30
Keisha
I wanna go with Mommy and Auntie Keisha.” Wearing her tutu and red hat, Bella stood in the middle of the kitchen, her arms crossed and her eyes spitting smoke.
“We talked about this, Bella.” Gabrielle stood at the dishwasher, unloading the breakfast dishes while Mauricio sat next to me, the newspaper spread before him on the counter. Gabrielle continued, “We’re going to a grown-up lunch.”
“So?” She stuck her bottom lip out farther than I thought possible. “I’m grown-up.”
While both Gabrielle and Mauricio frowned, I thought this was hella funny. She was exactly like I imagined Nzuri would be.
As quickly as that thought came, I shook it away. I wouldn’t be able to breathe if Nzuri was in my mind.
Slipping from the bar stool, I knelt in front of Bella. “You want to go to a grown-up lunch, but I wish I were going to a little-girl lunch.” I sighed as dramatically as I could.
She tilted her head. “Why?”
“Because little girls have way more fun at lunch.”
She squinted, doubting my words.
I said, “At a grown-up lunch, I have to eat Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and liver with lots of onions . . .”
“Yuck!” Her nose creased.
“But at a kids’ lunch, there’s hamburgers and french fries and ice cream and maybe even a toy, like at McDonald’s.”
There were three pairs of wide eyes on me, though only one pair was filled with joy.
“McDonald’s!” Bella cheered. “We never go to McDonald’s. Can I go to McDonald’s?” She turned to her parents and pressed the palms of her hands together. “Please?”
Gabrielle and Mauricio took matching deep breaths, and then he spoke. “Sure,” he said, though he sounded like he still hadn’t exhaled. Now he knelt down. To Bella he said, “We’ll have lunch”—he cringed as he continued—“at McDonald’s.”
Bella and Mauricio cheered together, and I glanced at Gabrielle, who rolled her eyes, but then she smiled and nodded.
Gabrielle said, “After lunch, why don’t we come back here and watch lots of movies with lots of popcorn.”
There were more cheers from Bella, and Mauricio gave her a high five.
He said, “Yay, Bella day!”
Now we all cheered.
Bella hugged her parents, then me, before Gabrielle and I rushed out. Gabrielle made plans for us to meet Elijah at noon, and really, I didn’t know why Bella couldn’t come with us. I was sure Elijah would want to see her as much as she seemed to love being around him.
But I asked no questions—I didn’t even ask where we were going. I just hopped into the Lexus and went along for the ride.
As I rode, the streets looked familiar and it didn’t take long to figure out we were somewhere in Beverly Hills. As much as Gabrielle came to this part of Los Angeles, I wondered why she and Mauricio didn’t just live up here. I got living by the beach; that was cool. But Beverly Hills? Living here would be lit. And then, I had a new thought—when I took Gabrielle’s place, that would be the one change I’d make. I’d live in Beverly Hills: me and Buck . . . and Bella.
That thought made me smile so hard as Gabrielle made a turn onto Santa Monica Boulevard, and then, a few blocks up, she slowed the car. When she stopped, I glanced up at the name of the restaurant: Crustacean.
Gabrielle gave the keys to the valet, and when we walked to the front door, Elijah stood waiting.
He hugged us, then said to Gabrielle, “The room is ready.”
Room? What kind of restaurant had rooms? But I didn’t say anything, like always. I just watched, like always.
The hostess greeted Gabrielle like she knew her, and then the woman led us up the staircase. We weaved through the maze of tables before the hostess stepped aside so that we could . . . enter a room.
I stepped inside, took one look across the table in the center, and shrieked.
With my hand over my mouth, I mumbled, “Oh my God,” a million times as I took a couple of quick steps toward Justus. But then I drew back, remembering what happened before.
But this time, he came to me. “Hey, sweetheart.” And then he pulled me into a hug.
