“Jamal is having custom-made cushions installed to match the fabric on the other outdoor furniture,” she was saying. She looked over at him and frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” he lied.
“Are you sure?” She cocked her head. “You look…I don’t know…off.”
“I’m fine,” he repeated, dismissing her concern with a nonchalant wave. He turned to Mya and draped an arm around her shoulders. “Think you can handle a tour of the inside?”
“Absolutely,” she said, beaming.
His diversion technique sufficiently put an end to Phylicia’s questioning, but it tripled his outright disgust with himself. Not only was he a coward, but a liar, too.
Because one thing was for certain. He definitely wasnotfine.
Chapter 13
Anxiety gripped Jamal’sstomach as soon as the wheels of the plane touched ground at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport. The sickening feeling had been building in his gut throughout the duration of the flight, and right now, he wanted nothing more than to book a return flight to New Orleans. Leaving now.
“You look about as comfortable as a catfish in a seafood restaurant,” Phylicia said.
“Try a catfish next to a fry pan filled with hot oil,” he said.
She reached over and took his hand. “It’ll be okay. You’re going to be relieved once you and your father have aired out your differences.”
“I don’t plan to air out anything with him,” he said. “I’m here for my sister and my mother. If I could, I would go this entire trip without even seeing my father.”
“Jamal, you cannot come all this way and not speak to him.”
“Watch me,” he said.
“But—”
“Phylicia, let it go. Please,” he said in a softer tone. “I don’t want to ruin our time together arguing over this. Let me handle this thing with my father my way, okay?”
She started to speak again, but then relented. Holding her palms up, she said, “Fine. Miss this golden opportunity to set things right if you want to.” She shot him a pointed look. “Just remember that you may not get another.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
He hoisted her carry-on bag over his shoulder and they deplaned. After retrieving the rest of the luggage from baggage claim, they walked to the rental car kiosk and were shuttled to their waiting car.
Jamal headed north on Interstate 17, soaking in the familiar surroundings. Phylicia twisted around in her seat to observe all the sights.
“The most I’ve ever seen of Phoenix is the view from the airport. Whenever I fly to the West Coast, the layover is either here or Las Vegas,” she explained.
“Phoenix is a great city.”
“Do you miss it?”
He shrugged. “Haven’t been gone long enough to miss it yet,” he said. The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. He’d missed his hometown more than he ever thought he would. He missed the fresh air and the gorgeous sunsets. He missed checking out a Diamondbacks game on a weekday afternoon.
He missed his family.
An ache settled in his chest at the thought of his family. Before leaving Arizona, the longest he’d ever gone without seeing his mother was a week—even when he was in college. Not seeing his mother and Lauryn had been, by far, the biggest adjustment to his new life.
But he wasn’t ready to face them. Not yet. Because seeing his mother and sister meant he’d have to endure his father’s company. He wanted to enjoy being back home for a few days before having to brave that reunion.
Jamal continued driving north on I-17. After about a half-hour, when Phoenix proper was well behind them, Phylicia twisted in her seat and looked at him.
“Just how far does your family live from the city?”
