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I got quiet.
“I ain’t asking you on a date or nothing. Just treating you with beautiful flowers and bags.”
“You’re literally flirting your way into a date.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“Okay, well stop sending things to my job. It’s bad enough you looked up my address.”
“I’ll stop when you smile. Have a good day, Averie,” he said, hanging up.
He got me because now I was smiling. Then it faded as soon as I got on social media and noticed someone posted a picture of Rah with the caption: Real King and Legend. I logged out before I got sucked into the comments. Social media had become the fastest way to ruin my mood. Everybody in the city had a picture and memory of Rah. I sat the phone face down on the desk and looked over at the flowers. They were beautiful. I hadn’t gotten flowers since I was with Rah over eight years ago.
Q had good taste. He could’ve sent some grocery store roses wrapped in plastic and made it easier for me to throw them away. Instead, the arrangement looked expensive and well thought out. I walked over and read the card again. There was a knock before my office door cracked open, and one of my nurses walked in.
“The flowers are beautiful, Averie.”
“They are, but the man who sent them is a little weird.”
“Averie, I’m trying to understand why a fine man sending you flowers is a problem. Is he married or something?”
I usually didn’t let my nurses in my business, but she was different than the other nurses. She did her work and minded her business. I never saw her gossip.
“No, he’s not married.”
“Got a girlfriend?”
“I don’t know.”
“Kids? Gay? Criminal record?”
“I don’t know.”
She stared at me. “Okay, what do you know?”
“He owns District 12.”
“Quincey?
“Oh gawd,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He’s a hoe, ain’t he?”
“I don’t know him personally, but everyone goes to District 12 and knows how sweet Quincey is. My sister had her thirtieth there and he came out to make sure everything was good.”
“Okay, that’s typical for him. He takes District 12 serious.”
“Maybe you should get to know him better so you can get to know who he is.”
“My standards are too high.”
“They should be, but you can at least find out if the man had anything else going for him.”
“I’m not interested,” I told her.
“Your smile earlier said otherwise.”
“Okay, bye. I’m sure there is someone that needs some help out there.”
After she left, I looked down at the picture of my kids beside my computer. Kaiden stood behind Khari with both hands on her shoulders while I grinned like somebody had just handed me a million dollars. My kids were my world. Seeing how young they were in that picture just let me know that life still goes on whether you’re prepared or not. I wasn’t Kyenna. I wasn’t married to Rah or had been in bed with him for years. Still, there was a part of me that had never completely released him. I dated a few guys after him, but it never got past the first date because I always compared them to him. Then he died and somehow, he became even harder to compete with. A dead man couldn’t disappoint me anymore. My phone vibrated.
