Plus by Veronica Chambers Read Free Book Online Page A

I’d rocked that Victoria’s Secret lingerie like a supermodel, shown him I know what I’m doing in a relationship, then I’d still have Brian and everything would be okay.

    I was waiting for the Ollie’s delivery guy to show up; it was a weeknight, so it would probably be Dewei. The doorbell rang, then rang again three times before I could get over to the intercom. Definitely Dewei: he loved to lean on the horn. I buzzed him in. But when I opened the door, it wasn’t Dewei, it was Consuela. Brian’s ex-girlfriend.
    “Hey, chica, how are you?” She walked in as if she’d been over a thousand times before.
    “Hey,” I said, both annoyed that she’d shown up uninvited and relieved that I hadn’t buzzed in some serial killer.
    What was I supposed to say to her? “You know when Brian kisses you right behind your ear and you feel like you’re going to melt right on the spot, isn’t that the best?” We had nothing, I mean nothing, to talk about. But here she was, and I had to admit that even though I guessed that she’d ridden into town on the crazy train, I was kinda happy for the company.
    I walked over to the fridge and took out two diet sodas. “I’m fine,” I said, offering her one.
    “Nah, I never drink that diet stuff,” she said.
    I thought, Of course not. Consuela was curvy but curvy thin, like Salma Hayek, which I think is the cruelest anatomical joke of all. How can someone have boobs and hips like Jessica Simpson and still fit into a size-six dress? It’s like all the fat cells in their bodies automatically mutate to the right places.
    “I came by because I’m going salsa dancing at the Copa. Want to come?”
    “Uh, no,” I said.
    “Why not?”
    What I should have said was, “Because you’re a crazy stalker girl.” But instead, I replied, “It’s Tuesday night; I’ve got to study.”
    “Well, just come for an hour. It would be good for you to get out.”
    “I just ordered Chinese food.”
    “MSG, baby. It’ll keep.”
    “Why are you being so insistent?”
    “Because I told you, we should be friends.”
    “But you didn’t tell me why.”
    “Just a feeling.”
    The doorbell rang, then rang again. Definitely Dewei. I buzzed him in.
    Consuela looked at me and said, “You know, this is New York, snowflake. You should really ask who is it before you buzz somebody in.”
    I opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief again that it wasn’t an ax murderer.
    Dewei said, “Oh, tonight, you have company. It’s very good for Bee to make friends.”
    Consuela raised an eyebrow.
    I paid Dewei with Dad’s credit card and signed the receipt. It was all I could do not to stiff him on his tip. Nice of him to let Consuela know that I had no friends and ordered in every night.
    The minute he was out the door, Consuela stood up. “Even the delivery guy knows how sad and pathetic you are. You’re definitely coming with me. Let’s go look at your clothes.”
    “I haven’t had any dinner. I’m hungry, Consuela,” I said. I was whining like a baby, but I didn’t care.
    “First of all, everyone calls me Chela,” she said. She took the bag of food away from me and looked inside. “You can’t be this damn hungry,” she said. She handed me an egg roll and left the rest of the food on the counter. “Eat this,” she said.
    “So now you’re putting me on a diet?”
    “Nah, Bee,” Chela said. “I’m putting you on the clock. Ladies get in free before nine p.m., so we gotta roll. Where’s your closet?”
    I showed her.
    She decisively reached for a black tank top and a red skirt. “Put these on,” she said, tossing them at me. “You got some black pumps?”
    I nodded.
    “Good.”

    An hour later, we were on the dance floor. Chela said the old guys were the best ones to dance with and quickly found us a pair of grandpas. I was a little dubious of the five-foot-two man in the immaculately pressed black suit, but the minute we started dancing, he put one arm on my shoulder, one