Before he let go, he kissed my cheek, and I swore I would never wash my face again. While I stood there with my palm pressed to where his lips had been, Justus gave Elijah one of those brother-brother hugs, and then he turned to Gabrielle.
“Come here, beautiful.”
I stepped aside, not to give Gabrielle any extra room, but to watch the two. Just like the other day, Justus held her tight and held her close. He hugged her like Elijah wasn’t even standing there.
When his lips lingered on her cheek, I knew something was going on.
Justus’s arms were still around Gabrielle when he turned to me. “So, what’s up?”
I pressed both of my hands over my heart. “That’s what I wanna know.”
“Well”—Gabrielle smiled at Justus like he was her man—“I called Justus, told him about my sister, and he arranged all of this.” She spread her arms wide.
“Yeah,” Elijah said. “Then they called me. I hadn’t seen Tony in a little while—”
“Tony?” I frowned.
Justus chuckled. “Pops still calls me by my government name.”
Elijah said, “That’s not your government name. That’s the name your mama and your daddy—God bless their souls—gave you.” He shook his head. “Gabrielle says that same nonsense.”
They laughed, but I didn’t, and when Elijah noticed, he led me to the table like he wanted to make sure I was included.
As he pulled out a chair for me, Elijah said, “I’ve been knowing this boy since he was six.” Then he sat next to me. “Coming to my house, knocking on my door all the time asking if Gabby could come out to play.” Elijah shook his head at the memory.
Gabrielle and Justus joined us, and they chuckled at Elijah’s words.
Justus said, “Yeah, I knew back then she was gonna be my wife.”
Elijah laughed, Gabrielle sighed, and I made more mental notes, because this plot was surely thickening.
“But what I want to talk about”—Justus turned to me—“is you. When I heard that Gabby had a sister I couldn’t believe it.” He slapped Elijah’s back. “Pops, you been holding out on us.”
This time I smiled along with Gabrielle and Justus, but the smile faded away from Elijah.
Elijah’s voice was soft when he said, “I didn’t know about Keisha. If I had, she would’ve been in our lives.” His eyes were on me as he finished with, “But now, I’m going to make these years up to her.”
“Well, all right,” Justus said. As if his words were some kind of cue, the door opened and a guy wearing a white jacket and a chef’s hat came in. Now, I’d seen chefs on TV, but I didn’t think they dressed this way for real.
He must have been a big-time chef, too, because everyone (except for me) greeted him like he was the celebrity. He shook my hand and then hung around Justus’s chair asking silly questions like: Hasn’t the weather been great? And how ’bout them Dodgers?
I didn’t say anything after hello because he wasn’t the one I wanted to talk to. When the chef finally left with promises that the food would be out soon, I got right to it. “So you guys have been friends for a long time?”
Justus said, “Yup, we grew up in Venice, went to the same schools, and our folks were friends.”
Elijah and Gabrielle nodded.
“So, how did you become Justus?” I asked. “I mean, Elijah called you Tony.”
Gabrielle jumped in, “Oh, I can explain that—when we were in middle school, Justus started writing all kinds of rhymes. That’s all he ever did in class, in the library, when we were doing homework. This guy never even studied.”
“Why did I have to study when I could get the answers from you?”
They all laughed together again.
Justus said, “Seriously, though, rapping, singing was something I’ve wan
ted to do my whole life; I got lucky on the acting part.”
“Not lucky, son,” Elijah said. “You’re blessed.”
“True dat.” Justus turned back to me. “So, Keisha, tell me about you.”
What was I supposed to say about my life that would compare to his? I said, “I grew up in Arkansas.”
They waited for more, but when they realized that was all they were gonna get, Justus nodded.
He said, “Well, if you had to discover a new family, there aren’t people better than these two.” He pounded his fist against his chest. “These are my peeps, and I love them.” He spoke to me, but looked at Gabrielle.
