warren gives her a quick kiss then says

“Now that you don’t have to wonder who’s listening. I’m ready for your honest answer!”

Closing the door Bria asks

“What makes you think I don’t love my job?”

Warren chuckles and when he sits down on the couch, he says

“I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s just say my observation is that you don’t enjoy it.”

“I mean, you obviously like marketing, but not in the capacity that Scope requires” Bria just sits listening and watching Warren

“Why are you so afraid to say that you could be happier?” he asks

Curious as to what peaked his interest into her job, Bria asks

“Why? You actually took time out of your busy schedule to come all the way over here, just to hear me say that I hate my job. Why do you care?”

“On the contrary, I came so I could simply get an honest answer to my question. And I absolutely love it, isn’t the truth.”

“Since I met you, you haven’t said one good thing about your job. I called you one night, and you said you had a headache, and you were working late to avoid working on Saturday.” He states

“I care about you, and it was honestly just a question when I first asked, but your response is more alarming than your actual answer” he adds

Finally, after seeing that she’s not going to entertain him, Warren says

“So, there was one more thing, I wanted to ask you. So, you made me promise not to buy you anything, but I do want to take you somewhere.”

“No, nothing!” she replies shaking her head

“Come on, you can’t tie my hands like that. I agreed not to buy you anything, but you gotta at least let me take you somewhere.” He states taking her hand

“Fine! But since were on the subject I also have a question.”

“What?”

“If I wanted to take you to lunch or dinner, would you be ok with that?”

“Sure. I mean I’m more than capable and I’d never ask you to pay for anything. But if you wanted to, I wouldn’t have a problem with it”

“Ok, just asking”

“Ok, now that we’ve gotten all that situated. Are you going to make out with me before I leave or not?” Warren laughs

Saturday afternoon, Warren and Julie are painting in her playroom, and he says

“Jewels, I wanted to talk to you about something.” pausing his brush stroke to look up at her

“Ok, what’s wrong? I hope it’s not about my party…”

“No, it’s not about your party.”

“I wanted to see how you felt about daddy having a friend.” He murmurs and she stops painting to look at him

“What do you mean, you have a lot of friends. Like Uncle Doug and Uncle Marcus”

“I don’t care daddy!” she states, then goes back to painting

“You guys are really loud sometimes. It sounds like you guys are playing sports instead of watching them.” she adds

Warren laughs then says

“No, I mean, like a lady friend!”

“You mean a girlfriend?” Julie responds glancing over at him

“Yes, like a girlfriend.” He replies

“Well, I just hope she’s nice.”

Surprised, he asks

“Nice, that’s it?”

“Yes, and pretty. She has to be pretty and fun!” she adds all too serious, Warren just sits and watches as she continues

“I want you to be happy daddy. And you always talk about how much mommy loved me.” Julie stops painting and looks at him again

“She loved you too and she wants you to be happy too.”

Shaking his head, Warren just smiles and says

“Yeah, I guess you’re right!”

Warren sits a little relieved and stunned at Julie’s reaction to their conversation. They continue painting and make pizzas together that evening.

It’s the Thursday evening before Julie’s birthday party and Susan stops by Bria’s house to grab Julie’s gifts and take them to her party for her on Saturday. Still not having found the right time to tell Susan about Warren, she makes another attempt, but when they get downstairs and put the gifts in the trunk, Susan’s phone rings. Answering it she says

“Hey, babe!”

“No, I’m on my way!” she replies

“Ok, I’m coming” she states then hangs up

“I’m so sorry Renee” Susan says

“It’s ok. Go, have fun”

“Let’s get together Sunday.”

“All day, I promise!” she states getting in the car, backing out of the driveway

“I can’t. I have a boyfriend now, well actually for a while now. He’s pretty great and he’s taking me out for my birthday.” She mutters under her breath watching Susan as she drives away

“She is gonna kill me when I do, finally tell her!” She mumbles walking back inside

It’s early, just a minute or two after eight when Bria’s doorbell rings. Glancing at her phone she checks to see if she missed a call or message, then when she answers the door, it’s Warren.

“Good morning!” she says sweetly

Holding up a paper bag and a coffee cup he says

“Good morning Beautiful, I come bearing gifts!”

Giving him a quick kiss, then taking the bag and cup she says

“This is a nice surprise, but what are you doing here?”

“Well, being that I have a busy day and an even busier weekend ahead. I wanted to come by and see you.” He states closing the door behind him

“And I kind of needed to talk to you.” He mumbles

“Ok, what’s wrong?” she asks sitting his gifts on the counter

“It’s nothing bad, I just wanted to see if it’d be possible for you to take off Tuesday too?”

