Mick gave her a hard look. “What’s this about, Roz? Just tell me what’s this about.”
“The twins haven’t had breakfast, lunch, or dinner with their own father in three whole days,” Roz said. “That’s what it’s about!”
“I told your ass I was working. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“But Pop,” asked Teddy, “what kind of work you’re doing that you can’t go home at night? It may be late at night,” he added, “but you still can go home at night.”
“Thank you!” said Roz.
This was a very bad idea, thought Nikki, as she could feel the rage growing inside of Mick. He didn’t like to be called out. He just didn’t. And normally people were too fearful to call him out.
But Roz was always fearless. “And you don’t just stay out all night,” she added, “you don’t even bother to call to let me know shit when you do stay out all night.” Then she leaned toward him. “Where your ass sleeping? Cause you gotta get some sleep.”
Mick looked at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means. It means who are you sleeping with? That’s what it means!”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Mick said as he rose to his feet and, to their shock, he began leaving.
“I’m not done yet, Mick. Mick?”
People were watching their table as Mick ignored her and began leaving.
When he walked away, something inside of Roz snapped. She had had it up to here with that man. And she jumped up from that table, her scarf sailing to the floor, and she hurried out of that restaurant behind Mick.
Teddy hurried behind her, knowing what his father was capable of if you pushed him. He felt he had to protect Roz.
Nikki grabbed Roz’s purse and then her scarf from the floor, grabbed her own purse, threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table, and hurried out behind them.
Nikki knew it looked bad: She and Roz were the only two black people in that entire section of the restaurant and those rich white folks were looking at her as if it was typical behavior for them to cause a ruckus. But they could kiss Nikki’s ass. Mick’s decision to leave rather than hear what his own wife had to say was what caused that ruckus. And if they couldn’t see that, then tough. She took off.
Outside, Roz had rushed up to Mick and hit him in the back as hard as she could, causing him to flinch from the pain and to turn around and grab her wrists violently. But when he saw the pain in Roz’s eyes, his look softened.
But Roz was still enraged. “How dare you walk away from me!” she yelled angrily as Teddy hurried out of the restaurant. “How dare you!”
Teddy was about to get in between his parents, because he knew his father was not the one. But Mick’s rage never materialized. He knew he was responsible for that searing pain that was all over Roz’s anguished face.
When Nikki hurried outside, she saw Mick holding Roz’s wrists, but neither one of them were lashing out.
The valet arrived with Mick’s big, black Cadillac Escalade and handed him the key fob. By now, Roz was more sad than angry and Mick knew it. He placed his arm around her waist and instead of waiting for her car, he placed her onto the passenger seat of his SUV. As another valet drove up behind them with Roz’s Mercedes-Maybach, Nikki went to the passenger door and handed Roz her purse and her scarf.
Roz was so emotionally spent that she couldn’t even say thank you. She just nodded and leaned her head against the leather backrest of Mick’s Escalade. Mick closed the door as the valet hurried over and handed him Roz’s key fob too.
Mick handed it to Nikki. “Drive her car to my house,” he ordered.
“Yes sir,” Nikki said. She could see the pain in his eyes too.
Then he walked around and got in on the driver side of his SUV. They could see a singular tear streaming down Roz’s face as Mick drove her away.
Nikki looked at Teddy with tears welling in her own eyes. Teddy pulled her into his arms. “They’ll be okay,” he said. “They always are.”
But even he was gravely concerned.
CHAPTER TWO
Teddy knew they had to go to Mick and Roz’s to pick up their daughter Kimmie anyway, since his kid sister Jackie was babysitting for them, so he followed Nikki in his Porsche Panamera as she did as Mick ordered and drove Roz’s Maybach home. But both of them were still unsettled.
That was why Teddy had phoned Nikki while they drove. “You okay, babe?”
