He should be terrified ofher. Ashanti picked up her phoneand sent him a text, telling him to put the treats on his front step and to never so much as look at either of her sisters again.
“I’ll be right back,” she told Kendra.
“Shanti, don’t go there starting mess. It’s not worth it,” her sister called.
She stopped in the kitchen to wash the icing off her hands and put another batch of treats in the oven. When she opened her front door, the box of cookies, labels, and cellophane bags were waiting on her front steps.
Kendra came up behind her. “What did you tell him?”
“He was gone by the time I opened the door,” Ashanti said. She carried the box into the dining room and set it on the table. “The next time I see that son of a bitch, he’s getting an earful.”
“Oh, Bernard had better watch out because youmadmad right now.” Kendra reclaimed her seat. “I can’t remember the last time I heard you use two swear words in a single day. You just used ‘bastard’ and ‘bitch’ in less than ten minutes.”
“Kendra.” Ashanti shot her a warning look.
“Sorry,” she said, those eyes that looked so much like their mother’s glittering with amusement.
Ashanti could do nothing but laugh, but then she sobered. “Tell me if he bothers you again. I mean it.”
“I will, but he won’t,” Kendra said. “Don’t blow this out of proportion, Shanti. You know how you can get.”
It was no secret that she became the very definition of a mama bear when it came to the twins, but that was her job. Protecting her sisters was her only priority. The daycare, the house, her very life; they all came second.
Ashanti could admit that she had gone overboard when Kendra came out to her two years ago. She immediately bought a rainbow flag to hang in the front window and aWE DO NOTTOLERATE HATEsign for the yard. Kendra had asked her to pump the brakes on her allyship, which she reluctantly did.
But there was no way in hell she would allow Bernard Willis to get away with what he’d said to her baby sister. She would take care of him later.
“So how have things been going so far this school year?” she asked. “Has the Literary Club started working on the first issue of this year’s magazine?”
Kendra’s demeanor shifted. Her shoulders stiffened and her back went ramrod straight.
“It’s fine,” she muttered. She gathered the cellophane bags and the tray of cookies. “I’ll do these in my room and bring them down when I’m done.”
“Ken—” Ashanti called to her, but she’d already started up the stairs.
What was that about?
Just then, the front door opened, and Kara came bursting through.
“Don’t be mad at me,” she said.
Ashanti threw down the piping bag she’d just picked up again. “What did you do?”
“Nothing! I mean, nothing bad. This is a good thing, I promise.”
“Before you tell me what you did,” Ashanti started, then she lowered her voice to a whisper and motioned for Kara to come closer. “Did Kendra mention something happening with the Literary Club? We were having a nice conversation for once, but when I asked her about the magazine she clammed up and raced off to her room.”
“I don’t know.” Kara hunched her shoulders. “She hasn’t told me anything. I swear, I would tell you if she had.”
Ashanti wasn’t sure if she believed her, but she couldn’t force either of the girls to share what they weren’t willing to share. She’d learned at least that much over these last six years.
“Okay, so what is this good thing that I’m not supposed to be mad about?” she asked.
“It’s not just a good thing, it’s anamazingthing. And the only reason you may be a little upset is because it’ll add extra work to your plate.”
“Really, Kara? Because two hours of sleep is too much for me?”
“I know, but this is amazing, remember?” Kara said. “So I was playing around online during Life Skills one day—”
