Although Demi had done her due diligence on the eviction, Dorian had decided to dig in his heels and take her to court. Since she didn’t want to leave him alone in the house for too long, she’d decided to work and sleep at home, only spending a few hours with us in the evenings.
“The hearing was this morning,” Blake informed. According to Dallas, Demi had been able to call in a favor and get on the docket before the courthouse closed for the holiday.”
Speaking of Demi, a message notification flashed across my screen.
Demi:It’s time.Calling in that favor now.
An hour later,Blake and I entered Demi’s place, with Dallas on FaceTime.
Demi held up a piece of paper and grinned. “Court order. He’s out of here.” She glanced at Blake’s phone and spoke to Dallas, “Sis, I’m so excited.”
“Told you,” Dallas said. “Give her a high five, Blake.”
Blake held up her hand and Demi slapped it before they both did a little twerk. “Yas, boo. Bliss and Paityn wanted to join us, but Mom needed their assistance on something.”
Demi smiled, her deep dimples on display. I couldn’t help but smile too. Her energy, her excitement was contagious. “It’s cool. I’ll see y’all later,” she told Dallas. “Then, we can celebrate.” She squeezed my arm. “Dex and Asa are coming, right?”
I stared at her hand on my arm, unsure why the contact made me question everything that used to make sense. Swallowing, I forced my gaze and my mind away from her soft touch—and the warmth that had accompanied it. “Yeah.” I noticed the smirk forming on Blake’s lips. “Let’s get to it.”
Dorian emerged from the back of the condo, a frown on his face. “Demi, I think we should…” He narrowed his eyes on me. “What are you doing here?”
I shrugged. “It’s moving day.”
Dorian looked at Demi. “We need to discuss this. You can’t move out.”
“She’s not moving, muthafucka,” Blake said, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Youare.”
“Meaning it’s time to get the hell out,” Dallas shouted through the phone.
Demi kicked an empty box his way. “Since you thought I wasn’t serious, and skipped the court hearing today, the judge granted this.” She waved the Order and smacked the piece of paper against his chest. “Read it.”
Dorian made no move to pick up the box and set the piece of paper down on a table. “We spent years together. I think you owe me a conversation.”
“Did he…?” Dallas said. “I know he didn’t just say that.”
“He sure did, Sissy,” Blake acknowledged.
Demi dropped a pile of books into an empty box. “I’m done talking. But I did do you a solid. I got you a truck and movers. It’s time to pack your shit and leave.”
“The way I see it,” I slid on a pair of work gloves, “you have two options. We can do this the nice way, meaning I’ll drop your belongings off at the place of your choosing. Or I can drop your shit in the harbor.” Dorian reached for Demi, and I stepped in between them. “I think you need to pray about your next step, Pastor. Because if you do anything other than show her some respect, Iwillsend you straight to hell.”
“And you better hope the Lord intercepts you on your way down,” Blake taunted.
We stood there for a moment, while Dorian weighed his options. I knew he wasn’t stupid, though, because he picked up a box and started packing. Several minutes later, Dex and Asa arrived with the truck, and we made quick work of removing him and his shit from Demi’s condo.
Later, Asa and Bliss played with Naija on the beach. Demi sat near them, holding Dominique. This particular view, seeing my niece experience the beach in December and watching Demi with my other niece was at the top of my favorite Christmas memories. Hearing Naija’s delighted screams as my brother chased her and listening to Demi sing silly songs to Nique was a close second.
Ma joined me on the patio and hooked an arm around mine. “It’s beautiful.”
My eyes raked over Demi, from her thick curls swaying in the breeze to her bright eyes and sun-kissed brown skin to her full lips and long legs to her bare feet. “So beautiful.”
“The weather,” Ma clarified. The mild weather in California beat the snowstorm currently happening in Michigan every day of the week. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “Demi is too.”
I shifted to face her and shrugged. “She’s alright.”
Mom shot me a knowing glance because even my best attempt to appear unaffected never worked on her. “Boy, bye.”
“Is there something you want to ask me, Ma?”
