Page 70 of Smoke

I chuckled to myself as I pulled back into traffic, thinking to myself wouldn’t me being a stepdaddy be some shit?

It had been quite a week,and I was happy that today was Friday.

All week long, I’d been watching Laurel. Devin put the thought in my head that something was up with her. She didn’t seem off in any way, but now that she was on my radar, I grew more and more suspicious of her. Every time I saw her on the phone, I wondered if she was talking to Patrick.

It would break my heart if she was the one telling him anything. Laurel was good at her job, and I could trust her to run things in my absence. If she turned out to be a snake… I just didn’t want to think about that.

I’d gotten to the shop early because I had an eight o’clock appointment for a wax, facial, and exfoliation for Korri’s grandma, Ms. Sherry. She and Mr. Daun were leaving to go on a cruise, and she said she needed me to get her right. I loved thatwoman. She’d always been so nice to me and treated me like a daughter, even after Corey’s death.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a car parked that didn’t belong to any of my staff. I didn’t think anything of it because I shared the parking lot with the barbershop next door. Looking around, I got out of my car and approached the back door I normally entered through.

After unlocking it, I headed inside to my office to put my things down. I checked my email and looked over the books before heading to the front to make sure everything was in order. I then headed into my suite to ensure I was stocked for the shift. As I checked my inventory, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw that it was Devin calling me. I smiled as I swiped the screen to answer.

“Good morning,” I said, cheerfully.

“Good morning, beautiful. You made it to work okay?”

“I did. I’m just getting ready for my client and stocking a few things. Why are you up so early?”

“I had something to take care of with the fam last night.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Oh. Was it?—”

“Nah. Not yet. This was a pressing matter out of town. We’re on the way back. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have any trouble.”

“I’m good.”

“How’s my new little friend?”

I giggled. “She’s good. She had a field trip today, so she’s excited about that. They are going toDisney on Ice. She loves music and Disney, so that’s right up her alley.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Y’all busy this weekend?”

“Not that I know of. Why?”

“I thought we could do something. You know, me and lil’ mama can get to know each other better.”

I liked that he was willing to include her. My weekends had been strictly reserved for my baby since all of this had been going on. It was nice that he realized spending time with me meant spending time with her.

“We can do something.”

“Bet. I should be back in time to bring you lunch?—”

“Look at this muthafucka here,” I heard in the background, followed by laughter.

“Y’all niggas can kiss my black ass,” Devin fired back.

I giggled. “I take it they aren’t used to you doing things like that?”

“Nah, they aren’t, and they love to be in my damn business. Anyway… I’m gonna see you later, okay, love?”

“Okay.”

We disconnected the call, leaving me smiling to myself. I was enjoying his company, and it wasn’t feeling so weird with me being pregnant and involved with him anymore. We got along well, and I sensed he was exactly who he portrayed himself as. Most of all, I felt safe with him at my side. There was nothing wrong with that.

Brushing off the thoughts, I put the phone down and went back to checking my inventory for this appointment. Noticing that I was out of towels, I left the office and headed to the basement. The washer, dryer, and the rest of the supplies were stored down there as well. As I opened the door, I could hear hushed voices talking at the bottom of the stairs. I froze. Who was in here, and how did they get in here? Footsteps approached the stairs, and I saw that it was Patrick.

“Patrick! How the fuck did you get in here!” I yelled.

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