“Oh, my lil sista love that fuckin’ place. My sista said she killin’ da game outcha.” Shaun’s parents died in a car accident twelve years ago when his sister, Hilary, was ten years old. He stepped up and had been taking care of her ever since.
I fucked with a couple females in the past who got their nails done there. Hell, I paid for a couple of full sets and shit. Pril was a low-key female. She came into& Ishevery once in a blue moon, but it was normally for carry-out orders. If my memory served me correctly, she was a thick ass redbone. I’d get a chance to jog my memory when we had whatever meeting Lacie referenced.
Chapter 2
Pril
AVery Short Time Later
Let’s Plan A Party . . .
When Lacie called and told me that Jordan’s cousin, Tafari, offered to throw Jordan and Nicole an engagement party, I was excited and relieved. I secretly hated event planning, but I would do anything for my best friends. Event planning wasn’t my forte at all.
We all loved seafood. To be more specific, we loved Man Man’s seafood. I forgot that Jordan was connected to him. When Lil Bitch was in town, I craved food from& Ish Restaurant.It wasn’t just the seafood that was amazing. Everything was amazing. I was obsessed with their red and dirty rice. It was the kind of place that people wondered if someone’s mother or grandmother was in the kitchen. You didn’t have to wonder with& Ish Restaurantbecause the owner’s mother and grandmother were in the kitchen.
“I think we should do karaoke at the party. Nicole loves karaoke,” Lacie said from the driver’s seat of her car. “The DJ is going to have a full sound system.”
I tilted my head side to side. “That sounds like a plan. That girl does love to get on the mic with her high-pitched voice.” Igiggled. “You tell her she could sing one song, and she thinks she can sing every song.”
Lacie erupted with laughter. “Don’t do our girl like that. She can sing a lil bit.”
My face scrunched because she knew she was full of shit. “I’m not going to say anything to that. Oh, I reserved and paid for the tent for the backyard. I got the one hundred to one hundred-fifty person package.”
“Pril, I told you that me and Vince had it. Your ass is so hardheaded.” Lacie always fussed at me when I used my money for something that involved her or Nicole.
“Lacie, I can handle the tent rental. We’re already having it at your place. You’re doing the décor, and Tafari is covering the complete cost of the catering. I need to do something too. Stop acting like I’m out here broke.” I rolled my eyes at her.
Not a second too soon, we pulled into the parking lot ofMan Man’s Seafood Market & Ish Restaurant. They were next door to each other and shared a parking lot. We were there to meet with Tafari and his mother to go over the menu. The fat girl in me prayed they had samples. “You think they’re going to have samples?” I asked Lacie.
“Um, it’s Sunday, so I doubt it. They’re closed on Sundays,” Lacie reminded me. She chuckled when I had a mini tantrum in the passenger seat. “Girl, let’s get in here.”
As soon as we got to the front door it was opened.Damn!A man that I assumed was Man Man opened the door. This was the first time that I officially met Tafari. I saw him in passing and from afar, but I never paid this much attention to him like I was now. “What’s up, ladies? Come in.”
His voice was just the right tone to be considered deep, but not too deep. There was a such thing as too deep. At least in my opinion.
He moved to the side so that we could enter. Once we were in, he locked the door behind us. We followed him toward a booth. My steps slowed at the smell of food. “Is someone cooking?” I asked.
He stopped once he reached the booth that I assumed we would sit at, then turned to face me. My breath hitched unintentionally when his beautiful smile showcased his diamond-encrusted, fanged bottoms. His skin tone was like the finest milk chocolate. It was smooth with absolutely no blemishes. His hair was perfectly edged up, and his beard was full. The sexiest thing about him was the fact that he wore glasses. I was biased since I did as well.
“Yeah, my mama back der cooking. She said she couldn’t let y’all leave wit’ empty stomachs. Y’all sit down so I ca’ go get dis woman.” He stepped back so we could sit.
My smile was a mile wide. “You don’t have to tell me twice. Tell your mother that I love her.”
He chuckled. “You ca’ tell her when she come outcha. I’ll be right back.”
I slid into the booth before Lacie. I felt her eyes on me. When I peeked at her, she shook her head. “You are a trip.”
I waved her off. “Don’t act like you’re not going to eat this food like I am. You can act cute, but I’m going to fuck whatever she brings out here up.”
Seconds later, Tafari came from the back pushing a cart with food on it. “Aight, ladies. First, let me introduce you to my mama, Shayla.”
Once he stopped at the table, he moved to the side so we could see the small-framed woman that was behind him. She was beautiful. He took the time to tell his mother who we were. She smiled brightly. “Hey, babies. I so happy ta officially meet y’all. Let’s eat so we ca’ talk ’bout dis here engagement party dat my boy hosting,” she said as she picked a plate up from the cart.“I know we closed taday, but ain’t no way I ga let y’all come in here and not eat. I made y’all some fried chicken, yams, collard greens wit’ neckbones, red rice, and macaroni.”
My entire spirit settled into the menu items listed. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Seasons. I love the food here so much. I eat it way more than I probably should.”
I was not ashamed to say that I loved to eat and never would be. Mrs. Seasons smiled as she set our plates in front of us. Once everyone was seated, she prayed over the food, then we dug in. My eyes were closed as I chewed the first bite. When they opened, I froze.
“Damn. E taste dat good? You hummin’ like you in love wit’ da food,” Tafari jested. “I ain’t mad at dat at all. I like a woman wit’ a healthy appetite.”
