Chapter 20 #2
Those were the vibes I got from her. Seemingly, Monique was a person with a lot of love to give.
Suddenly I understood what Kain meant when he said Monique not liking me was unlikely.
When she finally let me go, she immediately went for her brother, giving him a hug that was somehow even more tender.
It wasn’t long before Sanaa pulled me into a hug as well, while Monique was asking Kain something I couldn’t quite hear.
“I’ll shake your hand,” Cierra specified, reaching out for my hand, keeping her distance.
I nodded, accepting her hand with poise.
Once Cierra got a moment with her brother, unlike her other sisters who’d given hugs, she socked him in the shoulder as hard as she could.
“Why have you got Amir doing all your shit this week?”
“Hey, don’t hit him!” Sanaa cut in protectively.
Monique nodded in agreement, stepping between them.
I bit back a smile, endeared at the sight of Kain’s older sisters jumping to his defense like they were protecting a child.
This was cute. Nevermind that Kain didn’t even seem to be fazed by the blow.
Kain pressed his lips together in an effort not to smile. “I needed the time off, and he was willing.”
Cierra scoffed, “I haven’t seen him all week because of you.”
“You saw Amir at Uncle Vance’s party,” Sanaa challenged. “I saw both of you. Together. Going upstairs in the middle of—”
“That’s not the point—”
“Speaking of which,” Monique talked over Cierra. “I didn’t see you at the party, K. Where were you Monday night?”
I watched Kain’s eyes wander as he strolled down memory lane, his mind going back to Monday night. A half smile lit up his features and he glanced at me before responding.
He wouldn’t…
“Don’t worry about it, Mo. I’m here now, and I’ll pay Vance a visit eventually.”
“You mean… You still haven’t seen him yet?
” Cierra was outraged. “Wow, you’re a real piece of work, Kain.
Uncle Vance was asking where you were the whole night.
” If this information disturbed Kain at all, I couldn’t tell from the calmness of his features.
Cierra might’ve punched him again if Monique wasn’t in her way. “Ugh, you fucking robot!”
“You really should pay him a visit as soon as you can,” Monique persuaded with a softer voice. “You know you were always his favorite.”
Sanaa finally spoke, voice light with cheer, cutting into the tension. “You guys, we look so dysfunctional to Lauren right now. Come on. Dinner. Let’s get started.”
The night went on, and the mood had lightened significantly.
Dessert was being separated when Monique expressed how the evening would’ve been just perfect if Petra was able to make it.
Petra was the only one of Kain’s four sisters who I hadn’t met yet.
According to Kain, she lived in Memphis.
From the way Monique spoke about her, I could tell that was the sister she was closest to, similar to how Cierra and Sanaa seemed to be closer.
At age thirty-three, Petra was the second oldest, only a year younger than Monique, eight years older than Sanaa, ten years older than Cierra, and a little over twelve years older than Kain.
“We should just call her,” Cierra expressed, pulling out her phone. “The last time all of us were together like this was for my birthday.” She glanced at Kain, who was sitting beside me. “Well… most of us.”
Everyone let out a sigh, the oldest two sisters rolling their eyes.
“I’ll call her,” Monique offered, pulling out her own phone.
Kain leaned in closer towards my ear while Monique’s phone rang. “Not as scary as you thought, huh?” His voice was just loud enough so that only I heard him.
I turned to face him, meeting his eyes less than an inch from my own face. Returning his smile, I posed, “If I call my parents tomorrow, you have to pay your uncle a visit. Deal?”
“That’s fair.”
“Hey Momo!” The sound of a new voice echoed throughout the room, calling my attention away from Kain. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Petra Montgomery’s Memphian accent was reminiscent of Kain’s, but much thicker.
“Guess who we just met!” Monique’s tone was excited.
“Just tell me.”
“Kain’s girlfriend. And she’s so stinkin’ precious.”
The part of that statement which caught Petra’s attention was, “Wait—is Kain with you right now? Daddy’s been tryin’ to get a hold of him since he flew in a few days ago.”
“Hey, what’s Daddy doing in Tennessee?” Cierra asked, apparently hearing this for the first time.
“Laz’s funeral was yesterday,” Sanaa reminded. “Auntie Rochelle asked Daddy to give the eulogy.”
“Why?” Cierra made a face. “As if Daddy was ever close enough with Lorenzo to do something like that.”
Kain and I exchanged a brief knowing look.
Sanaa was stumped by Cierra’s point. “You know what? I don’t know why either. She just wanted him to do it.”
