He smiled slowly. “Now you talking like my son.”
“I still got the urge to pull up behind anybody that look at her sideways and remind them who they dealing with,” I warned.
“You can do that too,” he said. “Just don’t confuse protecting her with punishing her. They not the same.”
I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding since the day I heard her name in Aunt Alayna’s office.
“A’ight,” I said. “Then that’s the move. I’ll let Zahara handle the paperwork. I’ll handle… us. I’m still gon’ push Kyleigh, though. On Christmas. On getting out that house. On letting us in. For her sake and Zi’s. I ain’t backing off that.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” he said.
We sat there a minute, quiet again.
“When you bringing her by?” he asked, casual like he was asking about the weather.
I chuckled. “Soon,” I said. “Real soon. I just… want to give her a little time to get used to me first. I don’t wanna overwhelm her.”
“Take your time,” he said. “Just don’t take another nine years.”
“I won’t,” I said
That was a promise.
I really hadto stop telling God what I wasn’t gon’ do, because every time I saidnever, I ended up in town.
The day after the tree lot escapade, Aziza was at the children’s museum with Serena and Mr. Benton. I had the whole house to myself, a deadline, and a choice: stay on my hill and overthink or let my best friend drag me to lunch like a normal human. I picked door number two. So, when Taniyah texted,I’m outside. If you make me wait more than 10 minutes, I’m calling Mrs. Amanda on you, I grabbed my purse and rode down the hill with her like I wasn’t having abnormal heart palpitations the whole way.
Darnita’s was packed. It always was. Christmas lights framed the windows, a tree dominated one corner, and the giantchalkboard readSpecial: Shrimp & Gouda Grits – Limited Time Onlylike it was a warning. The bell over the door rang when we walked in and, like always, conversations dipped for half a second.
They saw me.
I saw them seeing me.
I pretended not to see them seeing me.
“Here she go!” Taniyah said all loud, waving both arms like she was flagging down a plane. “TheGrindley off the hill! Y’all can stop staring now, she just a person!”
I laughed despite myself and elbowed her.
She side-hugged me tight. “What? They looking and you serving. Skin moisturized, edges present, jewelry understated but giving rich bitch. Soft life fits you, friend.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I said, sliding into the booth we were ushered to.
“Let us go ahead and order drinks. Water for her, Coke for me,” she told our hostess. I hoped the lady was a server, too. “I would get wine, but you were acting like you were on probation when I stopped by the other day,” Taniyah complained, dropping across from me.
“I’m on probation with this town,” I reminded her. “Alcohol would not help.”
“Tell that to half the deacons in here. Okay, what we eating? You know you want the shrimp and grits. Don’t play.”
“Shrimp and grits,” I agreed.
I’d had brunch made by some of the best chefs in the world. Nobody beat Darnita’s shrimp and grits. We ordered, then she folded her arms and gave me the look that had gotten confessions out of me since high school.
“How’s it feel, sitting in public like a regular citizen?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Like a bad idea.”
“It’s a good idea. You can’t live in that big pretty house like a ghost. People already think you float,” she countered.
