CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #2
Denise stared at him.
“You bought the furniture?”
Kai closed his eyes.
Wrong assumption.
Wrong detail.
Too late.
Nola looked between them.
“What furniture?”
Denise picked up the statement.
“Four thousand dollars.”
Curtis looked trapped now.
“It was for staging.”
“For whose condo?” Kai asked.
Curtis’s head snapped toward him.
There it was.
Everybody heard it.
Denise sat back down.
“Condo.”
Curtis cursed.
Nola turned to Kai.
“You knew about that too?”
“He told me this morning.”
The pain changed.
Not just her father’s betrayal now.
Kai holding pieces of it.
Collecting facts like he always did.
Deciding when they became hers.
“We’re leaving,” Nola said.
Kai looked at her. “Nola—”
“Now.”
Denise caught her hand.
“Baby, don’t leave because of me.”
“I’m not.”
Nola kissed her cheek.
“Call me if he acts stupid.”
Curtis looked offended.
“I am standing right here.”
“Then hear me.”
She walked out.
Kai followed.
The argument started before they reached his truck.
“You knew about a condo?”
“He told me this morning.”
“And still didn’t tell me.”
“We were chasing Dre’s phone.”
“Before that.”
“He called while I was coming into work.”
“You called me after.”
“To tell you about the money trail.”
“Exactly. You had time to tell me everything except the thing you decided wasn’t mine to know.”
Kai unlocked the truck but Nola didn’t get in.
“I was trying to make Curtis handle his own marriage.”
“And who made you the fucking referee?”
“Nobody.”
“Then why were you acting like one?”
“Because if I told you Friday, what would you have done?”
“Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Don’t ask me a question like my possible reaction is the reason you got to choose.”
Kai’s face hardened.
“Fine. You’re right. I should’ve told you sooner.”
Nola stopped.
She had been prepared for another argument.
“That’s it?”
“No. I still think Curtis should’ve told Denise himself. I still think walking into your family Friday night with that information would’ve made me part of something I didn’t belong in. But once Sunday passed, I should’ve told you.”
Nola crossed her arms.
“You should’ve told me Friday.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t okay me.”
“What do you want me to do, lie and say I agree with every part?”
“I want you to understand why I’m hurt.”
“I do.”
“No, you understand the logic. You don’t understand what it felt like sitting at your mother’s birthday, laughing with you, telling you I trust you while you got this whole thing in your head about my father.”
Kai looked at her.
That landed.
“You’re right,” he said.
Nola’s anger loosened just enough for the hurt to come through.
“I feel stupid.”
“You aren’t.”
“I said I feel stupid. Don’t correct me.”
Kai nodded.
“Okay.”
She turned away.
He let her have a few seconds.
Then he said, “Where Dre at?”
Nola spun back.
“Don’t.”
“Where your parents think Dre been this whole time?”
“Do not bring my brother into my father cheating.”
“I’m not comparing the secrets.”
“It sounds like you are.”
“I’m comparing what you and I did.”
Nola laughed sharply.
“That is not the same.”
“The events aren’t. Your father cheating on your mother and Dre being in trouble ain’t equal.”
“Good.”
“But you had information your parents deserved about their son and decided you’d manage it until you had it under control.”
“Because I promised them I’d keep him straight.”
“That makes it worse, not better.”
“Excuse me?”
“You promised something you can’t control, so every time Dre fucks up, you make yourself responsible for fixing it before anybody else gets to know.”
Nola stepped closer.
“My parents didn’t need every detail while we didn’t know shit.”
“That’s your decision.”
“They would’ve panicked.”
“That’s their right.”
The words stopped her.
Kai kept going, but his voice stayed level.
“You decided they’d worry too much. I decided Denise needed to hear the affair from Curtis. You made an executive decision that didn’t include them. I made one that didn’t include you.”
“You gave a cheating man time to keep lying.”
“And you gave Dre time to keep running.”
“I was trying to protect him.”
“So was I.”
Nola stared.
“Protect who? My daddy?”
“Your mother, from hearing thirty-one years of marriage got fucked up from her daughter’s new man in the middle of you looking for Dre. You, from having another crisis dropped on you while your brother was missing. Curtis, from nobody. He deserved to sweat.”
Nola looked away.
She hated parts of what he said.
She hated more that other parts were true.
