Page 108 of Worth the Trip

I flipped back. “Accountability matters. We correcting the record.”

The children laughed.

By the end, the garden was blooming, and the youth-team rush had dropped to something manageable. The Langston kid looked up at me.

“Can you come next Saturday?”

Nolani appeared beneath the arch before I answered. “He lives in Self Springs.”

Purple Beads frowned. “That’s far.”

Nolani looked at me. “Apparently distance doesn’t discourage him.”

I stood and returned the book to the shelf.

“Depends on who waiting.”

Every child old enough to recognize flirting made the same dramatic sound.

Nolani closed her eyes.

Purple Beads pointed between us. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Nyla appeared behind Nolani like mess had summoned her.

“Excellent question.”

“Nyla.”

“What?”

The children waited.

I looked at Nolani.

“She’s a woman I like.”

Purple Beads frowned. “That wasn’t the question.”

Smart kid.

I smiled. “Not yet.”

“Do you want her to be?”

Nolani put two fingers against her forehead.

I kept my eyes on her. “I’m working on it.”

The kids erupted.

One mother laughed into her cup.

Nyla lifted hers toward me. “Big Lando.”

Nolani pointed toward the hallway. “Go.”

“I support Black love.”