Page 61 of When I Thug You Like That

“You do,” Tay agreed with her, laughing.

“Well, y’all know my brother. Nothing he does is ever on a small scale. Thirty-five is big, and I want this to be perfect. And in order for it to be perfect, I need for y’all…” Amil paused and looked dead at me. “I need for y’all to act like y’all don’t even remember the date when he bring up his birthday.”

“Don’t even look over here.”

We all settled into the chairs around her table, and for the next thirty minutes, she went over everything from the finalized menu to the guest list.

“You went over all that, and I’m still tryna figure out what you want us to do,” Pryce let out once she was done.

“Show up. Be on time. And again, don’t say shit to Aura. Dassit,” Amil instructed.

Apparently, number three was strictly for me because, once again, all eyes averted in my direction.

“Aight, man. I got it.”

“Thank y’all for coming but now y’all gotta get out ‘cause I got somewhere to be.”

“Damn, you ain’t even offer us a meal.”

Amil snickered. “I own a diner, so I don’t have to cook, Tay. Everyone to the door please.”

“Hospitality on the flo’,” he complained as we all got up and made our way to the door.

“Leave review with management.” She laughed.

Still talking cash money shit, we filed into the hallway with Amil and Key behind us. With my phone in my hand, I typed a response to a text I’d received from Nori earlier in the day about pulling up on her. Seeing that hours had passed, it was possible that the invitation had been revoked, but I sent my response off anyway.

“Girl, I’m leaving the house now. I don’t feel like waiting on DoorDash.”

I lifted my head slowly because I knew that voice. Standing a few doors down, Jai’ana stood with one hand on the doorknob and the other holding a phone up against her ear.

For a second, neither one of us moved.

“Hey, girl,” Amil greeted, and my head turned in her direction.

“Hey,” she replied just as friendly. “And hey to you.”

“How I get my greeting after?”

Her lips curved. “It’s only right that I speak to who spoke to me first.”

“Let me call you back, T,” she said into the phone. “Yes, it’s him. Girl, let me go.” Lowering the phone from her ear, she smiled. “Taina said hey.”

“Hold on,” Amil spoke, looking between us. “Y’all know each other?”

“We do,” she admitted. “He’s the dad of one of my favorite little people.”

I could hear Key’s dramatic ass gasp behind us. “Ms. Jai?!”

Jai’ana looked past me, over at her. “Only if you heard good things.”

All of a sudden, who she was clicked for everyone in the hallway, and everybody had something to say to her.

“Aight, y’all, the elevator here,” I announced as it opened.

The guys were the first to file in, then Amil, and of course Key’s nosey ass last.

“Now, this nigga wanna be the hall monitor ‘cause we able to put a face to the name now,” Pryce said as he stepped inside.