Geek Chic by Lesli Richardson Read Free Book Online

she worked at the dress shop, she drove Da’von to campus herself. It gave them time to talk, but that morning, the last thing she’d felt like was talking.
    To anyone.
    All she’d wanted to do was stay safely locked inside her own mind and think about Mystery Hunk.
    Even around her best friend. “Why do you ask me that?”
    Lara removed the pins from her mouth and shook them at Nami. “How long we been friends?” She shook the pins at Nami again. “I can practically read your mind. What happened? Why you look like you lost your best friend?”
    Nami settled into the office chair she used when working at the shop. Two jobs that required long hours of sitting down had rounded her five-five frame into one hundred and eighty pounds of less than firm flesh. “I had a weird day yesterday driving a friend’s route.”
    “Weird how?”
    Nami related the strange man and his kiss, leaving out the part about his one-word possessive declaration.
    When Nami finished, Lara let out a low whistle. “Why didn’t you call the cops about it?” The feisty Cuban-born woman was in her sixties, but her auburn hair stayed its same reddish shade due in no small part to her hairdresser.
    “Because the last thing I wanted to do was call attention to it. Not like he groped me.”
    “What if he comes back and does it to the other girl who drives that route?”
    That was the only concern Nami had. In the light of day, she felt a little guilty that Danice might run into that guy. By all rights, Nami should have reported it. Now that she hadn’t, she didn’t want to get in trouble if word got out later that she hadn’t said anything or filed a report. She couldn’t afford to lose her job.
    Then again, maybe Danice knew about him and didn’t say anything to her .
    Piled on top of that craziness, more than a tinge of jealousy that Mystery Hunk might kiss Danice.
    “Somehow, I don’t think he’s going to do that,” Nami said.
    “You don’t know that.”
    No, she didn’t. But a tiny irrational voice deep inside her quietly spoke again. That the stranger wouldn’t bother Danice, because he wasn’t interested in Danice.
    He was interested in her .
    And only her.
    She shivered despite the comfortable temperature. “No, I don’t know that. And I’ll talk to her.”
    In fact, Nami texted her. Any strange guys on your route lately?
    No guys stranger than normal. Why?
    Nami thought about her reply, carefully pondering exactly how to phrase it.
    Got propositioned yesterday afternoon.
    Danice texted her back immediately again, which surprised Nami. Did you report it?
    No, didn’t want to start trouble. Just a flirt. Big guy, white, blond hair and blue eyes, looks like maybe military. Boarded on north Nebraska with a woman.
    I’ll keep my eye out tomorrow.
    That took Nami aback. Tomorrow?
    I’m off today. Needed two in a row w the hubs. Txs again!
    That explained how Danice could be texting right now. Nami wanted to reach through the phone and shake her. Danice hadn’t exactly given her a clear reason why she’d wanted to swap shifts, but she’d given Nami the impression it had something to do with an appointment that couldn’t be changed for one of her kids. Not that she’d wanted to finagle an extra day off so she could have two in a row in the middle of the week.
    Nami shoved the phone back into her pocket.
    Must be nice.
    No, that wasn’t very charitable, but at that moment charitable was the last thing she felt. At least Nami got two days off in a row every week. Usually. And she’d borked her own Saturday in the process of shifting her schedule around to help Danice out.
    Never. Again.
    She spent the day trying to focus on her job at the dress shop. Which proved wicked difficult.
    At least if she screwed something up, as long as it wasn’t cutting fabric or trim too short, it was easily fixed. Not like if she drove the bus off the road or something.
    Which, knock on wood, she had a perfect record so far. Over the years,