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I didn’t owe Lloyd a relationship because he was a good man. I also didn’t owe Shameek any more of my time. I needed to sit with myself to get myself together without either of them bothering me.

I pulled up to the restaurant that Jaharee had sent me. When I walked inside, she was sitting in a booth with a mimosa in front of her and her phone in her hand.

“You bitch. You started without me?”

“’Cause you late,” she said.

“Heifer, you don’t know anything about a grace period? You invited me out. You’re just dramatic as hell.” I laughed.

“In my mind, if my ass hit the seat and you’re not here, then you’re late.”

The waitress came over and took my drink order and I ordered some appetizers. When Jaharee ordered more, I knew we were going to be here for a while.

“You can go ahead and get it out,” I told her. “You’ve been looking at me funny since I sat my ass down and I’m not waiting the whole lunch on your foolishness.”

“It’s not foolishness. I was actually thinking about the event. I’m proud that you let yourself have a good time. I saw you laughing and talking to people without that business face you be having. It was nice just seeing my girl Ky show up last night.”

I frowned. “Why does that sound a little too sweet coming from you? What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one. Well, I lied,” she said. “I did think you and Lloyd looked good as fuck last night.”

I immediately shook my head.

“And there it is. Y’all really took one dinner and turned it into something way bigger than it was.”

“Who the hell is y’all?”

“You and your brother. Shameek has been on this weird ‘Lloyd’ campaign for a minute now, and I don’t understand why. Nobody went home with anybody and there was no secret relationship created over steak.”

Jaharee slowly put her glass down.

“Hold on, bitch, because you skipped over something. What did Shameek have to say about Lloyd? I knew something was off with him last night, but I didn’t know his ass had already been bothering you about the man.”

“He thinks Lloyd is around too much. First, it turned into him questioning Lloyd himself, which embarrassed the hell out of me. Then, it was about safety and how we don’t know who was involved with Rah’s murder. I had to tell him I was grown enough to decide who I’m comfortable around.”

Jaharee laughed before taking a bite of calamari. “That actually explains a lot. I caught his ass watching y’all at the event last night. I don’t mean some casual glances either. Lloyd had touched you, and Shameek looked like he wanted to walk across that ballroom and personally remove that nigga out of your space.”

I waved her off as the waitress sat my drink and appetizers down.

“Shameek is always somewhere looking mad.”

“Nah, Kyenna. I have known that man my entire life. I know the difference between his regular ‘these niggas getting on my nerves’ face and when something is actually bothering him.”

I picked up my strawberry lemon drop and took a sip because I didn’t want her studying my face too closely.

“He thinks he’s protecting me. Ever since everything happened, Shameek has gotten it in his head that I’m another responsibility he inherited.”

Jaharee nodded, but I can tell she wasn’t buying it. I was trying to sell the fucking lies that were falling off my lips.

“That could be part of it. Meek has always been protective as hell when it comes to family. Now he’s trying to cover every spot Rah used to cover, too. I can see him being overbearing because he thinks he’s keeping you safe. What I can’t explain is, why his ass looked ready to end Lloyd’s life over a dance?”

“I think you and Shameek are making too much out of nothing.”

“I ain’t making shit out of anything. You and Lloyd looked good together, and my brother hated that shit. Whatever that means is between y’all. I’m just the innocent little sister who happened to have eyes.”

“Innocent?” I laughed.

“Oh, bitch, don’t ruin my image.”