Deciding to stay close to S & M Financial Advisory, Octavia, Selena, Claudia, and Samiyah took a quick trip across the street to the deli. They sat in a booth next to the window dressed down in their professional attire. Scarves were wrapped around Samiyah’s and Selena’s shoulders while Octavia and Claudia went for thick wool coats instead.

“I swear it seems to drop ten degrees every day,” Claudia said.

The ladies nodded in agreement. Octavia blew lightly over her super-hot and sour shrimp soup.

“I don’t know how you slip the pregnancy glow past me,” Claudia said to Samiyah. “It’s literally written all over your face.”

Samiyah sipped her hot cocoa. “Probably because you’ve been too busy riding Jaden’s—”

“All right, I get your point,” Claudia said, holding up a hand and cutting Samiyah off.

The girls snickered.

“Who can blame you, girl, I don’t,” Selena said. “That man is fi-one!” she said, throwing an extra syllable in the word. The ladies snickered again.

“I’ve gotta tell you, Selena, you’ve commented on Jaden’s fineness more than once. Should I keep an eye on you?” Claudia asked.

Selena pushed her lips out and pretended to be in deep thought.

“Really, you need to think about it?” Claudia added.

“Girl, I’m just messing with you. Honestly, in my humble opinion, I think Jordan is the sexiest.”

“Oh pa-lease,” they all crooned.

“What?” Selena shrugged. “He is.”

“No, he’s not,” Samiyah interjected. “Jonas is by far the most handsome.”

Claudia cut her eyes at Samiyah and placed a hand on her hip. “Girl, gone,” Claudia said. “Like Ms. Thang over here has mentioned numerous times, Jaden is definitely the hottest.”

“I didn’t say he was the hottest, just fi-one!” Selena countered.

The ladies bickered back and forth, teasing each other on which brother was the best looking and most accomplished. Staring off into her soup with a faraway look in her eyes, Octavia spoke, “If you want to be technical about it, ladies, I’d say they are all beyond sexy, have accomplished things most people won’t in a lifetime during their thirty-something years, and will probably stay in the headlines because of it.”

The ladies nodded in agreement. “However,” Octavia went on to say, “none of them could taste as rich as chocolate, and be as caring, charming, and savage enough in bed to make you never want to breathe without him. They couldn’t possibly possess the type of mind-numbing, heart-bending orgasms that have you reeling like an animal in the wild. They couldn’t make your heart melt into theirs and wonder beyond wonder why you’d waited so long to be with him. They couldn’t possibly have a passion for others so selfless that they’d take time out of their busy schedules to go in search of a missing teenager who they have no affiliation with. Such a guy is usually unattainable, but Jonathon…” Octavia’s words trailed off. “He is the haut monde… the apple of the eye… the crème de la crème.” Octavia finally brought her gaze from the steamy soup to the surprised eyes and pursed lips of the women around her. “But if you’d like to pretend they are, by all means.” Octavia shrugged.

“Dayum!” Selena screeched. She held a hand in the air, and Octavia met her with a high-five. “That’s what I’m talking about, you better put on for your man, girl! Whew!” Selena fanned herself.

“Ooooh,” Samiyah said, “this girl is in love.”

The table quieted as they all agreed with Samiyah with a nod.

“You sound just like me when Jonas and I were dating,” Samiyah went on.

“Jonathon’s a great guy,” Octavia said.

“See, I told you!” Selena shouted. “But I won’t fill our lunch hour with how right I was, I’m just glad you didn’t waste that trip to Hawaii. Now, all you need to do is have the conversation.”

“What conversation would that be?” Octavia asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Where do you go from here?” Selena responded.

“Straight to the altar,” Claudia said.

Samiyah and Selena slapped hands across the table, and Claudia laughed. But Octavia was shaking her head.

“I have experienced first-hand what you’re feeling,” Claudia said, “and we’ve all been in denial, but at the end of the day, that man is going to make you his wife. Just watch.”

“How can you be so sure?” Octavia said.

“Because he’s a Rose, baby. And they play for keeps.”

They were all nodding as heat saturated Octavia’s skin. Her mind traveled to her and Jonathon standing at the altar, an ivory veil covering her face as she stared off into the eyes of the only man she’d ever loved.

“Can you see it?” Claudia said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Who says I want to be a wife?”

The girls stared at her as if she’d turned into a snake.

“Don’t you?”

