Free Earning Yancy by C. C. Wood Page A

didn’t have a great deal of work to finish, but I needed to get my ass in gear if I wanted to finish up by five. I put thoughts of my date tomorrow out of my mind and got busy.

Chapter Ten

    B y 5:30 the next evening, I was running after Carolena in my robe with my wet hair hanging in stringy chunks around my face.
    “Get back here, you rascal!” I shouted.
    She laughed and kept up her mad dash from the living room to the dining room, my ringing cell phone in her hand.
    I should be frustrated, but she was so cute with her chubby little legs pumping and her gut-busting giggles that I found myself smiling as I finally caught up and scooped her up into my arms.
    “You little stinker, give me that phone.”
    She grinned, her dimples popping and her little teeth gleaming, and handed me the phone. It was no longer ringing. It beeped and I saw I had a new message. I squeezed Carolena tight, making her squeal, peppered her face with kisses, and set her on her feet with a little pat on her diapered butt. She wheeled out of the dining room, squealing and yelling incoherent babble.
    I laughed and listened to my voicemail, following her into the living room. It was Tanya, letting me know she was on her way but running a bit late. Considering I was still in my bathrobe with wet hair, I couldn’t complain.
    I had just finished putting on my underwear and slathering lotion on my skin when the doorbell rang. I threw on my robe again and carried Carolena downstairs with me to answer the door.
    Tanya stood on my porch in black skinny jeans, a black long sleeved shirt, bright red ballet flats, and a matching red bag on her arm. She looked exactly like what she was; a worldly, stylish woman. I wondered how long her outfit would stay pristine.
    “Hey! Come on in.” As she entered, I saw the label on her bag and my brows rose. “You might want to put that bag in a place where Carolena can’t reach it. She has no respect for Louis Vuitton.”
    “Noted.”
    At that moment, Carolena decided she’d been ignored long enough.
    “Tata!!” Her arms flew up and she lunged toward Tanya.
    “Oof! You’re getting so big!” Tanya said as she hitched Carolena on her hip. “Are you gonna help Mama and me pick out her dress for tonight? She needs to look pretty.”
    “Yaaawww!” Carolena raised her fist up in the air as she yelled.
    I shook my head at their antics. “Okay, well, it’s 5:45, so we better get started.”
    We all trooped upstairs and I settled Carolena on the floor in my bedroom with some toys. Tanya shooed me into the bathroom with instructions to dry my hair while she picked out my outfit. I was certain she wanted me out of the room so I wouldn’t start nixing her choices as she went through my closet, but I let her shove me into the bathroom anyway.
    I took the time to smooth in product and use a large round brush as I dried my hair. I stepped out of the bathroom to find three dresses on the bed. I looked in the walk-in closet, where Tanya was going through my shoes, muttering to herself.
    When she saw me, she pointed to the bed. “Pick one. If you veto all of them, I have a dress in mind for you.”
    I knew then and there it would be wise to choose one of the dresses on the bed. I only had three vetoes, then I would have to wear whatever she picked. I gave her a sidelong look when I realized that all three were outfits I hadn’t worn since before Carolena was born. I chose a black dress with a low, narrow V-neck. While it showed quite a bit of the skin from my chest and arms, there was very little actual cleavage. The top of the dress bloused over a gathered waist and the skirt fell almost to my knees. It looked like the type of dress a Greek goddess might wear, only black instead of white. I figured it was the outfit most likely to fit me since having a baby had changed the shape of my body completely.
    “Good choice,” said Tanya.
    My level stare was her answer and she laughed as I went into the bathroom. The