“Not unless someone is really paying attention.”
Mozzi must have been clairvoyant then. He’d been looking at her like he knew something about her since that first night.
“I haven’t gone to the doctor.” Coast sighed. “I took a test the other day and just been sitting with it. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“What about the daddy?” Inari prodded, stopping with her at one of the big coolers with the clear lid over it.
Coast lifted the top and reached in for a cold bottle of water.
“Bitch ass nigga. I didn’t tell him, and I don’t want to. He can’t even raise himself. I’m not letting him around my baby.” She twisted the cap and brought the bottle to her lips.
Inari smiled. “It sounds like you already know what you want to do.”
“It’s just starting to hit me that I’m carrying life. You know?” Her tone lowered, and she studied the cap to the bottle in her hand as she toyed with it between her fingers. “In a few months, I’ll be big as hell, and there will be something moving around in there. Growing. Then it’s going to come out and expect me to take care of it. That’s the part I can’t see past.” She took another gulp of the beverage.
“Girl, let me tell you, that’s any real mother. I was fifteen when I had Dane.”
“Fifteen!” Coast shrieked. “How did you do it? How did you find the time to become what you are now? You damn sure don’t look like you got a son that old.”
“Trust me, I’ve been through it. I just don’t look like it. I had to keep it moving. My parents died the year before I got pregnant. I had Ayla to also take care of, so my nineteen-year-old boyfriend moved in and started to help pay bills. He was a hustler, and our home became the spot.” Coast fell in stride with Inari again.
A path had been carved through the grass to get to the basketball court across the way, where it was starting to getpacked. She was enthralled by her story, though, as she spotted Mozzi, Moose, and Kong all gathered off on the sidelines.
“There’s more where that came from, but not here. You want to have lunch this week?”
“Yeah, that sounds cool. Maybe Wednesday after my visit to the college,” Coast insinuated with a half-smile donning her pouty lips.
“Oh, so you’re going to see what’s up?” Inari nudged her with her shoulder and beamed before taking another chug from her flask.
“Yeah. Maybe I can turn this art thing into something.” Coast shrugged.
“You never know. You’ll have to show me some of your stuff.”
“Well, I’m working on my portfolio now.” Coast stopped at a bench with the Blackmoor men mere steps away.
Surprisingly, it was empty, and under a big tree, so she figured they could post up there. To her left, there was a table set up with merch. Pins, flags to wave with the Ree Heights logo on it, and underneath, in smaller letters,community day. It had the year 2026 established, and there were t-shirts plus little tumblers to match. Two women stood near the table, chatting low to one another, and both looked out of place. Coast could clock the designer immediately, right along with the diamond accessories and red bottom heels. She’d done a lot of people watching in her life, often using it as a tool to survival when it came to looking for a mark.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Inari bobbed her head and squinted out at the basketball court where some other guys were already shooting around.
Moose, Kong, and Mozzi stood on the sidelines, smoking like they weren’t about to be going up and down the court soon. The park filled with more arrivals. When the two glanced toward the table with the two women, an older lady approached with a verytall, dark, dangerous looking man at her side. He didn’t blink or flinch. Only took in the surroundings with his arms crossed in front of his pelvic region. He remained a gracious distance from the well-dressed woman in the tailored summer Chanel suit and matching heels. Her nails were almond shaped and in a simple French design as she tugged at the diamond earring in her ear while approaching the table.
“Well, have you two made an effort to sell anything, or you just sitting around as usual, waiting for something to come to you?”
“Good afternoon, Desiree!”
“Phoebe, don’t start that ass kissing. If it ain’t worked in over twenty years, it ain’t gonna work now.”
Coast snickered and nudged Inari in her side.
“Check her out.”
“Oh, that’s Desiree Blackmoor. Mother to Audiemar Blackmoor. I’ve heard she’s a piece of work. I’ve never really had a conversation with her, though. She travels a lot, all over the world. The only time she usually comes around is during summer visits or holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Inari broke down.
Phoebe sighed and cut her eyes at the young woman beside her.
“Nayelli, why don’t you take some of these shirts and walk around with them. Try to get us some sales.”
“Don’t come back to this table until you get rid of all of these,” Desiree ordered, slapping a pile of t-shirts in Nayelli’s arms.