“You still should’ve told me.”
“Yes.”
“And I still get to be mad.”
“Yes.”
“And me being wrong about Dre doesn’t make you right about my father.”
“Correct.”
Nola frowned. “Stop being reasonable.”
“Can’t help you there.”
She almost laughed.
Didn’t.
Not yet.
“I’m going home.”
“I’ll take you.”
“No.”
Kai looked around the block. “Nola.”
“I will call a rideshare.”
“Your father’s house has security. We got a man on this block. You’re upset and I don’t want you riding with some random person when Dre’s situation isn’t settled.”
“That is exactly what I’m talking about.”
Kai held up both hands.
“Fine. You choose. I think it’s safer if I take you. That’s my opinion. You decide.”
Nola stared at him.
He waited.
No move toward the door.
No order.
She got into the truck.
“Don’t talk to me.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t touch me.”
“Okay.”
He drove her home in silence.
At her townhouse, Ray was parked down the block.
Nola got out.
Kai did too.
“I said—”
“I’m walking you to the door. Then I’m leaving.”
She wanted to argue.
Didn’t.
At the porch, Mani opened the door before they reached it.
One look at Nola’s face, then Kai’s, and she stepped aside.
Kai did not come in.
“Call me if Dre contacts you.”
Nola looked at him.
“I will.”
“And Nola?”
“What?”
“Tell your parents tonight. Everything about Dre.”
She almost snapped back.
Then stopped.
Her mother had spent five days not knowing about Curtis because the people who knew thought they were managing something for her.
Nola took out her phone.
“I will.”
Kai nodded once and left.
Mani waited until the truck pulled away.
“What happened?”
Nola leaned against the closed door.
“My daddy’s cheating.”
Mani’s mouth dropped open.
“What?”
“Kai knew.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“How long?”
“Friday.”
Mani’s face twisted. “Oh, fuck.”
“You said that already.”
“It applies twice.”
Nola laughed despite herself.
Then she cried.
Not dramatically.
Her face just folded and suddenly Mani had both arms around her.
Nola cried for her mother.
For her father being an idiot.
For Dre still missing.
For Kai being wrong.
For Kai being right about something she did not want him right about.
For the humiliating fact that adults could love each other and still make selfish decisions that damaged everybody standing near them.
When she calmed down, she called her parents.
Curtis had left for a hotel.
Denise answered.
Nola told her everything about Dre.
The missing eighty-seven.
The lockbox.
The threats.
The burner phones.
The fact that someone had their addresses.
The smashed phone.
All of it.
Her mother cried again.
Curtis called from the hotel when Denise told him.
He yelled for exactly thirty seconds before Nola cut him off.
“You get to be mad. You don’t get to act like I did this to you.”
That silenced him.
“I should’ve told y’all earlier,” she said. “I thought I could fix it first. I was wrong.”
Curtis’s voice changed.
“Where is my son?”
“I don’t know.”
Saying it out loud to her father hurt worse than saying it to Kai.
“We’re trying to find him.”
Curtis exhaled shakily.
“All right.”
Not forgiveness.
Not resolution.
Just okay.
Afterward, Nola sat at the kitchen island while Mani made tea neither of them wanted.
“You leaving Kai?” Mani asked.
Nola looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
“You love him?”
Nola stared at the countertop.
She had not said that word yet.
Not to him.
Not to herself.
“I don’t know.”
Mani gave her a look.
“Don’t.”
“My face ain’t said nothing.”
“Your gap did.”
Mani gasped.
Nola immediately covered her own mouth.
“Oh my God. That came out wrong.”
Mani stared at her for one second.
Then started laughing.
Hard.
Her hand flew over her mouth.
Nola started laughing too.
“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Bitch!”
“I meant your smile.”
“You are a terrible friend.”
“I know.”
They laughed until Mani had tears in her eyes for a better reason.
Then her hand lowered.
The gap showed.
Nola looked at it.
Mani caught her.
“Don’t make it a moment.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Your face was.”
“That’s my face.”
Mani rolled her eyes.
A knock hit the door.
Both women froze.
Nola looked at the clock.
10:38 p.m.
Ray would have called if somebody approached.
Unless Ray was the one knocking.
Her phone buzzed.
RAY:
IT’S YOUR brOTHER.
Nola did not breathe for a second.
Then she ran.