As my girls inspected the decorations, I made our plates, then acted as their server. My bestie wouldn’t stop touching her gift bag, so I encouraged the ladies to look at their goodies before we enjoyed dinner.
“Oh my God!” Yari squealed. “Kannon, you did not have to do this, but I appreciate it.”
I showered her with air kisses from across the table. “You’ve been talking about a new iPad for months, and even though you have the funds, you won’t treat yourself.”
“Now, I don’t have to.”
Nola opened her gift and bounced around in her seat. My girl loved charm bracelets, and she had her eyes on the one I bought her for months.
“At first, it pissed me off when you guys didn’t stay with me at Junior’s, but I thought about it. We all know how Jeremiah Blackstone can be, and I didn’t keep it a bean fromjump. That was my fault.”
Yari sucked her teeth. “You damn skippy. You could have gotten someone killed, and they would view us as your accomplices.”
“So dramatic,” I muttered. “Enough about that. I made y’all favorites after working twelve hours at the nursing home. We are even.”
“Damn. Your daddy was serious, huh?”
I cut my eyes in my cousin’s direction. “What do you mean?”
“Last Saturday, I helped your sister with an artist at the studio, and I heard your daddy tell someone you were on lockdown. He said he has you doing doubles at Sunbeam Suites.” She giggled. “I know those old folks are running your ass into the ground.”
“He doesn’t have me doing shit. He kept alluding to cutting me off, so I picked up more shifts. The comment about the patients is true, though.” I shook my head. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t want to work in healthcare. I love the people, but the responsibility is...heavy.”
“Then you need to quit. That is one job you should love if you’re going to do it.”
A yawn stole my ability to speak. I had worked long shifts for four days straight, and they were finally catching up to me. Anytime I complained, I remembered how my daddy called me out for staying up to party, even though I didn’t have the same energy to work. No matter how many times I tried to explain the difference, he reminded me that only one ended with me making money.
A casual conversation captured the room until my phone went off. Every day for the last week, I got a message. The sender never said their name, but by now, I knew who the text was from. The messages were always a mix of flirting and idle threats that made me grin instead of cower.
“What are you over there smiling about?” Nola sang.
“That man,” I answered.
“Neptune?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I guess.”
“You guess?” A rosy flush soared upmycousin’s face. “Bitch, do you know or not? That’s not the type of man you play with.”
“He’s playing with me! Every day since I had him dropped off, he’s sent me roses.”
“And your silly ass keeps them in your house?”
“I was skeptical at first, but I figured if Neptune wanted to do something to me, he would have, right?”
The ladies looked at each other with conflicting expressions.
“Not necessarily.” Yari set her fork down. “Do you know why our families don’t mess with each other?”
“I only know what I heard in passing. You know my daddy and Junior treat me like I’m disabled.”
“They do what they do to protect you. Your daddy lost his wife. I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose his daughter.”
My nostrils flared while I said, “Then the same should apply to Junior and Kasey. He doesn’t have to put me in the field, but damn, let a bitch play on the sidewalk.”
“Until you have babies or fall in love, you won’t understand that, sometimes, you’ll put your prized possession in a box to keep it safe.” Yari tapped the top of my hand. “Before any of us were born, Uncle Jeremiah and Neptune’s father were tight. They got money together in the drug game, but shit got messy. Money started coming up missing, and they let outsiders muddy their foundation. After a disagreement almost left both of ’em dead, they parted ways and established their own stock in the city. Uncle Jeremiah became a loan shark, and Neptune’s dad focused on his family’s underground casino.”
Yari’s story time made me look at her sideways. “You know so much about his family. Why didn’t you say anything before I stuck the needle in his neck?”
