“I want the girls this weekend,” Anita answered, not bothering with a greeting.
Ashanti dropped her head on the desk again. She was not up for this today. Or any day, for that matter. Any day that involved speaking to Anita usually ended with Ashanti indulging in a rare glass of wine.
Before she could respond, Anita started in on a monologue about the annual Plant and Garden Show and how it was an opportune time to buy exotic plants that were not native to the area.
Ashanti rolled her eyes, grateful they were not on a video call.
She had never had the best relationship with Anita, even as a young girl, but it had taken a nosedive after her parents died. Ashanti’s hands still clenched into fists whenever she thought about how Anita had come to her at the repast meal following the funeral to tell her that she would be seeking custody of Kara and Kendra. The woman had not seen the twins in years, yet all of a sudden, she wanted to raise them?
When she thought about how close they’d come to that happening thanks to her ex-boyfriend’s decision to drive while intoxicated, it made her want to hurl her coffee against the wall.
“I’m sorry, but I promised the girls I would take them shopping for supplies for their science project,” Ashanti said.
She took another sip of coffee and made a decision she should have made a long time ago.
“Actually, that’s a lie,” Ashanti said. She was done pretending, and she no longer cared about keeping the peace. “The girls do not want to go to the plant show with you.”
“How do you know that?” Anita said.
Because I’m psychic.
Ashanti stopped herself before she could blurt out the disrespectful reply. “Because Kara told me she doesn’t want to go,” she said.
“What about Kendra?”
Yeah, right. She could barely get Kendra to talk toher. Kendra would probably growl at Anita if she came near.
“She doesn’t want to go either,” Ashanti said.
“Well, you make them,” Anita said.
“No. They’re sixteen, not ten. The girls can decide howthey want to spend their weekend, and no one will force them to do anything they don’t want to do.”
“You’re behind this, aren’t you?” Anita hissed. “You’re turning my brother’s children against me.”
Ashanti had heard this song too many times. She was not up for a repeat.
“Look, I have to go. You have both Kara’s and Kendra’s phone numbers. Call and ask if they want to go shopping for plants with you. Like I said, they’re old enough to make their own decisions. There’s no need for me to play the middleman.”
She didn’t bother saying goodbye before disconnecting the call. She would probably hear something about her rudeness, but she couldn’t bring herself to care about Anita’s feelings anymore. Lord knew the woman had never cared about hers.
Anita had not even been on speaking terms with her brother when he died, but no one would know that based on her attitude these past six years. She came across as a paragon of sibling love. Ashanti still wasn’t sure if it was guilt or just an act. She doubted it was true grief.
Her office door burst open for the second time in twenty minutes. This time it was Kara who came rushing in, a wide smile stretched across her face. Ashanti hadn’t seen when she left the house this morning, so she’d missed today’s purple hair color.
Ashanti checked the time on her phone.
“Why are you not at school?” Yet another question she was tired of asking. “And I don’t want to hear the excuse that you’re at lunch because lunch isn’t for another two hours, at least.”
“No, no, I’m definitely cutting class right now,” Kara said,rounding the crowded desk. “I could have texted, but I had to see your reaction when you saw this. Look!”
She stuck her phone in Ashanti’s face. Ashanti took it from her and stared at the screen. She immediately recognized the setting.
“It’s the doggy cam,” Ashanti said.
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“Hey! Language.”
