Forty minutes later, the fax machine went off.
“Ebony and Ivory are clear on insurance,” Brandi said, handing me a paper from Geico.
“Aight, cool. Put the invoice together. When was the car dropped off?”
“Last night.”
“Bet. Add $100 to the storage. It’s a ‘you got us fucked up fee’.”
She smirked. “And this is why I’ma stick beside you, no matter how grumpy you can be sometimes.”
“Woman, go head.” I turned to the window just as the couple walked back in.
“We got everything straightened out,” the guy spoke. “You should’ve received a fax from Geico.”
“We did.”
“Here you go.” Brandi handed me their bill.
I slid it through the open slot, and they reviewed it together. By their tight faces, I knew they wanted to pop shit but held it in. Best decision they could’ve made. The woman begrudgingly pulled the cash out of her purse and handed it to him. My nose scrunched up in disgust. This nigga was in here making all this noise only to have her pay for the tow.
“Aight, cool.” I slid the bills in the register and handed them their change and receipt. “Y’all can meet me out front. I’ll bring the car around.”
I waited until they left out before turning to Brandi. “Here.” I handed her the extra $100 I’d charged the couple.
She looked down at the money with her brows lifted. “What’s this for?”
“For putting up with their shit. I appreciate it.”
“It’s my job, Pryce.”
“Nah. I didn’t hire you to be anyone’s pin cushion. I hired you to handle the business, and you do that, so thank you.”
“You know what? You alright with me, boss.” She tucked the money into her back pocket. “If this is gonna be the outcome, I just might start lettin’ people disrespect me a lil’ more.”
“Don’t get used to that shit.”
She laughed out loud. “I’m just playin’. I’m just playin’.”
“Uh huh,” I replied, heading out the door to the tow yard. “Watch the cameras. If you see something funny, hit my phone.”
“I’m on it.”
And I knew she meant it. At Sullivan Towing, we looked out for each other. And everybody in my building understood one thing above all — respect wasn’t optional here.
CHAPTER 5
Truth Is
ADAI
Icould hear pots clinking, and the smell of smothered chicken and gravy filled my condo as my mother did her thing in the kitchen. We’d gone to the supermarket earlier to restock my fridge and pantry with a few things while I was in town. During our trip, she decided that she wanted to cancel our dinner reservation and cook her grandbaby a homecooked meal instead. That was fine by me. I missed her cooking anyway. Realizing that pregnancy got me whatever I wanted, I requested smothered chicken over rice with sauteed green beans, a simple yet delicious meal.
While she handled business in the kitchen, I sat curled up on one end of my couch, and Ebone laid stretched out on the other end. An episode ofGirlfriendsplayed on the TV that we barely paid attention to because she was too busy telling me about her day.
“I’m telling you, Dai, I must have ‘please feel free to come in and waste my time’ written somewhere in fine print on my website,” she said, shaking her head. “Do you know these people had me show them two places in Jersey, one in Yonkers, and another in Manhattan, only to decide that they really wanted a place in West Chester to be closer to family?”
I laughed. “Not them people used you as their personal Uber driver for the day. Why didn’t they just lead with that? Especially since your office is in West Chester.”
