“You didn’t look in the bags?”
“No. I never look in the bags.”
My brows raised.
“Is he sending things to other women?”
She gasped as if I’d asked the impossible.
“Nooo! Of course not. Josiah is a community leader. He gifts groceries, furniture, homes, used cars, jobs, clothing, necessities, and so much more to those who have fallen victim to prescription drugs. Those who didn’t intentionally become addicts, but rather got hooked on the feeling prescribed meds provided during the most critical times of their lives.
“Though he is on the other side of things, he understands how impactful they are. Good and bad. He chooses to focus on both angles instead of his own. He’s as invested in the rehabilitation of those families affected as he is in the formulation of the drugs.
“He doesn’t want his work to discontinue because of his situation. So, I’ve made a delivery or two since he’s been in prison. And, as I said, I never look in the bags. It isn’t my place to judge. Josiah doesn’t. He only wants to help.”
As if he couldn’t be more unrealistic, here was Janeese, showing up at our doorstep with a basket full of green flags to go along with the ones I was already trying to organize in my head.
“He’s truly unreal.”
“So is this news! When– What— tell me more!”
“I think I’ll let Josiah do the honors. I feel awful sharing his good news before he could.”
“It’s why he sent me,” Janeese confirmed. “It was because he wanted me to see it for myself.”
“He knew you wouldn’t look in the bags.”
“He was certain I wouldn’t.”
“In that case, I’m going to need an extra set of hands some days, because we’re having twins.”
“Be for real, Miss Attorney!”
I chuckled, placing my hand over my mouth. “Seriously!”
“Twins?” Janeese was no longer sitting down. She was up on her feet.
“Yes. Two babies, one tummy.”
“Aubrey is going to lose her mind,” Janeese squealed. “We’re having babies. Josiah’s babies!”
Her joy was contagious. The gloom that lingered in those brown eyes dissipated. There was light. There wasSunshine.
Holdingthe side of my skirt, I climbed the stairs that led to the main cabin. Loud, thunderous sounds appeared suddenly. Iturned, hand over my head to assist my black Prada shades in their efforts to shield my eyes from the sun.
Of course.
“I got an ass so big like the sun. Hope you got a mile for a dick, I wanna run.”
Roulette’s car stereo was obnoxiously loud, blasting from the missing roof of her latest toy—a matte red Ferrari. Silently, I watched in total obsession as she parked her vehicle, shut off the engine, and tossed her keys to the awaiting attendant.
No luggage.
No baggage.
No extra weight.
She embodied liberation. Freedom. Free choice. Free will. Total and undying commitment to self. She was the type of woman the world would bend for every time she showed her face. She was the type of woman who represented us all. She was the type of woman who we were raised to be. She was the type of woman others would kill to be.
