Tareef (The Brothers Ali Book 4) by Celeste Granger

Author:Celeste Granger [Granger, Celeste]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-16T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter seventeen

Two Weeks Later

Although her mother had some ups and downs over the past few weeks, Ruby had been released from the hospital with a stern warning from her doctor. He reiterated what Naomi shared with her parents many times. Ruby needed to take her medication as prescribed, no skipping it, no doubling up. Both Vance and Ruby verbally committed to doing better. Naomi hoped that was true. She needed her mom to be okay. She needed both her parents to be okay. During her mother’s hospitalization, lots of things were put on pause for Naomi. They didn’t have to be, but Naomi found it difficult to focus because her thoughts always drifted back to what was going on with her mother.

Spending so much time at the hospital, Naomi found herself watching television more than she had done in years. Most recently, the upcoming trial of Jennifer Whitman versus the State of Georgia dominated the newsfeed. Naomi knew Malcolm was involved as the prosecutor in the case, but she was surprised when one night, sitting at her mother’s bedside, she learned that Tareef was the attorney representing the defendant. That visual prompted a phone call to her bestie. As the telephone line connected, Naomi excused herself from her mother’s room.

“So, why didn’t anyone tell me that Tareef was on the Whitman case?”

“Hello to you, too, Naomi,” Rocky interjected, reminding Naomi of her manners.

“Hi, how are you, Racquel,” she quickly acquiesced. “So, why didn’t anyone tell me Tareef was on the Whitman case?”

“Well, let’s start with when you say anyone, you really mean me.”

“True, but you know, using the universal is less accusatory,” Naomi admitted.

“Anyway,” Rocky scoffed. “I didn’t mention it because A, you’ve been busy with your mom, and B, I wasn’t sure you would care,” she continued. “Do you care, Naomi?”

“I wouldn’t say I care, but I think it’s interesting.”

“Mmhmm,” Rocky hummed, totally not believing the words her friend said.

“What’s the deal between Tareef and Malcolm? How do they know each other?”

“You never asked Malcolm?”

“Uh, no,” Naomi corrected. “How was that supposed to go,” Naomi laughed. “I’m out on a date with Malcolm, and I’m asking about another man? I don’t think that would have gone over too well.”

“Probably not,” Rocky agreed, laughing along with Naomi.

“So, they have a history, I take it?”

“Extensive history,” Rocky replied.

“Do tell, girlfriend,” Naomi replied, “do tell.”

“Well, I’m not one to gossip,” Racquel started, giggling as she explained, “but from what I understand, they were college rivals. Both men majored in law, so they were competitors academically. One graduated at the top of the class; the other graduated second.”

“Let me guess. Tareef graduated valedictorian?”

“Why would you think that? You think Tareef is smarter than Malcolm?”

Naomi didn’t directly answer; instead, raising a different question.

“Malcolm graduated magna cum laude?”

“No, it was Tareef,” Racquel playfully corrected.

“I knew it,” Naomi replied.

“So, yes, they have history, and then there’s you.”

“Uhm, what does that mean?”

Even though Racquel couldn’t see Naomi’s face, she knew her best friend gave her the stanky neck crank and rolled her eyes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.