Chapter 2: Chapter 2
“Hey, Mycah,” Cheryl Ellis called to her. “Haven’t seen you in weeks! Where you been, girl?”
She smiled and pulled her best friend into a tight hug. “Sorry about that. It’s been crazy at work. We had a big project come through. I haven’t gotten home before ten in forever.”
“But you got off tonight!”
“Luck. The boss has a big family thing this week, so she closed the studio for three days. Of course, that will put us behind for a bit, but I think we can tie it up in the next month or so.”
“Is this one of those million-dollar deals?”
“It sure is. We’re completely redecorating a big mansion up north, just west of Plattsburgh.”
“Plattsburgh? Who’d want to vacation up there? It’s freezing cold up there, year-round!”
Mycah had to laugh. “Is not! Besides, all those millionaire skiers love it in that area.”
“I guess.”
“We’re taking it right back to the old walls and putting in new electricity and plumbing. They’re converting all the fireplaces into gas. I had to go there a couple weeks ago and do some measuring. The place is enormous! There are twenty-seven huge bedrooms and they’ll all have either king-sized beds or two queens.”
“Wow. Then you must be making a lot on this one.”
“Enough to go on a vacation this year!”
“Get out of here. You go on vacation every year.”
“But this year I’ll have enough money to go almost anywhere for up to a month.”
Cheryl’s eyes lit up. “Then you’ll need someone to take with you. Can I volunteer?”
“I don’t see why not, but the final decision won’t be announced until late spring…May or June.”
“You tease! Should I get my passport ready?”
“We’ll see.” Cheryl was a dear friend and a hot fuck-buddy, but Mycah didn’t feel the potential for a long-term commitment there. If she was going to spend thousands on a trip and a month of her time, it would be nice to know it might be a good investment.
Sherri Springer walked in the door and created the stir as she always did. “Hey guys,” she announced loudly, as she shed her heavy coat. “I brought an old friend with me!”
Everyone turned to see who it was.
“Sonny Cooper!” Jamie Willis screamed. “Where have you been, woman? I thought you had gone off to med school!”
“Hi, Jamie. Long time no see! Hey, everyone!” She looked around the room. Her eyes met Mycah’s for a moment and her face lit up into a smile.
Mycah also felt a sudden surge in the atmosphere, as though a meteor had suddenly crashed right in front of her.
Jamie propelled herself over to Sonny and threw her arms around the woman, who stood a little taller than everyone else. Her lanky body was clad in sharply pressed denim skinny jeans, a sheep-skin lined jacket, and a magenta shirt unbuttoned into an attention-grabbing low neckline. It made you want to explore the deep valley to see what was hidden there. Her skin had a golden tan, which was rare for Albany in early March.
“Hey, Sonny,” several said as they pushed forward to shake her hand or give her a hug or kiss on the cheek.
“For those few of you who don’t know her, this is Sonny Cooper. She used to live around here but escaped ten years ago!”
“Ten? It was longer than that!” someone added.
“Yes, almost twenty,” Sonny agreed.
“But she comes to visit every five years or so.”
“Did you ever become a doctor?” someone else asked. Apparently everyone knew Sonny had intended to go to medical school.
Sonny nodded. “I’ve been in Africa for the past three years with Doctors Without Borders.”
“It sure agreed with you. You look great!”
Sonny nodded her thanks. Sherri handed her a drink and then turned to talk to someone else. The crowd began to go back to what they were doing.
Mycah sat back and watched Sonny make her way slowly around the room, laughing and flirting with women she hasn’t seen in ages and meeting those she didn’t know. Finally, Mycah grabbed a plate of cheese and crackers and a glass of wine and turned to talk to a couple of women she hadn’t seen in a while. Throughout that time, though, she was always aware of where Sonny was in the room. It was a magnetic attraction. She couldn’t stop looking for her.
When her plate was empty, she walked into the dining room where the table was covered with bulky rolls and all sorts of meat, sliced cheeses, and vegetables to make sandwiches. There was also lots of different treats: cookies, small cupcakes, and other goodies. What was she in the mood for? Sweet or savory?
“What a great spread,” she heard behind her. Mycah turned, not recognizing the voice. “I mean on the table. I wasn’t referring to you, although your spread is very, very nice.” It was Sonny.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone