“Where y’all been? Why you been gone so long?” he asked, stepping forward to help them with their bags.
“You know it’s Sunday. We always end up at the market longer than intended,” Inari voiced, peering around at the spotless home that smelled like the carpet deodorizer she used when she vacuumed. “Did you clean up?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” He shrugged, holding her bags by the handles and peering inside at the contents. “Did y’all bring some of those cheesecake squares from Miss Ann’s booth?”
“Yes. She made 7Up cake slices too,” Ayla told him.
“Bet.” Dane grinned.
“We need to talk about something.” Inari shot a glance at Ayla.
“I’m going to head upstairs.” Her sister started toward the wooden steps nearby.
“What’s this about? Is it about the tattoo again?” Dane sucked his teeth and walked to the kitchen with Inari on his heels.
“I’m still very much mad about that, but no. It’s not.” She shook her head and dropped her purse on the table.
In need of a cold drink, she marched over to the fridge and grabbed a mini-Corona bottle. She loved her wine, but she’d never been much of a hard drinker unless it was tequila. On a hot day like today, a chilled brew did the job, though. Grabbingher bottle opener, she popped the top off and took a gulp. Dane set her things on the table and pulled out the container with the desserts in them.
“So, what’s up?”
“Wash your hands, first of all,” she warned, joining him at the table.
He did as he was told before coming back to join her. From her expression, he could tell it was serious. His mama didn’t shield him from anything, but Dane knew there were things she kept to herself. About her life, his father, among other things. He picked up a small cheesecake square with a strawberry drizzle over the top and popped it into his mouth.
“You sick or something?” Dane frowned.
“No.” Inari took another swallow of her beer and shook her head. “It’s about Danilo.”
“What about him?”
“He was released,” Inari revealed, leaning forward.
“When?” Dane questioned.
“Recently, I guess. He showed up at my job the other night when I was leaving. He wants to see you. If that’s something you want.” Inari twirled her beer bottle on the table.
Dane reclined in his seat across from her, slowly chewing on his second bite. Inari watched him taking her in before looking off to the side. She’d raised him, but Danilo still had an influence over Dane that maybe even he wasn’t aware of. There was a possibility that she wasn’t all the way wrong about her fear of him turning into his father. Hell, she was no angel either. Dane was kept shielded from a lot, and that was in large part because of Ayla. Inari could admit she relied on her sister far too much as a child. She was one herself and didn’t have a soul she could trust. Mira helped her get money, and on some level she banked on her, but she knew from firsthand experience that she wouldas quickly help you do some dirt then use it against you for her own benefit.
“What you think?” Dane’s voice dragged Inari from her thoughts.
“It’s not about what I think,” she quipped. “I have arranged to see him later.”
“Why?” Dane sloped forward again and leaned into his arm on the table.
“Because I set aside some cash for him while he was locked up. Something he could come home to.”
“Why would you do that? I thought you couldn’t stand him.”
“Not because of who he is, but because of what he did,” Inari voiced in frustration. “For leaving me to hold shit down when I had no idea what I was doing. I was forced into a lot of shit to keep us all together, and I was the same age as you.”
“I know you might not have liked it, but you did what you had to do, Ma. Look at us now. Ayla ain’t gotta be out there on the pole or doing no ratchet stuff. I can go to school and get my education and play ball without stressing about bills. You helped us do that. So, I don’t want you worrying about that. You deserve to be happy, to have a life outside of the auction house and us. Don’t you ever think about that?” Dane queried.
“It’s been a long time since I have,” she whispered, dropping her eyes to the table.
“I mean, I guess I can see him.” Her son shrugged. “See what he’s on. You gon’ be cool with that?”
“I just want you to be careful, and don’t set your expectations too high,” she suggested. “I’ll give him your number, and you two can decide what to do from there. I won’t interfere in your relationship with him unless I feel like it’s going to harm you in some way.”
