Page 36 of Somebody Else Will

“Yes. It was her idea for me to take Denishia’s car. She was planning to fuck with it but changed her mind.”

“Where is she? Where has she been staying? Do you know? I need to give this info to the police,” Denishia said.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

“So this bitch is responsible for my mother’s death. What was her reason for talking to my mama?”

“I don’t know. I’m only assuming she talked to your mom. I don’t know that for sure. She just knew too much about her.”

I slowly shook my head. At least she now had a name. That increased the chances of them catching her. She deserved to suffer for what she did to Jamia. There was no reason for her to slice her face up the way she did. None.

Will stood from his seat. “I gotta get out of here.” He glanced at me then brought his attention back to Denishia. “I can tell you’re happy. I’m sorry I wasn’t the man you needed. I wish the two of you the best.”

I nodded at him, and he walked off. Denishia’s grandmother had tears streaming down her face. Denishia went and sat next to her and just held her in her arms, rocking back and forth. That was a hell of a load he dropped on them. Ms. Patsy obviously already had heart issues, but this woman scared her right to her fucking grave.

I hated this for Denishia. Tonight, after dinner, I planned to hold her the entire time. I really wished she could leave with me now. This bullshit would be over soon, if the cops conductedgood police work, and we could truly relax in the relationship we were trying to build.

When her grandmother had composed herself, she took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “I’m sorry, baby. I just hate to be reminded of that time in Patsy’s life and so did she. The things Ray tried to put her through were unforgiveable. I thank God she sent him packing. He didn’t deserve to have a part in raising a precious angel like you anyway. Now that we know who this young lady is, we can be grateful that hedidn’thave a hand in who you became.”

She’d shared my sentiments exactly. Denishia kissed her grandmother’s cheek, then stood from her seat and helped her from hers. I stood quickly to assist them. Her grandmother stared into my eyes and said, “Thank you for being here for us, Ezekiel… God makes strong. A mighty prophet of God.”

I gave her a slight smile. I’d known the meaning of my name but never dwelled on exactly what it meant until now. He was using me to make them strong. They were drawing strength from my presence, and I was thankful He chose me to do that.

Once we got outside, I asked, “Would you like us to take you home, or do you feel like you’ll be okay to drive?”

Ms. Julia gave me a soft smile, her eyebrows slightly lifted and scrunched together. “I’ll be fine to drive, baby. Thank you. Take care of my grandbaby. She tries to be strong for me all the time, but I know she’s hurting too.”

She glanced at Denishia as she was talking and gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll always consider it my job to take care of her, but I’m here for you, too, if you need me, Grandma.”

Denishia smiled at me calling her grandma. Hell, with the way I was feeling, if I had my way, she would soon be my grandma too. Grandma nodded and placed her hand on my cheek in an endearing manner. I smiled at her, then helped her in her car. She wasn’t feeble by any means. My help wasmore like merely holding her arm while she sat, not because she needed it, but in a gentleman-like manner.

Once I closed the door, she put her window down and said, “Nishia, call me tomorrow once Ezekial hits the road.”

She winked at me and pulled off, causing Denishia to slowly shake her head. “I love that woman, but she better watch herself.”

I chuckled. “You think she tryna take yo’ man, baby?”

“I don’t know, but it seems like my man is slightly smitten already. He may go willingly.”

I laughed loudly, causing her to chuckle. When we got to my vehicle, I pinned her against it and kissed her lips. I pulled away slightly as I grabbed her hands. Staring into her eyes had quickly become my favorite pastime. Despite how she was trying to joke her feelings away, I could still see the torment… the anger and the hurt through her gaze.

Leaning toward her, I kissed her forehead. “Let’s get back so I can give you a foot massage.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “I know what that activity can lead to. Let me check on Jamia before we get back to my house and call Jerzey to check on her as well. She seemed to be triggered the other day. I’m not sure exactly what part of the day triggered her, but I know seeing her sister didn’t help matters.”

“Okay, but what can me massaging your feet lead to?” I asked as I opened the door for her.

“So, you’ll massage my feet, then end up going up my thick ass legs, then end up kneading my ass cheeks. Then within seconds, you’ll be tongue-deep in my pussy, eating all you can handle. So we’re skipping dinner?”

I smirked at her and closed the door, walking around to my side with a smile on my face. She was relaxing in what she was feeling for me, and I loved every bit of that. She wasn’t shy, by any means, about expressing herself. She was only reservedaround people she didn’t know. However, I made it my business early on to pull it out of her. When it came to relationships, I was always on the fast track. I knew what I felt in my heart, even as a kid.

Being that I hadn’t had a relationship in a while, I might shouldtryto slow down.That shit ain’t gon’ work.I was too far gone. Besides, Denishia needed me, and I’d be damned if I was going to pretend I didn’t know that.

When I got in the car, she smiled at me. After the news she received tonight, the last thing I was expecting was to see a smile on her face. Maybe it didn’t bother her as much as I thought it did. I reached out to her and gently swiped her cheek with my thumb. “You good with placing a to-go order?”

She fell out laughing, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. I had to leave tomorrow, and I wanted as much private time with her as possible. Knowing that everything that had happened the past two weeks had all stemmed from a jealous sibling was unbelievable. Denishia’s life had changed permanently, and she would constantly have to deal with the grief of losing her mother. I witnessed my own mother going through the exact thing when her mother died.

Sometimes, grief would just knock her across the head and take her down for an entire day. It seemed it would come out of nowhere, but I knew that something had probably triggered it. It could have been a song, movie, or TV show, or something as simple as a distinct smell. For my mama, it was Clorox. She said my grandmother would always clean up with Clorox. Whenever she smelled it, she would retreat within the corridors of her mind, thinking about happier times with my grandmother.

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