Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 142866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“You know your mama,” Aunt Geneva finally finishes tremulously. “Hold on to that no matter how she seems or what happens. We know her and we love her. She loves us.”
She glances at her watch. “It’s three o’clock now. She can get a little agitated in the afternoons sometimes.”
“Sundowning?” I ask, pulling from the things I’ve been reading. I’ve always wanted to know what my mother is experiencing, but there’s been an increased urgency to understand ever since I found out Aunt Geneva needs me to be here while she recovers from surgery.
“I guess.” Aunt Geneva adjusts the purse strap on her shoulder. “It gets worse in the middle and later stages, but yeah.”
“Is Mama in the middle?” I ask softly.
“She’s here right now.” Aunt Geneva’s steady eyes don’t waver even though her response is not as certain as I had hoped. “That’s all I know.”
The low rumble of Aunt Geneva’s Ford Explorer is just fading when the calendar alert on my phone jangles.
“Darn it. I forgot about this appointment.”
Before my meeting with Nelly and Kashawn begins, I tiptoe upstairs and creak Mama’s bedroom door open to check on her. She’s fallen asleep with the pillow clutched to her chest on what used to be Daddy’s side of the bed. Grief floods my heart for a moment, but I stave off that wave of loss. I can’t afford it right now—not with Mama so fragile and Aunt Geneva about to have major surgery. I’m the one who needs to hold it all together. I cannot afford to fall apart.
Back in the kitchen, I pull the iPad from the bag at my feet and set it up on the table. Kashawn and Nelly are already on-screen when I log on.
“Ladies,” I greet them with a genuine smile. Seeing their faces improves my mood. “What’s up with you?”
“I’m on baby duty,” Nelly says, sighing and holding her trusty fan up to her face. “Beth went for a walk. I keep forgetting to thank you for those flowers, by the way, Hen. She loved them.”
“Oh I’m glad,” I say. “And how are things for you, Shawn?”
“Honey, slammed.” Kashawn shoots a harried look at the camera. “I only have about five minutes to spare. I’m in court tomorrow and not as prepared as I need to be.”
Nelly is the only one of us who works full-time with Aspire. Kashawn is one of Atlanta’s best lawyers at a top law firm. We all have important things that require our attention, but we’ve nurtured Aspire because it means so much to each of us.
“The only thing I want to know is what time do we leave for Colorado in Maverick Bell’s private plane?” Nelly asks, her face not giving away any of the humor that surely must lurk beneath the statement.
“You really want to go?” I ask weakly. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was kind of hoping they’d change their minds and turn Maverick’s offer down.
“For one,” Kashawn says, “it’s exactly the kind of real-life example that will help us decide if we want to add a cannabis company to our portfolio.”
“And for two,” Nelly says, peeking out from behind her menopause fan, “building a relationship with a man of Maverick’s means is never a bad idea.”
“You’re right, of course.” I swallow the last of my reservations and realize it’s useless trying to dissuade them from this trip.
“Good,” Kashawn says. “Now, I better get. I’ll be on the lookout for details.”
“Same,” Nelly says. A baby crying in the background has her rolling her eyes. “Dammit. I thought she’d stay asleep till Beth got home. Looks like I’m up. Peace, y’all.”
“See you later,” I say and sign off.
In the quiet house, there’s nowhere to hide from the truth of my pounding heart, from the undiluted anticipation of seeing Maverick again on this trip. It’s a secret thumping behind my ribs and running through my veins. As much as I told myself I hoped my partners didn’t want to go… I knew deep down that I did.
Me: Hey. Just letting you know Kashawn and Nelly want to see the cannabis farm in Colorado.
Maverick: And you? Do you not want to see? You don’t want to come?
Me: Of course I do. Should we let Bolt and Skipper coordinate just so we can see them claw their way through the phones to hate fuck?
Maverick: Ha! Yeah, that works. You good? I think you said you were going home to visit?
Before I can respond, a shuffling sound in the living room distracts me. I leave the phone on the kitchen table to check. Mama stands at the window and holds back the curtain with one hand. Her brows are drawn together and lines bracket the tightness of her mouth.
“Mama, you okay?” I step farther into the room and walk over.
“I’m just worried.” She turns distressed eyes toward me and bites her thumbnail. “Your daddy’s still not home.”