Chapter 4 YOU DON’T KNOW ME
YOU DON’T KNOW ME
“Well, well. So nice of you to return.” Maisie burst outside through the back door of her mama’s house with her Prada backpack slung over her shoulder.
She had just finished her coffee and polished off one of Remi’s turnovers when she heard the car pull up.
Being a jack of all trades, Maisie got her money in multiple streams. She was an esthetician, she had a small weed farm, and currently, she was working on opening her own dispensary.
Lately, she’d even been toying with skincare and thinking about starting her own line.
Between she and Crew, they were pushing heavily for Kansas to finally legalize weed, which meant they were figuring out how to rub elbows with people in high places.
Until then, she kept her business very low profile, but it was already proving to be profitable.
Denim jeans hugged her hips and a red graphic t-shirt stopped above her washboard abs as she slipped into her signature leather jacket. Giselle strutted toward her with attitude, holding up the keyfob for her to take when they bypassed each other in the driveway.
“Do me a favor. Try to listen and not judge,” Maisie advised. “I know you’re already dealing with a lot, but the only person you should be mad at is now six feet under, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
“I don’t need a pep talk, Mais.”
“Well, you seem a little more relaxed now than when you left last night,” her cousin observed, picking up on something new in her stance. “How did it go with Heavy?”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Giselle reminded her, nose curling up as she yanked Remi’s back door open.
She didn’t want to think about that, although it had invaded her mind the entire drive back there.
“Hmm. Evasive. Why am I not surprised?” Maisie quipped. “I’ll be expecting my tea served hot later, G.”
“Goodbye, Maisie!” She waved to her through the doorway.
Bacon coated the air inside Remi’s kitchen when Giselle stepped in.
Pausing in stride, she locked eyes with the young girl at the kitchen table, stuffing pancakes into her mouth.
Immediately, it was like looking into a mirror.
Same skin tone, same nose, although hers had a small stud in it.
Giselle saw a younger version of herself and instantly knew this girl was her sister.
She chewed slowly and sat up in her chair, looking Giselle over with scrutiny before picking up her glass of orange juice.
“Good morning!” Remi walked over with a pan of eggs scrambled and kissed Giselle’s cheek. “You okay after last night?”
“I’m fine,” she answered, dropping her purse on the table across from Gem and studying her.
Remi scraped some of the eggs onto Gem’s plate.
“Good. You hungry? There is plenty of food. Have a seat.” She nodded to the chair where Giselle stood.
Yanking it from in front of her, she slowly lowered herself into it.
“Giselle, meet Gemalynn. Gem, this is Giselle.” She introduced the two of them.
“Hi,” Gem said after clearing her throat.
Giselle only looked at her before shifting her gaze to her auntie again. There was nothing warm or welcoming in her stance at that moment. If anything, she was on the defense.
“What exactly is it you want from me, Remi? You want money to take care of her?”
“Giselle!” Remi hissed.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised you’re a bitch. My mama always said your mama was the same way.” Gem tittered, eyes drifting to her plate as she cut into another piece of her pancake.
Giselle stood abruptly, causing her chair to scrape against the kitchen tile and tip over behind her loudly.
Remi closed her eyes, silently praying over the situation.
“Gem—”
“What? She started it.” The young girl aimed her fork across the table at Giselle.
“I don’t have to pretend to be nice or like her.
If she wants the smoke, I got that.” Her oval shaped brown eyes landed on Giselle once again, watching her nostrils flare as she fought the urge not to lunge across the table and dog walk her.
“You are sisters—”
“We share the same father, but then again… even that’s not true. She got a father. I got a ghost.” Gem stuffed her face and chewed resentfully while continuing to canvas Giselle.
She wasn’t what she expected, but it was clear from their outer appearance that Gregory Knox was in fact their father. She’d wondered about this girl for as long as she knew she existed, and while Giselle was obviously gorgeous, her attitude was a different story.
“I’m not hungry. I’m going to shower.” Giselle stomped out of the room.
“We’re going to be leaving soon!” Remi called after her. “I have to get some stuff together for the block party on Saturday, and the whole family is going! Giselle, you hear me?”