From Monique’s phone Petra’s voice sounded again. “Tell Kain to call Daddy. And take a picture of the girlfriend for me. I’m excited to see her.”
The call concluded, and Monique asked me for permission with her eyes, raising her phone’s camera. Before I could protest, Kain was already on it.
“Mo, don’t.” He blocked the camera lens. “I can’t let you take a picture of her.”
Monique’s eyebrows came together with several unspoken questions.
“Are you in witness protection, or something?” Cierra asked me, an edge of sarcasm in her tone.
“Something kinda like that, yeah,” Kain met her sarcasm head-on, finally beginning to lose his patience with her attitude for the first time tonight.
“Witness protection, eh?” Sanaa played along. “So, is your real name Lauren?”
I nodded, my skin starting to feel prickly and hot.
“And what did you say your last name was?” Monique asked curiously, a single brow climbing.
“She didn’t,” Kain rebuffed, thwarting the question.
Cierra sat back in her seat, a smile stretching across her face.
“Okay, now this is getting interesting.” The fair-skinned woman shot her younger brother a suspicious look.
“Why can’t Monique take a picture of your girlfriend, Kain?
And how come she freaked out when Sanaa tried to take a picture of her when we met her at Designer Greens?
” Cierra shot me a skeptical look. “That’s right, I didn’t forget.
” Remembering something, Cierra also added, “And her last name is Caplan. I know her twin sister.”
I could hear my heart thumping in my ears.
“Caplan,” Monique repeated my last name to herself. “You mind spelling that for me?” she asked me.
Don’t be weak.
“C-A-P-L-A-N.” I looked at Kain as I spelled it. Even if I didn’t, it was only a matter of time before Cierra spelled it anyway. Kain set a reassuring hand on my lap. Without words, he was letting me know he had my back no matter what.
“Thanks, sweetie,” Monique replied, typing my name into a search on her phone.
“Hmm, okay. Lauren Caplan. I found your LinkedIn profile.” She giggled.
“Freshman at University of Miami, double majoring in Microbiology and Psychology. Hmm… So are you aiming for medical school?” she asked after reading through my résumé.
“I am.”
“Oh, no way,” Monique smiled at me. “I’m a trauma surgeon at Jackson Memorial. If you ever need a letter of recommendation, or anything… I got you.”
Something about her words reminded me of the first night Kain and I met when I offered Kain a letter of recommendation for law school from my father. Feeling a little déjà vu, I wondered if the big reveal of my identity was coming in the same way Kain’s came that night.
Monique looked through her search results some more and when her eyes slightly widened, I knew. That was when I knew she’d found the truth.
“Ohhh,” she said out loud, eyes raising from her phone and glancing at Kain. “This makes sense. Ladies,” she addressed her sisters, “Lauren’s father…” I held my breath, looking down at my lap. “…is police chief.”
My eyes shot up at the sound of Monique’s lie.
“I bet you’re nervous as hell about word getting out that you’re dating a Montgomery,” Monique sympathized. “Especially considering what your father does for a living.”
The lie was not going to last, but it would get me through the rest of this dinner. Monique shot me a knowing look over her phone. It didn’t escape my notice that while she was doing me a huge favor, her warm demeanor had iced slightly.
“Your dad is a cop?” Cierra questioned from her seat, shooting Kain a look. “You’re dating a cop’s daughter?”
No. Worse.
As if Kain read my mind, he replied, “It’s not the worst thing that could happen.”
True. State attorney’s daughter was a hundred times worse.
“Oh, this just won’t work…” Cierra spoke slowly.
Sanaa, despite this new information, rushed to my defense. “Of course it will. Look at how they look at each other. Look at how happy Kain is.” Sanaa looked at Monique for backup.
Monique didn’t say anything.
“It’s getting late.” Monique set her phone down on the table.
“I have a long shift at the hospital first thing in the morning, and I really should get home.” It was only nine o’clock.
“It was nice meeting you, Lauren. Hopefully we can meet up again some…” Monique couldn’t finish that sentence. “I’ll see you soon, Kain.”
There was a heaviness in my stomach as I watched Kain’s oldest sister grab her purse and keys from the kitchen before returning back to the dining table for her phone.
I wondered if this level of discomfort was how Kain felt during that encounter with my father a month ago.
Just as Monique reached for her phone, it began to vibrate against the table.
“It’s Daddy,” Monique announced, looking at the screen.
“Don’t answer it,” Kain insisted. “Petra probably told him I was with you, and I’m not in the mood.”
Monique was looking at me when she said, “I wasn’t going to answer it.”