“I handled some business with Cassie’s people last night,” I said eventually. “I paid them off. Hopefully, she’ll be in custody by Monday.”
“Smart move. I know it’s not the one you wanted to, but with that shit handled, you can move forward,” he replied, taking a sip.
“Yeah, it was necessary, it is what it is.” I shrugged, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
We both knew that wasn’t why I had shown up at his house before nine in the morning. He set his cup down and leaned back in his chair, really looking at me now. He had been studying me like that since I was seven years old, since he decided to be my father even though he didn’t have to.
“There’s more on you than that,” he said. “Talk to me.”
I pulled my phone out, opened the photo of Halo, and slid it across his desk.
Stetson picked it up and studied the picture for a silent beat. His expression didn’t change much, but I caught the little nod that meant he approved.
“This is the firefighter?” he said.
“Yeah, Halima, well Halo.”
“She’s the one your mama keeps bugging me about.” He passed the phone back. “She’s beautiful, son. She looks like she doesn’t take shit from anybody. That’s what you need.”
“She doesn’t,” I said.
“So what’s the issue?” he asked, taking another drink. “You have her number. Take her to dinner, you own a whole restaurant, boat, and plane. Step up. Why are you sitting in here looking like your soul is tired?”
I put my phone away and ran my hand over my face, trying to find the right words without dressing it up. Everyone seemed to be convinced that getting Halo was simple.
“First, she don’t care about none of that shit,” I chuckled, shaking my head.
“Okay, I respect that. Nothing wrong with a woman who can’t be impressed by materials.”
“After the fire, I couldn’t get her out of my head. I told y’all she checked the hell out of me, and I liked it. So I played the shadows a little. I didn’t want the blogs in my business, didn’t want Cassie popping back up and turning shit messy, so I kept my distance, but I started sending shit, and I didn’t learn it because she told me.”
“Ahh, okay, continue.”
“Then Cassie called, threatening her, and I put security on her without her knowledge.”
Stetson didn’t flinch. He just waited, letting me get it all out.
“When I told her everything last night, she compared me to Cassie,” I said quietly. “She asked me what made me any different, and then she walked off. I gotta give her space.”
He went quiet after that, just sitting with what I had dropped between us. Then he leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk, and hit me with that sharp stare that had checked more than a few grown men over the years.
“You know I’m not about to sit here and go on and on about something you already did,” he said. “So I’m going to ask you something simple. What are you planning to do now?”
That was why I came. Not for pity or validation. I came for strategy, because I couldn’t pass up this chance.
“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “She asked for a week. The smart part of me wants to respect that. The part that ain’t wrapped too tight wants to show up today.”
“Which one usually wins?” he asked.
“The second one.”
“And how’s that working out?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Do you feel bad about what you did?”
“About upsetting her? Yeah,” I said. “About keeping her safe? No. Hell no.”
“Good. Don’t feel bad about protecting your future. The question is what you do next. Do you want to be right, or do you want to win?”
“I want to win,” I said, with no hesitation.