The only response she got was the bedroom door slamming shut upstairs behind her. “That girl, I swear,” Remi mumbled, shaking her head before she picked up the chair and sat down.
One would have thought she was the younger of the two with the way she was acting.
Being an only child hadn’t exactly humbled her.
Remi knew Giselle had a good, pure heart.
She just got used to not showing it to people because it didn’t seem to matter or they would use it against her.
Most of the night, she tossed and turned, wondering if the girl was ever going to be okay.
Now that Gregory was gone, she couldn’t help but feel responsible for both of his girls.
She hated that he wasn’t here to help deal with the fallout.
Giselle nor Gem were to blame, yet they each held some kind of resentment toward the other.
“I told you.” Gem scooped some eggs on her fork and took a bite. “I’m almost eighteen, Remi. While I appreciate you, Maisie, and Crew looking out for me… I’m good. I don’t need to be taken care of. I can get a job and work. I don’t need her or that money.”
“That money is also your money. Giselle isn’t heartless.”
“Hmm, I can’t tell,” Gem grumbled.
“She’s been through a lot. This is all a big change for her, and I don’t think she’s even processed everything.”
“Well, why is that the rest of the world’s fault?” Gem queried, her perfect brows drawing together. “She’s not the only person to ever lose her parents, so she doesn’t get to walk around with a chip on her shoulder and be disrespectful.”
“You started that.” Remi aimed a finger at her. “Grace was a lot of things, and she was far from perfect, but that was her mother. How would you feel if Daphne died, and someone spoke ill of her?”
“Depends on if it was true or not.” Gem shrugged.
“She doesn’t strike me as someone who’s going to go cry in a corner, Remi.
She’s cold. Gotta be if she can look me in my face and speak like that.
Like I’m some kind of inconvenience in her world or something.
How is it my fault that her father cheated and made a baby? ”
“It’s not.” Remi sighed. “Lord, it’s not. She just needs some time.”
“I doubt that will help.” Gem picked up her orange juice and guzzled the rest.
She’d cleaned her plate and tossed her napkin over it after wiping her hands and mouth. “She is already set on hating everything about me. We will never be sisters.”
“Never say never,” Remi reminded her. “I’m going to grab my purse and this list Petal put together, so we can head out and do some shopping.
Now, you make sure to let me know whatever you need.
I don’t want you to have to worry about anything.
You’re not eighteen yet, so until then, you are my responsibility with Daphne out of the picture. ”
“Thank you, Remi. I know you didn’t ask for any of this.”
“We’re family. In the end, that’s all that matters.” She huffed, bringing herself to her feet.
Saturday Afternoon…
“Is it me or is it hot out here today?” Lou queried, peeking at the crowd over her dark shades.
It was officially Saturday, and the block party was in full swing.
The smell of charcoal and grilled meat took over as music blared from the speakers, and Frankie Beverly and Maze sang “Before I Let Go.” A cookout classic for sure.
Giselle walked alongside her on one side and Maisie sipped from a cold bottle of Corona on the other as they checked around for a place to sit.
Tables were arranged under tents, and there was a section where all the food was covered along with multiple coolers filled with refreshments.
Three separate moon bounces were set up for the kids to play, and the little laughs and screams from them also filled the air.
The men tended to the grills while the women sat or stood around, gossiping and making plates.
Remi and her group of friends gathered in a reserved section, laughing, sipping their Seagram’s drinks, and talking shit.
Completely in her element, she helped serve people and chatted with familiar faces the whole time.
Gem sat at a separate table, scrolling her phone and ignoring everything around her.
Giselle had been avoiding the girl over the last couple of days, making every excuse not to be around her.
She’d been preoccupied with trying to find a job and hadn’t heard from her lawyer, so it was stressing her out.
“Yeah, it’s definitely heating up.” Maisie skimmed the many faces as some people waved or smiled in their direction.
Most of them were curious about Giselle and Gem.
It was a small town, so people were going to talk when something new hit.
It didn’t help that Remi had spent some time venting to her circle about all the changes happening within her family.
Suddenly, Giselle felt like she was under a microscope here too.
For different reasons. It had her second guessing sticking around.