They stare at me, waiting for me to say more.
“But then what?” Porsche asks.
“Did y’all kiss?” Charisse adds.
I shake my head hard. “No. Not at all. And then he left.”
Charisse crosses her arms over her chest and leans back in her chair. Porsche tilts her head to the side.
“That don’t mean nothing,” Porsche says. “Nothing at all. He’s just trying to do little small things to get back into your good graces. Breaking down and setting up for a big man like him is nothing. All he gave you was a little bit of time. You need more than time from him. Don’t fall for it, girl.”
Charisse slaps her arm. “Don’t be like that. Everybody starts somewhere. This is a start. If he’s consistent and if he’sthorough, then he can show you that he’s changed. Maybe he just needed some more time to be ready for you, and now he is.”
I shake my head. “Or maybe he just showed up one day and helped me move some tables.”
Porsche swats the air. “Exactly! Where was all this when you two were together?”
“Did he make it easier for you?”
This question makes me face Charisse. Her soft eyes and waiting teacher expression make me squirm.
“That’s not the point.” I stab at my salad with my fork.
“Lily.”
I sigh. “Yeah.”
“Don’t get soft now. You can’t confuse help with change.” Porsche waves her wine glass around.
“I’m not telling her to forgive him and jump back into a relationship, but she can recognize this is not the norm, and take it for what it is.”
“What it is is a ploy. He saw our girl doing good on her own without him. Thriving. And now he’s here to dull her shine...again.”
My eyes move between them as they go back and forth.
“I’m not about to sit here and analyze him. It was a one-time thing. That doesn’t mean he’s changed. He might’ve had nothing else to do today.”
Charisse smirks and looks at Porsche who looks up to the ceiling and shakes her head.
“We can change the subject.” Charisse sits up and claps. “Naya used the potty today.”
Porsche groans. “That’s cool and all, but I’m eating. I love my nieces, but I don’t want to know about their bodily functions.”
Charisse rolls her eyes at Porsche. I give her the side eye. She really needs to sit on some lady’s couch over the way she is about kids. She was awful to Charisse when she was pregnant, and sheloves on the girls when she sees them, but she’s not that kind of auntie.
“That’s great! What about Sky?”
Charisse gives me a look, and I giggle. Sky refuses to do anything on anyone else’s schedule.
“She’s too much like her Aunt Porsche for her own good.”
Porsche grins. “That’s why she’s my favorite twin.”
“Porsche! You can’t have a favorite!”
Porsche shakes her head. “No,youcan’t have a favorite. Sky is mine.”
They bicker back and forth. My mind wanders back to Javonte. He did make today easier. So much easier. And he didn’t want anything in return. He didn’t talk to me at all. He helped and left.
