Chapter 1 #3
My cousin and my sister gave each other a fist bump, previous conflict forgotten.
Granny eyed me, her light brown eyes assessing me thoughtfully. Shit, she knows.
As if my sister had read my mind, she whispered, “Oh shit, Wes. You’re in trouble.”
“Big trouble,” Hendrix cosigned.
Granny stood, setting her glasses down on the table and smoothing a hand over her salt-and-pepper hair.
Although she would be considered petite to an average observer, to me she seemed larger than life, taller than her five-foot-four frame.
I had never seen her frazzled or nervous.
She exuded confidence in everything. No hair out of place, no sign of a wrinkle in her clothes, no visible flaw in her appearance.
The years had been good to her. Dressed in a fitted navy pantsuit and white blouse, she looked closer to fifty-five than seventy-five with flawless mocha skin and a sassy short haircut.
I knew it had a lot to do with how she lived her life, always active.
Judging by her choice of shoes—a pair of blue Nike Air Max sneakers—she was planning a workout of some sort.
When she wasn’t on the golf course, she was walking in the park, doing yoga with her friends, and riding her Peloton in her home or office gym.
Granny ate clean, never ate fried food, and stayed away from liquor.
“Where’s Cyn?” one of my cousins asked. I didn’t bother looking to see which one had spoken because I didn’t care.
“She’s out of town,” Hendrix replied. “I’ll fill her in.”
“No need,” Granny said. “I’ll speak with Cynthia myself.” She cleared her throat. “This won’t take too long. I need everyone’s attention.”
The room descended into silence. It felt like five minutes, but it was more like two minutes of tense, uncomfortable quiet while we waited on Granny to say anything.
Jackson cleared his throat. “Do you need water, Granny?”
Granny shot him a sidelong glance. “If I needed water, I would have water.” She sighed.
“I’ve made some decisions about your future that I felt you should be aware of.
” Once again, Jackson opened his mouth to speak, but Granny shushed him.
She glanced at each of us again, but her gaze lingered on mine a little longer than the rest. “I’m not getting any younger.
I thought I raised my children to revere the sanctity of marriage, love, and family.
Yet, my only living son thinks it’s acceptable to have side chicks in multiple area codes.
And my daughters … One is content sleeping with the boy toy of the month and the other doesn’t have any children. ”
“What does this have to do with us?” Jackson’s sister, Amelia, asked.
Granny shot her a glare. “Do you have somewhere to be?” she challenged.
Amelia sunk low in her chair and shook her head. “No, ma’am.”
“That’s what I thought.” Granny rounded the table and stopped behind me.
She reached out and massaged my shoulders.
Hard. “Since they couldn’t be what I want, I decided it’s up to you.
I want all of you to settle down and get married.
” She dug her thumb into the back of my neck.
“I thought about making it a contingency upon my death, but I decided to make it a contingency while I’m alive.
” Granny gripped my chin and turned my attention to her.
“I hope you’ve had all your fun,” she whispered.
“Granny,” I mumbled, “I—”
But she walked away before I could get anything out. Once she made it back to her seat, she planted both hands on the table. “It’s simple. If I don’t see you walking down that aisle, you won’t be walking away with any of my money.”
The room erupted then, cousins talking over one another, all vying for the opportunity to be heard. I just sat there, staring at Granny.
“I’m not ready to get married,” Erica said, panic in her voice.
Granny sliced a hand through the air, effectively signaling to everyone to shut the hell up. “This isn’t up for a discussion. I said what I said. You’re dismissed.”
As my cousins scrambled to exit the room, I let out a sigh of relief. There was no way Granny would’ve dismissed me if she’d seen the post. So I grabbed my shit and practically sprinted out of the office, only to nearly collide with someone in the lobby.
“Sorry,” I grumbled. But when I glanced up, I was face-to-face with the one person I hadn’t expected to see.
Albany Keyes. I stared into beautiful eyes that I’d seen in my dreams more times than I’d ever dare to admit.
She was stunning, from her long, boho braids to her black oxford flats.
Every part of her was perfect—her smooth brown skin, full hips, long legs…
. It had been years, but she still had the same effect she’d always had on me.
With my heart beating out of control, I struggled to find words, to bring myself out of our shared past and into our distant present, but I couldn’t speak.
Albany spoke for me, though, when she averted her gaze and walked past me without a word.
Behind me, I heard Erica’s high-pitched, “Albany!” and nearly tripped over a chair that I swore wasn’t there a minute ago, in my haste to get the hell out of there.
Granny’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “One more thing …”
Shit. I sucked in a deep breath and turned to meet Granny’s hard glare.
She approached me slowly. “Fix it or find another job.”