* * *
I followed Dad to the break room.
“Close the door behind you.”
That’s not terrifying.
I closed the door, and it felt like my fate was sealed. An awkward minute passed between us before he addressed me with his arms folded over his chest, mimicking Daisy’s earlier stance.
“How long will you deign us with your presence this time?” he asked. His pain, disappointment, and resentment echoed loud and clear when he spoke. The guilt was overwhelming. I knew I was hurting my family, but I couldn’t be here. It was too painful.
“I leave Sunday.”
“Where are you going?”
I shrugged.
“Of course. If fly by the seat of your pants were a person, it’d be you.”
“Yep… that’s me.”
“Kiyah, my sweet child. You are not in a position to be so glib,” he remarked sternly. “Where have you been?”
“Chicago.”
He chuckled, slid his hands into his pockets, and sauntered to the window. He’d much rather look at the dumpster behind the building than at me. “I would’ve thought you were on some remote island. The phones don’t work in Chicago, Kiyah? Or maybe it only works for Daisy? That’s a peculiar cell phone service. I could’ve sworn all my children were on the same plan, and last I checked, you could call from Chicago.”
“I’m—”
“Your mother… you have one hour to see your mother, or there will be serious repercussions. Daisy will accompany you because you must be expediently fitted for your bridesmaid’s dress. We will have dinner as a family tonight, and I expect you to be presentable. As usual, your bedroom is ready. Please steer clear of Grant this week. The two of you are explosive when you’re in the vicinity, and I have enough on my plate already. I can’t afford to play referee between you and Grant. This week is about Daisy and her doomed-from-the-start nuptials to that mean little girl Anthony raised.”
I snorted.
“Maybe it’s Ms. Simone’s fault that Nori is the way she is,” I suggested.
Dad shook his head. “No, it’s Anthony’s fault—I’m certain. He indulged that child’s every wish. Nori had that man wrapped around her fingers as soon as she crossed his threshold.”
He didn’t lie. Nori was spoiled with a capital “S.” She had two cars by the time she was sixteen: a weekday Volvo and a weekend Mercedes-Benz convertible. Her Sweet Sixteen had to run Uncle Ant’s pockets over $1 million, and when she graduated high school, he gifted her a sailboat. Nori Powell put the “high” in high maintenance and the “drama” in Drama Queen, but Daisy loved every bit of her.
“Is there anything else?”
He faced me and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. “I want you in my office bright and early Sunday morning at 8:00 AM for our talk—not 8:01—8:00.”
“Yes, sir.”
I jumped slightly when he slapped his credit card on the counter. “Welcome home, Kiyah,” he said before breezing out of the break room.
Tears welled in my eyes, and my fists balled at my sides before I snatched up the card and followed him. I snapped thecard down on the reception desk, making him pause in my tracks. “Thanks, but no thanks,” I spat before storming out of the building. I climbed on my bike and snuck a glance at Grant’s office. He was peeking through the blinds at me again. I waved, and they snapped shut.
This week will be… something.
* * *
“Mom? Where you at?” I called out, hoping my voice would carry to wherever the hell she was in the mansion I grew up in.
“Kiyah? Is that you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I mumbled, staring at the hairless creature that greeted me at the door. “Who the hell are you?”
