“First of all, you live in a house that’s worth three times as much as it was back when your parents bought it,” Ridley said. “There’s your collateral right there.”
Ashanti’s head reared back as if one of her best friends in the world had just slapped her clear across the mouth. “Firstof all, you know I would never put my parents’ home up for collateral. I can’t believe you would even suggest it.”
“People do it all the time, Shanti.”
“Not this person,” she said. “And in case you have forgotten, the twins will be off to college soon. I can’t saddle myself with millions in loans when I have to pay for the girls to go to school.”
“Another thing people do all the time? They take out student loans,” Ridley said.
Ashanti was already shaking her head. “My parents paid for me to go to college and vet school so that I could begin my career debt-free. They would want the same for Kara and Kendra. And as their legal guardian, it’s up to me to make sure that happens.”
She folded her arms across her chest and took a couple of steps back, leaning against the wall next to the portrait of Duchess dressed up as Angelica Schuyler fromHamiltonthe musical.
“You’re forgetting another thing,” Ashanti said. “Think for one minute, Rid. Just imagine for a millisecond the shitstorm that would ensue if Anita found out I put her dear baby brother’s house up for collateral for my business.”
“Fuck Atilla,” Ridley said. “You don’t owe her an accounting of your finances. What you do is none of her business.”
“Maybe you should tell her that the next time she comes around,” Ashanti said.
“Girl, just call me. Please! I can be in the middle of getting my back blown out by my fine-ass doorman, and I’d leave him hanging just so I can curse Atilla out to her face.”
Only Ridley could make her go from wanting to cry to laughing until her side hurt in the span of two minutes. They both had to wipe tears from their eyes.
“You know it pisses me off whenever you bring up that woman’s name,” Ridley said.
“She has that effect on people,” Ashanti said, still dabbing at tears.
“I’m serious about this, Shanti. You have sacrificed everything for your sisters. You put your entire life on hold and then took a complete detour from all the plans you’d made. That bitch doesn’t get to tell you anything, especially when it comes to Kara, Kendra, or that house. If her baby brother wanted her involved in any way, he would have made sure it was known. He didn’t, so…”
Ridley dusted her hands, as if the matter was done.
Ashanti wished it was that easy, but she’d been dealing with Anita for six years.
“Rid, I know your heart and your head are both in the right place, but the house is off-limits. I would maybe consider talking to the bank about a loan, but the thought of taking on that kind of debt scares the crap out of me.” She unfolded her hands and ran them through her braids, which she’d unbounded from her hair tie hours ago. “The real estate agent said they will begin accepting bids on Monday. I’ll keep thinking and maybe I can figure something out by then.”
There was nothing to figure out. She couldn’t afford the house. But this would, at least, get Ridley off her case for the time being.
“You know I’m not going to drop this, right?” Ridley said.
Or, maybe not.
Ridley stepped up to her with arms wide open, enveloping her in a hug. She added an extra squeeze, which Ashanti appreciated. It was all love between them, even when they didn’t see eye to eye.
“I’m going to watch the news segment when I get back to my office. I’ll let you know everything you did wrong.”
“Thanks.” Ashanti huffed out a laugh.
She waited until Ridley left the office, then slumped down in her chair and dropped her head onto the desk. But she didn’t get the mere five minutes of refuge she so desperately needed to clear her head, because within two minutes Colleen came into her office looking like she’d swallowed a gallon of raw seaweed.
“I think it’s something I ate at lunch,” she said. “Pro tip: If you’re not sure how long your leftover sushi has been in the fridge, don’t eat it.”
“Ew,” Ashanti said. “Go home. I’ll Instacart you some ginger ale and saltine crackers.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “It’s what my mom always fed me when I was sick.” She flicked her fingers at her. “Now go.”
Not even twenty minutes after Colleen left, Mark went home, taken down by the same suspect sushi. Their absence highlighted another vulnerability Ashanti was well aware of: She needed more staff. She had been lucky to find a group of such dedicated, hardworking, dog-loving people, but there was only so much the five of them could do. And when two of those five went down with apparent food poisoning?
