“Laughter is good for the soul. Make up with Zuri. She’s on your team. Bring Zuri with you to apologize for pushing Ezekiel. It might help soften you for his response.”
Bruh, please. “And if he don’t?”
“If Ezekiel don’t apologize,he don’t! So you do it!”
“Yes, ma’am,” I lied. First time in my life I ever lied to Momma. But dude canceled it out. The muscle in my jaw worked. I poured myself some cognac. Me apologize? Nah.
Zuri didn’t have many words for me when I started teaching Darius to ride a horse the other day. I’d not seen her again until tonight. That face made me forgive her long ago. She just needed to share more than a few words about her past.
But what did she do?
She and Darius helped Texas push together tables for Momma’s midweek dinner, then started talking.
I settled across from her, my second whiskey in hand.
“Montana!” Darius hopped from the chair at her side—a blur as he rushed around the table.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“We good?” I asked, but Darius launched himself into my arms, speaking a mile a minute. “Yeah, we gone ride, Little Dude. Maybe not tonight. You’ll wrangle Crocodile soon.”
“Wrangle a what?” Zuri snapped.
Darius hollered, “Tonight. Let’s ride Croc tonight! Are you still mad at my mommy?”
At this point, I would’ve cleared up the misunderstanding. Hell, one of them—Darius named his new horse Crocodile, even if Alligator made more sense—but Washington strolled to the table. He greeted Zuri, patting her shoulder. Hand a little lower than appropriate. Not the zone, but she wasn’t on the menu.
Washington took one look at me and said, “Montana and his attitudes. Zuri, remember, my brotha’s got millions of bobbleheads in the world. All nodding in his likeness.” He claimed Darius’s seat at her side.
I glanced over my shoulder.He coming for me? Bet. I took another sip and smiled.
Texas clapped his shoulder, chuckling. Zuri looked like she wanted to laugh. Tennessee, who’d just stepped to the table, picked up a breadstick, reading the tension between me and Wash. Whereit came from? I didn’t know. But I’d be damned if my big brother would bully me.
“First off. Don’t come at me sideways,JudgeBaby-No—” Yep, that was the name Madison called him. Yeah, I had the same last name, but it still tickled me. “I don’t have no attitude.”
Washington put his palms up. “I’m just saying, Zuri went to bat for you. She hung me out to dry. I laughed my ass off when Momma told me.” He turned his attention to Zuri. “Did you tell Momma verbatim what you’d said?”
“Um …” Her cheeks went all peaches and cream with embarrassment, while the server heading in our direction took a detour.
I sipped my whiskey. Had a few sips left, then game over for his ass.
“If so …” Washington spoke as if they sat at a table for two. “I have a mind to introduce you to some old colleagues at Cohen & DuVall.”
“Who’s arrogant now?” I muttered into my drink. “Jealous behind wish he had a bobblehead. And some Nike shoes. Posters.” I needed to make a list of all my merch.
“What?”
“You. Arrogant, big brother. You all smiles with Zuri. Fine. Said she had my back. True. But did you ever”—I cleared my throat, and my expression channeled humble pie—“have Madison’s back, though?”
Tennessee pulled Little Dude from my lap, whispering, “Darius, let’s go make our dessert order in person.”
Darius’s high-pitched cheer went in one ear and out the other, so did Texas’s “C’mon, bruh.”AndWashington’s judgy“Don’t speakon something you knownothingabout.”
I sat forward, smiling. “Too late. You came to the table. Didn’t have a hello for me?—”
“I said hello, Montana,” Washington snapped. “Clean your ears!”
“Cute. Jokes. Zuri’s good at them. But it’s time to get serious.”Suddenly, the smile on my face disappeared. “After losing my nephew, did you support Maddy?”
