“Oh, hell no.” She pointed at me. “Where’s Lyrius?”
“At work.”
“Atwork?” She pulled her phone out immediately. “Nah. I’m calling her.”
“Be my guest,” I replied as I finally shut the front door. She already had the phone ringing by the time she looked back up at me, suspicious as hell.
“Hey, Nia.” Lyrius answered fast.
“Bitch.” Nia spun in a circle dramatically. “I came to check on you after the hurricane because you disappeared, and there is a whole grown-ass man standing in your living room with Dakoda.”
I leaned against the wall, trying not to laugh.
“Oh.” Lyrius sighed. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“That’s Dakoda’s dad.”
“Girl,what?” she yelled into the phone, and Dakoda started giggling. “You told me Dakoda’s father was in jail.”
“I never told you that, Nia. You assumed,” Lyrius replied.
“Well, I mean he was never around, and you never want to talk about . . . How did he get here?”
“I’m sorry.” Lyrius rushed to explain. “Everything happened so fast after the storm. I was gonna call you.”
“Well, clearly,” Nia muttered while still staring at me. “’Cause I almost called the police.” That got an actual laugh out of me.
“Nia,” Lyrius continued, “everything’s okay. KO’s watching Dakoda while I’m at work.”
Nia blinked slowly, then looked at me again. Longer this time.
“KO,” Lyrius said through the speaker, “that’s Nia. My best friend and next-door neighbor.”
“She my TT.”
“Okay. Well. Damn.” Nia finally sighed.
“You good?” Lyrius asked. “It’s kind of crazy here. I need to get back to work.”
“Yeah. I’m good now that I know my best friend ain’t dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Mhm.” Nia shook her head. “You owe me details later.”
“I know,” Lyrius replied, and Nia hung up and shoved her phone back in her scrub pocket.
“Alright.” She sighed. “Well. Hi, officially, I guess.” She pointed toward the wall. “I stay right next door.”
“Got it.”
“I just got off a twelve-hour shift and a six-hour flight, so I’m finna shower and pass out.” Her eyes moved toward Dakoda. “But if y’all need anything, I’m literally right there.”
“I appreciate you checking on them,” I said. She seemed like a cool person. Something in her face softened slightly after that.
“Yeah, well . . . Lyrius and Dakoda my family.”
