“Nez, what the fuck?”
Zoya remained quiet.
“Here he go… always trying to be someone’s father. You weren’t a father when it mattered.” She snorted.
I bit the inside of my cheeks, as I heard the sound of my mother’s motor scooter in the distance. “A likkle pickney dat, gwaan easy pon ha.”
“Mommy, that’s the problem. Nez is not a damn little kid anymore… she’s fucking grown!” I raised my voice.
“Go, Goo… Enjoy yuh weekend.” It was a warning before she full on cursed my ass out. I knew she was worried that me and Nez were both going to start up, because her accent became thicker, rushing me away. “Likkle girl, in here.”
Inez climbed the few steps to the building, and held the door open while my mother rolled inside. “Have fun, Goo… Ms. Lawyer, I will see you again, eh?”
“I can’t lie, Ms. Sharon… that’s up to your son. Apparently, he has a bunch of suitors,” she smirked.
Even with how upset I was feeling, Boobie made me chuckle. I snatched her smart ass up and held her hand. “You like fucking with me?”
My mother sat in the doorway and smiled at us. “I like her, Goo.”
I never replied.
She gave me that look that she always gave whenever we disagreed on something. She always allowed me to have my moment, but I knew we would sit down and talk. My mother wasn’t the type that liked to shove shit under the rug. If there was an elephant in the room, she was the first person to call it out and deal with the shit.
Inez closed the door behind them, and we walked back toward my truck. Holding the door opened, she climbed inside, while I rounded the truck and got in. I sat there for a second before I pulled away from the block, beeping at Carmen as I slowly drove by.
“If anyone understands family drama, it’s me… I’m not here to force you to tell me what just happened. Whenever you’re ready to talk about it, we can… okay?”
I nodded my head, not wanting to speak.
“Gerald?”
Looking back over toward her, she said, “I don’t care if you were fucking her… if you’re courting me, there’s no one else… K, Pumpkin?” She smiled brightly, like she just told me about the scheme Todd was cooking up.
Our eyes locked, not wanting to speak in the moment. All I could do was take her hand, kiss the back of it and understand exactly what she meant.
CHAPTER 15
ZOYA
Ashbourne,New York
When we arrived in Ashbourne last night, I was surprised. I had fallen asleep on the drive up, so when I woke up to the sun setting over the lake, I grew excited. The last time I had been in Ashbourne was when I came to visit Quasim and Blair while he was recovering. Even then, it wasn’t the best time because there was tension between them. They weren’t in the best place within their marriage, and then she was pregnant.
Still, I never stayed at my family’s house that took up the other end of the shore. Blair set the guest room up for me, and we spent our time there. She slept in the room with me some nights, and I could tell she needed the girl time. Capri was swamped with work and couldn’t pull away as easily as I could.
Ashbourne was refreshing for me. The air felt cleaner, and everything was slow moving. The shops were my favorite thing about the city. It reminded me of some cheesy small-town movie where old crushes run into each other coming out of a conveniently located coffee shop.
The last time I was here, me and Blair spent so much time shopping the local stores. She lost me when she wanted to go thrifting at the local thrift shop. There wasn’t anything wrong with thrifting, it just wasn’t for me.
It wasn’t because it was worn or used items. I had a thing where I believed spirits were attached to items. While Blair was trying to buy my God baby this white dress, all I that kept running through my head was Annabelle.
The minute she put that dress on her, she would turn into a baby demon and then we would have to take her down.
I mean, Quasim was a praying man so he could probably do a baptism or whatever the hell it was called. I drew the line at thrifting and Blair learned a valuable lesson that day. By the time I had got done explaining all the things that could happen, she told me she didn’t want to shop anymore and went to grab a milkshake from the ice cream shop a few doors down.
I enjoyed everything about Ashbourne, and in a perfect world, I could see myself actually living here. Whenever I was in Ashbourne, I was at peace. It was everything from sitting on the back patio, listening to the waves crash against the shore, while smelling the fresh lake water. People were always running along the shoreline while I sat with my laptop, taking it all in.
Being in Ashbourne was good for my soul. I was able to relax and not use my brain as much. Work was still there; however, it wasn’t as stressful being near water. So, when I saw that Ashbourne Shores sign, I smiled because this was my peace.
