CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse.
"Damnnnnn."
I laughed as Chanel stepped off the elevator and slowly looked around. "Girl."
"I'm looking!"
Armani stepped out behind her, laughing. Chanel turned in a slow circle, taking everything in. The floor-to-ceiling windows, the view, the furniture, the kitchen.
Then she looked at me. "Damn, sis. You hit the lottery with this fine-ass man."
"Chanel!"
"What? I'm just saying."
Armani laughed. "She ain't lying sis."
"Both of y'all can go right back downstairs."
"Nope." Chanel dropped her bag on the couch. "I'm already here."
She walked toward the windows.
"Wait. Is that the ocean?"
"Yes."
"Oh, hell no."
I laughed. "What?"
"You wake up to this every day?"
"Pretty much."
She turned around and stared at me.
"And he fine?"
"Very."
"And rich?"
"Chanel."
"And got gold teeth?"
Armani started laughing. "Why the gold teeth matter?"
"They do."
"To who?"
"Me."
"Well, find your own. This one is taken," I giggled at her humor.
"I know that. Damn."
She looked around again.
"Ooh, I need a tour."
"A tour?"
"Yes! I've never been in a penthouse before."
"Come on."
Chanel practically skipped behind me. I showed them around, starting with the living room and kitchen before taking them down the hall.
"This is one of the guest rooms."
Chanel looked inside.
"One?"
"Yes."
"How many he got?"
"A few."
"Can I have one?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you have a bedroom at Mama's house."
"Not with this view."
I laughed and kept walking.
Armani looked inside another room. "This place is huge."
"I know."
"And you really live here now."
I looked at her. "Yep."
She smiled. "Oh, you moved moved."
"Shut up."
"No, because I'm seeing your shit everywhere now."
Chanel looked around. "Where?"
"Bathroom. Closet. Her little candles everywhere."
"They are not everywhere."
"Girl, I’m sure this looked like a straight-up bachelor pad before you got here."
"It still looks like his house."
Armani looked at me. "Keep telling yourself that."
I rolled my eyes. "Come on."
I took them into the bedroom.
Chanel stopped. "Oh, bitch."
"Watch your mouth."
"Look at this room!"
She walked toward the windows.
"This is where y'all sleep?"
"No, Chanel. We sleep in the guest room."
"Smart-ass."
Armani walked toward the closet. "Can I?"
"Go ahead."
She opened the door and her mouth dropped.
"Oh, you ain't never coming home."
I laughed.
"Why would I?"
"Exactly."
Chanel squeezed past her. "Ooh!"
"Don't touch nothing."
"I'm not!"
"Yes, you are."
She snatched her hand away from one of Jokah's watches.
"I was looking."
"With your fingers."
Armani laughed. "Where's Joaquin?"
I looked at her. "Don't call that man Joaquin."
"Why?"
"He barely lets me call him that."
Chanel spun around. "Wait. Who the hell is Joaquin?"
I smiled. "Jokah."
Her mouth fell open. "JOKAH'S NAME IS JOAQUIN?"
"Why you so damn loud?"
“My bad. I get loud when I’m excited.” Chanel shrugged her shoulders.
Armani started laughing. "Joaquin Sinclair."
Chanel put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God. That does not fit him."
"That's what I said!" I added.
"Jokah sounds like he'll shoot somebody. Joaquin sounds like he owns a yacht." Chanel laughed at her own jokes.
I stared at her.
"He does own a yacht."
We all burst out laughing.
"Okay, bad example."
"Come on. I haven't even shown y'all the best part."
"There's more?" Chanel asked.
"Mhm."
I took them upstairs.
The second we stepped onto the rooftop, Chanel froze. The pool stretched across one side with the city surrounding us.
"No fucking way."
"Chanel."
"Sorry, but no fucking way."
She walked toward the pool.
"Y'all have a pool on the roof?"
"We don't have a pool. The building does."
"Same shit. You live here."
Armani walked over to the railing and looked out. "Okay. This is nice."
"Right?"
Chanel turned around. "Can we come swimming?"
"Of course."
"When?"
"Whenever."
"Tomorrow?"
I laughed. "Girl."
"I'm serious."
"We'll plan something."
She smiled. "Bet."
We sat down near the pool, and for a while we just talked and laughed. I hadn't realized how much I missed this. Living with Jokah had changed my routine so quickly that I hadn't been around my sisters as much.
Armani leaned back in her chair. "So how do you like living with him?"
"I love it."
"That fast?"
I smiled.
"Yeah."
Chanel grinned. "I would too."
"Nobody asked you."
"I'm just saying. Look where we are sitting."
"It's not even that."
Armani looked at me. "What is it then?"
I thought about it.
"The regular stuff."
"What regular stuff?"
"Just us coming home, cooking and eating together. Waking up together. Just... being here."
Armani smiled. "Look at you."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Don't start."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
Chanel looked between us. "You in love?"
I stared at her.
"Why are you in grown folks' business?"
"That ain't a no."
Armani burst out laughing. "Exactly."
"Both of y'all irritating."
Chanel smiled. Then her expression changed slightly. "You talked to Kyrie?"
"No."
"At all?"
"Nope. He hasn't called or nothing."
Armani looked at me. "You got him blocked?"
"No."
"You don't?"
"No. I don't need to block him. If he calls, he calls."
"But he hasn't?"
"Nope."
I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Not because I wanted him to call. I didn't. But after everything we'd been through, three years together had ended and suddenly there was just nothing.
“Maybe Jokah told him don’t call you. Remember what you told me?”
