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Luke recognized Ashanti’s voice. “Hey.”
“Hey. I just got through with the plumber. He said you did great work.” She grinned broadly at him. Today her hair was slightly less ‘crazy’ since she’d bound it in a bun and only allowed select tendrils to frame her face. “Need some help?”
“No thanks.” Luke poured the mixture into a cup and started on the next.
Ashanti tapped her fingers on the counter and waited patiently until he was done. When he swerved toward her, she leaned in. “I saw Michelle just now.”
“Did you?” He shrugged and avoided her gaze.
Her smile grew bigger. “You already knew she was here, didn’t you?”
“You come for coffee or just to harass me?”
“I’m a woman. I can multitask.”
“Then you might as well help me carry these.” Luke thrust a platter filled with mugs of frozen coffee over to Ashanti and warned, “Don’t drop them.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
He grabbed the second tray and led her to Michelle’s table. The women stopped talking when he arrived.
Luke dispensed the drinks with Ashanti’s help and then glanced at Michelle. “You ready to order?”
She opened her mouth to answer when Ms. Dreads barked, “Hey, I recognize you.”
“Me?” Ashanti poked a finger in her chest.
“Aren’t you that journalist who was investigating our school’s scholarship fraud last year?”
Ashanti covered her mouth with one hand and fanned her face with the other. Her eyes glistened with excitement. “You… recognize me?”
“I could never forget. You were so annoying, disrupting class and following us home just to get a statement.”
“I didn’t follow anyone home,” Ashanti said. “I just always happened to be going in the same direction.”
“She writes for the Belize National Paper,” Ms. Dreads told her friends.
“Prestigious,” Michelle said. Her gaze darted between Luke and Ashanti. “Is this your wife?”
“Wife?” Ashanti barked out a laugh.
“No.” Luke was quick to clarify. “She’s a childhood friend.”
“This fine gentleman,” Ashanti threw her arms over his shoulder, “is completely single. Completely.”
Luke shook her arm off and nodded to the ladies. “Your food will be out soon.” He caught Ashanti’s eye and jerked his chin toward the counter.
“What?” she mouthed.
He hardened his stare and then turned around. Ashanti’s footsteps clopped behind him.
When they were a safe distance away, Luke frowned. “I told you not to meddle, Ash.”
“Did you see anyone meddling? I didn’t.”
“You announced my relationship status in front of a bunch of strangers,” Luke hissed.
“Michelle’s not a stranger. She’s—” A casual glance over her shoulder changed Ashanti’s expression. “She’s coming this way. Quick! Act natural!”
