Page 122 of Tangled Hearts
Hov nodded, pulling his keys from his pocket. He looked at Christian one more time, wanting to say something that would fix it, but nothing came. “Get up out this house, bro,” he muttered, moving toward the door.
Christian didn’t answer, phone pressed to his ear, still chasing a woman who refused to pick up. But before Hov could get out the door good, he had one last thing to get off his chest. “You don’t owe the streets what they took from you. And you damn sure don’t gotta prove you from somewhere just to be somebody.”
He sat back slow, chest tight.
“Build something that lasts. That’s the only way we win.”
“Love you, Uncle Chris,” Qua said cheerfully.
Christian looked at Hov holding Qua’s hand. “I love you too… more than you’ll ever know,” he whispered the last part just as Hov closed the door behind them.
Hov pulled up clean as hell. His slacks fit just right with a crisp white button-down and designer sneakers that kept the outfit true to who he was. No grill in, but the tattoos crawling up his neck spoke for him before he opened his mouth. He shook off the nerves, reminding himself he wasn’t stepping into this meeting as just Quameek from the block—he was here as a man building something for Qua.
For Knycole.
For Rock even though he wasn’t fucking with him anymore.
For Noir too because she would always protect her even though she claimed to have life figured out. Hov knew she didn’t and really hid behind a slick mouth and pretty smile.
Sassy was already inside Sunsets and Moonlights, laptop open, phone buzzing every few minutes. She glanced up when he walked in, her eyes lingering a little too long before she snapped them back to her screen. “You on time. I like that.”
Hov slid into the seat across from her, a faint grin pulling at his lips. “Time is money, ain’t it?”
She leaned back, assessing him. “That’s what they all say. Question is, do you believe it?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” He tapped the table lightly, glancing at her notebook. “I know how to hustle. Know how to flip work. Property can’t be much different—buy low, fix it up, sell high. Right?”
Her brow arched. “That’s the surface. Anybody can parrot that back. The real money is knowing when to sell and when to hold. You don’t give up the corner store that feeds the whole neighborhood just because somebody flashes a check. You wait until you can own the block. Then you decide.”
Hov nodded slowly, the old-soul calm in his eyes. “That sound like dice. I been playing dice with people my whole life.”
Sassy smirked. “And who’s been winning?”
“I’m still here, ain’t I?” His grin widened, effortless charm slipping through.
She chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re young, but boy... Most of these little boys I meet either too arrogant or too lost. You’re neither.”
“I can’t afford to be,” he replied, tone even. “I got a son watching everything I do. I want him to see me build something good. Buy the block instead of supplying the block.” he smirked throwing her words back at her from the day they met.
That shifted her expression. She finally closed her laptop, giving him her full attention. “That right there is the difference. Most men your age are chasing the next dollar. You’re chasing legacy.”
“Legacy don’t pay the light bill, though,” Hov countered, smirking again.
“No,” she agreed, “but if you play it right, legacy will pay your grandson’s.”
He leaned back, hands folded in his lap. “That’s what I’m on. I’m tired of just surviving. Christian told me to get into property, but I want to learn it for myself. That’s why I’m here.”
Sassy studied him, clearly intrigued. “I hear you talking, Quameek.”
“I ain’t never talked just to hear myself, Sassy.”
They let that hang. Sassy opened her computer again, tapped her screen before flipping it around to show him a map of property lines and red-flagged lots.
“So,” she began, clicking her pen, “I’ve looked over the numbers you sent. You’re sitting on a couple duplexes in a neighborhood that’s being watched heavily by developers. You bought in before it got hot. Smart.”
“Bought in ‘cause it was home,” Hov leaned back, elbows resting on the arms of the chair. “Didn’t nobody want to touchthem blocks five years ago. Now the Whole Foods crowd wanna bike through ‘em.”
Sassy chuckled. “You got a little vision, I like that.”
