Page 20 of Truce Of The Matter

“I can drive. You and Just go home, please. I love you and I appreciate you coming and helping me with her stuff but I can drive. I’ll call you when I need you,” I tell her but she shakes her head in disagreement. Her eyes plead with me too but I don’t relent. “Please. I will call you.”

Tears well in her eyes and I just turn away and walk to my door. When I open the trunk, Just places the bag and box inside. Then he waves it down. I climb into my ride and close the door. Monae walks over to me.

“If you don’t call me, I’ll find you. I’m not letting you go through this alone.”

“I promise, I’ll call.”

She nods then steps back, allowing me to leave. Quickly, I start my engine then pull out. It’s a little after four, mid-shift, so the majority of the staff should still be at the restaurant. While I feel like I need to deliver the news, I only want to do it once. Repeating it over and over will break this last layer of my emotional wall I’m holding on to. The other layers were obliterated as soon as she was pronounced gone.

When I park in the back, I send a text:

Me: Quick team meeting. Have everyone in the kitchen in ten minutes. For the inconvenience, have the servers take all customers in the dining room a complimentary glass of lemonade.

Taj: There’s a line. Even those in line?

Me: Yes. Everybody.

Taj: What’s wrong?

Me: Ten minutes.

Taj: Ok.

I flip my visor down and instantly regret it. I look exactly how I feel; no amount of lip liner is going to change that so I flip it right back up. Then I fill and release my lungs before walking in to say words I never imagined I would.

When I enter, I head straight to the kitchen. Taj and Mack are standing by the door and the rest of the team is crowded into the kitchen. I do a quick scan to see who’s missing, but before I can make that determination, Tia and Myshawn come rushing in.

“Sorry,” Tia mouths then stops in her tracks when she sees my face. Her look matches the other seventeen somber ones, glaring at me.

“Turn the music down,” Mack orders and someone lowers the volume on the Bluetooth speaker. All eyes focus back on me.

“My momma is gone,” I begin and Taj actually screams. Others gasp and sigh loudly. Over the concert of sorrow, I continue. “It happened around noon and…and…” Their reactions are breaking me, the cries and the tears. I have to close my eyes to continue. “Tomorrow, I won’t be here. I have to make arrangements. As soon as they are final, I’ll let you know.”

Taj rushes to me first and grabs me. She practically smothers me as she sobs. “I’m so…oh God. So sorry,” she cries, words barely audible.

More bodies join and I end up sandwiched between my grieving team. Mack’s booming but soothing voice breaks it up and they all back away except Taj. “Whatever you need,” she whispers before finally releasing me. When she does, Mack walks over.

“We got this. You, Pops, and Daija ain’t got to worry about shit. I’ll open tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” is all I can muster because I feel a wave of emotion creeping up from my belly. I’m minutes from breaking down and I can’t do that here, in this kitchen, in front of my team.

Seeing my pending meltdown, Mack gives me a quick, one-armed embrace then crumples his chef hat in his hand before walking off. I bolt out of the door and rush into the office. I try to make it to the chair but my legs give out, my breath hitches, a sharp pain jolts through my stomach, and I fall to the ground as soon as I close the door. My hands cover my mouth and I scream into them.

Chapter 8

“Do you know what you want to eat?” I ask Aryel as soon as we pull into the parking space.

“Curry chicken,” she says to my surprise. Although Redmond’s has Caribbean food on Fridays and Saturdays, Aryel has never ordered it or even shown an interest in it.

“What you know about curry chicken?”

“Uncle Dax had some and I liked it but I don’t want the bones though.”

“I don’t know if they serve boneless curry chicken,” I admit.

“I’ll ask the lady at the counter,” she proclaims and I just smile. My princess is so fearless, resilient, and smart. I love it and I’ll do anything to make sure she stays that way.

The Girl Scout meeting is over and my trunk is filled with cases of cookies. My overly ambitious little princess asked for forty cases and her troop leader gladly accommodated her. They also provided each girl with personalized links for online orders but we never use hers. Between the furniture store, Dax’s Auto Repair, and the distillery, we sell out without using online.

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