Unsure where exactly this conversation is going, she just looks at him for a moment but doesn’t respond right away.

“Why?” she asks finally

“Where are we going?” she asks

“I’m not telling you.” he replies

“Then I won’t tell you that I’ll be on vacation all next week” she pouts with a raised eyebrow

“Really, that’s great!” he says with a big smile

“Is that the only reason you stopped by?” she asks taking a sip of her coffee

“No, I actually wanted to see what you thought about...” he pauses

“About what?” she asks

“About meeting my daughter” he adds finally

Bria just stands there for a minute holding her breath

Taking her hand Warren says

“Breathe!”

“Look, just hear me out.” He adds leading her to the couch

“Tomorrow is her birthday party. After the party, she is going to be staying with her grandparents for the weekend and until I get back. I thought it would be a great opportunity, it’s informal and she won’t even be paying attention with all her friends and grandparents there. No pressure though, I completely understand if you’re not ready for that.”

“I mean…” she begins then pauses

“Don’t get me wrong, I like you and I love spending time with you…”

“But…” Warren states causing her to look at him

“Honestly, there is no, but. I…”

“I’d love to meet her!” she smiles ignoring the nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach

Slightly confused by her loss of words, Warren says

“Her party is going to be from one until around four. Can you meet me around three at District 981?”

“I’m working a few hours tomorrow, but I can be there around three” she replies

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going, so I’ll know how to pack”

“Just pack for what you want to do and bring a dress for dinner.”

With a raised eyebrow Bria stands up and says

“I have to get to work. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow, what about later?” he stands pulling her into an all too brief kiss

“You said you have a busy day and I’ll probably be working late!” she replies

“I’ll call you later” he replies giving her another kiss

After grabbing her things and her coffee, Bria rushes out the door. All day she considers the many ways that meeting Warren’s daughter could go wrong.

It’s after two when Bria and Jennifer walk down to ‘Your Perfect Salad’ for a quick lunch. When their food arrives at the table, Bria sees what looks to be Warren walking in the door on his phone. Following her eyes Jennifer says

“Is that Bae?”

“Warren!” Jennifer calls out causing him to look in their direction

When he pays for his food, Warren gets off the phone and walks over to their table.

“Hey Babe!” he says with a bright smile then gives Bria a quick kiss catching her off guard

“Hey!” she replies

“Jennifer, how are you?” he asks

“I’m great. How have you been?”

“Good, busy but good!” he adds

“I’m actually in a hurry, I’m headed to Dothan. I’ve gotta be there and back before seven.” he says

“Drive safe, I’ll call you later” Bria states

“Alright!” he whispers giving her another quick kiss on the cheek then says

“Nice seeing you again Jen!”

Following his departure, Jennifer says

“Now, are you ready to tell me about that?”

Bria just takes another bite of her food, so Jennifer says

“We haven’t had a girl’s night in over three months since the night you met, Bae! You have till the end of this lunch to spill or I’m starting a group text!”

Bria ignores her until, she pulls out her phone

“No, ok!” she states

“Ugh, you are the worst.” She adds

“It’s really nothing to tell. We’ve been talking for a few months, that’s it.”

Jennifer starts typing in her phone and Bria says

“What?”

“Ok, put the phone down. Ask me what you want to know” she states

“Everything! He drove you home from the lounge that night?”

“Yes”

“Ok, so you slept with him?” she asks

“No”

“You’re lying!” She replies

“No, I’m not.”

“Ok, so what happened?” Jennifer asks

They sit eating lunch and Bria fills her in on the basics of her and Warren’s past few months. On their walk back to the office, Bria says

“Don’t say anything to anyone, especially not Susan. I haven’t told her about him yet”

“What? You tell her everything!” Jennifer states surprised

“I know, she’s gonna kill me. I just haven’t had a chance. At first, there wasn’t anything to tell.”

“It’s been over three months. He’s taking you on a trip for your birthday. And you’re meeting his daughter, you’ll be getting married before you get a chance to tell her.”

“At least invite her to the wedding!” Jennifer laughs

“Who’s wedding?” Dillon asks when he gets on the elevator with them

“Bria’s!” she laughs

“No one’s, Jennifer is exaggerating!” Bria says walking towards the elevator doors before they even begin to open

Saturday afternoon, after one of the longest mornings of her life, Bria finally shuts down her office and heads down to the parking garage. When she walks off of the elevator, Dillon walks up meeting her at her car, with a gift bag.

