Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
SUGAR BABY
“ T hat’s it?” I asked, feeling like my face looked as dumbfounded as I felt.
When I brought Tyreek home, I expected his parents to really go in on both of us. Of course, they expressed concern and frustration. What I didn’t expect was the calm understanding they had for both of us.
“Yes, that’s it,” Aunt Terry said with a smile.
“We appreciate the close relationship you two have,” Uncle Tony added.
“But there needs to be more consideration of our boundaries and respect for the fact that we’re his parents.
I love that he has you to go to when he can’t or doesn’t want to come to us, but I need you to make sure you use good judgment, Baby.
If things happen that effect his health, his life, his freedom, or his future . . . we need to know.”
“Yes, sir,” I agreed quickly.
“So this Cash,” Aunt Terry started. “Is he really going to pay for my boy to go to college? ”
“That’s what he said, Mama,” Tyreek replied, pulling his phone out. “And he might give me a job too. I’m supposed to go tour his distribution warehouse next week.”
My brows wrinkled and mouth dropped as envy filled me. “Hey, I wanna go too!”
“Well, you know what to do.”
The smug grin on Tyreek’s face made me roll my eyes.
He’d been adamant about me reaching out to Cash, but I hadn’t yet.
Even though I felt like he’d forgive me, I’d disrespected the man, and Cash wasn’t the kind of man that let anyone get away with disrespect.
I knew eventually that I’d have to reach out to him, but I definitely wasn’t in a rush to face the potential consequences of my actions. I did miss him though.
“Aunt Terry, can I talk to you?” I asked standing. “You can walk me to my car.”
“Sure, Baby,” she replied.
I gave Uncle Tony and Tyreek hugs, then we headed outside.
“What’s going on, Baby?” she asked the moment she closed the front door behind us, making me laugh.
“I wanted to see how you felt about this first before mentioning it in front of Uncle Tony, but I know you’ll want to talk to him about it before making your decision.”
“Decision about what?”
“Taking over my business.”
She stopped walking and grabbed my arm. “Why? Are you okay? You haven’t decided to go to Spain with your father, have you?”
“Absolutely not,” I rejected quickly through my chuckle. “I understand relationships are a joint effort, but seeing as that man has put forth no effort in I don’t know how long, I have no desire to try and connect with him. ”
Relief washed over her face and her body relaxed as she released my arm.
It made me feel good knowing she didn’t want me to go, as crazy as that may sound.
I’m sure it would have been easier for her to let me go if she felt like she could trust my father with me, but that wasn’t the case and hadn’t been for all of my life.
There were times depression consumed me and a heaviness rested on my chest knowing my only living parent was actively choosing not to be in my life.
The love I got from my mother while she was here made up for the lack of his.
I was at least grateful that he’d participated in the conception of me, but other than that, I didn’t feel anything toward my father—love, hate, or indifference.
I was numb, and I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.
“I just really wanna focus on my baking, Auntie. I know the money won’t be as good to start out, but it’s what I really want to do.”
“I understand. Have you considered opening a bakery near the beach like we discussed? I know you want to keep your business close to home, but I’m telling you, you’ll make more money out there. Or even in the office district. Maybe you could serve coffee and breakfast pastries too.”
“I was thinking about the beach finally. I didn’t really wanna leave the hood because it felt like I was turning my back on my people, but truthfully, they just aren’t my market. The only bakery they support is Bunny’s Butter Cookies.”
She laughed as I smiled at the unfortunate truth. When our neighborhood wanted something sweet, they went to the corner store or to get those cookies. The things I created were too creative for them.
“All the more reason for you to venture out. Now I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing all your gigs. You’ve gotta have income coming in while you make this transition.”
“I’m not worried about that. Cash made sure I’d be able to take a break from catering to focus on my bakery without even knowing it.”
The reminder of the six figures he’d gifted me with made me want to call him more. It combined with the money I had saved would take care of all my bills and leave me with a comfortable cushion for a year and a half if I budgeted right.
“He just sounds better and better. When will I be able to meet him?”
“I kind of have to make sure we’re okay first. When I saw Reek, I slapped Cash. I thought he’d beat him up.”
“Oh God. Well at least you didn’t shoot the man.”
I laughed as we finally started walking again toward my car. Everybody knew I didn’t play about my family, especially Tyreek.
“Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t have my little sunflower, or I’d be in a worse position now that I finally know the truth.
He’s been looking out for Reek this whole time.
And the fact that he didn’t do it to get close to me makes it even more worthy of my respect.
Cash hadn’t mentioned the conversations they’d been having or the app he’s trying to get together for him.
He really is a solid guy. A crazy and sometimes violent one, but a solid guy nonetheless. ”
“Well when you make things right with him, you bring him over so we can meet him.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I agreed as we hugged. “I’ll talk to y’all later. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Be safe, Baby. And thank you for letting me take over your business. Even if it is temporary, you trusting me and giving me something to occupy my days while making money means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“As good as you were and are to me, you know I’ll do anything for you, Auntie. And you’re helping me too. I don’t want to shut Sugar Baby Caters down, so you can run it for as long as you want even after I get the bakery set up.”
Her eyes sparkled as she clapped, and that made me even happier. I couldn’t wait to see how she showed out. Terry James-Humphreys had the food game on lock. She could literally do it all, but her soul food always felt like comfort for the soul and a hug for the stomach.
I waved as I got in the car, but before I drove off, I decided to stop being a baby and reach out to Cash.
The longer it took me to reach out to him, the longer it would take for us to get back to us.
Gently beating my head against the headrest, I pulled up our text thread.
I knew he wouldn’t reach out to me because of his godly relationship theories.
I groaned, hitting the button to dial his number. I held my breath as I waited for him to answer, and when the call went straight to voicemail, I realized this was probably going to be harder than I thought.