Kordai laughed. “Exactly.”
“I don’t know anyone personally in that space,” I admitted, “but I’ll keep my ears open. I sell houses to damn near everybody. Somebody I work with knows somebody who trades for real.”
“Bet,” he said, nodding. “That’s all I need. Direction.”
“I’m proud of you,” I said, smiling at him like he was still a baby.
He looked up, surprised, then shrugged. “I’m just trying not to fuck up again.”
“Trying counts,” I said. “More than you know.”
My phone started vibrating against the desk. I glanced down at the screen and sighed.
“Hold on,” I told Kordai. “It’s Mrs. Nikki.”
He waved me off. “Handle your business,” he said, tapping away on his phone, clearly texting.
I answered the call. “Hey, Mrs. Nikki. How you been?”
“Oh, I’ve been doing alright, baby,” she said in that sweet, drawn-out voice of hers. “Just checking in on you. Making sure you ain’t forgot about me.”
“Never. I’m actually just sitting in my office right now, chopping it up with Kordai.”
“Oh!” she said, sounding genuinely pleased. “That precious baby boy.”
I set the phone down and put it on speaker. “He can hear you.”
Kordai looked up and smiled. “Hey, Mrs. Nikki.”
“How you been, sweetheart?” she asked.
“I’ve been good,” he said. “Can’t complain.”
She hummed approvingly. “That’s what I like to hear. How’s your mama doing?”
Kordai shifted a little in his seat. He had his own apartment, but most nights he still ended up back at our parents’ house, sleeping in his old room. Being locked up does things to people, so quiet spaces were tough for him. Mama never complained—if anything, she loved having him around since everyone else was gone.
“She’s doing good,” he said. “Real good.”
“Well, that makes my heart happy,” Mrs. Nikki replied. “Tell my friend I said hello. I know we haven’t talked much since my divorce. It's been a lot going on.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kordai said.
“Absolutely,” I added.
She cleared her throat and shifted gears. “So, Kairo… You found any more homes for me yet?”
I turned back to my computer, scrolling through my inbox. “Actually, I recently got an email about a listing I think you might like. It checks off a lot of the boxes you’ve been asking for.”
“Really?” she said, excited. “Do you have time tomorrow to take a look with me?”
“I do,” I said. “I’ll send you over the information and a time.”
“Thank you, baby,” she replied. “I’ll be ready.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“See you then, baby,” she said sweetly, and the line went dead.
