Chapter 4 #3
Finn sailed inside, both arms full of groceries, flexing his muscles as Luna eyed him hungrily.
He was already plotting on getting back into his new favorite place.
She had no idea that she didn’t stand a chance.
After what he did to her moments ago, there was no way she would be able to resist him.
“Damn, Yoni, you buy the whole store?” Finn complained, out of breath as he brought the bags to the counter.
“I’m cooking for this church event. Gotta have enough for everybody,” she muttered.
“Well, can a nigga get a plate for all the work he just put in?” Finn teased, going through a few of the bags and looking for a snack.
“You gonna come by and help me clean up and pack stuff away tonight?” she queried, taking eggs out of a bag and setting them on the counter.
Tongue tied, Finn didn’t answer. He hadn’t been to church since he was a kid.
The thought of it made him antsy and agitated.
Scratching the back of his head, he glanced across the counter at Luna, and she pushed her lips together.
He was on his own. She already had to volunteer, so she had no sympathy for him.
Her Schnapps and blunt would be waiting for her in the car when she got time to sneak off.
There was no way she could tolerate all those Goody two-shoe, busybodies sober.
“Don’t look at me. I’m already volunteering myself from three to seven.” She took another gulp of water.
Finn swerved at the counter to face Yoni.
“Yeah, I’ll stop by. Ain’t like I got shit else going on,” he said, looking adorable as he ran his hand over the top of his head.
It was the truth. He didn’t have shit going on in his life.
He spent his days and nights hustling, making underground deals, and fucking around down the interstate at the strip club.
He partied and fucked random girls when he wasn’t gambling.
Finn was the kind of nigga that didn’t make plans, but always had some shit going on.
He stacked his bread, but he didn’t really plan for anything.
He was young and black and had money. When he was a kid, he was teased for all of that shit, but now it was his weapon.
Females naturally flocked to his laid-back and brash aura.
The money made him appealing to just about any woman he wanted.
Luna resisted him for a long time… until now.
“Watch ya mouth.” Yoni corrected him. “Y’all ate breakfast yet?”
“Nah, but a nigga is starving.” Finn caressed his stomach and bit into his bottom lip, giving her lovey-dovey eyes.
He loved Mama Yoni’s food. That woman put her heart and soul into the simplest meal. Finn had been eating at her house Since he was a little nigga scrawny and missing teeth, Finn was accustomed to a meal or two at her house. He remembered when Luna’s mother was around and everything.
“Boy, you always are. I’ll whip something up. Go get yourselves together. Out here doing the walk of shame, fornicating all in the damn house,” she huffed and puffed, taking different items from the bags and taking them to their designated spots.
“Bet, I’m going to take a shower. And… Yoni… sinners need love too.” Finn put his arms around the old woman and hugged her from the back.
She scrunched her face up, pretending to be annoyed.
She loved his knucklehead ass. Yoni knew men like Finn coming up.
Loyal as hell, charismatic, and their own worst enemy.
He had a strong ego, and he, like Luna, was stubborn as hell and strong-willed.
She could remember so many times he walked out of here, fired up over something one of them said to the other over the years.
“Finn, get ya little dirty hands off me.” She shrugged him away, and he laughed before backing toward the exit.
Luna watched Finn with a half smile on her face until he was gone.
“Mmm,” Mama Yoni uttered from across the counter, shaking her head with nothing but shame as Luna met her gaze.
“You be careful. You know we live in a small town. Finn is always with some random woman, whether she got a man or not. A man will only change if a real woman steps into play. You are a strong woman, Luna. Don’t you ever lose that,” Yoni warned.
“I won’t, Mama. I promise.” She came around the corner to kiss the woman’s cheek and hug her gently before sauntering out of the kitchen.
“Lawd, that’s like mixing fire with more fire. Bless ’em. Just bless ’em,” she said to herself.
Yoni raised Luna, and was very protective of her, often disguised with tough love.
She wanted Luna to live to her full potential.
A natural talent at so many things, she was also involved in several local marketing agencies that hosted events throughout town.
Becoming quite the party planner, her name was also gaining a lot of traction on the upscale circuit.
Lunar Event’s was her vision, and once she built her clientele up, she planned on doing just that.
Yoni didn’t want anything to derail that girl from her dreams. She saw what it did to her mother when she was stalled, and she got so buried in regret that one day she took off and never looked back.