CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE #2
“I probably need to get in the tub.”
“You don’t say,” Jackie replied dryly as he kept scratching like a little dope fiend.
Cash opened the door, and cold air rushed in from the garage.
Jackie and Max climbed out right after him, Max immediately looking around like he had just stepped onto another planet.
“Mommy,” he whispered loudly, eyes wide.
“Look at all these cars.” Jackie glanced around again.
She had already seen them. She was just trying not to stare.
Cash shut the trunk with his hip after stacking the takeout containers like he’d done it a hundred times before.
“C’mon,” he said simply. Max had already started wandering toward the line of cars.
“Maximus,” Jackie warned. “I’m just looking! ” he shot back.
Cash led them toward a private elevator tucked behind a glass security door, and Jackie followed, stepping into the building lobby behind him.
Even that space was quiet. Too quiet. No yelling neighbors.
No loud music bleeding through the walls.
Just soft lighting and polished marble floors that echoed lightly under their steps.
Everything about this place screamed safe.
Max bounced into the elevator first. “Whoa,” he said aloud, noticing the entire back wall of the elevator was glass.
And not a small window either, but a full floor-to-ceiling panel facing the city.
Jackie’s breath caught as the doors slid shut and the elevator lifted smoothly upward.
Center City stretched out beneath them almost immediately.
Buildings rose beside them as they climbed.
The skyline glowed against the dark sky.
Traffic crawled below like thin streams of red and white lights.
Max pressed both hands against the glass.
“Mommy, look!” Jackie stepped closer despite herself.
Philadelphia looked different from up here.
The Ben Franklin Bridge lit up in the distance, and the Schuylkill cut through the city like a dark ribbon, catching light from the buildings along its edge.
Max turned toward Cash. “We goin’ to forty-two, right, Coach?
” Cash nodded once, letting him press the button.
Max looked back out the window, like he was counting something in his head.
“Damn,” he whispered. Jackie started to pop his little ass, but low-key she was thinking the exact same thing.
The elevator slowed smoothly before opening into a quiet hallway.
Cash stepped out first, and Jackie followed, holding onto Max’s hand as he led them down the long stretch before stopping at the very last door.
He tapped the key card, unlocking it, then paused.
“Shoes.” Max looked down at his sneakers.
Jackie nudged him lightly. “Take them off.” She slipped hers off too.
Cash stepped inside first, setting the food down on the kitchen island before returning with two pairs of footies.
“Here.” He handed one pair to Max and one to Jackie.
Max barely noticed. He was too taken aback by the space.
The living room stretched out in front of them in one open sweep of glass, steel, and soft lighting.
The entire wall facing the river was floor-to-ceiling windows.
The Schuylkill River glowed below them, reflecting the lights of the city and the cars moving along the expressway like tiny streams of fire.
Max slowly turned in a circle. “Mommy…” His voice came out like he had just walked into a museum.
Jackie didn’t say anything. She was taking it in too.
The condo felt modern in a way that almost leaned futuristic.
Clean lines. Smooth surfaces. Stainless steel everywhere.
The kitchen appliances looked brand new, sleek and high-end—the kind she’d only ever seen on HGTV.
The entire space wrapped around the windows in a wide-open layout that made the city feel like part of the room.
But what stood out most was how intentional everything felt.
Near the living room wall sat a neatly folded prayer rug.
A digital Azan clock hung nearby, softly glowing with the next prayer time.
Subtle Islamic patterns were woven into the wall art and decorative pieces around the room.
Quiet reminders of the household. Max had already moved further into the living room.
Then he saw it. The circular sectional. The massive couch wrapped nearly around the entire living room like a giant ring.
In front of it sat the biggest TV Jackie had ever seen outside a sports bar.
Max’s eyes widened. “Oh my GOD.” Then he noticed the sculptures.
Two life-size KAWS figures stood near the corner of the room like silent guards.
Max looked from them… back to Cash… then back to the sculptures.
“Coach…” His voice dropped to a whisper.
“You rich?” Jackie closed her eyes for half a second.
“Max.” But Cash just smirked slightly as he started unpacking the food.
“You can put him in the tub if you want,” he said calmly. “I know he said he was itching. The guest bathrooms down the hall, and it’s stocked with everything. This food needs to be heated up anyway.” Jackie hesitated. “You sure?”
Cash didn’t even look up. “Yeah.”
“I can put on my new pajamas, Ma,” Max added, already wandering deeper into the living room. “Coach Cash… you got games on your TV?” Max asked. Cash looked up briefly. “After dinner.”
Max nodded like that was a perfectly fair deal and turned slowly in a circle, like he was trying to memorize everything.
Jackie lingered near the doorway. Taking it all in.
Jackie knew Cash had money. But this was different.
No wonder Zambia was trying to get in where she fit in.
Jackie wasn’t even mad at her. She was trying her hardest not to let the awe show on her face.
Because if she let herself really think about it…
she might start wondering just how far away Cash’s world actually was from hers.
“Alright,” she said finally, pushing the thought down.
“C’mon, Max. Let’s get you washed up.” She started down the hallway toward the bathroom when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Bout damn time. She slipped it out, already assuming Kormia had finally hit her back. But when the screen lit up, it wasn’t Kormia. It was Najee.
Jackie’s stomach tightened at the sight. She tapped the unread message.
Najee: FaceTime me.