I entered the house through the side entrance, which led to my apartment. After changing into more comfortable clothing, I grabbed the cheesecakes and headed upstairs to the main part of the house. I went to the kitchen, where I knew I’d find everyone at this hour.
“Hey, Ma, Pop, Gramps.” I greeted everyone before leaving a kiss on each of their cheeks.
My immediate family was close and had always been very affectionate. Ronin’s father was my mother’s only sibling, and he passed away years ago, when Ronin and I were in our twenties.
My father was an only child, and at eighty-five, Gramps was the youngest and last of his siblings still living. He had a few nephews and nieces who kept in touch, but they were getting up in age, so we didn’t see them often.
“How was work today, Son?” my mother asked as she stood at the stove.
“The meeting this morning was a lot longer than necessary, but there was a lot to be covered. I was able to get some work done this afternoon, though.”
“Did you get a chance to look at the proposal fromKobe Mills?” my father asked.
Gramps and my father were at the kitchen table, sipping on something brown that I was sure wasn’t tea.
“I did, and it looks good. There was one line item I wanted to discuss with him, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t do business with them.”
Kobe Millswas a Black-owned flour manufacturing company. From the momentSweet, Savory, and Goodewas founded, my grandparents were intentional about using Black-owned companies for as many of their products as possible. Back then, it wasn’t easy, and honestly, it wasn’t much easier now, but we did our best.
“They’re good people, and if we use them, it will help build their credibility with other companies,” Gramps said.
“I know, and I’m ninety-eight percent sure he’s our guy. I have a conference call set up for tomorrow morning.”
“Good,” my father and grandfather said simultaneously.
“Hey, I was able to grab the last two cheesecakes from the cafeteria for y’all to taste. I’ve never had cheesecake this good.”
“Oh really?” Gramps questioned with a raised brow.
“No offense, Gramps, but this cheesecake gives yours a run for its money. Try it.”
I placed the mini cheesecakes on the table and went to the drawer where the silverware was kept and grabbed three spoons. After giving one to each of them, I waited for their reaction.
My mother was the first to try it, and as soon as she closed her mouth over the spoon, she closed her eyes and released a deep breath.
“My goodness. That is delicious,” she praised.
My father dipped his spoon into the one my mother had tried, while my grandfather dipped his into the one that hadn’t been touched.
I watched my grandfather intently because he didn’t play when it came to desserts. If something got his approval, it was damn good.
“Mmm. Thatisgood,” my father commented as he and my mother finished off the rest of the cheesecake.
My grandfather hadn’t commented yet, but when he picked up the tiny aluminum dish and cleaned it, I knew he enjoyed it.
“Where did you say you got this from?” Gramps asked.
“The cafeteria. When I went to lunch, a group of people was gathered around one of the tables. They scattered when I arrived, but there were three cheesecakes left. After tasting it, I tried to find out who was responsible, but apparently, the entire staff was sworn to secrecy.”
“What do you mean they’re sworn to secrecy?” Pops questioned.
“Whoever made them made everyone promise not to mention them.”
“We can always check the cameras, but I wonder why the person wants to remain unknown,” Gramps said.
“You can have security—” Pops began.
“Nah. I’ll do some digging and see what I can find.”
