Page 124

My phone dinged, and it was a notification from my bank to inform me of a thousand-dollar deposit from Antonio.

“You didn’t need to send me so much.”

“I included a tip as well. You’re doing me a huge favor, and I truly appreciate it,” he replied.

“Umm, okay. I’m not too far from my shop. I could grab my supplies and meet you at your grandmother’s house. Could you send me the address?”

“Sending it over now. It’s a bit of a distance, so I added extra money so you could fill your tank up on me.”

Another notification came in, and this time it was for five hundred dollars.

“I know gas is high, but it has never cost me more than sixty dollars to fill my tank,” I joked.

“Well, consider it snack money as well. My granny is old school, and she doesn’t keep anything in her house besides water, grapefruit juice, and cranberry juice.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with cranberry juice, but I’ll take heed to your warning and stop by the gas station before I come. I’ll let you know when I’m on the way.”

“Thank you again.”

We disconnected the call and headed back to my car to eat my food. I sent my ultrasound photos in the sister group chat and then sent it to Yaya. I also told her I had to stop for a couple of clients before heading home. She was at her nail salon, so I knew she wouldn’t see it right away.

After I finished eating, I met up with my clients and stopped by the gas station. I sent Antonio a message before I headed in his direction. I thought about sending my location to my sisters, but I knew they were gonna ask a bunch of questions. I went ahead and sent it anyway, though, because you could never be too sure.

* * *

“Thank you for coming through on such short notice. I really appreciate it. This is perfect.” Antonio stood in the mirror as I made sure the length of the pant legs was even.

I stood up once I confirmed it was the way I wanted it.

“It was no problem. We can’t have you at your event looking like you played dress-up in someone else’s clothes.”

I checked the time on my phone and noticed it had taken me a little longer than I intended. I had missed calls from both of my brothers, and I sighed because I already knew they were going to get on me about not using the security guards. I just didn’t feel like being trailed like a criminal.

“Yeah, I probably would have just sat the gala out.” He replied with a chuckle.

Antonio was a very attractive man, and it made me wonder why he was single. He seemed well put together; he took care of his daughter, and he seemed to be doing well for himself. He’s probably bat shit crazy. I thought to myself.

“Would you like some tea?” I just brewed a pot for my granny, and it’s really good.”

“Umm, sure. Do you have honey?”

“Can’t have it any other way.” He winked before he headed out of the room. I collected all of my supplies and packed everything into my bag. I headed towards the living room while he prepared the tea. It reminded me of my grandmother’s house, with all of the pictures and trinkets around the house.

“Here you go. Let me know if you need me to bring the bottle of honey.” Antonio smirked as he handed over the cup.

“Thank you.”

I blew into the cup and took a sip. It tasted perfect, so I gave him a thumbs up.

“When we first met, you mentioned that you and your family were originally from Liberty Heights. What made you decide to move back?”

For some reason, the question had been nagging at me. He mentioned that he moved there a few years ago, but he wasn’t originally born there.

“Family stuff. We had a tragedy in our family, and I wanted to be close.”

His answer contradicted what he'd told me in a previous conversation, but I just nodded and took another sip from my cup.

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”