One thing was certain. Octavia wanted to be Jonathon’s wife, but she wasn’t sure if she could live up to the status quo. Besides that, who’d want a wife waking up screaming at ungodly hours because of seasonal nightmares? Jonathon could say he’d always be there for her, but the reality was if that happened more often than not, he would surely grow tired of it. The thought reminded her of the call she needed to make. It was the dark cloud that hovered over her head. Going back to see Dr. Celia Cooper would definitely awaken the nightmares, but it would possibly help her get over them for good. As much as Octavia would have liked to forget about it and keep on self-soothing the way she’d been doing, Octavia had promised Jonathon she would make the call. And so, she would. Needing to switch gears, Octavia turned her attention to Samiyah.

“Let’s talk about this baby shower.”

Samiyah beamed. “I like what you did there,” she said, “but I guess we’ve been in your business long enough.”

“Oh, you guess, huh?” Octavia retorted.

“Mmhmm,” Samiyah said. “I’m only six months.”

“Six months!” Claudia screeched. “Girl, you’re damn near due. When were you going to tell somebody?”

“Jonas and I were going to tell you guys collectively at Thanksgiving dinner. We don’t know the sex of the baby, we want to have a gender reveal party. Which is why you guys have to keep it on the hush.” Samiyah looked at Claudia. “It means you can’t tell Jaden.” Samiyah glanced to Octavia. “You can’t tell Jonathon.” Finally, she looked at Selena. “And you can’t tell whomever it is you’re having pillow talk with these days.”

Affronted, Selena tossed a hand over her heart. “That was just stank, and you know it.”

The girls fell out laughing.

“Well tell me you’re dating Jordan, and I’ll tell you not to tell him.”

“Soon,” Selena said with a wink.

The ladies laughed.

“Do you all have your gowns for the Jan’s Roses fundraiser next month?” Claudia asked.

Samiyah nodded. “I’ve got mine.”

“I do, too,” Claudia said.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t been invited,” Selena said sourly.

“Well consider this your official invite,” Samiyah said.

Selena perked up. “I guess I’ll need to find a gown then.”

“I don’t have mine yet, Selena,” Octavia said, “so if you want, we can go gown shopping together.”

Selena swallowed the milk coffee on her tongue. “Cool, we should go this weekend.”

“Well, I don’t know if we’ll get a chance to do it this weekend.”

“Why?”

“Ayana Bradwell’s case hasn’t been solved, and currently they’re still searching for her. I’m reopening my house as a station again.”

“I’ve seen this on the news,” Samiyah interrupted. “What do you mean you’re opening your house as a station?”

“So, you still haven’t told them?” Selena asked.

Octavia shrugged. “I’ve been a little busy.”

“Mmhmm, busy getting your groove back,” Selena retorted. “Okay, I ain’t mad at cha.”

The ladies chuckled.

“Ayana Bradwell is a teenager from my neighborhood. Her grandmother has custody of her, but she’s been missing for a week now.”

“Oh nooo,” Samiyah said.

“As long as the search is ongoing, I’ll have my house open for volunteers to stop and use the restroom, eat and rest if need be.”

“There’s a hotline, too,” Selena said, “It rings nonstop.”

“I take it you’ve been helping Octavia out,” Claudia said.

Selena nodded.

“And she’ll be back to help me this weekend because that’s what friends are for, right?” Octavia chimed.

“Oh, for sure, but we do need more people.”

“I’ll stop by and help,” Claudia inserted. “I can’t say for how long, but I’ll be there nonetheless.”

“Yeah and I’ll—” Samiyah said before getting disapproving frowns. “What?”

“You will go home and take care of that baby,” Octavia stated matter of fact.

“I’m six months, what are you guys going to be doing, lifting furniture?”

“No, but it is still a room full of lively activity. I won’t have you under stress,” Octavia reaffirmed.

“I’m with Octavia on this one, Samiyah,” Claudia said.

“All right fine, have it your way,” Samiyah said, giving up.

A waiter approached their table and refilled their coffee and cocoa. Claudia flipped her wrist and glanced at her watch.

“Looks like our time is almost up, ladies.”

“This is what I call a power lunch,” Selena said, and they all agreed. “I should probably drink coffee throughout the day since we’ll be busy tonight.” Selena glanced over to Octavia.

“I’ll see if we can get an extra volunteer,” Octavia said.

The waitress brought the check, and Octavia wondered about Jonathon’s day. The exuberant warmth that coiled inside her was ongoing, and thoughts of being Mrs. Jonathon Alexander Rose danced in her head.