Page 32 of His Four Leaf Clover

“Calm down, cousin. I thought you were playing.”

“Nah and I don’t have a reason to lie. My moms is the one who handled her divorce. That’s how we met.”

Hearing that piqued her interest, especially since that’s how Trent met most of the women that he dealt with. He was probably too throwed off to pull a woman any other way. Now, more than ever, she wanted to sit down and have a talk with her cousin.

“Damn, I didn’t know that. This is indeed a small world.”

“Yeah, man, that’s my baby. Her and that nigga must be getting along right now. She ain’t been trying to fuck with me lately.”

As if on cue, Kardi came riding out of the store on the little rented animal and her parents were right behind her. Dash kept pecking Clover on the lips as they followed their daughter to the ice cream stand in the middle of the floor. Caprice always coveted the way Dash looked at Clover and she always wished that Monty looked at her the same way. There was no denying how much he loved her, and she envied that.

“We need to hang out sometimes, cousin.”

“Do you be in that bar uptown too?”

“Dot’s Spot? How do you know about that?”

“Me and one of my boys been in there before. Who’s place is that?”

“Dot is my boyfriend’s grandma. That’s her bar. I’m there all the time and I’ve never seen you in there.”

“I only went once but I played the background. I didn’t see you when I was there though.”

Truthfully, Trent didn’t really pay attention to his surroundings. If he did, he would have noticed that Monty and Dash were watching his every move.

“Well, we need to link at the bar soon. I be in there just about every weekend.” Caprice tried hard not to let her excitement show.

“Shit, just tell me when and I’m there.”

“The bar is gonna be closed weekend after next. We’re all going to Georgia for a party, but I’ll let you know something when I get back. Give me your number.”

She saved his number before they went their separate ways. Caprice knew that Sade was gonna have a fit when she found out that she invited Trent to go anywhere with them. Once she found out his connection to Clover, she was sure that she would have a change of heart. As much as Caprice despised Clover, she actually felt a little sorry for her. Trent wasn’t the kind of man that went away easily. Once he got it in his head that he was with somebody, nothing or nobody could tell him otherwise. Dash had finally met his match and she couldn’t wait to sit back and watch it all unfold, especially since he was rooting for his brother to be back with his ex.

Caprice looked around the black and silver decorated hall as she sipped from her second drink. Just about everybody was on the dance floor enjoying themselves, including Monty. He didn’t really dance but he was engrossed in a conversation with some of his cousins that he didn’t get to see very often. It was like they were celebrities when he and his brothers visited their family in Georgia. Their swag, speech and overall mannerisms were different and they always seemed to be impressed. Monty and his brothers always kept their cousins up to date with the lasted shoes and gear. Admittedly, she loved the way they loved their cousins, even though they didn’t grow up together.

As usual, Dash was all over Clover, and Diva couldn’t make a move without Hank being all up in her space. To Caprice, it seemed like he always overdid it whenever Drea was around, like he was trying to prove a point. If a person didn’t know for sure, it didn’t even seem like they were separated. Fonzo and Amina were in their own world as they looked in each other’s eyes and danced. They always did their own thing so that was no surprise. Caprice wanted to get her alone to see how she was gonna act. Amina seemed kinda distant to her lately, but they never had any problems before. Her feelings were kind of hurt when she learned of her pregnancy. As usual, she eavesdropped on one of Monty’s phone calls and found that out. She just assumed that their relationship was better than that and Amina would have told her herself.

“Girl, I can’t believe how Kim is dressed.”

“I can’t believe she’s showing her belly.”

“I still can’t believe she got it pierced.”

Clover’s cousins sat around the table at Mrs. Leo’s party and discussed everything that was going on around them. Although they weren’t directly related to Kim, she was still like family. Corey was their uncle and Shantel was her auntie, so they all grew up close and did everything together. She had her new friend with her and she was excited to show off her new look. Her hair was in a sleek ponytail, and Clover had obviously dressed her. Kim never wore designer before but her shoes, purse and outfit were definitely her cousin’s style. She could almost pass for being a city girl until she opened her mouth to speak. That accent was deep and she couldn’t hide it if she tried. Her mama was so excited to see her step out the box. She couldn’t stop smiling and showing her off to everyone. Caprice heard that she worked at the tattoo shop where Monty was doing his apprenticeship and so did her new friend.

“I guess she’ll be saying how much she hates Riverdale soon too. Hank grew up here and he acts like it’s beneath him now.” Drea frowned as she spoke negatively of her ex once again.

Caprice rolled her eyes discreetly as she and Sade soaked in all the family gossip. She didn’t understand how Drea was still in love with a man who had moved on so long ago. Hank had gotten married and had kids and a grandchild while she still lived in the same house that he left her in. Caprice had been a fool for men before but she was never that dumb.

“They all get to the city and start acting brand new. My uncle Corey did the same thing. He got down there and came back acting like Riverdale was the bottom of the barrel. That’s exactly why he lost his life in the same city that he was praising so much. The same place that turned his wife into a dope fiend.”

Clover’s cousin, Angie, was usually the voice for them all. She hated her the most, but that was mainly because Clover beat her ass when they visited a few years ago. Angie said some slick shit about Shantel then too, and Clover did her dirty. It also didn’t help that Angie and some of her cousins felt like their grandmother favored Clover over them. In their minds, they were stuck in Riverdale, barely able to make ends meet while Clover lived a life of luxury in New Orleans.

It was the money that Tilly gave her that helped her start her own business and thrive. Granted, it was money that their grandmother saved from Corey’s insurance policy but she was the beneficiary, not Clover. They would have understood if she gave Clover the most but she didn’t even attempt to help them out. Add that on top of the money that she got from her mother and she was really straight. Not to mention Dash, who foot the bill for everything that she had now. It was and always had been a lot of favoritism when it came to Clover.

“Shantel started acting brand new too. We were inseparable at one time before she moved to New Orleans. She got with her new best friend and said fuck me,” Drea, once again, was singing the same song that Caprice was tired of hearing. Angie was obviously tired of hearing it too because she said exactly what the rest of them were probably thinking.

“Weren’t y’all like teenagers when she left?” Angie didn’t even remember when her uncle and his girlfriend left Riverdale because it was so long ago. Everything that she knew about the situation came from her mother and other family members.