Page 150 of The Sweetest Return

She didn't owe me friendship. My apology wasn't a receipt she had to redeem for forgiveness. If deleting me was what she needed to move forward, then I had to be grown enough to let her.

I still hated that I had become somebody she needed to remove to feel free.

The deck door opened.

Pops stepped outside and closed it behind him.

He came to the railing without asking permission because it was his deck and because my father had never confused giving me space with leaving me alone.

“Business?”

“No.”

“Woman?”

I huffed. “You and Ms. Jean got the same gift.”

“Nah. Ms. Jean nebby. I'm your father.”

“Difference?”

“I know when to mind my business.”

I looked at him.

He smiled faintly. “Sometimes.”

For a minute, we stood quietly.

“Aubrey saw the pictures.”

He nodded.

“She asked if I couldn't love her because of Imani.”

“What'd you tell her?”

“The truth.”

“Which was?”

“Probably.”

Pops took that in.

“She told me to lose her number.”

“That hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

I turned toward him.

“Not good that she's hurting,” he clarified. “Good that you feel what your choices cost somebody else. A man ought to. Keeps him from getting careless.”

“I didn't mean to hurt her.”