The truth was Summer always had some crazy reason as to why she didn’t want to go out on a date. She didn’t know how to tell her friends it made her uncomfortable when men ogled her. Not to mention on those rare occasions when she did go on a date, by the end of the evening the jerk thought because he bought dinner that gave him the privilege to fondle her. So whenever her friends set her up, she always found a reason to break the date. Once, she even went to the extreme of working a shift in the emergency room on a Saturday night when there’d been a shortage of nurses, to get out of going on a blind date. The sham wasn’t a complete lost though. Summer enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the emergency room so much that occasionally she worked a shift here and there when the ER was short staffed.
Starr eased up next to Summer, putting her arm around her shoulder, “What’s the matter Boo? You act as if you don’t deserve to go out on a date or something. I know you get tired of hanging with me and Av all the time.”
Laying her head on Starr’s shoulder, “I don’t know. It seems like every time I like a guy he turns out to be a jerk. The only thing they’re interested in is the booty and you know I’m telling the truth.”
“I hear you girlfriend, but give the brotha a chance. Okay? It seems like he’s feeling you girl, and I mean strong. Brotha is definitely sweating you.”
Summer thought about it for a second. “I’ll see. Let me get into Mr. Smith’s room. He was about to tell me a story about the Super Bowl.”
Ava who was standing within earshot laughed at Summer. “Crazy girl, it’s the World Series, not the Super Bowl. One is football, the other baseball, duh!” Ava knew this because Mr. Smith told her the same story two days ago when she was his nurse.
“Whateva!” Summer threw over her shoulder as she bounced down the hall to Mr. Smith’s room.
When she was out of hearing range, Starr questioned Ava. “Do you think she’ll go out with him?”
“Hmmm, maybe. I hope so. She’s such a pretty girl.”
“Brotha ain’t too bad to look at either.”
Ava nodded her head in agreement. At the same time they blurted out, “They’d make a cute couple.”
Nick was determined to break Summer’s resolve. After a week of daily phone calls, flowers and Godiva chocolates, she agreed to a date on Friday night.
♥♥♥
Pulling a black long sleeve wrap Donna Karan dress from her closet, Summer was anxious to get the night over with.
“At least I finally get to wear this dress I spent all that money on,” she said to Ava and Starr who were sitting on her bed as she hunted through her closet for the perfect pair of shoes.
Starr flipped through a magazine while Ava flicked from one cable station to the next. Looking up from the magazine, Starr agreed with her. “Yeah girl you did spend some bucks on that dress, but it’s gonna look cute on you.”
“Thanks, Starr.” Holding up a different shoe in each hand, “What do you guys think? the pumps or the wedges.”
Ava turned her attention away from the television. “I like the pumps.”
“Yeah, me to,” Starr said.
“Okay, it’s the pumps then.”
Spontaneously, Ava and Starr jumped off the bed and start doing the Beyoncé booty bounce while rapping the old MC Hammer hit, Pumps and a Bump.
Summer cracked up. “You two are fools! Y’all know that right?”
“We know!” They’d agreed as they continued to rap and booty bounce.
Shaking her head, Summer threw the wedges in the closet and joined Ava and Starr in acting a fool. They were having too much fun for her not to cut up with them.
After about five minutes of goofing off, Summer asked, “What time is it, Ava?”
“Seven fifteen. What time is he coming?” Ava inquired as she flopped back on the bed and resumed channel surfing.
“He’s coming at eight. I better hurry up. Y’all got me acting all crazy. I’m about to be late.”
Starr never stopped her gyrating as Summer rushed pass her into the bathroom.
Summer surprised herself. She was showered and completely dressed in less than forty minutes. It certainly helped she didn’t wear a ton of makeup. The only things she applied to her face was a moisturizer, eye shadow in gold and brown and a sheer mocha lip gloss that complemented her light complexion. Adding the final touch, Summer sprayed a few squirts of Vera Wang perfume on her wrists and behind her ears.
Standing in front of a full-length mirror, she was satisfied with her reflection. The wrap dress hugged every curve stopping just below the knees to give a full view of shapely legs in sheer black stockings. The pumps showed off well-toned calf muscles, courtesy of daily heel raises. Starr flat ironed her hair and curled it at the ends, letting the long tresses fall down her back.