“Yes, Mrs. Blackmoor.” The girl rushed off like someone had lit a fire behind her.
“You’re no stranger to these streets either, Phoebe. I don’t know why you two standing over here with your noses in the airlike you ain’t trick off these same blocks not long ago. Grab some merch and hit the pavement.”
“First of all, Desiree… I’m a grown ass woman. I’m not that same twenty something year old girl, scheming and scamming?—”
“Save me that wack ass speech about how you’re some reformed hoe,” Desiree quipped.
“Damn.” Coast snickered.
“I know what I see. I know what you are, and there ain’t nothing you can do to make me believe otherwise. You didn’t deserve a friend like Jane, and because of her, you now have access to her husband and her home. That doesn’t mean you will ever have access to his heart. Knowing you, that doesn’t matter. All you want is his bank account.”
“That’s not true!” Phoebe hissed, eyes stinging with angry tears.
Accountability was something she’d never been good at. Blaming the next person was far too easy. She stepped into Desiree’s space, and her guard moved accordingly, making sure Phoebe knew what it was. She briefly shot a glance in his direction before focusing on Desiree again. Although in her seventies, the woman still had flawless skin, with deep dimples, and a small mole beside the bridge of her nose. Warm cinnamon skin tinted her bones, and a simple silver pixie cut donned her crown. She was regal and very much a force.
“I care about Audiemar. I always have. I’m not going to allow you to tell me anything different. You don’t know anything about our relationship.”
“I don’t have to when I know you. Grab some of these hats, pins, and shirts, and move around.” Desiree pushed past her, so she could go stand behind the table.
Huffing, puffing, and talking shit under her breath, Phoebe snatched up a handful of items and stormed off. Desireeremained at the table, rearranging more merch from a box. Peering around, her dark, oval shaped eyes landed on Inari and Coast.
“You two, come here.”
Exchanging a nervous stare, the two women slowly brought themselves to their feet and ambled over to the table.
“You think you can hold this table down and sell this stuff? I don’t trust twiddle dee and twiddle dumb.”
Inari snickered, but Desiree’s expression was serious. Coast had managed to escape Bee’s program, but she didn’t want to suffer the wrath of the woman in front of her after witnessing the tongue lashing she’d just put down.
“Can we have a shirt?” she asked, picking one up off the table in her size. “I mean, we are advertising, right?”
“Yes, chile, take a shirt and a hat.” Desiree sighed. “Hell, make a whole outfit out of it. Just make sure all this stuff is gone. Every cent is going to help with this new program we’re piloting for these boys, so they can learn how to interview for jobs, set up their hours and pay, and eventually start some type of paid internship somewhere.” Desiree stood beside the table with her hand on her hip, studying the items.
“I love that idea. Is it just for the boys at Haven House? Or is it a community-based thing? My son is fifteen, and he could use something like that.”
“Community based. We’re putting the final touches on the plans this week, and if all the donations line up, then we will be ready to start the pilot in the fall when school starts. We want to give them a realistic setup. Keeping up with their grades at school is also part of it. Time management, learning how to make the most of it and everything. On weekends, they will be off, just like with most corporate jobs, but we do expect them to participate in other extracurricular activities as well. We only require eight hours per week for the program.”
“Oh, I’m definitely going to get him signed up.” Inari simpered, a faint, yet familiar aroma striking her nose.
Moose brushed past her, still no shirt on, sweating from the heat, but his body wash and cologne very present on his skin. He hugged up to Desiree and kissed her cheek with a slow grin capturing his handsome face.
“Moose, get your sweaty ass off me!” Desiree nudged him away, and he chuckled.
“Real talk. Stop putting your lips on my old lady like that!” Mozzi stepped up next to kiss her other cheek.
She gripped his chin and looked into his eyes briefly. “What’s wrong with you? You taking your meds?”
“Pssh, damn, Gran. A nigga can’t be high off life?”
She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. Mozzi was the youngest, and she worried the most about him because he was so unpredictable. Growing up with a young teenage mother and then being tossed into Haven House at the age of nine, the minute Audiemar brought him home, and she looked into his beautiful eyes, she knew he’d seen things.
“I see you met my girl. Coast, this the number one lady in my life,” Mozzi introduced the two.
Coast’s head snapped up in his direction so fast. Desiree looked her over more carefully this time as Coast held her items in her arms to change into.
“This nigga.” Moose tittered, shaking his head.
“You ain’t gotta play into this with him, lil’ mama. Let me know if you need us to handle him,” Kong chimed in as he stepped up to kiss the top of Desiree’s head in greeting. “I’m going to check on the kids. You niggas be ready in ten minutes.”
