Page 30 of Love Sanctioned

“Business. Call me when you make it in.” Kolton was out of the door seconds later, leaving me to grill my friend.

She threw her hands up in surrender. “I swear it’s just business.”

I laughed. “It better be, because you’re happy. Don’t let my brother fuck up your home.”

She nodded. “After this fitting, do you wanna have lunch or do you have another client coming in?”

“Nah, we can have lunch. You’re the only person I have scheduled. I only have some sketches to finish.”

“You are so fucking talented. Like you make money with your hands. It’s so beautiful and I think my favorite part is when you send me a picture of a sketch right before you bring it to life.”

I smiled hard at the random compliments. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I’m glad you finally decided to be my friend.”

I cackled. She always joked like that. I didn’t mean to be so standoffish in our world, but with a father like mine, you naturally stayed to yourself. Only recently had I really opened up to people like Patience and Amethyst who came from similar backgrounds to my own.

“So, where are you headed?” Amethyst asked.

“Psy’s. I haven’t heard from him today. Kind of worried,” I said, sipping from my sparkling water.

“About what?”

I shrugged. “He just lost his uncle. Could be anything, honestly.”

She shook her head. “You’ve always prided yourself on not being a lover girl, but baby, it’s all in your eyes and every mention of him. You’re in deep and don’t even know it.”

I laughed. “Oh I know it. I’m gonna let him meet my mother next week.”

“Yeah, bitch, that’s deep, but I love that for you. I feel like you need some real love. I’m guessing he’s never gonna meet your father?” She laughed at the last part of her statement.

“No the fuck he isn’t. Shoot, I wish I wouldn’t have met my father. Waste of space and energy.”

We both laughed at my statement, because just like I did, she too knew I was serious.

After my lunch with Amethyst, I headed back to Posydiann’s place. This morning we’d agreed I was coming back after my business and we’d sort of discuss dinner then. I didn’t mind because that meant nine times out of ten we‘d order out.

What I didn’t expect when I walked in the door was for him to be in such a mood. He was grieving, so I understood, but it was like he was brooding. Instead of bothering him, I elected to give him space. For the most part I talked to Junior when he was in the kitchen, then I busied myself with my phone, looking for something to eat. I didn’t want to bother him, so I decided to just figure it out on my own. That way whenever he came out of this moment, there would be food waiting on him.

“Karsyn.” His voice was heavy, filled with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He was off, but I had learned to wait for him to come out of his brain.

“Yeah, babe?” I looked up from my phone. He had been distracted since I came in, so I busied myself on my phone.

His eyes matched his voice. Something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately, my chest tightening, the feeling of anxiety coursing through me.

He paused, staring at me.

His hands immediately went to the back of his neck, then he began to speak. “You remember when you told me if this wasn’t working for me to tell you?”

I blinked once, then several times.

“What?” I tilted my head to the side.

“This, me and you, ain’t working for me.”

My heart dropped as I stared at him. There was nothing in his eyes, they were blank.