Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist. But I just smiled and nodded.
“He’s doing fine,” I said quietly.
“If you say so. Brandi told me all about how you ain’t got a man around. About how lil man been getting fucked up at school.” But then Zoo pulled out his phone, already losing interest in the conversation. “Nigel, go get your shoes. We out.”
Nigel ran to his room, and Brandi walked them to the door a few minutes later, kissing Zoo one more time before he and Nigel left.
As soon as the door closed, she turned to me with the biggest smile I’d seen on her face in months.
“Girl, I am so happy right now.”
“I can tell.” I sat on the couch, accepting the coffee she handed me. “He seems… intense.”
“He is. But in a good way, you know? He’s protective. He’s about his money. And he’s finally ready to be a real father to Nigel.” She sat next to me, her eyes shining. “He said he’s gonna move us out the hood. He’s gonna get us Uptown. Get us a real house with a yard and everything.”
“Brandi, that’s amazing.”
“I know! I’ve been waiting for this for years. And now it’s finally happening.” She sipped her coffee, studying me. “Now if only I could get you to stop being so lonely.”
“I’m not lonely.”
“Yes, you are. When’s the last time you even went on a date?”
I thought about it. “Rohan. The Jamaican nigga that owns The Jerk Hut.”
“That was over a year ago! And you only went out with him twice before you cut him off.”
“Yusef didn’t like him.”
“Zahara.” Brandi set her mug down, giving me a look. “You cannot let your twelve-year-old son dictate your love life.”
“It’s not about dictating. It’s about paying attention. Yusef is a good judge of character. If he doesn’t like someone, there’s usually a reason.”
“Or he’s being a territorial kid who doesn’t want to share his mama.”
“No. Rohan was controlling. He didn’t like that I worked so much. Didn’t like that I had my own life. Yusef picked up on that before I did.” I shook my head. “If my son doesn’t like someone I’m dating, that’s a glaring red flag. I’m not ignoring that.”
Brandi rolled her eyes. “Agree to disagree.”
“Fine with me.”
Brandi was cool, but we had different priorities. Every time I turned around she had a new nigga. But now she was circling back around to her baby daddy. I understood wanting your child’s father in his life but Zoo was bad news. I can smell it. He was heavily in the streets with no plan of getting out.
But it wasn’t my place to say anything. However, I didn’t appreciate what he said about Yusef needing a man to learn to become a bully. It was none of his fuckin’ business. There was a part of me that was afraid to say something. I didn’t want to rock the boat and cause a confrontation. I couldn’t lie, Zoo was kinda scary and I didn’t need any more problems than I already had.
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, then Brandi grinned. “So what about those groceries that keep showing up at your door?”
I tensed. “What about them?”
“Girl, don’t play. I saw that fine-ass man leaving your building early Saturday morning. Tall, tatted, looked like he could bench press a car. The same one that dropped those groceries off. Who is he?”
Prime. She’d seen Prime.
I felt my face heat up. “Nobody.”
“Liar. I see it all over your face. You are grinning!”
“I am not.”
