Chapter Eight #2
He shakes his head and points his finger at her. “I stand by it, someone at Tumi stole my damn mug.”
“And I kept telling you, nobody wanted that busted-ass mug.”
“It was a nice mug!”
“Was it though? It was literally chipped on the side.”
“It gave it character.”
Janelle’s eyebrows spike up to her hairline as she mouths “ character ” and Arnold chuckles.
This is the first time I’ve witnessed them acknowledge that they meant something to each other once upon a time.
Janelle looks unfazed by it, but Arnold visibly relaxes with the interaction, like it’s taken a huge weight off his shoulders to not have to pretend that Janelle is nothing more than his fiancée ’ s sister.
“Whatever, it works ninety-nine percent of the time. I bet we gonna find it right here.”
“I’ll take that bet.” I would bet my last dollar on the ring not being here. Truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amerie took that ring off on purpose just to give Janelle something else to do.
“Bet. How much we talkin ’ …”
His words are cut off by the sound of Amerie hollering. She storms around the corner with Christian, Micah, and Eve lagging behind her.
“Hey, babe, how’s the search going?”
She squints at him, power walking over to him. Her breathing is labored and her steps are unsure. “We found it,” she says unceremoniously.
Arnold’s face lights up and he plants his hands on her shoulders. “That’s great! Where was it?”
“Y’all’s room,” Eve chips in.
The news confirms what I’d been thinking all morning. I should’ve had Arnold bet me at least a million.
“Our room? You checked our room this morning. How’d you miss it?”
“Micah found it. It was underneath the bed between the post and the wall,” Christian adds.
The group goes silent. I’m quite sure everyone is starting to mirror my thoughts. Is she really sitting here telling us that she didn’t think to look under her bed? And if she did, she somehow missed the big ass diamond Arnold laced her finger with sitting against the wall?
Arnold clears his throat. “Well, that’s great. I told you it was around here somewhere.”
“Oh, is that why you seemed so unconcerned?”
“What?”
“It just seemed like you were having a lot of fun not looking for my ring.”
Eve guffaws and Janelle moves closer to her, effectively removing herself from Amerie’s line of sight.
“We were looking for it. Ask Rome and Janelle. I was using my detective skills to retrace our steps, that’s why we’re here.”
Micah and Christian laugh, I’m sure at the image of Sherlock Black they know so well, but Amerie’s face only constricts more.
“I don’t wanna ask Janelle anything about you.”
Record scratch.
I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Amerie has tested the limits of my kindness and I’m learning that where Janelle is concerned, they don’t extend far in the first place.
“Amerie?” She turns at the sound of my voice. “I think the words you’re looking for are ‘ thank you. ’”
“Excuse me?”
“I think what you wanna be doing right now is thanking everyone for taking time out of their morning to help you look for something you lost. Whatever this is you’re doing? We can skip it.”
“Rome, no offense…”
I cut her off. “None taken. I’m sure you didn’t mean to come off rude as fuck to your fiancé, your sister, and your friends. It’s okay, shit happens. It’s been a stressful morning, so we can just accept your thank-you and move on. Right, y’all?”
Micah and Dani stay absolutely still and quiet. Christian laughs while nodding. Eve applauds profusely while Janelle stares at me, stunned. Arnold gauges Amerie’s reaction, running his hand down her arm comfortingly.
“Uh, right. Yeah. Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your help.” Her jaw clenches and her fists tighten. It physically pains her to say this. “Arnold, we should get going. We need to pick up my parents soon and I wanted to stop to get Mommy some flowers on the way.”
Janelle perks up, stepping back into Amerie’s field of view. “Ooh, what time should I meet y’all in the lobby?”
Amerie cranks her head to Janelle quickly, turns to Arnold, and then back at Janelle. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what time are we leaving for the airport?”
“We?” Amerie asks.
“You hard of hearing now? Yes, we. When I talked to Dad, he said he expected me to be at the airport with you to greet him.”
Amerie rolls her eyes and I see her starting to pick her thumb by her side. She rolls her shoulders back and clears her throat. “It’s just that Arnold and I were gonna take them around for a bit before we get settled. Probably go to lunch.”
Janelle’s eye twitches and I wish I were closer so I could help calm her nerves. What is it about this woman that makes me want to walk through fire just so she doesn’t burn? “So, I can’t come with y’all?”
“You’d wanna be the fifth wheel?”
“With my parents and my sister? I wouldn’t think I’d feel like a fifth wheel in that situation.”