“Yeah, that could be it.” I answered truthfully.
Armani looked at Chanel. "What about your nasty-ass friend?"
Chanel's face immediately twisted. "No."
"And?"
"And that bitch knows not to call me either."
I laughed.
"Chanel."
"What? She does."
Armani shook her head. "You still mad?"
"Hell yeah, I'm still mad. That's nasty. Your best friend's sister's man? Out of everybody walking around Broward County?"
"Exactly," Armani said.
Chanel looked at me. "And I don't care what nobody says. She knew exactly what she was doing."
"I know." And I did know, but so did Kyrie.
"Then had that nigga at her house like shit was sweet."
"Chanel."
"What?"
"You already punched him."
"And I'll do it again."
I laughed.
"Please don't."
"No promises."
Armani looked at her. "Your little ass gonna end up in jail."
"Then come get me."
"No." Armani laughed.
"You wouldn't bail me out?"
"Nope."
Chanel looked at me.
"Sis?"
"Don't look at me."
"Wow."
I laughed as she folded her arms.
"Fake-ass sisters."
"Yet you begged to come see my penthouse."
Her attitude disappeared immediately. "I didn't say I didn't love y'all."
We all started laughing again. For the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt normal. Just me and my sisters talking shit, laughing too loud and getting on each other's nerves. I missed this.
"Oh, I forgot to tell y'all. Daddy's going to rehab."
Both of their smiles disappeared.
Armani sat up. "What?"
"He told me at the hospital he wants to go."
"Kevin?" Chanel asked.
I looked at her. "How many daddies we got?"
"I'm just making sure because Daddy has been talking about getting clean forever."
"I know, but this time felt different."
Armani studied me. "You believe him?"
"I want to."
"That's not what I asked."
I sighed. "I don't know, Mani. But I hope he means it."
Chanel got quiet. "I hope so too."
"So who's paying for it?" Armani asked.
"Jokah."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Jokah?"
"Yeah. I didn't even ask him. Daddy told him he wanted to go, and Jokah offered to pay for it."
Armani slowly nodded. "Damn."
"What?"
"Nothing. That man just be fixing shit."
I smiled. "He does."
Chanel leaned back in her chair. "Okay, Joaquin."
"Girl, don't start."
"I'm just saying. Fine, rich, got a penthouse, and sending Daddy to rehab? You better keep that nigga."
I laughed. "That's the plan."
By the time we made it back downstairs, the elevator was coming up.
"Somebody coming?" Chanel asked.
"Jokah."
"How you know?"
"Who else would it be?"
The elevator doors opened a few seconds later.
Jokah stepped off, dressed in all black with his keys in one hand and his phone in the other. His eyes went from me to Armani, then Chanel.
"Ahh hell. The dam sisters done took over my house," he chuckled.
I smiled. "Our house."
Armani's eyebrows went up.
Chanel looked between us. "Ohhhh."
Jokah looked at me. "You’re right baby. My bad."
“That’s what I thought.” I grinned.
Jokah stared at me for a second before that slow grin spread across his face. "A’ight. You got it babes."
Chanel leaned toward Armani. "She got him trained."
"I heard you," Jokah said.
Chanel immediately straightened up. "I didn't say nothing."
"You just did."
Armani laughed.
Jokah walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my waist before kissing me.
"What's up, baby?"
"Nothing. I was showing them around."
"I see."
Chanel smiled. "Your house nice."
"Thank you."
"And the rooftop pool?"
"What about it?"
"Can we come swimming?"
Jokah looked at me.
"Why she asking me like she don't got a sister that lives here?"
I grinned. Hearing him say it again did something to me. This wasn’t just his place anymore. I live here too.
Chanel looked at me. "See! I told you."
"Girl, shut up."
Jokah released me and headed toward the kitchen. "Y'all hungry?"
Chanel answered before anybody else could.
"Yes."
Armani looked at her. "You stay hungry."
"I didn't ask you."
Jokah opened the refrigerator.
"What y'all want?"
Chanel followed him.
"What you got?"
I laughed. "Chanel, get out that man's refrigerator."
"He asked!"
"Let her look," Jokah said.
"Thank you, Joaquin."
Jokah slowly turned his head.
I froze.
Armani covered her mouth.
Chanel looked between all of us.
"What?"
Jokah stared at her. "Who told you that?"
Chanel pointed directly at me. "Kaior."
"Snitch!" I yelled. “You in here talking about me.”
"What? I'm not taking the blame for that!"
Armani lost it.
Jokah looked at me.
"You telling everybody my government?"
"They're my sisters!"
"That ain't everybody business."
Chanel smiled. "Joaquin is cute."
"Ain't shit cute about me."
I immediately grinned.
"Babies are cute. You're handsome. I know."
His eyes narrowed.
"Keep playing."
I laughed.
Armani looked between us. "Y'all are annoying."
"And cute," Chanel added.
Jokah shook his head and went back to the refrigerator. And I just stood there smiling. This was different. My sisters in the kitchen. Jokah home with us. Everybody laughing and talking shit. This truly felt like home.
“Babe, you cooking?”
“I didn’t plan on it.”
“Okay, well order something.” He pulled out his wallet and passed me an American Express card.
Chanel’s nosey ass snatched it from my hand. “Oh, he got money, money, credit and he fine.”
Armani laughed. “Give that girl his card back.”
“I’m just looking!” Chanel held it up to the light. “Damn, sis. I’m proud of you.”
“Proud of me for what?”
“Securing your future.”
We all fell out laughing, Jokah included. Yeah, this was definitely home.