Desperate Measures(132)
Kiki walked up and patted Aimee’s belly. “Does Junior want to go see the place?”
“Yes, I think he does. And so does his mommy.”
“Excellent.”
They started walking out of Marcus’s office. “I can’t believe we found the perfect location for Desperate Measures so quickly. Can you believe it’s only been a week since the doo-doo hit the fan?” asked Aimee.
“I told you, Rich is some kind of genius, in a weird, almost creepy kind of way,” said Kiki.
“Oh, he wasn’t that bad,” laughed Elizabeth. “He’s just a little over eager.”
Kiki rolled her eyes.
“And the landlord meeting us so soon and being so willing to negotiate and sign off on everything we asked for? I think we’re benefitting from this terrible economy. I’m trying not to feel guilty about that,” said Elizabeth, stepping into the elevator that would take them down to the lobby.
“Don’t feel guilty about our happiness. We’re going to help revitalize the area,” said Aimee.
“You got that right,” agreed Kiki. “I gave the keys to Brent yesterday, by the way. He said he wanted to drop a couple things off for us. I’m guessing flowers or something. He said he’d meet us over there after our meeting with Marcus to give me back the keys.” said Kiki.
“Want me to drive?” asked Elizabeth.
“Sure. If you want,” said Kiki, trying not to smile.
“I’m not going to break the speed limit, Kiki.”
“And you shouldn’t either. You’ll have baby on board, after all.”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at her. “You called me a granny driver.”
Kiki shrugged. “It takes you fifteen minutes to drive ten blocks, Lizzie.”
“Girls, girls, please. I’m getting nauseous. Stop.”
“You keep using that morning sickness excuse for everything. Eventually we’re not going to believe you anymore,” warned Kiki.
“Well, then you will suffer the consequences,” said Aimee, trying to hide her smile and look serious.
They piled into Elizabeth’s car, Aimee in the center of the back seat and Kiki the front passenger. Kiki turned on the radio and started singing loudly, off key, to the worst song Elizabeth had ever heard. Elizabeth reached over twice to turn it down, but Kiki slapped her hand away. Elizabeth gave up. All Aimee could seem to do was smile. Elizabeth caught her look in the mirror and grinned back. She loved her new friends.
They pulled up to the curb in front of the future site of their business. All three girls were stunned speechless at what they saw.
Three men stood outside the commercial space, all of them wearing paint-spattered jeans and t-shirts that had seen much better days. Each was sporting beard stubble growing in thickly and hair that looked like it needed a good washing.
“What the heck?” said Aimee, distractedly. “Is that … Joe?”
“And Brent?” said Kiki.
“And Sebastian?” asked Elizabeth.
Elizabeth shut off the engine while the three of them stared. A sign hung above the door that read: “The Future Home of Desperate Measures Cafe”. The windows were covered in paint to block the construction that would soon commence inside. But it wasn’t just regular old white paint; it was a mural, painted by Sebastian - assisted by the other two guys if the looks of their clothes were any indication. They’d obviously been painting for twenty-four hours straight - creating a gorgeous work of art that depicted the three girls together.
All of the painted women were smiling. One was holding up a plate of cookies, one was on her computer with a pen behind her ear, and one was holding a gun pointed up in the air. And all of them were wearing heels.