I look at Arnold, waiting for him to get involved but he’s back to being the guy that just sits around, letting this shit happen.
“Ri, what the fuck? Why can’t she just come?” Eve asks, stomping her foot.
“It’s all good, Evie,” Janelle assures her with her palm up.
“No, it’s not. Because you starting to piss me off, Ri.”
“What the hell did I do?”
“You’ve been acting shady with Nelly all week.”
Amerie’s nostrils flare and she cranes her neck toward Janelle. “Is that how you feel?”
A war rages in Janelle’s eyes. Yes, surrounded by our friends on an empty stomach with the humidity bearing down on us probably isn’t the best place for her and Amerie to have it out, but this is a moment that probably won’t come around again.
She looks at me briefly and I will her to acknowledge her true feelings, but the deep exhale she lets out lets me know she’s not about to do that.
“I don’t wanna fight, Ri. I just want you to have the best wedding.”
Beside me, I hear Dani let out a somber sigh. Everyone is growing tired of Amerie’s bullshit, but everyone knows it has to be Janelle who puts her in her place.
“See, she disagrees.”
“Ri, stop,” Dani barks.
“That’s not what the fuck she said, Ri.” Eve’s words come out as a harsh growl. If Janelle isn’t willing to lean on me this week, I’m glad she has Eve and Dani in her corner.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Arnold, now deciding to use his vocal cords, interrupts.
I step in before he can put his foot further down his throat.
Holding up my hand to stop all conversation, I address Janelle directly.
“J, I’m pretty sure my brother is on the same flight as your parents, and I have to pick him up so you can ride with me; that way you don’t have to be where you aren’t wanted. ”
Arnold hangs his head as Amerie scoffs. “That’s not…” The look I send Amerie’s way cuts off any rebuttal that was threatening to jump off her tongue. “Well, it looks like Rome solved the problem, so there we go.”
Christian lets out a whistle as he and Micah back away slowly.
“I like you.” Eve pats me on the back, grabbing Dani and pulling her away from the group. Arnold gives Amerie a tentative kiss and then guides her out as well, leaving me alone with Janelle.
“You didn’t have to do that but I’m glad you did. Thank you.”
I don’t even respond. I just tip my head to her and make my way to the car.
After driving almost two hours to the airport in comfortable silence and then sitting for thirty minutes with Arnold and Amerie in uncomfortable silence, a man that could very well be Janelle’s twin exits the terminal. Janelle is up and running toward him before I can even point him out.
He scoops her up in a bear hug and plants a kiss on her cheek. A shorter woman with a short pixie cut, who I assume is her mother, stands beside them, watching with a smile. Amerie grabs Arnold’s hand and drags him over to join the welcome wagon.
I see my brother exit the terminal, flagged by an overenthusiastic white man. The look in Jalen’s eyes screams “ save me ” so I jog over to greet him.
We pull each other into a bro hug and when Jalen starts talking to me without acknowledging the man, he gets the hint and leaves.
“Excited fan?”
“He talked the whole damn flight. Gave me a dissertation on why the sport needs me back and why I should specifically look to play for LA. Apparently, Tyson Richards and I would make a dynamic duo.”
Jalen is an NBA legend. He played for the Washington Blaze, bringing home four championship rings, four MVP awards, and three Olympic gold medals.
Three years ago, at the age of thirty-five, he shocked the world by announcing that he was retiring from the game.
While he made it clear that his decision was final, only our family knew the reason behind his retirement was issues with his ex-wife causing him to need to dedicate all his time to being a dad, so fans have continued to hold out hope that he’ll one day return.
“Tyson is a beast though.” I shrug.
He glowers at me. “And he don’t need my old ass to win a championship.” Arnold walks over and daps Jalen up. The two of them catch up for a moment before the Cross family reaches us.
“Mom, Dad, you remember Rome, right? And this, I assume, is his brother Jalen.” Janelle smiles. She greets Jalen and his normally nonhugging ass immediately wraps her up in a hug like he’s known her for years.
“Yes, of course. I forgot there’s two of you though. Good lord, your poor mama,” Mrs. Cross shakes her head. When I met her at the engagement party, she was floored by my and Micah’s height.
When I told her my mom is five-foot-eleven and my dad is six-foot-ten she sent a prayer out for my mom, saying she was brave to be willing to push not one but two big-headed, giant children into this world.
“You’ll have to excuse her. Everyone is tall to her,” Mr. Cross teases. Mrs. Cross stands at about five-foot-three so I’m sure there’s some merit to that.
I cover her hand with mine. “It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Cross.”