Her focus went to the paper, and her lips quirked.“Still looking for something else to do?”
He could have lied and said no, but that wasn’t his way.Tipping his head sideways, he admitted, “The paper was here, so …”
“Hmmm.”
“What does that mean?”
Her eyes were shuttered when she said, “I take it to mean you’re unhappy here.”
“Did you hear me say that?”
“You don’t have to … the fact that you’re looking for another job means you’re not satisfied.”
He still didn’t have a clue what Lizette knew about his situation, and he wasn’t ready to bare his soul, nor would he ever be.Another sip of coffee settled his thoughts.As he replaced the cup, Shomari gave Lizette his full attention.“Let’s just say I have a child to support, and while you’ve been as generous as you can be, I have to think about my daughter and my future.”
Since the start of the week, Christy had spoken with him several times about Natanya's support.It didn’t matter that she had no explanation for the missing money he’d been sending home.She wanted what she wanted, and he’d die if she decided to ruin his reputation and take him to family court.
On the first weekend he returned, he’d been to the plot of land he bought the previous year, only to find nothing had been done except for the laying of the foundation.The interior was a wilderness with bushes springing up everywhere.
The gut punch brought home the reality that he’d been so busy working to set them up properly as a family, he hadn’t been paying attention to Christy’s evasiveness each time he asked about the progress of what he intended to be their family home.
Lizette’s movement on the opposite side of the desk brought him back into the room.
“I understand all of that.”Something that resembled hurt flashed in her eyes, but she averted her gaze and cleared her throat.“Forgive me for asking.”
“Look, there are things I can’t tell you, but I really appreciate what you’ve done.”He motioned toward her laptop with his chin.“That’s why helping you with this is important to me.”
She nodded once.“I understand.”
But her closed expression said she didn’t, and he didn’t want to explain any further, so he went back to business.
“Do you mind printing out what we’ve done so far?”He glanced at his watch, then added, “Chelle and I are having lunch together, and she promised to look at the proposal.”
“Of course.”Lizette reached for the laptop, which he slid across the desk.“I take it Chelle is your sister.”
“Yes.”
Seconds later, the printer whirred gently, producing several sheets of paper, which Lizette gathered, scanned, and placed in a file jacket under a paper clip.She gave it to him, holding it with her fingertips.
As if she’s afraid of touching me.
Shomari swallowed his smile and stood.“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Thanks again.”
He responded to her half-smile with a nod.“No worries.”
The ping from his phone told him Chelle had arrived, so he went through the front office and walked outside, turning his face into the sun’s rays.The warmth of it brought comfort, centering him as he stepped into Chelle’s Kia Sonet and kissed her cheek.“Hey sis.”
Before he could sit back, she cupped his face and asked, “All is well?”
“Most things,” he said, avoiding her gaze.
She resembled their mother closely, but didn’t have her personality, which was a relief and a blessing.God forbid that a carbon copy of Mother existed in his world, because one version of her was more than enough.
Aside from giving him a side-eye, Chelle said nothing.When the silence turned uncomfortable, he switched on the radio and found a station playing soothing music from the eighties.
“Your taste hasn’t changed,” she remarked.
