It's Complicated by Portia A. Cosby

Author:Portia A. Cosby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brown Girls Publishing

“No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.”

– Alice Walker

CHAPTER 14

BEHIND THE SHADES

Keyonna rushed to the door as the doorbell chimes rang through the house. She rose up onto her toes to look through the peep hole. With her friend in view, she started her happy dance and opened the door. “It’s about damn time you came to my city!”

“Shut up,” Venni said with a smile.

She walked in, and Keyonna set her luggage against the wall. “Welcome to Orlando, and to my shack.”

“Shack, my ass,” Venni replied as she looked up at the vaulted ceiling and admired the staircase with built-in bookshelves.

“Why did you get a cab? I thought Gabi was picking you up?”

“It wasn’t that serious. I told her I’d just meet her over here.”

Twelve-year-old Mya sprinted into the foyer with a cordless phone in her hand. She stopped to catch her breath and then gulped before she spoke. “Mom, can I go over Sydney’s house? She already asked her mom and she said it was okay. She said you can call her if you don’t believe me.”

“First of all….” Keyonna pointed to Venni.

Mya smiled sweetly. “Oh. Hi.”

Venni waved.

“That’s Miss Venni.”

“Hi, Miss Venni.”

“You must be Miss Mya. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Mya’s smile revealed the cutest little dimple in her left cheek.

Keyonna continued. “Now second of all, you need to go upstairs and get out of those sweaty clothes. You just got in from your game. What’s the big rush? Take a shower, comb your hair, and then we’ll talk about where you can go.”

Mya dropped her shoulders and sighed softly. “Yes, ma’am.” Her exit was much more subdued than her entrance as she moseyed down the hallway, barely lifting her feet.

“Whoa,” Venni said. “Those eyes.”

Keyonna raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Just like his. Right?”

“She’s the perfect combination of you two. Beautiful.”

Keyonna motioned for Venni to follow her into the kitchen. “Yeah. The trouble is I don’t know if I want her to have either of our personalities.”

Venni laughed. “You just don’t want her to make some of the decisions y’all made.”

“Yeah. That.” Keyonna poured two glasses of wine. “Here. It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

“You sound like G,” Venni said as she accepted the glass and smelled the drink. “So Mya plays ball? What position?”

“Point guard. And she’s good.”

“I love it. Where’s Jasmine?”

“Taking a nap in the den. I needed her little hyper self to hit the pillow before she got in trouble. Mya wasn’t rowdy like her when she was two. That girl is wearing me out. I blame Antonio.”

Venni laughed.

Keyonna sipped but stopped prematurely. “Wait. Where’s Lawrence?”

Venni raised her glass to her lips and took a long sip.

“That’s okay. I’ll wait.”

“I’m no longer Lawrence’s keeper. I don’t know where he is.”

“Say what? Y’all didn’t break up, did you?”

“Yep. That ship has sunk. I gave him his money back for the plane ticket and told him not to come.”

“Damn. Did he cheat or something?”

Before Venni answered, the doorbell rang again. Keyonna got up to answer it and came back with Gabriella.

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