Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
When I turned back toward the sink, I saw that Duncan was out on the porch with Mark.
“Sam,” I whispered, and he looked at me. “Please go fix things with Mark. I think he’s feeling left out and like he did something really wrong.”
“But he did,” he told me. “He can’t smack your ass and call Hannah honey and not just take a second and think if either of those things is appropriate.”
I sighed heavily.
“What?”
“Years ago, Dane had an assistant who never thought, in a million years, that his wife could be Black.”
He crossed his arms, waiting.
“I told Aja at the time that she should have Dane fire the assistant immediately, but do you know what Aja told me?”
His sigh was long and loud. “I dunno. Knowing her, something like she had a teachable moment on her hands so she was going to change that girl’s perception of the world.”
“That’s exactly right.”
“So you’re thinking I should go and speak to Mark and try and help him have a paradigm shift?”
I grinned at him.
“What? You think I don’t listen when Aja talks and uses all her big words?”
Lifting up on my toes, I saw him shake his head. “Kiss me.”
He grunted, bent, and brushed my lips with his.
Duncan and Sam crossed each other as Duncan returned to my side. “Aaron’s on his way over here, all right? He finished his meetings earlier than expected and is bringing pie.”
“Oh that’s great,” I said happily, and then suddenly found myself caught in his gaze. “What?”
“That is an all-grown-up Sam Kage you got there.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the Sam I used to know would have put a fist through Mark’s face for him touching you and then again for calling Hannah honey.”
“But he knows that violence does nothing. It doesn’t change hearts and minds.”
“Sure. Agreed. And Mark probably didn’t mean anything by it either, but we all have to take a minute and think, right?”
“Right.”
“And if we screw up, we have to apologize immediately, and from the heart.”
“I think Mark is truly contrite.”
He nodded. “That’s good. Because the last guy who bumped Aaron in a crowd, and then when Aaron turned to apologize—even though it wasn’t his fault—and that guy yelled at him, Miguel had to grab hold of me so I didn’t break the prick's jaw.”
“I don’t believe you would––”
“Jory,” he said softly, hand on my bicep, “all I saw was red.”
“But this wasn’t that,” I reminded him.
“No, it wasn’t, but still. Mark put his hand on you. He’s gotta know that’s not gonna fly. And yeah, it sucks to be going through a divorce right before Christmas, and his kids only seeing him for half the day completely blows—but we’re not gonna let him slide just because of that. I’m going to invite him to our New Year’s party, and I’m trying to be a friend but…”
“But he needs to be present and think.”
“That’s right. He needs to be aware.”
I leaned into him and got the hug I was after.
Mark planned to leave shortly after that, and I packed him extra sandwiches and sides to take home with him. I noted that my son hovered close by, and I finally hip-checked him because he was being ridiculous. When Mark turned to say goodbye to me, lifting an arm to hug me, Kola shook his head no.
“Oh c’mon, kid, lemme make it up to your dad.”
“Because hugging him will be good for him?” Kola asked sharply. “Maybe you just have a do-over the next time you see him and call it a night.”
Mark stared at him, Kola held his gaze, and they reminded me of gunslingers in the street in the old west for a just as moment. But then the spell was broken when Mark turned, thanked me for having him, then went and shook Sam’s hand and left.
“You need to be more forgiving,” I told my son once he was gone.
“Oh, I was very forgiving,” he assured me. “Some guy I don’t know smacks my father, I was actually really chill, and you need to give me credit.”
“He was chill,” Hannah said, scowling at him. “Not like he was picking up the Chinese food last night.”
“What happened last night?”
Kola groaned.
“A guy walked by me and said nice rack,” she said, chuckling.
“What?” Jake snapped from the living room. “When was this?”
She waved a dismissive hand at him. “It’s not important. What was important was that Kola grabbed the guy, shoved him into the counter, and asked him what he said.”
“And?” Sam asked as the doorbell rang and Duncan went to answer it.
“And the guy, who was bigger than Kola, by the way, apologized, and then, because he was with his mom, and she yelled at Kola, he had to repeat what he said in front of her.”
Sam smiled.
“Oh, Dad,” Hannah said, widening her eyes. “His mother hit the back of his head so hard. I mean, Jesus. Plus, she made him say sorry to me, like, five times.”