Chapter 1 Backtracking #2
Crew continued for a few more blocks before he turned on St. Anne Avenue. Reminisce Knox, the older sister of Giselle’s late father, Gregory, had lived on this same street for as long as she could remember.
The homes were vast, most of them two stories, with a big front porch and average backyard.
A lot had metal fences around them, but rolling up the slanted driveway to Remi’s place, Giselle immediately remembered the six-foot-high iron fence that surrounded the Tudor stone home.
The driveway wrapped both front and back of the well-manicured structure to a two-car garage with two additional cars parked.
A silver two door Lexus and beside it an old school F-150 that she remembered Remi driving.
In the summer, when they would have 4th of July events, Giselle recalled being on the back of that pickup, lighting off bottle rockets and Black Cats.
“Home sweet home.” Maisie took another toke of the weed and passed it to her man before reaching for the door handle. “Me and Crew’s house is still on the other side, right across the alley. So, if you need anything—”
“You saying that like you actually be there.” Crew scoffed and swept his hand over his low-cut waves while settling in his seat.
“I am… occasionally. I sleep there.” Maisie sheepishly frowned before jumping out of the truck.
Big, heavy spots of rain hit the windshield and ground in a sudden downpour. She quickly lifted the hood to her jacket over her head.
“I got the bags, G.” Crew insisted, rushing out of the car after slipping a black hoodie over his head.
By the time she reached Remi’s back porch, Giselle was dripping wet. She smoothed out her ponytail and sniffled. It was colder now as she trembled while waiting for Maisie to unlock the door and let them inside.
“There she is!” Remi’s warm, sweet voice sang, pushing Maisie aside to get to her niece.
The tight squeeze and familiar scent of her favorite perfume, Jadore, left Giselle melting in her warm embrace.
It was different with Remi. To this day, whenever Giselle needed to vent or had a problem, she always took Remi’s words of wisdom into consideration.
Every few months they would catch up on the phone, but Giselle could admit this past year, she had been bad about reaching out.
“Hey, Auntie.” She smiled when she nudged her away to examine her.
Glistening brown sugar-coated eyes drank her in before she pressed a hand against her cheek.
“Always so pretty, even when you’re sad. Come inside. You can go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes. You remember the room you would sleep in when you came here for the summer?”
“Yeah.” Giselle nodded as Crew came rushing inside with her bags and shaking off the rain.
“Damn, G, the hell you got in these muhfuckas?” He huffed, dropping them beside the pine rectangle table.
Remi had it set up like a buffet with all the covered dishes. Somehow, she managed to remind Giselle of her childhood off the stomach-rumbling sides alone. There was even a 7-Up cake on one of those clear cake plates with the icing drizzled to perfection.
“What’s left of my life,” she answered dryly.
“Oh, now you hush all that talk up.” Remi swatted the dish towel in her direction as Giselle took a glimpse at her wet attire.
With her hands on her wide hips, Remi sized her up in the designer threads.
She had her sister-in-law Grace’s poise, but Giselle was the spitting image of her father.
The day she was born, everyone doted over how gorgeous she was when most babies came out all swollen and ugly. She was that girl from day one.
“Now, go get a shower, change your clothes, and then come back down here so we can catch up. I’ll make you a plate,” Remi told her.
“I’m not really hu—”
“Chile, don’t nobody want to hear that. You look like you lost weight, so let me put a little meat on your bones,” Remi fussed. “Crew, take those bags upstairs.”
“Damn, Ma, you saw me just sit them boulders down!”
“Boy, just do what the hell I said!”
Crew sucked his teeth while Maisie went to wash her hands.
The munchies had caught up to her, and she was damn sure about to smash something.
Giselle took the back staircase to the second floor and padded down the familiar hall to the bedroom beside Remi’s.
The carpet was new, but the family photos and different awards from Maisie’s accomplishments hung on the walls like always.
Her cousin was a woman of many talents, and she pursued all of them, unlike her younger sister, Lou, short for Louise.
Giselle reached for the doorknob and turned. The room had been redecorated with mint green walls and deep green decor in the pictures and other decorations lining the walls. A full-size bed was tucked in the corner, covered with a floral quilt and a mountain of pillows.