The chef returned with a couple of waiters and filled the table with all kinds of dishes I’d never heard of, like Buddha rolls, seared ahi tuna, wok egg noodles. After Elijah blessed the food, we ate, and I listened to them share their good-ole-days stories.
Gabrielle talked about when they tricked a substitute teacher in middle school into sitting on a chair covered with glue.
“What?” Elijah frowned. “I didn’t know about this.”
Gabrielle and Justus busted out laughing. Then together, they said, “Oops.”
Then Justus shared his memory. “I took Gabby to both proms—our junior and senior.”
Pointing back and forth between them, I said, “So y’all were boyfriend and girlfriend?”
They nodded together as if they were still in sync.
Elijah laughed. “Let me tell you something, Keisha. When these two didn’t get married, it shocked the whole neighborhood, especially me. The first time he asked me if he could marry my daughter, they were thirteen. Then he asked me about thirteen thousand times after that.”
Through his own laughter, Justus said, “And she said no then, and every time since.”
As if she had to defend herself, Gabrielle said, “He was never serious.”
“How you gonna say that?”
“Not that it matters,” Elijah said, with more seriousness than laughter in his tone this time, “ ’cause she has a husband now.”
They laughed, but Elijah had shut down that part of the conversation. The talk turned to Justus: his appearance on The View and the success of his recent movie, Last Man Standing.
“I’m getting serious offers,” he said. “ ’Cause you know black actors don’t sell internationally. But Last Man . . .” He shook his head. “We tripled the domestic box office overseas.”
Elijah said, “Son, I’m so proud of you.”
With a nod, Justus dipped his head a bit.
Elijah glanced at his watch, then tossed his napkin onto the table. “As much as I’d like to hang out, I gotta go. Choir practice.” He looked back and forth between me and Gabrielle. “Y’all coming to church?”
After Gabrielle nodded, I did, too. It had been a long time since I’d stepped foot in a house of worship, but at least I could go to make Elijah happy and to thank God for my plan and for having me sitting here with Justus.
He hugged us, but the moment he walked out, Gabrielle said, “We need to get moving, too.”
“Wait.” Justus held up his hand. “I need to talk to you—a little business. Something important.”
Gabrielle pushed her plate aside, then glanced at me.
That made me burn. Was she going to treat me like that again? What was she going to do this time? Ask me to wait on the street?
Justus glanced at me. “Nah, Keisha can stay. I want her to.”
“Okay,” Gabrielle said. “What’s up?”
I was pissed that this guy I’d just met thought more of me than Gabrielle, but I kept that smile because her treating me as if I were not worthy—those days were coming to an end.
“You know I finished my first children’s book in that series and my literary agent got an offer.”
“Congratulations, you’re building your brand,” Gabrielle said. “This is gonna be great for you.”
Justus nodded. “The thing is, they’re not offering me all that much up front. They’re not convinced I can sell a children’s book.”
“What are they talking about?” Gabrielle and I said the same words at the same time.
He looked between the two of us. “Sisters.” Then he got right back to his business. “They don’t think children are gonna want to read a book from me.”
Gabrielle said, “Have they forgotten about LL Cool J and Will Smith?” She pulled her tablet from her purse. “I need to get some sales numbers so your agent can show these people.”
“I guess they’re thinking they’ve never seen me in that kind of environment.”
I said, “Well, why can’t we do something so they can see you that way?”
Both of their glances shifted to me.
“I don’t know, but maybe we can put together some kind of family event where you can greet people, sign autographs, and maybe even talk about your children’s books. Get everyone excited. And if we do it live on social media, it will get you publicity across the country.”
When their stares became blank, I wanted to shrink under the table. Why had I said anything? I shouldn’t be so anxious—I had to learn a little more before I could step into these shoes.
But then Justus gave me a slow smile and Gabrielle did, too.
That made me want to continue. “You’ll get a big crowd because the kids may not know you, but the parents will be the ones buying the books anyway. They’ll drag their kids there as long as it’s a family event.”
