Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“You’re more than welcome. I was afraid I’d be late comin’ here due to work obligations, but at the last minute, it all worked out. That’s why I sent the basket early. Just in case.”
“Yes, I’m sure they keep you busy in that office, Roman. Genesis here tells me that you’re always on call. Tony is too, just differently I suppose. She said sometimes you’re gettin’ calls at four in the morning, late into the night.”
“Yes ma’am, that’s true, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. No pun intended. I love my job.”
“I’m so pleased with you, Roman. You and Tony have both made me proud. I’ve seen you grow so much over the years. You are hard workers and care about your families. Genesis does too. She’s a smart cookie with a kind heart. That’s just one of many reasons I had no qualms with you now dating my daughter. You’ve been a second son to us.”
“Thank you. The feelin’ is mutual. I appreciate that.”
Mrs. Caldwell was still as graceful as she’d been when he’d met her many years ago. The middle-aged woman was quite attractive with dyed short ash blond hair that was buzzed and cropped close to her head, kind espresso eyes, and a long, elegant neck wrapped with a string of pearls. Genesis’ father entered the kitchen dressed in jeans and a green sweatshirt. He plucked a grape from the fruit basket, tossed it in his mouth, then opened the refrigerator to grab a beer. He turned to look Roman up and down, his face tight like a batter’s mitten.
“Who the hell are you? I’m callin’ the police.”
“Daddy!” Genesis laughed. “Stop it.”
“Roman!” Genesis’ father enveloped Roman in his arms and squeezed, just as her mother had done. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you!” The man stood back, patting his arms. “You and Tony used to be at our old house a lot!”
“Yeah, we were. We had—”
“Where in the world was I when all of these visits were takin’ place?” Genesis put her hand on her hip. “I don’t ever recall seein’ Roman around the old house.”
“Oh, Genesis,” her mother piped up. “You always had some after school stuff going on, and sometimes they’d be here when you were asleep or sleeping over one of your friends’ houses. Roman slept over a few times, too, but he may have been gone before you even saw him.”
“How in the world could this be?” Genesis looked genuinely confused.
“I saw you one time,” Roman offered. Everyone turned in his direction. “It was just the back of you, though. You were walkin’ into your bedroom.” She nodded, took her father’s beer from his hands and opened it for him before handing it back. “Speakin’ of Tony where is he?” he asked.
“He had to fly to Dayton, Ohio, of all places. Business.”
“That’s right. He told me a few days ago he may have to attend some convention,” Roman recalled. “I bet he—”
“Roman, let me get you somethin’ to drink, sweetie,” Genesis offered.
“Thank you, baby.”
He didn’t miss how everyone drew quiet when Penny entered the kitchen. Her long chestnut colored hair was tucked behind her ears, and she looked stern, a bit angry even. With arms crossed, she walked past and stood at a large table laden with sugar cookies, cheeses, and raw veggies. She selected a plate and began picking with the food. Genesis’ nieces and nephew came in, and the mood became instantly less cold as Tony and Genesis’ father started to play with and tickle them, while his wife jokingly chastised him about roughhousing in the kitchen.
Accepting a beer bottle from Genesis, Roman took a swig and kissed her on the cheek, then the mouth. She smiled up at him, hugged him, and urged him for another. ‘Slide’, by Boney James, filled the home with jazzy rifts. Time passed and he made his way outside to the fire pit. Several others were out there sitting and laughing close to the tiki torches and string lights—golden balls of illumination. The sun had gone down a while ago, making the evening’s stars pop against the midnight sky.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an African American woman dressed in a blue and white striped jumpsuit, holding a glass of white wine in her left hand, and supporting a small plate of green grapes and white cheese in her right. She was easy on the eye, appealing and brainy looking with her auburn hair that swept over her shoulders, and blue rimmed glasses that danced on the end of her narrow nose. But she had an air about her … as if she were scoping him out. Sizing him up. Seeing if he measured up. She didn’t appear mean, yet also not friendly. He could tell from her vibe that she had something important on her mind, and as Genesis came and went, laughing and playing co-host alongside her mother, he mingled with her family members all on his own.