“Karina? Mom’s Karina? The restaurant?”
“Uh, well, um. Yes?”
“You’re telling me you want to reopen our family’s place?” Still. I’m tryinghardto keep the emotion out of my voice.
“Yeah, Dad. I am. How do you?—”
“I don’t know, Apollo. Your Aunt Piper has the bakery, and you used to love to play around in her kitchen, but do you think you could run a place like that?”
His chin juts up with pride. “I can. I know I can.”
Nodding slowly, I wink at him. “Okay. You’re your own man. I can’t stop you.”
His shoulders fall, looking disappointed I didn’t show more enthusiasm.
“It’s a mess in there,” I warn him. “Have you seen it inside?”
He nods and takes a deep breath. “I know what I’m getting into.”
That’s what makes me soften the way I wanted to. “Ofcourseyou’ll do it right. Mom and I will eat there every week. Would love to see it with the lights on again. I was a kid when it was last open. Your uncles, Adon and Rhodes, remember better than I do.”
Finally, a smile tugs at his lips. I’m reminded of how much I love my life. And my freedom. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll make you proud.”
My heart clenches. I get up and grab him, helping him stand. Arms around his middle, I squeeze tight. The way I always want to, but never can anymore, because he’s as big as me. “What do you mean? I’vebeenproud of you. Never stopped.”
“I figured that I could run it for a couple of years until Scout graduates. Then, I’ll have to ask Nico or someone else to babysit the place for us while we’re wherever she wants to go for med school.”
“Nico, huh? Hmm…I don’t know.”
“Well, someone. I haven’t thought that far yet.”
I shake my head as I help him out of the room. “Sounds like you’ve got a problem on your hands already, but I’ll help where I can.” I grimace as Andrew plows into my legs. “But your old man isoldnow.”
“Thanks, Dad. I mean it.”
I squeeze his shoulder and head out to the living room as Essa and Scout both give me alook. All I do is nod.
Game on.
“Where are you going?I hate to be that guy, but you missed the turn.”
Scout shrugs. “Oops! Sorry. I’ll catch it on the next one.”
I focus on the road. “But you’re okay with the loan possibility?”
She smiles but covers it up with a furrowed brow. “I told you three times I was.”
My nerves force me to doubt her. What if I finally get Karina and she hates it? We’ve only discussed it a handful of nights now. That…and her thoughts of what to do if she goes off to medical school.
She misses the next turn. And the next. I check behind us, and a weird feeling comes over me. “Did you drink too much at my parents’?”
The corners of her lips quirk as she turns up the new Tyla Silk album until it blares through the speakers. I get distracted enough to start belting out the lyrics along with her. At least I’m on pitch.
“Hey!” I yell, and she turns down the volume as the car pulls up to a familiar spot. “This is Karina!MyKarina.”
She laughs, heartily and full. “Well done, stallion. ItisKarina. Let’s go.”
“What the fuck?” I blink heavily in the fading daylight. “Is the power on inside?” A spark of light flickers behind a crack in the newspapers covering the shop windows.
