Page 115 of Rather: The Therapist

“He’s just doing his job. Let him get home to his pregnant girlfriend. Please.”

He loosened his grip on the shirt and stuffed his gun where it belonged. Roughly, he straightened the shirt he’d wrinkled.

“My bad, my guy. Can never be too careful.”

With a nod, the frightened delivery driver nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I feel ya, man, damn. Thought I was about to lose my life today.”

Kofi shrugged. “There’s always tomorrow.”

“Kofi!”

Chuckling, he patted the guy on the shoulder and sent him about his day. I left him in the driveway, while he observed the delivery truck until it was no longer in plain view. Meanwhile, I shoved the large boxes inside as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Though it was a struggle, I managed. I pressed my palm against the wall near the front door to catch my breath.

“Rather?”

“In here.”

Gathering my bearings was a bit harder than I thought. My heart was racing. My head was spinning.

“Where the packages?”

Kofi entered my home, confused. When he laid eyes on the package, his movement halted.

“You took that shit in by yourself?”

“It was nothing,” I lied, heading into the kitchen and hoping he’d followed.

I hadn’t read the names on the packages, but the last thing I wanted was for him to have the chance. Instead of following me into the kitchen, he dipped into the guest bathroom underneath the staircase.

I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and quenched my thirst. By the time I’d gotten half down, taking small sips one after the other, Kofi appeared in the hallway.

“I’m going to head out. Duty calls.”

Chuckling, I rolled my eyes with a smile. “Duty my ass. Hailey called.”

“She didn’t, actually. But, I have some shit to handle. You good? You need anything?”

“I don’t,” I admitted, “But you can give me the rest of what’s in your pocket if you’re feeling generous.”

With a shake of his head, he dug into his pocket and stretched a hand filled with cash. He placed it on the counter closest to him and farthest from me.

“Thank you.”

“Happy wife, happy life, right?”

“You’re catching on rather fast. You’ll be just fine,” I sniggered, taking another swig of my drink.

“Can a nigga get a hug or something? You just broke me.”

“Baby, if that’s all you had, then I wouldn’t be here and there wouldn’t be an aisle to walk down in December. If there’s nothing more I hate in the world, it’s a man with a negative account balance.”

“Then, you don’t have to worry about hating me.”

I rounded the counter and sat the water bottle down as I neared Kofi. He leaned against the island and widened his arms, inviting me into his personal space.

“Mm hm. We’ll see.”

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