She squints at him, power walking over to him. Her breathing is labored and her steps are unsure. “We found it,” she says unceremoniously.
Arnold’s face lights up and he plants his hands on her shoulders. “That’s great! Where was it?”
“Y’all’s room,” Eve chips in.
The news confirms what I’d been thinking all morning. I should’ve had Arnold bet me at least a million.
“Our room? You checked our room this morning. How’d you miss it?”
“Micah found it. It was underneath the bed between the post and the wall,” Christian adds.
The group goes silent. I’m quite sure everyone is starting to mirror my thoughts.Is she really sitting here telling us that she didn’t think to look under her bed? And if she did, she somehow missed the big ass diamond Arnold laced her finger with sitting against the wall?
Arnold clears his throat. “Well, that’s great. I told you it was around here somewhere.”
“Oh, is that why you seemed so unconcerned?”
“What?”
“It just seemed like you were having a lot of fun not looking for my ring.”
Eve guffaws and Janelle moves closer to her, effectively removing herself from Amerie’s line of sight.
“We were looking for it. Ask Rome and Janelle. I was using my detective skills to retrace our steps, that’s why we’re here.”
Micah and Christian laugh, I’m sure at the image of Sherlock Black they know so well, but Amerie’s face only constricts more.
“I don’t wanna ask Janelle anything about you.”
Record scratch.
I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Amerie has tested the limits of my kindness and I’m learning that where Janelle is concerned, they don’t extend far in the first place.
“Amerie?” She turns at the sound of my voice. “I think the words you’re looking for are‘thank you.’”
“Excuse me?”
“I think what you wanna be doing right now is thanking everyone for taking time out of their morning to help you look for something you lost. Whatever this is you’re doing? We can skip it.”
“Rome, no offense…”
I cut her off. “None taken. I’m sure you didn’t mean to come off rude as fuck to your fiancé, your sister, and your friends. It’s okay, shit happens. It’s been a stressful morning, so we can just accept your thank-you and move on. Right, y’all?”
Micah and Dani stay absolutely still and quiet. Christian laughs while nodding. Eve applauds profusely while Janelle stares at me, stunned. Arnold gauges Amerie’s reaction, running his hand down her arm comfortingly.
“Uh, right. Yeah. Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your help.” Her jaw clenches and her fists tighten. It physically pains her to say this. “Arnold, we should get going. We need to pick up my parents soon and I wanted to stop to get Mommy some flowers on the way.”
Janelle perks up, stepping back into Amerie’s field of view. “Ooh, what time should I meet y’all in the lobby?”
Amerie cranks her head to Janelle quickly, turns to Arnold, and then back at Janelle. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what time are we leaving for the airport?”
“We?” Amerie asks.
“You hard of hearing now? Yes, we. When I talked to Dad, he said he expected me to be at the airport with you to greet him.”
Amerie rolls her eyes and I see her starting to pick her thumb by her side. She rolls her shoulders back and clears her throat. “It’s just that Arnold and I were gonna take them around for a bit before we get settled. Probably go to lunch.”