Crew pushed past her, dropped her luggage on the bed, then took a breath.
“Aight, fam. There you go. I’m about to grab some grub. A nigga need to replenish,” he joked, rubbing his stomach, showing off all the ink on his arms and hands before ambling to the door.
“Thanks, Crew.” Giselle set her Chanel tote with her phone on the dresser and took a glimpse of herself in the mirror attached.
She looked the same and was glad she showed no signs of what she’d been through other than the darkness cloaking her normally bright almond brown eyes.
Sighing, she turned to her luggage to unpack something to change into when her phone vibrated against the dresser.
Pausing with a pair of jeans and an orange Nike crop top, she pivoted to reach for the phone on the dresser.
This room was the size of her old closet, but it was cozy.
Studying the name on the screen, she hesitated to pick up while plopping on the soft mattress. She wasn’t sure what to even say as she watched Alonzo’s name flash across her screen. Figuring she couldn’t avoid it forever, she picked up and mushed the phone against her ear.
“Hello.”
“What’s up, beautiful?” Alonzo’s raspy voice greeted her. “How you doing? You make it there okay?”
“Yeah. I just got to the house.” She knelt to unstrap her heels then kicked them to the side.
“How is it?”
“Um… pretty much what I expected. Nothing really changes around here.” Giselle stood and unbuttoned her pants. “It’s raining cats and dogs, so I’m about to shower and then go have dinner with my auntie. She cooked enough food for an army. Claims I’m too skinny.”
Alonzo chuckled sexily. “I miss you. I know why you chose to get away, though.”
“Yeah, it’s for the best right now. There’s so much red tape, and I do not feel like being hounded by the press everywhere I go.”
“That’s real. What did the lawyer say?”
“He’s petitioning for some bullshit. Since Daddy was under investigation, they’re going through his financials with a fine-tooth comb. Which means I’ll need to find a job of some kind until all this is settled.”
“Well, good thing you have not one but two degrees. I guess all that work wasn’t in vain.”
“Yeah, but who is lucky enough to land their dream job in this day in age, even with a degree? It’s all entry level shit, and I don’t have any experience.
I don’t even know where to start. I can’t exactly go around, throwing Daddy’s name in the mix.
People will look at me like I’m crazy,” Giselle ranted, snatching up the clothes she was going to change into and her silk robe.
She marched across the hall to the bathroom to undress, slamming the door behind her and pausing. This was new. The bathroom had been completely remodeled with a walk-in shower and double vanity.
“Your father might be gone, Giselle, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop caring about you. I already told you I’m more than willing to take care of you,” Alonzo offered.
“And I told you no, Alonzo,” she argued.
“One choice will solve all your problems. Think about it. I’ll be in touch. Take care of yourself.”
The line beeped, and she pressed her back against the sink. She faced the shower as steam filled the room and set her phone on the counter beside her.
Alonzo Maynard was her father’s right-hand man in his company.
Although he was thirty-seven years old, he’d accomplished a lot in his career as a financial advisor.
When Gregory put him on, Alonzo hit the ground running and brought in more high-end clients.
From the moment he laid eyes on Giselle, she had his nose wide open.
Although handsome, with a whole Idris Elba vibe going for him, she didn’t think the two of them had anything in common.
It never stopped him from shamelessly flirting and even going so far as to speak with her father behind her back about pursuing her.
This man wanted to propose to her without even courting or getting to know her.
To her, he was just one in a line of men who didn’t see anything beyond a pretty face.
All her life it’d been that way. Pretty privilege was always a thing for her, which is why she had to put in twice the work to be taken seriously.
If she complained about it, folks would simply call her spoiled or ungrateful, but that didn’t stop Giselle from ever speaking her mind.
Taking off her clothes, she left them hanging off the side of the sink as she checked the small cabinet nearby for fresh towels.
She stepped into the shower once she had both a towel to dry and wash with.
Spinning under the warmth of the water from the shower head, she tipped her head back and closed her eyes.
After making sure she was covered in moisture, she reached for the bar of Dove soap in the dish.
Alonzo’s words were on repeat, but she didn’t want to give him power.
He was a last resort in the mess that was her life.