“It’s great to see you to Soph. Ready?” he said, ignoring her remark. She nodded in reply, her eyebrow permanently stuck up in the air.

He walked them to the elevator where they rode in silence down to the lobby and outside where he hailed them a cab. They didn’t need to taxi because the location was relatively close but Cal knew Sophia and her Louis Vuitton heels would not last a second on the sidewalk, much less walking half a mile.

“So, how are you?” she asked when he climbed into the cab seat beside her.

“I’m good, busy with a few new clients but I’m doing well.You?”

“Great. I feel like I haven’t seen you at all!” This was her way of guilting him, again, about placing her across the floor from him and relegating her job duties to those that had little overlap with his. He was in charge of the business end of the company, and she—with a degree in computer technology—was in charge of overseeing the technicians that wrote the code for the websites and site designs they provided.

“That’s probably good, means we’re busy,” he joked. She rolled her eyes just as the cab pulled up in front of the first storefront they were looking at. It was a small glass-window fronted store that had a simple appeal. They paid for the cab and headed inside the empty store.

They were greeted by a woman who walked them through the small place and allowed them to discuss the pros and cons of their needs and what the space offered. After half an hour, they left the spot and walked two blocks to Calvin’s favorite taco truck. The truck was the same one that used to park outside of his apartment at night; he’d practically lived off of tacos for months when he was first starting the company.

Sophia rolled her eyes at the truck, knowing very well it was his favorite but never having liked it in the history of their relationship. She reluctantly ordered a salad after he ordered three Cajun tacos. Sophia planted herself in the shade under a nearby tree waiting for their order while Cal paid the cashier.

A strangely familiar voice said, “Cajun’s my favorite too! You can’t beat these tacos anywhere else in the city.” He looked over at the person next to him and was greeted by Faydra’s smiling face. She was dressed in green today and had her hair up in a perfectly round bun.

‘Oh wow, Faydra!” He was mesmerized by her dark skin in the sunlight, and the way her eyes glistened slightly when she looked up at him.

“Hey—Cal, right?” she asked as he grabbed his receipt and stepped away from the truck.

“Yeah. Fancy meeting you here!”

“I know! What are you doing on our side of town?” He thought for a second at what this question could mean. He’d never specified where in town he worked, and he thought if anything she’d assume he worked close given that he brought Ruby shopping.

He also realized where he was, which he hadn’t before. He was only one street and two blocks down from Faydra’s store. Coming from the opposite side of town as last night he hadn’t noticed, but now it was all he could think about. Another second reminded him that the final storefront location must be on the same block she worked on. The thought warmed his stomach unexpectedly.

“We’re looking at storefronts for the company—looking to expand a little, and our two options are right around here.”

“Oh, cool! Sounds like business must be good if you’re expanding.”

He nodded and smiled, “Yeah, it is pretty good. I can’t complain. But how are you,how’s work?” This question immediately felt wrong. How’s work? was something you would ask your wife after a long day, not a woman you met the day before.

She didn’t seem phased by the question and replied, “It’s great. Usually quiet during the day but that means more time to order and stock shelves and keep the store looking good. It’s the perfect thing, really.”

Cal poked out a lip in interest. “Cool. That’s great—” he was cut off by a shrill voice that he recognized as Sophia’s defensive voice. The one she used with women, sounding like a mama cat protecting her kittens.

“Cal, I’m starving, ” she whined. They’d been waiting for their food for less than three minutes and the comment was completely unwarranted but Cal knew the justification behind it and what was coming next. “Oh hi,we haven’t met. I’m Sophia.” Sophia reached with the arm that wasn’t grasping Cal’s bicep to shake Faydra’s hand.

“Hi, I’m Faydra,” she replied cautiously.

“Do you work here?” Sophia crowed. The comment made Cal cringe knowing very well that Sophia was not that stupid. Faydra’s dress and heels were polar opposites of the taco truck polo the rest of the employees were wearing, though the color was a similar green. Faydra opened her mouth in a confused expression and almost responded to the question but she was cut off.

Faydra’s and Calvin’s names were both called from the truck window. Faydra grabbed her food and Sophia snatched the two to-go boxes and quickly pushed Calvin away from the woman.

“Nice meeting you, sorry but we’re late!” Sophia pressed. Calvin tried to wave and retreat back to Faydra but his new friend had already waved goodbye and started walking in the opposite direction. He wasn’t surprised either, Sophia was the queen of uncomfortable encounters when it came to Calvin with other women—another reason he’d dissociated himself from her in the past years.

Another thought entered his mind, the conversation he’d had with his sister. He was supposed to tell her he wasn’t married and that Ruby wasn’t his child. Wow, now you have no chance whatsoever, he thought, knowing Sophia’s comments would be enough to scare anyone off. He was cold to Sophia for the rest of the day. He tried to forget about what she’d said but he couldn’t—and he hoped that Faydra would easily forget.

*****

Faydra was irritated after her second encounter with Cal. He seemed so genuinely interested in talking to her when he did but all of the circumstances surrounding their two meetings were rubbing her the wrong way. At their first meeting, his flirtatiousness and lack of a wedding ring made it seem like he might be a single dad totally interested in her. But when the woman came in rushing them out of the store, it was clear they all belonged together. Or at least she thought it was until the next day.

And at the taco stand, even more confusing was that woman—a different woman than the day before—who made her mark on him more than obvious. She was giving off serious lioness vibes and Faydra was not interested in fighting for someone she hardly knew. Although the thought of him had crossed her mind, she’d been adamant about keeping the most likely involved man out of her head. Besides that, she found his extravagant spending to be a turn-off and not something she wanted to be involved in either.

She took her and Candace’s tacos back to the shop and ate in the back while watching for customers.

“What’s up?” asked Candace, noticing something off about Faydra.

“Uh,nothing?” Faydra replied after swallowing her food. Candace returned a squinted look and  remained silent until Faydra confessed. “Okay, okay. Can I ask you a question about guys? In a hypothetical scenario what you would do?”

“Sure…” Candace’s interest was clearly piqued.

“Say there’s a guy—a customer in fact—and he comes into the store with his kid. He’s super nice, well dressed, handsome, buys his daughter nice things AND flirts with you. What would you think?” she paused there waiting for Candace to answer.