“Damn, Ma, you saw me just sit them boulders down!”
“Boy, just do what the hell I said!”
Crew sucked his teeth while Maisie went to wash her hands. The munchies had caught up to her, and she was damn sureabout to smash something. Giselle took the back staircase to the second floor and padded down the familiar hall to the bedroom beside Remi’s. The carpet was new, but the family photos and different awards from Maisie’s accomplishments hung on the walls like always. Her cousin was a woman of many talents, and she pursued all of them, unlike her younger sister, Lou, short for Louise.
Giselle reached for the doorknob and turned. The room had been redecorated with mint green walls and deep green decor in the pictures and other decorations lining the walls. A full-size bed was tucked in the corner, covered with a floral quilt and a mountain of pillows.
Crew pushed past her, dropped her luggage on the bed, then took a breath.
“Aight, fam. There you go. I’m about to grab some grub. A nigga need to replenish,” he joked, rubbing his stomach, showing off all the ink on his arms and hands before ambling to the door.
“Thanks, Crew.” Giselle set her Chanel tote with her phone on the dresser and took a glimpse of herself in the mirror attached.
She looked the same and was glad she showed no signs of what she’d been through other than the darkness cloaking her normally bright almond brown eyes. Sighing, she turned to her luggage to unpack something to change into when her phone vibrated against the dresser. Pausing with a pair of jeans and an orange Nike crop top, she pivoted to reach for the phone on the dresser. This room was the size of her old closet, but it was cozy.
Studying the name on the screen, she hesitated to pick up while plopping on the soft mattress. She wasn’t sure what to even say as she watched Alonzo’s name flash across her screen. Figuring she couldn’t avoid it forever, she picked up and mushed the phone against her ear.
“Hello.”
“What’s up, beautiful?” Alonzo’s raspy voice greeted her. “How you doing? You make it there okay?”
“Yeah. I just got to the house.” She knelt to unstrap her heels then kicked them to the side.
“How is it?”
“Um… pretty much what I expected. Nothing really changes around here.” Giselle stood and unbuttoned her pants. “It’s raining cats and dogs, so I’m about to shower and then go have dinner with my auntie. She cooked enough food for an army. Claims I’m too skinny.”
Alonzo chuckled sexily. “I miss you. I know why you chose to get away, though.”
“Yeah, it’s for the best right now. There’s so much red tape, and I do not feel like being hounded by the press everywhere I go.”
“That’s real. What did the lawyer say?”
“He’s petitioning for some bullshit. Since Daddy was under investigation, they’re going through his financials with a fine-tooth comb. Which means I’ll need to find a job of some kind until all this is settled.”
“Well, good thing you have not one but two degrees. I guess all that work wasn’t in vain.”
“Yeah, but who is lucky enough to land their dream job in this day in age, even with a degree? It’s all entry level shit, and I don’t have any experience. I don’t even know where to start. I can’t exactly go around, throwing Daddy’s name in the mix. People will look at me like I’m crazy,” Giselle ranted, snatching up the clothes she was going to change into and her silk robe.
She marched across the hall to the bathroom to undress, slamming the door behind her and pausing. This was new. The bathroom had been completely remodeled with a walk-in shower and double vanity.
“Your father might be gone, Giselle, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop caring about you. I already told you I’m more than willing to take care of you,” Alonzo offered.
“And I told you no, Alonzo,” she argued.
“One choice will solve all your problems. Think about it. I’ll be in touch. Take care of yourself.”
The line beeped, and she pressed her back against the sink. She faced the shower as steam filled the room and set her phone on the counter beside her.
Alonzo Maynard was her father’s right-hand man in his company. Although he was thirty-seven years old, he’d accomplished a lot in his career as a financial advisor. When Gregory put him on, Alonzo hit the ground running and brought in more high-end clients. From the moment he laid eyes on Giselle, she had his nose wide open. Although handsome, with a whole Idris Elba vibe going for him, she didn’t think the two of them had anything in common.
It never stopped him from shamelessly flirting and even going so far as to speak with her father behind her back about pursuing her. This man wanted to propose to her without even courting or getting to know her. To her, he was just one in a line of men who didn’t see anything beyond a pretty face. All her life it’d been that way. Pretty privilege was always a thing for her, which is why she had to put in twice the work to be taken seriously. If she complained about it, folks would simply call her spoiled or ungrateful, but that didn’t stop Giselle from ever speaking her mind.
Taking off her clothes, she left them hanging off the side of the sink as she checked the small cabinet nearby for fresh towels. She stepped into the shower once she had both a towel to dry and wash with. Spinning under the warmth of the water from the shower head, she tipped her head back and closed her eyes. After making sure she was covered in moisture, she reached forthe bar of Dove soap in the dish. Alonzo’s words were on repeat, but she didn’t want to give him power. He was a last resort in the mess that was her life.
Once she was done, Giselle shut the water off and hopped out the shower with one of Remi’s thick towels wrapped around her. Suddenly her stomach rumbled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since the bagel and beef bacon she had for breakfast that morning. She quickly moisturized before slipping into her clothes. Gathering her ensemble from earlier, she padded barefoot across the hall as the door at the end of the hall cracked open.
“Bitch, I’m leaving the house now. Just save me some,” her cousin, Lou, said into her phone with her back to Giselle as she closed her bedroom door.
