Aura turned when he heard me speak. His eyes narrowed, sweeping from my head to my feet, then locked back in on my face. “You need a sick day,” he suggested.
“No, I don’t. I just said I was fine.”
“You wanna be, but you’re not,” he countered.
“Aura, you ain’t my daddy or my doctor. You also don’t make my schedule or pay me. I’m fine.” My tone was stern, but by the look on his face, I could tell I wasn’t convincing.
He shifted his eyes to Amil. “Tell her she’s taking a sick day.”
Amil blinked and cocked her head to the side. “Now you know that shit don’t work on me. I’m not telling Danae nothing. She’s a grown woman who’ll let me know ifsheneeds a sick day.”
“Exactly.” I rolled my neck.
“Cause I know my girl ain’t gon’ be walkin’ round here sick and feel like she can’t tell me.” Amil looked past Aura and over at me. By her squint, it seemed like she was trying to get me to admit that his assessment was, in fact, correct.
“Ask ya girl if her stomach been fucked up since last night,” Aura pushed.
“Oh, my God. Not you tellin’ my business,” I said, wanting to punch him in the back of his damn head. “All I need is some tea to settle me. Once I’m moving around, I’ll be fine.”
Aura cut in. “And I got all the tea you need at the crib. Ginger. Peppermint. I even got some stomach ease shit my grandma gave me. Your face all flushed and shit. You need to sit today out, Ma.”
I rolled my eyes hard. He was really doing the most.
“You know I’m always team you, Nae. But you do look like you could use some rest.”
“Come on,” Aura spoke. His voice was softer, almost as if he were lowkey pleading with me. “Come let Dada take care of you for the day.”
My heart responded before my head could shut him down again. His voice wasn’t commanded or controlling. The concern was clear.
Amil stepped from around the counter and over to me, blocking Aura’s view. “Go home for a little bit and if you’re feeling better in a few hours, you can come back for the dinner rush, cool?”
“Not cool.” I smiled, rolling my eyes playfully. “But I know I’m not 100%, and I don’t want that to affect my work, so I’ll leave with him.”
“My girl. I’ll check on you later.” She hugged me then turned to Aura. “Don’t get on her nerves, Aura.”
“Man, bye,” he replied and waited for me to walk toward the front door. “You need me to pick you up anything from the store before we head in?” he asked, opening my passenger side door.
“No, thank you. I have what I need at home. I just want my bed.”
“Who said you was going home?”
He closed my door and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Aura.”
“Let a nigga take care of you without having to go to extreme measures to do so, Danae. For once, just sit back and let things happen. I ain’t gon’ do shit to you that ain’t already written in the stars to be done. I got you. Trust me.”
Trust him? I already did. Admit that to him, I didn’t know how to.
CHAPTER 8
What’s Already Written
AURA
Iknew something was wrong with my baby the moment she stepped out the car. Although she moved quickly, her steps were measured, and the color was off on her face too. She was trying to hide the fact that she was sick, but the way she moved told me that she was pushing through just to show up. Danae took her position as manager of the diner serious. It was the reason my sister entrusted so much responsibility to her.
Cutting the engine, I watched as she rushed inside and decided then that she wasn’t working today. I entered the diner a few seconds behind her.
