21. Van
Van
My mama was standing in her kitchen wrapping a whole pumpkin pie in foil when I walked in. I looked at the pie, then at her. “You didn't have to give me the whole thing.”
“You the one told me to save enough for your friend.”
“I said save her some.”
Mama pressed the foil down around the edges. “And I saved her some.”
I knew that tone well enough to leave it alone. Even after all the chaos at the pumpkin patch, I still wanted Lee to try one. We never got around to picking out a pumpkin and making it together like we planned, so when I saw Mama baking for Thanksgiving, I asked her to save a slice for Lee.
“Tell her I said I hope she likes it.”
“I will.”
Mama handed me the pie. “Maybe around Christmas you can bring her by. I’ll give her the recipe.”
I looked at her. “Mama.”
“What? You said the girl wanted to learn how to make one.”
“She do.”
“Then bring her.”
I shook my head, laughing, and headed for the door.
My phone was already in my hand by the time I got to the truck.
You home?
Lee answered a minute later.
Yeah.
Can I stop by? I got a surprise for you.
There was enough time between that message and her reply for me to picture her staring at the screen suspicious as hell.
Yeah, come on.
I put the pie on the passenger seat and headed her way. I hadn’t seen her since New Orleans. We had talked some, mostly texts here and there, but I knew better than to be all in her face every day. She had enough going on without me adding myself to the list.
When I pulled into her driveway, her Mercedes was in the garage. I grabbed the pie, went up to the door, and rang the bell. Lee opened it wearing leggings and an oversized T-shirt, her hair pulled up and no makeup on. She looked comfortable, different from New Orleans but good all the same.
Her eyes dropped to the pie in my hands, then came back to me before she started laughing.
I frowned. “What?”
“This the surprise?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong with my surprise?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head, still laughing. “I just… I don’t know what I thought you was bringing over here, but it damn sure wasn’t no pie.”
I looked down at it. “See, this why I don’t do nice stuff for people.”
“No, I like it. Come in.”
She stepped aside, and I followed her into the house.
Basketball Wives was playing on the television, but the volume was low enough that whoever was arguing on there sounded like background noise. Lee led the way into the kitchen, and I put the pie on the counter.
She looked at it again. “After that whole pumpkin patch mess, I figured I wasn’t never getting this pie.”
“My mama made some for Thanksgiving. I asked her to save you some.”
Lee stopped reaching for the plates and looked at me. “She saved me the whole thing?”
“Yeah. She extra like that.”
Lee smiled as she grabbed two plates and forks. “Well, tell your mama I appreciate her.”
“Taste it first. You might need to thank her twice.”
“Don’t hype it up.”
She cut herself a slice and took a bite, chewing slow on purpose while I waited for her verdict.
“Well?”
She took another bite before answering. “Okay. This actually good.”
I lifted my brows. “Actually?”
“Don’t get excited. Sweet potato still better.”
“See, now you just saying anything.”
“I said it was good. What else you want from me?”
“For you to admit pumpkin pie better.”
“You might as well go home now.”
I laughed and leaned against the counter while she took another bite, and that was when she finally noticed my shirt. Her eyes dropped to my chest, and her fork paused halfway to her mouth.
“Hold on.”
“What?”
She pointed straight at my chest. “I know damn well you ain’t walk in my house with that Auburn shirt on.”
I looked down at myself. “What’s wrong with Auburn?”
The look on her face made me laugh before she even answered.
“Please don’t tell me you serious.”
“Please don’t tell me you an Alabama fan.”
“Roll Tide.”
I shook my head. “Oh, hell nah.”
“I knew something was wrong with you.”
“You the one standing here eating my mama pie while disrespecting Auburn.”
“Your mama pie ain’t got nothing to do with your bad decisions.”
I laughed. “But you still eating it.”
“And I’m finna keep eating it.”
I liked talking to Lee. She could turn damn near anything into an argument, but somehow I usually ended up laughing. I had only planned to drop the pie off, and I was still standing in her kitchen arguing about football.
My phone buzzed on the counter with a text from Malcom asking where I was. I checked the time and realized I had stayed longer than I meant to.
“Aight, I gotta get going in a minute. My boy Malcom got everybody coming over to watch the game.”
“Good. Take that ugly shirt with you.”
I laughed. “Keep talking. We’ll see who talking after the game.”
She laughed and carried her plate toward the living room.
I followed her out of the kitchen, then remembered the other reason I had been meaning to stop by.
“Speaking of my boy, I meant to tell you something.”
Lee sat down on the edge of the couch and looked up at me. “What?”
“Remember in New Orleans when you told me you been having trouble finding somewhere to do nails?”
Her face changed a little. “Yeah.”
“Malcom got a barbershop. He got some space in the back he ain’t doing nothing with. It ain’t fixed up, but it’s big enough for what you were talking about.”
She set her plate down. “Okay.”
“I asked him if he’d be willing to rent it out. He said if you wanna come look at it, y’all can talk.”
Lee stared at me. “You asked him about me?”
“Yeah.”
Her eyebrows went up. “For real?”
I nodded. “For real.”
She sat forward. “What about my record?”
“He don’t care. Long as you pay your rent and don’t have people fighting in his shop, he straight.”
“I won’t have people fighting.”
I looked at her.
She caught it. “What?”
“I didn't say nothing.”
“You ain’t have to.”
I shrugged. “You do have a lot going on.”
She pointed toward the pie. “See, this why your pie about to go in the trash.”
“You already ate some.”
Lee lifted one shoulder. “And?”
I laughed.
Lee picked her plate back up. “Where the shop at?”
“Off Stanton, not too far from Government. I’ll text you the address.”
“How much he want for it?”
“That’s between you and him. I ain’t negotiating your rent.”
“Good, because I wasn’t asking you to.”
I nodded. “That’s what I figured.”
She looked down at the pie for a second before looking back at me.
“Thank you.”
“Ain’t nothing.”
“It is to me.”
I shrugged. “You said you were trying to get back working. I knew Malcom had that space. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
She had only mentioned it once, but I remembered how frustrated she sounded talking about owners changing their minds as soon as they saw her record. Calling Malcom hadn’t cost me anything, and if the space worked for her, even better.
“For real, Van. I appreciate you.”
“I got you.”
Lee got quiet after that and looked down at her hands. When she looked back up at me, she had that look like she was trying to decide whether to say something.
“Van…”
“What’s up?”
She hesitated long enough for me to know there was something there, but then she shook her head. “Never mind.”
I looked at her for a second. “You good?”
“Yeah. I’m good.”
I didn’t believe that, but I wasn’t finna stand there dragging something out of her she clearly wasn’t ready to say. If she wanted me to know, she’d tell me.
I checked the time on my phone. “Aight, I gotta roll before I miss kickoff.”
That got her back to picking at me. “Go watch Auburn lose.”
“Keep talking.”
I grabbed my keys and headed for the door while she called after me.
“And tell your mama that pie was good.”
I stopped with my hand on the knob and looked back at her. “Good?”
Lee rolled her eyes because she already knew what I was doing. “Really good.”
“Better than sweet potato?”
“Boy, get out my house.”
I laughed. “See you later, Lee.”
“Bye, Van.”
I headed out to my truck, and before I pulled off, I sent her the shop information.
1847 Stanton Ave. Shop called Crown & Clippers. Malcom will be there Monday after 10.
I tossed my phone in the cup holder and backed out of the driveway.
I really hoped the spot worked out for Lee.
She wasn’t sitting around waiting on somebody else to figure things out for her.
She was trying to get back working and handle things her own way.
I respected that. And truthfully, I wanted to see her win.