“Why?”
“I have a work conference in Hawaii the week of the cruise.”
“You have a work conference in Hawaii?” I gave her a suspicious look.
“Yes. Our annual conference is usually somewhere like New York or Boston, but the bigwigs decided to change it this year, and I’m not missing a paid trip to Hawaii. I’m making sure to extend my trip a few days to make the most of it. I’ve been to Mexico before, but this will be my first time in Hawaii.” She referred to the cruise’s destination.
“A’ight. I’ll see if one of my employees wants to go on the cruise.”
“Or, youcould go. There’re two tickets. You could, I don’t know, take someone.”
I just shook my head as I picked up the envelope containing the two tickets. “I’ll consider it.” I stood from my seat. “I’m gonna get out of here and let you get some sleep.”
“All right, baby. Thanks for bringing me those delicious crab cakes.”
“You’re welcome.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning and heading out the door. “Don’t forget to put the lock on.”
“Boy, bye!” my mother called out, closing the door. I stood by until I heard the click of the lock.
I climbed in my car, still feeling unsettled after talking with my mother, especially after she’d brought up my aunt’s name. That made me think about Chanel and the way she looked when she’d said that I didn’t care. That hurt me to my core. I spent the drive home with the image of that look of hurt on her face in my mind and those words ringing in my ears.
When I pulled into the driveway of my house, instead of getting out, I just stared at my front door. I loved my home, but at that moment it felt so empty. Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled up my contacts list on my phone. I pressed the name that read “Baby Girl.” Shit was corny, I know, but that’s what she was.
“Hello?” A groggy voice broke through my thoughts.
“Were you sleeping?”
“Xavier?”
“Who else?”
She snorted, and that made me grin a little. Just the sound of her voice did that.
“It’s close to midnight.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really.”
I heard some rustling in the background and envisioned her sitting up from underneath the covers on her bed.
“What’s going on?”
“Why did you have to go see him?” The question came out angrier than I’d intended, but it had been on my mind for the last month. How could she see, let alone speak to someone who’d done what he did to her? For weeks, I went to sleep with the image of her bruised face on my mind, and it took everything in me not to hurt someone. Shit, that image even had me spazzing out at my best friend for not protecting his sister. I still had a private investigator looking for Ethan Miller, but so far, he was still in the wind.
“Xavier, what do you want me to say?”
“Saysomething,” I implored.
She breathed out heavily. “Is this because you think I still had feelings for Ethan?”
“Don’t say his name,” I growled.
A sigh from the other end of the phone.
“It wasn’t like that, okay? What does it even matter anymore? You’ve made your decision.”
