“Do you want my help?” I asked, searching her face. I knew her well enough to know she’d try to deal with this alone.
She rolled her eyes and leaned into me a little more. “You’re here, which means you’re gonna stick your nose in my shit whether I want it or not.”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Long as you know.”
8 /NAIROBI CRAWFORD
“Why I hadto find out from my wife you’re back?” Money asked, trying his best to look annoyed.
I propped my feet on his desk. “She wasn’t supposed to say anything,” I grumbled.
Now that everybody and their mama knew I was back in Atlanta, there was no point in ducking Money any longer. Fontaine told me about his new office space where he ran the real estate company, and since I wasn’t in the mood for Kenya’s dramatics, I decided to pay him an overdue visit.
Taking a step back looked good on him—he seemed lighter, less tense. A little more gray in his beard, but boss man still looked good.
“So you were just going to be in the city and not even check your old friends?” he shook his head. “I can understand Fontaine ‘cause y’all still pump fakin’ with each other, but me? Damn, Nai, I thought we was better than that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m here. Hi—my dad’s dead and his money’s gone, and I gotta figure out where that shit went.”
Money sat back in his chair, lips pressed in a thin line. “How much we talking?”
“Twenty million.”
“Just gone?”
“There’s two thousand dollars between his bank and investment accounts. Which makes no sense because that man was a stickler about his money.”
“What about crypto?”
“He was old-fashioned—he never trusted that shit.” I huffed out a breath. “I didn’t come home for all this. I was just supposed to make sure his affairs were in order and get back to work. Why every time I’m back in Atlanta it’s some extra bullshit?”
“Because maybe it’s time you stop running and realize this is where you need to be.”
“This is the last place I need to be.”
“Mmhm. You keep saying that, but your ass always ends up back here.”
“Whatever.” I stood, brushing my hands down my thighs. “I just want to get my mom squared away and go back to my life.”
“You think he’s gonna let you go this time?”
My chest tightened. I woke up to Fontaine this morning with his arms wrapped around me like he was afraid I’d disappear. He’d only left because he had to help his sister with his nephew. We hadn’t talked about what came next, but I knew he’d show up again—because that’s what he did.
Even after that night in Miami, I knew he’d kept tabs on me. Which is why I wasn’t surprised when he brought up CJ.
Did it have to be CJ? No. But we’d gotten close when I had work in New York. I had feelings for him—but nothing like what I felt for Fontaine. Even CJ knew that.
“I move how I want to move.”
Money’s forehead creased. “What you did to him in New York was fucked up. If you’re gonna leave, fine. But don’t do him like that again—he deserves that much. I swear that nigga barely spoke five words for like six months.”
“Bye, Money.”
“Wait.” He grabbed something from his desk and held it out—a card covered in baby animals and soft pastel colors.
I stared at it. “What’s this?”
“You can’t read?” he sucked his teeth. “Jas wants you to come to the baby shower.”
