Chapter 57
Colin
I kiss Brynne on the cheek and step out of the private room in the restaurant. It’s packed, and despite it being an evening to celebrate Amira, she seems tense, but I don’t have time to figure out why.
“Did you find him?” I ask my private investigator. “Keep your eyes on him," I say when he says he has. "Do not call the police. At least not until I get my hands on him.” I end the call and return to the car to get Amira’s present.
By the time I return, Raven is here and standing with Brynne. I have not let Brynne out of my sight for the past three days. Everything has been quiet. She doesn’t know that I’ve hired security as well.
Our eyes catch, and she smiles at me. I wink at her and hold up the gift bag while I walk through the throng of people to get to my fiancée. She takes the gift, and I hug Raven while Brynne takes the bag to the gift table.
“Just so you know,” Raven says in a whisper. “There’s a high probability that Brynne and I will have to do a do-over party for Amira in the next couple of weeks.”
My brows furrow. “Why?”
“You’ll see.” She winks and pats my cheek.
“By the way, I never said thank you,” I whisper quickly before Brynne returns. Someone stops her to chat along the way.
“You can thank me by always making my girl happy and by naming one of your kids after me.”
“How did you know about—"
“The storm?” I nod at her question. “Brynne is a brilliant woman. She’s perfect in almost every way, except she never pays attention to the weather forecast. If she does pay attention, she gets it wrong. And she never needs to know I helped because you know how stubborn she is.” She puts a finger to her lips.
“Not just the storm. Her favorite foods and things she likes. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“She’s my girl. I love her like a sister, and I like you too. We’re family. Now, here comes Amira. This is her night. Remember that.” She pats my cheek just as Brynne arrives.
“Lord, Ashley is already starting,” Brynne whispers. “She was in the corner fake crying.”
“Who is Ashley?” I whisper back.
“Amira’s older sister. She’s a huge bitch,” Brynne says. “Let’s get you a drink because you’re gonna need it.” She takes my hand and leads me to the bar. Raven follows.
Along the way, we bump into a group of people who are chatting with Amira. After hugging us, she says, “Let me introduce you. This is my Aunt Michelle, Uncle Cal, my cousin Solange, and her husband, Kirby. These are my best friends, Raven and Brynne. And this is Brynne’s fiancé Colin, and also my friend.”
We all shake hands, and the group seems happy, if a little uneasy at being there. Amira’s happy smile fades when two other surly looking women join us. One is older, and the younger one is a replica of the older. They both resemble Amira, so I assume they're related.
“Colin, this is my mom, Karen, and my sister, Ashley.”
“I can’t believe you picked this stupid restaurant,” Ashley says. She doesn’t bother to greet any of us. I don’t miss the dirty looks she throws at the other people we just met.
“Amira, we’re gonna go,” the man named Cal says. “We just wanted to drop by and wish you a happy birthday. Why don’t you come by the house tomorrow for brunch?”
“Please stay,” Amira says.
“Yes, stay,” Amira’s father, Whit says. He puts an arm across her shoulders, and I notice Ashley rolls her eyes. “Amira wants you to, and it’s her night. Doesn’t she look pretty?” Amira blushes at the compliment.
“My girl slays,” Raven says, giving Amira a high five.
“Isn’t that some old dress?” Ashley asks. “The one you were too fat for? Did you get it altered?”
The section goes quiet, and Ashley smirks at the insult. Amira looks down, clearly embarrassed.
“Ashley,” her father admonishes.
“She’s been going through a rough time,” her mother says in Ashley’s defense.
“You look beautiful, Amira,” Brynne says. Amira is in a dress with a red top and a loose, black and white checkered skirt that reaches her knees. It has a nineteen-fifties vintage look. “And anyone who says otherwise is jealous.”
“Yeah. Jealous.” Ashley laughs. “You aren’t going to dance tonight, are you, Amira?”
“You know what?” Raven hands me her purse and steps toward Ashley, who steps back. “Why don’t you—”
“Let’s go get a drink.” Amira takes Raven’s hand and pulls her to the bar. We follow. “My therapist says she’s jealous of me,” Amira whispers. “We’re working on me speaking up, but I don’t want to ruin my party. She’s mad because her life is a mess and mine isn’t.”
“If that cow steps out of line one more time, I’m going to ruin this party by beating her ass,” Raven says.
Brynne slides her water to me, and I drink it all. She then wipes my forehead with her napkin and giggles at my inability to handle spicy food.
“I’ll just stick to eating you,” I whisper.
“Alright now,” Raven says. She raises her glass to us. “Oh, not again.” She elbows my ribs and points across the room. Ashley is now crying on her father’s shoulder. This is the fourth time she’s cried, but before that, she complained about the food and said she wanted Italian food, not Indian. Then she loudly talked about how this party was stupid and wants to do something else for her birthday. Raven and Brynne had both snorted and said they would bet money Ashley doesn’t have one friend who would come to any event she’s hosting.
Despite that, Amira seems to be having a good time. The more she talks and laughs, the angrier that seems to make her sister, and her scowls deepens whenever Amira talks to the group of people she introduced us to earlier.
Amira comes running into the room. “Guys,” she tries to whisper, but it’s obvious she’s had a few drinks. “Guess who’s here? Malcolm.” She puts her hands to her cheeks. “And he’s with his young twinkie.”
“A what?” I ask.
“A twinkie. That’s what my mom calls my dad’s girlfriend.” She looks around then lowers her voice. “I really like Dad’s girlfriend, but she didn’t come tonight, and I know it’s to avoid my mother and Ashley. I wish I could do the same.”
“Um, what does this woman look like?” And if it’s who I think it is, she better not call her that to his face.
“She looks young,” Amira says, outraged. “Gorgeous.” She straightens up. “Long hair, cute smile, and a dimpled chin. Like a Black Disney princess.” She almost sounds a little defeated by that admission.
I stand after that description. “I’ll be right back.” I kiss Brynne’s cheek and leave the room.