Jerome’s SUV stayed just ahead, steady enough to follow, Nova’s silhouette shifting occasionally in the seat behind Jerome as she turned to say something to Simone.
“They always like this?” Kendra asked from behind me, leaning forward just enough for her voice to carry.
“Pretty much,” I said.
“They seem close.”
“They are.”
Auntie Rhonda adjusted the visor, glancing at me sideways. “Been that way,” she added.
Kendra nodded, taking that in. “I like that.”
“Hmmmm,” Rhonda said, noncommittal but not dismissive.
When we pulled into Shady Maple, Kendra leaned forward again, eyes widening slightly as she took in the size of it and the vast number of cars in the parking lot.
“Okay,” she said, laughing under her breath. “This is serious.”
Auntie Rhonda turned toward her, brows lifting. “You’ve never been here?”
Kendra shook her head. “I’ve heard of it, but no.”
Rhonda looked genuinely surprised. “Well, we about to fix that today.”
Jerome was already halfway out of his car by the time we parked, stretching like he’d completed a long journey instead of an hour drive.
“Y’all took too long,” he called.
“We followed you,” I replied, stepping out.
“That sounds like a personal problem.”
Inside, the place moved with its own kind of momentum. People flowed in and out of lines for the buffet, plates in hand, conversations overlapping in a way that didn’t require order to make sense.
Kendra paused just inside, turning slowly like she was trying to take it all in at once. “Where do I even start?”
Nova stepped up beside her, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Don’t try to do everything,” she said, her tone calm but certain. “You’ll end up not enjoying any of it.”
Kendra smiled. “That sounds like advice.”
“It is,” Nova replied, reaching for a plate.
I stepped in on Nova’s other side, picking one up for myself. “She means pace yourself.”
“I gathered that,” Kendra said, laughing softly.
Nova moved through the line with intention, not rushing or hesitating, selecting what she wanted like she trusted her instincts more than the options in front of her.
“With a strategy,” I said, watching her.
She glanced at me. “You still paying attention to my plate?”
“Always have.”
She squinched up her face in the way that stirred something inside of me that dared me to place the sweetest kiss on her forehead every time she did it. “That’s weird.”
“Since when?”