“Hey, I’m glad I caught you” he says

“What are you doing here?” Bria asks

“I knew you were going on vacation, and you’d be working today. I didn’t want you to leave without your gift. Happy birthday!” He says reaching her the gift bag in his hand

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to get me anything!”

Stepping a little too close to her, he says

“I just wanted to make sure you know how special you are!”

Gently touching the side of her face as he pushes a strand of hair behind her ear Dillon says

“And maybe when you get back, we can finally have that drink!”

“I’m not…!” Bria begins but he puts his finger up to her lips to stop her

“Just take the f*cking gift and say thank you!” he snaps then smiles giving her a quick kiss on the cheek

Then finally stepping back he allows her to get into her car. Slightly horrified by the encounter, Bria gets in, starts the car, and locks the doors. After sitting there for a moment, she hears a noise, that causes her to jump, then she quickly pulls out of the parking space. While she sits at a red light, she thinks back to Dillon and glances at the gift bag in the passenger seat.

Less than ten minutes later, she arrives at District 981, still a little shaky. She picks up her phone, but instead of calling Warren, she lays her head on the steering wheel and cries. Thinking back to the scene in the parking garage and realizing how unprepared she was, horrifying thoughts of everything that could have happened, flood her mind.

A little while later, someone knocks on her window, startling her, causing her to jump. When she sees Warren, she unlocks the door. Once he opens her door and after seeing her face, he asks

“Bria, what’s wrong?”

She just shakes her head, Warren squats down and embraces her. After a minute, she wipes her face and says

“I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be sorry. What’s wrong?”

“It’s a bad time. We can talk about it later. Just give me a minute” she whispers

After giving her a quick kiss, Warren says

“Take all the time you need, come inside when you’re ready. Or call me and I’ll come back out”

“Thank you!” she replies

Bria, finally able to get her emotions in check, gets out of the car and when she walks inside District 981, she spots Susan talking to another lady. When Susan sees her, she walks over to her.

“Hey, I thought you couldn’t make it?”

“I just got off work…” she begins confused seeing her there

“Aunt Renee, you made it!” Julie states, excitedly running up to Bria, giving her a big hug

Looking across the room Warren sees Susan and Julie talking to Bria. Confused, he walks towards them.

“I got almost everything on my list, I can’t believe it! You’ve got to see this!” Julie states taking Bria’s hand

Caught off guard, Bria just follows her to a small room decorated in Tic Tok birthday decorations. When they get over to the table, Bria says

“Oh, my goodness, this is everything from your list! Did you like your camera?”

“Of course! That is my absolute favorite thing!” she replies

“I can’t wait to charge it so I can take pictures of everything!” she adds

Warren stands at the door and clears his throat getting their attention

“Daddy, this is Aunt Renee. That brought me the camera and fidgets!” Julie states

“Daddy?” Bria states

“Aunt Renee!” he says confused

The two of them just stand there staring back and forth between each other, then at Julie for a moment, not saying anything until finally Susan walks up

“Junior, Ma said…” she begins

“Everything ok?” she asks when she sees their faces

“I don’t know what’s going on, their being weird!” Julie says leaving the room

“Julie, Grandma Monica said get the things you want to take with you and bring them to the car.” Susan says

“Did she just call you daddy?” Bria asks still processing

“Yeah, that’s Jewels, my daughter. How do you know her?” he asks

“Julie is my best friend’s niece. And this is my best friend, Susan!” Bria says pointing to Susan

“I’m confused. What?” Susan says

“This is Warren!” Bria states

“From the lounge?” she adds when Susan looks even more confused

Warren sits down at one of the tables. Finally, Susan says

“Oh, that Warren!”

“Yeah!” Bria replies

“No, wait. This is Junior, Jacob’s brother in-law and Julie’s dad.”

“I can see that now!” Bria replies

“So, wait. What are you doing here? I’m still confused.” Susan asks

“It’s a long story!” Bria whispers

“I’ll give you two a minute!” Warren states standing up, then walks out of the room

“What the hell is going on, I’m so lost.” Susan states

Bria takes a deep breath then sits down

“I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks now, that I’ve been seeing someone, Warren. Long story short, he wanted me to meet his daughter today at her birthday party, I agreed, but I had no idea Jewels was Julie. We were supposed to be going somewhere this weekend for my birthday. But apparently, he is actually Julie’s dad and your brother in-law, Junior.”

“Before this day gets any worse, I’m leaving.”

“So, Wait. Don’t leave, the party is pretty much over. Julie is leaving with Monica and Jacob” Susan states

Laughing she adds

“You two should really talk.”

