Page 39 of Rich Forever: Zo & Remy

“Enjoy yourself, I’ll be around.” He said as he slowly walked through the crowd, leaving me there with my assistant.

“You would not believe me, but I think that man has a crush on you,” she said as she watched him walk away, never taking her eyes off him.

“I think he’s just a nice guy who’s had a tough life,” I sighed. I kept the response short and sweet. I had come to learn that not every nice gesture was romantic.

When I finally made it to the front and got my funnel cake, I bit into it and moaned at how light and airy it was, just as I had remembered.

We walked through the park, stopping to talk to people and playing games with some of the families. By the time that I made my rounds, I had two little girls stuck to me like glue. They had been pulling me in every direction, and I was letting them. We threw darts, and I even did the ring toss to see if I could get them a goldfish.

My phone rang from my pocket. I answered the phone and saw that it was Zo.

“Hey, baby,” I said as I held the phone with my shoulder so I could put the WNBA to shame with my three pointers. It was all net, and everyone around me cheered.

“What the hell are you doing, Remy?” he asked in confusion.

“I’m showing these people the thing that I do to you on the court when I cross you up,” I joked, knowing that I could never. I couldn’t even dribble a basketball or know what a cross-up was, for that matter, but I could shoot. It was the only thing that I had picked up from Zo and the boys.

He chuckled. “Oh yeah? I’m about to holler at Judah before I come that way. Make sure you stay with security. I’ll be there in a little bit, aight?”

“Sure, honey. Love you.”

“Love you too.” He said we hung up the phone, and I landed the next shot. I had two more to go before I won the girls the biggest prize available, and by now, I had gotten a crowd gathered around me.

The next two were like butter, and the attendant got down the biggest teddy bear there as the two little girls cheered. I handed the teddy bear to my security guard for him to carry while they dragged me to yet another place.

“Ms. Remy, can you go on a roller coaster with us?” The youngest of the two asked.

“No, I want to stay on the ground.” I laughed.

“Please,” The eldest tugged my shirt sleeve.

“Pleaseeeee,” The other sang. “I want you to come with us, we’ve been having fun together all day. That one over there is on the ground,” She held on to my hand. Looking me in the eye and giving me the biggest smile that revealed a silver cap way at the back of her mouth.

I chuckled as I looked down at her. I should have avoided the puppy-dog eyes she was giving me. Because just like I could barely say no to Zoey, I found myself letting this little girl drag me to the line of the Gravitron. It was enclosed and shaped like a spaceship. Lights flashed everywhere, and the girls started dancing to the music from the speakers as we waited for our turn.

We neared the front of the line, and the attendant opened the gate and counted off the people ahead of me.

“Three more,” He shouted as I counted the two girls and myself. My assistant was behind me with the security guards, who were in line as well.

“Wait till the next ride,” The guard said as he shifted the teddy bear from one arm to the next like a single mother.

“No, I’m just going to go ahead and get it over with. It’s a damn carnival ride, just stay right here,” I said as I handed him my phone and walked through the open gate with the girls.

He gave me a warning glance, which I returned, and then continued walking through the gates.

The youngest grabbed me by the hand and skipped in front of me. I had to jog a bit to keep up with her.

Once we got inside, I was confused to see that it was a standing ride with no seats. But the attendant told us it’s meant to simulate gravity. He strapped the girls first, and then he came over to me.

As soon as he strapped me in, he gave me the coldest look and pressed something into my forearm.

“Aren’t you excited, Ms. Remy?” The little girl asked. But her mouth was moving in extra slow motion. I blinked a couple of times, and my head fell backwards. The next thing I knew, it was dark.

Zo

The conference room inside the Jennings headquarters was already full when I walked in. The long black table, the wall of screens, the low hum of the generators, and the sounds of the cameras running nonstop, all of it was waiting for me. I had never led a meeting. And this was one of the biggest. The quarterly meeting. Most of the key players in the organization were under one roof, discussing where business was currently, and where we wanted it to be.

Jaxon and Trouble were both still away on business. Judah was here, but he had been called earlier in the day for some emergency with Mateo, and he had been on a Zoom call for over two hours. For a while, I could hear him screaming down the hallway. But it had gone quiet. I preferred being in the field or sitting at the table in silence. But today, with everybody gone, the reins were in my hands.