“Unless you’ve hurt one of your elders or somebody’s child, you’re too young to be hung up on what you think are mistakes. Those are the stories you’ll tell your grandbabies one day.”
The texture of her tone went from firm to calm, bringing a smile to my face. As much as I despised having to work a nine-to-five, patients like Ms. Tia Mosby always brought me back. She reminded me of my grandmother—a straight shooter with soft edges. Two years of working in the nursing home as a registered nurse catered to a part of me that yearned for nurturing. I wouldn’t pretend I had gone without affection my whole life, but as far back as I could remember, there was a void in my heart. At one point, my father caused that emptiness, and after my mom passed, the hole got deeper.
“Ms. Mosby, you’re good to go,” I said after I raised the railings around her bed. “I’ll be back to check on you before I leave for the day.”
“Don’t come back in here without my vape!”
“You know that isn’t happening.” My steps paused as I neared the door. “I might have an edible in my car. I’ll grab it for you.”
“My girl!”
There was no way I would bring drugs into my job, but the rebel in me spoke before I could filter my words. Even after being sent to live with my daddy in Slyde City, there were certain parts of me I couldn’t let go. No one ever asked why I had the tendency to move without considering the consequences. They never questioned why I didn’t trust them enough to follow their lead, rules, or advice.
After a few stops around the building, I headed to the nurse’s station, prepared to gossip for a bit before leaving for the day. The closer I got to the front of the building, the slower I walked. The sight of a white vase holding black roses almost had me frozen.
“All done with your rounds?” Sophie, my co-worker, asked with a quirky smile.
“All done.” I pointed to the flowers. “Who do these belong to?”
She slid a greeting card across the desk. “Apparently, you.”
“What? Who delivered them?” I turned around to survey the exit.
“I’m not sure. Beverly said someone dropped them off about five minutes ago.”
Her voice became gibberish as my focus held onto the words on the small index card.
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.
I folded the paper and tucked it in the pocket of my uniform top. “Sophie, are you sure you didn’t get a glimpse of the deliveryman? Did his uniform look familiar?”
“Nope.” Her blue eyes turned dreamy as she rested her chin on her fist. “Secret admirer?”
“Not in the slightest.”
On the outside, I played it cool, pretending to be unfazed by the gesture. However, my heart pitter-pattered against my ribcage. The last delivery happened a week ago, and this one felt more intrusive. My mouth went dry when I realized Neptune knew where I laid my head and where I worked. Unlike the first bouquet, this arrangement held a red rose in the center that made my senses dance. Though I wanted to indulge, my experience with poisonous materials made me skeptical.
“Here. Smell them.” I placed the flowers under Sophie’s nose. “Good?”
Her eyes fluttered, as if captivated by the scent. “They smell heavenly. I have never liked dark-colored flowers, but these are sexy. Your man has taste.”
I rolled my eyes at Sophie’s last statement, then captured a picture of my gift. Just like I had done with the deliveryNeptune sent to my house, I uploaded a photo of the bouquet to Instagram. I didn’t know Neptune’s intentions, but his subtle threats didn’t spook me. As boring as my life had become, a psychotic man stalking me added a little spice to things.
Once I was off the clock, I headed to the grocery store to grab a few things for dinner. After going back and forth in our group chat, I convinced Nola and Yari to come to my house for a meal and some mending. Not only had I placed them in the path of Junior’s wrath, but their hands had Neptune’s blood on them. My daddywas still pissed,too, but I wasn’t as thirsty for his forgiveness. Unless he was giving me a position in the family business, we had nothing to talk about.
Since the store was only a block from my house, I made it home and had dinner started about an hour after I left work. My home wasn’t as luxurious as my siblings’ or my dad’s estate, but it was spacious, and the amenities were nice. In a sports bra and a pair of sweatpants, I cracked open a bottle of wine and turned on a hip-hop playlist. Decorating wasn’t my niche, but I put some old gold-and-white party supplies to good use. My menu was simple: enchiladas, fried chicken, and a Cesar salad. The whole meal took about two hours to finish, and by the time I removed the last batch of wings from the skillet, I heard someone knocking on my front door.
Being cautious, I checked the camera directed at my porch to make sure it was my family. The impatient look on Yari’s face urged me to let her in.
“Hey, beauties!” I cheered, yet my excitement fell to my feet when I spotted something familiar in Nola’s grasp. “Where did you get those?”
“They were on your porch. The color isn’t my cup of tea, but the gesture is nice.”
I spun on my bare feet and led the ladies into the kitchen. As soon as we stepped into the room, Nola emptied her hands and reached for the Tiffany’s box with her name on the tag.
“Hold on.” My cousin raised a finger. “Don’t get into that yet. Who are the flowers from, Kannon?”
“A stalker.” I shrugged like the comment was normal. “I’m not worried about him. Tonight is about you guys.”
