“Gangsta. The man went straight Rambo on that workman.” She took her cell phone out of the pocket of her tunic. “I’m going to call St. John and let him know what happened here.”
Tonya had just completed the call when Lamar joined them on the porch.
Nydia stood up. “Where’s Hannah?”
Lamar rested a hand on her shoulder. “She’s opening windows to let in some air. I offered to help her, but she said she needed time alone to think.”
Tonya pushed off the rocker. “That’s what she doesn’t need. I called St. John and he says he’s on his way over here.”
Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, Lamar handed Nydia the fob to his SUV. “You can take the car back to the hotel.”
“How will you get back?”
“I’m waiting for an inspector from the building department to come over. I’ll get a ride with him.”
“I can take Nydia back, Lamar,” Tonya volunteered.
He turned to look at Tonya. “Are you sure?”
She smiled. “Of course I’m sure, Black Panther,” she crooned, crossing her arms over her chest.
Nydia watched Lamar’s expression change from bewilderment to understanding when he realized Tonya was referring to the blockbuster fantasy/science fiction movie. He inclined his head and crossed his chest. “I always wanted to be the dark knight Batman, but I will accept being compared to the king of Wakanda.”
She returned his fob. “I’ll see you later.” Going on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you for taking care of my friend.”
He winked at her. “No problem. I’m just sorry I had to act crazy.”
“Better you act crazy, Lamar,” Tonya said, “or he was going to have to deal with three crazy women on his ass.”
Lamar chuckled under his breath. “I’d rather a chokehold any day to ladies wielding knives and guns.”
Tonya patted Lamar’s back. “Thanks again, and here’s hoping I’ll see you again under more favorable conditions.”
He nodded. “You bet.”
Nydia rode back to the CBD with Tonya, neither attempting to break the comfortable silence. She was lost in her own thoughts about what she could expect if she married Lamar, but her imagination wouldn’t allow her to think that far ahead. Unlike Jasmine, she wasn’t pregnant and therefore her future wasn’t inexorably entwined with Lamar’s.
She had time, three months, because legally she was still a resident of New York. It wouldn’t be until the end of January that the lease on the East Harlem walk-up would expire, and Tonya had given written notice that she did not intend to renew it.
A satisfied smile softened her mouth as she pressed her head against the headrest. Three months was long enough to know whether she would be ready to commit to a future with Lamar and Kendra.
* * *
Nydia turned over onto her back when she registered the light tapping on the door of the bedroom where she’d slept as a child. After spending two months in New Orleans she’d returned to New York in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family. Lamar had driven her to the airport, and they’d sat in his vehicle holding hands without talking until it was time for her to check in for her flight. There was no need for conversation. He knew she was going home and they wouldn’t see each other again until the day before Christmas Eve.
If she had vacillated about whether she was in love with Lamar, her doubts were dashed the first time he shared her bed. He’d become her lover, hero, and knight in shining armor, and someone whom she wanted to spend her life with. Lamar hadn’t mentioned marriage again and she was loath to broach the subject. She’d asked for time, and it was apparent he was willing to give it to her.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Isabel entered the room. She’d changed into one of her husband’s shirts she had paired with a pair of sweatpants. “Were you sleeping?”
Nydia sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. “No. I was just waiting for my food to digest. I definitely ate too much.” She patted the mattress beside her. “Come sit with me.”
Isabel gave her daughter a critical stare as she folded her body next to her on the bed. “Are you certain it’s only food?”
Shifting on her side, Nydia looked at her mother. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been walking around with a long face ever since you came back. Even your grandmother mentioned it to me.” Isabel patted her daughter’s head. “Talk to me,mija.”
