Had they?
Had anyone captured an image?—
I stumbled over a crate in the middle of the office floor. “What the?—”
Diana Ross went on vacation.Darn that wig! It sailed across the air.
On the ground, I pressed my hands to my head, locs tightly cornrowed to my scalp. My son shot off like a rocket toward the wig, as Peaches entered the room. “Journey, you’re fabulous—” She murmured, “Child, you okay?”
“She tripped,” Virginia said, helping me up off the floor.
My son bounded over, twisties bouncing to the tempo of his excitement.
Just then, Montana entered. “I mentioned legal?—”
Darius held up the hair. “Mommy, your puppy.”
Ugh. That’s what I got for trying to shut Darius up with a wig joke. Anytime he was about to burst and mention my wig, we used code words. After a while, I’d embedded a history lesson, using the termperuke, a popular seventeenth- and eighteenth-century wig. My bright boy forgot the code word.Peruke. Not puppy.
I slapped the Diana Ross wig into place. I think. She was a beast inonedirection.
I scooped up my son. “I won’t be in tomorrow, Miss Peaches, Miss Virginia. I’m sorry.”
Another server popped in and mumbled how the ambulance had arrived.
Peaches sighed. “I’ll handle that. Don’t go nowhere, Journey, until I hug you and thatbébé!”
She vanished. The way Darius and I should. Right now.
Montana stared at me, something in his eyes capturing me. Concern instead of hunger. He said, “Everyone erased what they filmed. Most of them are locals—the weekly lunch crowd is always heavy with the usuals. The rest understoodme.”
Okay, so he’d done a mob shakedown. Fear motivated them. Still, my firm stance told him my position stood. We were leaving. That was final. Plus, the $860 first-month and cleaning deposit for the crappy studio.Adios,Louisiana!
Virginia appeared lost in space. She caressed Darius’s cheek, her moist eyes on me. “Please come tomorrow, sugar. We have our new-hire dinner on … Fridays.”
I planted Darius on the ground and folded my arms. Visions of New York—a place Darius and I should’ve gotten lost in—warned me not to fall for her kindness.
I’d almost died … he’d almost gottenmyson.
Arms crossed, I attempted a smile, hoping it came off playful, not mean. “Huh, a new-hire dinner. Cute idea, but I don’t buy it. Nor do kids eat free in a place this bougie.”
Montana cleared his throat. “Like my momma done told you, we have a new-hire dinner. Reduces turnovers.”
“Sure.” I didn’t even meet those simmering chocolate eyes, just held back drool and glanced at his shoulder. “When were you last here, Montana? Because speaking of dinners, Virginia is so family oriented. She has Wednesday dinners with her sons. Figure that is real. Seemed routine the way they sat, ate, chatted.” Damn, I loved it. Family like that. “I metthreeof them yesterday evening because of ice cream?—”
“Ohhh!” Darius tugged my leg. “I scream, you scream, we all?—”
“Scream for ice cream.Bye.” Virginia snatched his hand and rushed away like a fabulous GiGi on a weekend social media reel.
Leave it to this woman to make a mad dash with my child, andmy bodyforgetsto break out in hives. Well, my baby needed a grandma.
When the door closed, Montana studied me.
“What?” I still avoided his eyes. Best not to get lost beneath the heat. But? It felt better to stare at him rather than watch my son vanish.
After a second, he broke into a smile. “You built different.”
How so …?