“Did you see how he walked out of here.” Bria asks

“You were both caught off guard. Trust me, I’m still a little confused.”

“I’m going to my car, so there isn’t any more confusion.”

“I thought Julie’s party was at her house” Bria says before leaving

“Yeah, it got changed to here last week.”

“You know this is one of Junior’s centers. He owns three and he’s opening up two more next year.” Susan adds

“Of course, I didn’t. Apparently, I don’t know him at all!” she replies leaving the room

Before Bria walks out of the door Warren catches her.

“Hey, where are you going?” he asks

“I’m gonna wait in my car and see if you want to talk to me.” She replies

“Of course, I do. Do you want to play some games before we take off? I just need about twenty minutes to wrap things up here.” he states

“Aunt Renee, Grandma Monica said I can play a few more games before we leave, you want to play with me?” Julie asks running back up to Bria

“Of course, you’re the birthday girl!” she replies sweetly

“I’ll be right there” she adds then looking back at Warren

“I’m so sorry.” she states

“Don’t be, here, use my card” he states handing her a game card

“I’ll come find you in a few minutes” he adds as she walks off to join Julie

From across the arcade, Warren continues watching Bria and Julie having fun, joking, and playing games. Completely amazed by the relationship Bria seems to have with Julie, of which he had no idea. He’d only heard the great stories of Julie’s Aunt Renee but, never actually met her. Finally, he sees Monica go tell Julie that it’s time to go. Julie leaves Bria playing a ticket grabbing game but turns around to give her a hug before finally leaving. Bria plays a few more games alone to pass the time until Warren walks up behind her.

“Well, today has been very enlightening!” he whispers

“In more ways than you can imagine!” Bria replies with the most unhappy smile

“Hey…” he says looking at her

“You ready to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“I mean before you came inside” he adds

“I will, I promise. But not here” she replies handing him his game card back

“Thanks!” she adds

“You’re very welcome!”

“Are you ready to hit the road?” he asks

“If you still want to go” she replies walking towards the door

Once they get outside Warren says

“You can leave your car here, but let’s pull it around back”

“Why?”

“I parked in the back, so it’ll be easier to put your things in my car.”

“Ok” she says as they approach her car

“You can just throw that in the back” she states referring to the gift bag Dillon gave her

“It’s ok, I’ll hold it. Why would you want to throw your gift?” Warren asks

Bria just looks at him as she starts the car

“So, you do accept gifts from some people, just not me.” He replies

“A co-worker gave me that, well forced me to take that!” she replies

“What do you mean?” he asks

“Where do you want me to park?” she asks ignoring him

“Right next to me is fine” he replies

When they get out, Bria pops the trunk,

“Do you want to bring your gift?” he asks

“No, just put it in the trash!”

Surprised he asks

“Did you even look to see what it was?”

“No, I don’t want it!” she snaps

Warren just stands looking at her, then watches as her phone rings and she looks up at him and says

“Please just put the bag in the trash, I don’t want it!”

Warren walks to the front of the car and looks through the bag while Bria takes the call. When he pulls out the tissue paper, he sees; handcuffs, lotions and lubes, a black pantie set, a sex toy kit, a book ‘Positions Sex Bible’, some edibles and a card. Opening the card, Warren sees several pictures of a guy, in a G-string.

Just a taste of what you’re missing!

Happy Birthday!

-Dillon

Bria walks up to him as he finishes reading the card and looking up at her Warren asks

“Who is Dillon?”

“What?” she asks, but Warren doesn’t respond

“He’s a guy I work with, why? What are you doing?”

“Did you look in this bag?” he asks

“No. Why?”

“Nothing, I’ll throw it away!” he replies sliding the card and pictures in his pocket

Taking the bag, he throws it in the trash can by the back door and goes to the trunk and puts Bria’s suitcases in his car. Once he does, he says

“You can lock up your car and get in, I have to run inside for a minute.”

“Warren” she replies

“I’ll just be a minute, I promise!” he says giving her a quick kiss on the cheek

Warren walks inside the door and down the hall. Taking out his phone, he calls Doug

“What up bro? I thought you was taking your girl out…” Doug begins

“I’m leaving now. Listen, are you near 981?”

“Yeah, I’m at the lounge down the road. What’s up?”

“I need you to do me a favor. Come to the trash can by the back door where I usually park and get the red gift bag. Put it in your trunk and I’ll get it from you when I get back.”

“Ok, what’s in it?” he asks

“Just come get the bag and put it in your trunk.”

“Now D!” he adds

“Ok, I’m leaving now”

“Thank you!” he says then ends the call