Friend-Zoned by Belle Aurora Page B

actually sounds amused through the speaker, “Well, hot damn,
that’s awesome!”
The three of us at the store all say, “What?” a little too
loudly.
Mimi sounds exasperated, “C’mon guys, don’t you know what this
means?”
The silence is enough to let Mimi know we have no freakin’
idea.
She sighs and enlightens, “It’s because he wants to keep her
around! And I’m guessing since you guys know, that he told Tina
about it which means he trusts her. Excuse me for being happy about
this because, yes, it’s a breach of privacy but Tina doesn’t have
anything to hide. So, teeny Tina, you’re in!”
I whisper, “I’m in?”
I look around to Lola and Nat whose expressions have changed so
abruptly from scowls to small smiles.
Mimi laughs over the speaker, “You’re in, babe. Listen, I have to
go. See ya later.” She hangs up.
Nat nudges my shoulder and admits, “I guess I was a little too
shocked to see what Meems just pointed out.” She looks me in the
eye with a meaningful look, “How much does he know?”
I know what she’s asking. Nat is the only one who knows I own
Safira apart from my dad. Rawr
Raaawr A customer walks in and Lola
straightens up, “I’ll take it.” She walks over to them with a big
smile.
Nat and I are alone so it’s safe to tell her ,“He knows I own
Safira. He doesn’t know about Mia, Mom, or Jace. He doesn’t know
about Mom’s inheritance money, either.”
Nat looks thoughtful and clarifies, “So he thinks you have very
little money and still wants to keep you around even though he was
worried you were after him for money. That’s awesome.”
I’m glad the girls are letting this go. It wasn’t even that big of
a deal to me. I get people having trust issues. It’s why I’ve only
had one relationship in my twenty eight years. I want Nik to trust
me. I understand that’ll take time and I’ll have to be patient.
That’s all right with me. He’s the kind of guy who’s worth it. I
want him around. So, I’ll be patient.
It’s only been a few weeks and he’s already changed so much towards
me. I know he was weirded out by my need to be affectionate and
touchy. When he brought Nat and I lunch and I hugged him, he
actually hugged me back. It wasn’t just a hug, he stroked my hair.
And it felt nice .
So nice that I want to hug him every time I see him and feel his
big, muscular arms around me, keeping me
safe. Keeping you
safe? I guess I feel protected by
him, which is strange, but it’s also nice. I just came from his
office and I want to see him again. Like,
now. You’re getting too
attached. No, I’m not. I just like my
new friend.
***
    It’s Wednesday morning and
I’m feeling good.
All my paperwork is up to date. I’ve discussed with my two silent
partners (Max and Ghost) what the sponsorship money should be used
for and was surprised when they actually agreed with me. We’re
going to try to buy the building next door and extend The White
Rabbit. We’re all eager to put in a bid for the building. I can’t
believe we’ve arranged so much since the sponsorship was only made
official on Monday. You wouldn’t even
have the NT3 if not for Tina. I
wasn’t lying to Tina when I told her NT3 we’re going to turn me
down. I didn’t even fit the criteria. Then hurricane Tina bursts
through the door, literally, and Vanessa was
smitten. Just like I
am. Only a
little. Yeah,
sure. They took a big chance on The
White Rabbit and I have to make sure they aren’t disappointed.
We’re making really good profit through the club nights alone, not
counting hiring out the first floor during the week. I’ll make
certain they don’t regret it.
I had Tina investigated. I knew when I got the file, I had to tell
her. She’s a nice girl and I want her to trust me. The only way I
can make sure she does that is by being one hundred percent honest
with her. Only after I got the information, I was ashamed of
myself. How could I think Tina was after me because of my
money?
She’s