“The hell it doesn’t!” Inari hissed. “He got you fucked up!”
“She’s pregnant, Nari! She’s also engaged to him!”
“Well, guess what? He ain’t pregnant,” she declared, pushing her chair away from her desk.
“What are you going to do?”
“Fuck him up!” Inari whipped her neck with attitude. “Bust both of his fucking kneecaps and slit the back of his ankles. I bet the NBA won’t want him after that.”
“I just want to move on and forget about this.” Ayla swept some lint off her slacks and shook her head.
Thinking back, all she felt was shame for being so blindly dumb to the situation. The heartbreak was causing her to reflect on the last year and all the things she’d ignored. Qassen really had her out here looking stupid.
“That’s your problem.” Inari aimed a medium length almond nail at her. “You keep letting shit go. People won’t learn not to fuck with you until you make an example of their asses, Lala. How many times have I told you that?”
“I’m not like you, Nari! Okay! How many times have I told you that?” Ayla jumped to her feet. “I’m going home. I just want to go to sleep right now.”
“Running and hiding every single time isn’t going to help anything. I’m not saying be like me. What I’m saying is, set boundaries. You have to draw the line with people, or they’ll feel like they can walk any way with you. Why do you think I’ve stayed single all these years?” Her big sister tested her. “It’s not because I don’t want somebody. It’s because I refuse to lower my standards in what I want. If a man can’t see that and want to be that, what am I supposed to do? Lower my expectations?”
“That’s real right there, Ma.” Dane bobbed his head. “And you know I was cool with Qas and thought he was dope. He helped me with my game, but wrong is wrong, Lala. You didn’t deserve none of this.”
“Boy, hush. Stay out of grown folks’ business,” Inari fussed.
“Y’all started talking in front of me!” Dane argued.
“Go with your auntie and just make sure you’re home by the time we agreed to,” Inari warned.
"You’re right. As usual.” Ayla stepped up to embrace her sister. “I love you.”
“I know… and I love you too.” Inari held her back before kissing her cheek and pushing away.
The pain was evident in her baby sister’s glossed over eyes, but she knew she couldn’t be the one to take it away for her. It was those damn growing pains. Life did, in fact, hurt. She and Ayla had their share of grief already in their young lives, so it made them cherish each other a little more.
“Don’t count this as a loss. Think of it as discernment and be glad the Lord showed you now. I’ll bring home some wine so we can drink when I get off.”
“Just wake me up when you get there.” Ayla turned and nudged Dane toward the door with her.
CHAPTER THREE
CHECK ME OUT
After cataloging every piece of art that came in via shipment, Inari closed the black book on her desk. She kept both physical and digital records for her own peace of mind. Old habits die hard. Yawning, she picked up her iPhone off the desk and squinted at the time. It was almost midnight. She hadn’t expected to be here this long, but if she wanted something done right, she knew she had to do it herself.
When she went to grab coffee on a break earlier, she’d also collected a couple bottles of wine. Her favorite place was this small winery known asSunset Sips. She frequented the establishment and built a relationship with the owner, Suzanne. She got her hands on some of the best vintages in the world and did things like tastings and allowed people to rent her elegant space for events as well.
The light breeze in the air when she stepped outside with her briefcase in one hand and the blazer to her suit draped over her arm had Inari lifting her head to the sky and inhaling. She loved that period between spring and summer when the weather was perfect. Hitting the unlock button on her fob, she strutted toward her Lexus SUV and reached for the door handle.
“Looks like life is treating you alright, baby mama.” A well-known, hoarse voice addressed her from behind.
Pausing, Inari clocked the reflection in her driver’s window and quickly spun to face her ex, Danilo. Same old roughneck, only he was inked with more tattoos as he licked his lips and grinned. Once upon a time, that would have gotten her panties wet, but now it left her stomach in dreadful knots. Skimming him in the denim jeans, Polo shirt, and the latest pair of Jordans, she couldn’t hold her curiosity. She wondered who was keeping him fly fresh out. There was no telling who he was selling dreams to when he was locked up.
“When did you touch down?” Inari cleared her throat and asked.
“If you had kept in touch like you said you would, you might have known.” He chuckled and continued to rake his coal shaded eyes over her. “How’s my son?”
“Damn near grown,” she answered, yanking her car door open. “What do you want?”
“It’s like that?” Danilo cocked a brow.
