Page 53 of Smoke

Devin reached for my hand, and I walked over to give it to him. He led me out of the salon and to the parking lot.

“My car?”

“I’ll bring you back to your car,” he stated as we approached a beautifully restored Chevy Chevelle.

“This is your car?” I asked.

He chuckled as he opened the door for me. “I wouldn’t be driving anybody else’s, love. Yes, this is mine. I did all the work on it myself.”

“It’s nice.”

“Thank you.”

I slid onto the smooth peanut butter seats, surveying the car as he closed the door and rounded the driver’s side. The engine roared as he cranked up the car, making me smile.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked.

“My grandfather had one of these when I was a kid. He used to take me and my sister for rides on a dirt road in the countryside. We put the windows down and stuck our heads out while he sped down the road, kicking up dust. My mama used to be so mad when she had to wash our hair after that.”

“Ahhh… a country girl. I like that.”

I blushed. “Not a full country girl. Just partial. We spent weekends and breaks in the country with my grandparents. Every holiday, the whole family would gather at their place. It was always a house full.”

“Sounds like my people. It’s a vibe every time we link up.”

“I can tell y’all are close.”

“Closer than most, considering we’re all neighbors.”

“All of you live in the same neighborhood?”

“Something like that. We have a family compound.”

“Korri would love something like that, being able to walk out of our house and run next door to her aunt and grandparents. Do y’all have golf carts or something you ride around the compound on?”

“Actually, we do. It’s a big plot of land and a lot of us muthafuckas on it. Nobody is walking that shit.” He looked over at me. “Maybe I’ll show you one day.”

“Oh, you all allow visitors?”

“We’re selective about who we bring around. Can’t be too careful.”

“I get that.”

“So… how is lil’ mama doing? I ain’t forget about her calling me a big nigga.”

I covered my mouth and laughed. “She’s good. I’m sorry about that.”

He grinned. “It’s cool. She called it like she saw it. Iama big nigga, especially to her little self.”

“How was your sister’s photo shoot? I never asked about that.”

“It went good. She’s excited to get them back. She’s also excited because I bought her a car for her birthday. Spoiled ass.”

“Something tells me you’re the reason she’s spoiled.”

“Well, it isn’t all on me, but yeah. I am. That’s my lil’ baby. If her brother has it, she has it.”

“I can see your own kids being spoiled as hell. Wait, do you want kids?”

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