Page 47 of Honey's Special Roux

BOOM.

The sound of the front door being kicked in downstairs had my senses heightened. My gut told me whatever was coming would be serious.

“What’s wrong?”

I lifted my hand to my lips. “Go into the closet and close the door. Put on some clothes.”

She shook with fear but listened to my instructions. I quickly pulled on my clothes from earlier and grabbed my gun from the bedside table. I made sure the gun had a full magazine, and I stood a safe distance from the door. I would go down with a fight.

You just proposed to Honey. You don’t need to scare her with a gun show.

I placed the gun on the bedside table and sat on the foot of the bed. I crossed my hands together and braced for the impact.

BOOM.

SWAT entered the room with guns aimed at me. My heart sank. All the hard work I’d done to get out of the game, and my bad deeds had caught up with me, anyway. Defeat washed over me. No matter how much I tried to run from this ending, it found me. My mind reeled with possible snitches. Could it have been one of Gee’s people in an act of revenge? Could it be someone from Merlot’s Cartel?

All I knew was the judge was about to make an example out of me.

Six yearslater

“Welcome to the show, award-winning chef, mother, and friend, Honey Hix!” LeAnn introduced me to the audience.

LeAnn had a popular daytime television show that aired all over the world. The studio was in Los Angeles, California, and always had millions of viewers tuned in every week.

I stepped out onto the set with my natural hair in loose curls down my back. I wore a brown and white sundress with white heels and jewelry to complete the look. The crowd cheered as I gave her a tight hug and claimed my seat on the couch beside her chair.

“Thank you for having me, LeAnn. I’ve been trying to get a spot on the best show on television for years, y’all.”

The crowd laughed.

“Girl, please. With your booked and busy schedule, it took us forever to fit on that press tour.” LeAnn showed her perfect white teeth.

LeAnn was a country bumpkin who had gained her fame from viral YouTube videos. The executives in Hollywood said she was the type of personality to give to middle-aged people who watched daytime television, and they were right. She was on the third season of her show and had won three Emmys.

“I’m here now, and the love is incredible. Hey, Granny. Hey, the rest of the family,” I said into the television.

Every time I appeared on television, I made it a goal to shout out my favorite lady and the family. The family would always tune in, no matter what they were doing.

The last few years of my life had been hectic. The night Marquise got arrested, I took the engagement ring off and cut all ties with him. I was not built to hold down a man in jail. I had to put myself and my child first.

I took up Courtney’s offer to go to LA with her. It was the best decision I’d ever made. Now, I worked at a high-end restaurant when I wasn’t traveling the globe to promote my cookbooks. I stamped my passport with trips to Japan, Australia, England, and France. Not to mention I’d been to almost every state in the US.

I made a lot of money and made sure my baby was by my side through it all. My heart in human form was my biggest motivation. Quis. Quis Hix, my smart and spunky six-year-old. He was the spitting image of his father. From the low-cut fade to the thick eyebrows and freckles across his nose and cheeks.

“We have a few questions. You know when folks come to LeAnn’s house, we got to get the tea, chile.”

“Of course. Hit me with whatever you’ve got.”

She flipped through her notecards and smirked before she read the question. “How important is family to you?”

“Easy. Family fuels everything I do. I solidified my village at a young age. If it wasn’t for my grandmother’s amazing gifts in the kitchen, I wouldn’t be here today. She taught me everything I know. I was helping with family dinners since I could hold a spoon in my hand.”

“I love that so much. Did you pass down the love of cooking to your son?”

I smiled. “Quis loves to eat, but he is not a fan of cooking with mommy. He’s more into coloring dinosaurs than making my famous roux.”

“Y’all, listen to me good when I say Honey’s roux is to die for. I followed the recipe in her cookbook and had my husband begging me to make the dish again.” LeAnn’s smile was contagious.

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