Page 45 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“That is a lot, and no, she doesn’t have any abilities. But maybe you can save that part of the conversation for a future topic.” She shrugged. “Just a suggestion. But you know, the longer we keep this a secret, the more upset she’s going to be, more so at me than you. Because, you know, I’m her best friend. There isn’t enough sushi in the world to cover keeping a lie like this.”
“I forgot about your sushi pact. That’s still so weird to me.” I slumped in my chair. “Damnit. Yeah, maybe I’ll think about coming clean soon.”
“Is that what you’re waiting for?” she asked. “For her powers to show up? Do you think that will make it easier to do?”
“Kind of. Don’t you think that would be easier to connect over?”
“If you say so.” She stood. “I’m going to go check into my hotel. You know I don’t ride sofas anymore. I’ll be back a little later. We need to get food and catch up!”
As I watched her drive away, I thought about my sister, Whitney.
Jackie was the reason I found out about Whitney. We met while she was still in college and, oddly enough, Whitney was one of Jackie’s roommates. We didn’t figure out the connection until she came to me with her other roommate, Lena.They were planning to cast a spell of protection for Whitney and came to me for some herbs they couldn’t find. It was during that exchange I felt the energy that lingered in the hair they took from Whitney for the spell. It was a small thing, but something inside me wouldn’t let it go.
When I saw Whitney, my gut told me to dig deeper. She looked like me but younger. She preferred braids while I loved to sport a fluffy afro whenever I could. We met a few times, only briefly, and I vowed to never interfere with her life, but my heart told me who she was.
I said nothing to Jackie because I wanted to be sure. So, I went into investigative mode and eventually found the original adoption agency that split us up, and sure enough, Whitney was my sister. I was happy she hadn’t bounced around too many homes like I had. She was younger, more adorable, and had been adopted a full two years before me.
She lived with one family who took great care of her, and even after they had another daughter, they still cared for her the way a parent should. I didn’t know if Whitney knew she was adopted, and for years, I told myself I didn’t want to be the one to lift the veil on that secret. But even after Jackie told me Whitney knew everything, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I cleared away the cups from our tea. Knowing Jackie, she wouldn’t be back that night. As soon as she made it to her room, she would pass out, and I would see her in the morning. We could do brunch. There were a few new spots around town, two of them owned by Black women, so I was ready to go support!
Just as I turned to go to the backyard to pull the leaves I needed to make Miguel’s tea, there was a knock on the door. I scanned the kitchen, wondering if Jackie had left something behind, but there wasnothing.
“Maybe she just wants another hug.” I laughed at the thought of Jackie’s overt appreciation for my breasts. She wasn’t blessed up top like I was, and would often sneak in a second and sometimes third hug for the feels.
I reached the door and swung it open without checking who was on the other side. “Did you forget something?” I immediately regretted that decision.
Standing on my porch wasn’t my friend, arms opened for another hug. It was Raymond, jaw tight and eyes narrowed.
“Shit.”
12
Yardwork
“Are you avoiding me?” Raymond asked with a straight face.
“Why would you think that?” I crossed my arms over my chest and peered around him, hoping to see Jackie’s car. She was long gone.
“You haven’t responded to a single text or answered my calls.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. Moments later, I heard my phone ringing from inside the house. “So your phone does still work.”
“Yep. It works just fine.” I looked back into the house, contemplating if I should answer it. Then, it hit me: Raymond was standing on my porch even though I’d never given him my address. “Wait, how did you figure out where I live?”
“We both work in security, Jericha. I wouldn’t be good at my job if I couldn’t do something as simple as figure out your address.”
“That’s still pretty damn creepy.” I raised a brow at him. “Is that what you do to anyone who doesn’t answer your call?”
“Stop deflecting. What’s the problem here? I told you once you crossed the line with me, you couldn’t walk it back.” He placed his hand on the doorframe above my head and leaned in closer. “Are you switching up on me? And don’t lie to me. Something's up, or you wouldn’t have cursed when you saw me standing here.”
“I was just expecting someone else. A friend.” I shrugged and tried to appear as uninterested as possible. “She’s supposed to come back for dinner.”
“Seriously, Jericha?” He cocked his head to the side and held back a laugh. “Telling me your friend is coming back. A tactic so I won’t do something to you? Do you think I plan to hurt you?”
Okay, so he saw right through me.
“Problem? Why are you jumping to conclusions?” I chose to gaslight him instead of admitting he’d caught me.
“Clearly, something is wrong.” He looked around. “You’re hiding out, ignoring my calls, and acting like you don’t trust me.”