As I spoke, Justus kept nodding. He waited until I finished to say, “Where have you been all my life?” Turning to Gabrielle, he said, “That’s brilliant.”
She nodded. “It is.” And she beamed at me.
“You better watch out, beautiful. I might start a new PR firm with your sister. Call it Keisha’s PR.”
They laughed. Or rather, Justus chuckled, but Gabrielle folded over in a full-out belly laugh. As if that was either the funniest—or dumbest—idea she’d ever heard.
She spoke no words, but I heard her thoughts: This girl just came out of Arkansas. She’s my assistant, barely my sister.
I said, “If you think it’s a good idea, why don’t we do it?”
Justus nodded. “The thing is, we’re in negotiations now. It won’t do me any good in two or three months.”
“What about two or three weeks?” I asked. “I can think of lots of ways to promote this so in three weeks, we’ll have so many people, we’ll have to turn some away.”
He squinted. “Tell me more—what’re you thinking?”
I paused; he’d asked me, but I needed Gabrielle’s support, so I deferred to her. “I don’t know,” I said, even though there were a million ideas jumping inside my head. “What do you think?”
“My concern is pulling something off this quickly because of what’s on our plates right now.”
“I can do it. I can work on it full-time.” And then I rolled that back. “I mean, in between all the other work you have for me. As long as you tell me who to call, what to do. I can get this done and get it done well.”
Gabrielle said, “I don’t know . . .”
“Nah, let’s do it.” Justus overruled her and pointed his thumb toward me. “I’m with her. In fact”—he pulled out his phone—“let’s do some planning right now so that on Monday when you hit the office, you can get to running.”
I exhaled relief when Gabrielle scooted her chair closer to the table. She said, “Keisha, I hope you’re ready.”
Then we all leaned in. And with our heads almost touching, we brainstormed: on the date, the venue, what we would call the event, how we would advertise. As we talked, I had to press my legs together and hold my hands together, just to keep myself together. I couldn’t stop shaking. I was sitting here with Justus, planning an event for him. Justus talked to me like I was the one in charge.
With this idea, my plan for getting this life was just put . . . on . . . lock.
We were so intense, so focused, the heavy knock on the door s
tartled all of us. The guy, Smokey, who was with Justus the other day, peeked inside.
“Boss man, you about ready? It’s almost five.”
“Already?” Justus said.
Gabrielle glanced at her watch. “Oh, shoot. We have to get home.” She turned to me. “Remember, Bella day.”
“How is that little girl who was supposed to be mine?”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “Would you stop?” She pushed back her chair.
But I got another idea. “Justus, would you mind taking a picture with me? I mean, it would just be between the two of us. I won’t post it all over social media. But it would mean a lot.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’m not worried about that. We’re family now, and family looks out for family.”
We stood and the picture party began—selfies with me and Justus, then the three of us, then with Justus and Gabrielle. I took some candid shots of them—the best one: Gabrielle buckled over with laughter as Justus tickled her and kissed her at the same time. Good stuff.
It took Gabrielle too long to realize how much more time had passed, and when the dude knocked on the door again and said it was six, Gabrielle shrieked.
“We really have to go.”
After Justus hugged her and gave her a kiss (which I had a feeling would be much different if I hadn’t been standing there), Justus turned to me.
“I’m gonna give you my number, my email—heck, the key to my house.” He laughed; I didn’t. “We’ll work this to make Justus’s Family and His Friends the event of the fall. You in?”
I grinned. I didn’t get the hug and kiss that he’d given to Gabrielle; I got a fist bump, but that was good enough—for now. Justus was too old for me anyway, and what I needed from him had nothing to do with sex.
He walked us outside but didn’t wait for the valet to bring Gabrielle’s car. Instead, he hopped into a Cadillac SUV that was waiting, and then he got out of there before people recognized him.
It wasn’t until he drove away that I realized this had been the best day of my life.
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Envy Page 23