“Hmmm,” Ray said, sniffing the air. “Smells like my baby girl actually cooked with love today.”
Meadow rolled her eyes, playfully. “Daddy, I always cook with love.”
Ray kissed her cheek and patted her back twice. “Nah, you cook with attitude all the time.”
Zaire choked on a piece of bacon, trying not to laugh.
Ray noticed him at the table and nodded. “We meet again.”
“Sup,” Zaire replied, sitting up straighter.
Ray washed his hands, dried them, and pulled out a chair. “Ain’t nobody made a plate for me?”
“I did,” Meadow said proudly. “Right there.”
“Mmhmm, good.” Ray sat down, folding his hands. “Alright now…let’s bless this food.”
Meadow and Zaire bowed their heads even though Zaire had already started eating.
Ray prayed the same prayer he’d prayed her whole life. “Lord, thank you for the food, the hands that prepared it, and the grace you keep givin’ us even when we don’t deserve it. Keep our minds steady, keep our hearts open, and touch Magnolia’s spirit today. Give her a good day. A bright one. Amen.”
“Amen,” Meadow whispered.
Zaire echoed it quietly.
Ray passed the biscuits, then looked between them. “So…how was Mama this morning?”
Meadow shrugged, eyes soft. “She had a…cloudy start.”
Ray nodded slowly. “Talkative or quiet?”
“Quiet.”
Ray sighed. “We’ll bring her outside later. That usually helps.”
Zaire stayed silent but listened.
They ate for a moment before Zaire noticed a speck of grits at the corner of Meadow’s mouth. He reached across the table instinctively, thumb aiming for her lip.
Meadow slapped his hand so fast the table shook. “What are you doing?”
Zaire pulled his hand back, smirking. “Tryna help you, baby.”
“I got it,” she snapped, grabbing a napkin.
Ray laughed so hard he had to put his biscuit down. “Lord…you two gon’ give me a stroke. Boy reachin’ over like y’all married already.”
Meadow’s eyes widened. “Daddy!”
“I’m just sayin’,” Ray chuckled, wiping his eyes. “Ain’t never seen nobody try to clean my daughter’s face but me.”
Zaire shrugged with a half-smile, spreading jelly on another biscuit. “My bad. I wasn’t thinkin’.”
“Oh, you was thinkin’, alright,” Ray teased under his breath.
Meadow kicked her Daddy’s shin under the table. “Can we eat in peace?”
The room settled, but her pulse didn’t. She could still feel the ghost of Zaire’s hand reaching for her like he had some right. It threw her off more than she wanted to admit. The man had been in her house for all of twenty minutes and already acted like he belonged at her table, in her space, close enough to touch her mouth without thinking twice. Ray found it funny. Meadow found it…something else entirely. And she hated how aware she suddenly was of Zaire sitting across from her, eating slow, eyes dropping to her lips every few bites.
