standing in the library’s doorway.
“No, thanks. Tell him that I’ll be right down.”
“Sure.”
Martha hurried out as Casey stood up and looked around the room suspiciously.
“Did anyone mention to Kelly that we were getting together?”
Casey watched as everyone shook their heads no and looked around, staring at one another, confused. All of the women had witnessed Kelly in action at one time or another and they knew what a loose cannon she could be.
“What’s up with the ‘Tucker’ last name?” Trina demanded. “When’s that girl gonna learn? Didn’t Steve have his new girlfriend at Alexis’s house for the breakfast?”
“Yeah,” Casey answered. “Her name’s Stephanie. I’ll be right back.” Something had to be up for Kelly to crash in on her like this.
Riding down in the elevator, Casey hoped Kelly didn’t come over to confront her about being snubbed today. Casey knew that Alexis had not included her in the breakfast at Steve’s request, but Kelly considered Casey her friend. How could she explain not inviting Kelly to her own home?
As soon as Casey arrived in the lobby, she noticed Kelly and Diamond sitting on one of the guest chairs. Kelly looked uncharacteristically demure as she held her adorable twenty-month-old daughter in her lap.
“Hey, Kelly.”
“Hi, Casey! I’m so glad to see you, girl,” Kelly excitedly said, standing up to greet Casey as if she were her long-lost sister.
“Were you just in the neighborhood or something?” Casey asked after a long, tense silence.
Casey watched as Kelly cast down her eyes and then quickly looked back up and rubbed Diamond’s small back.
“Is it possible for us to go upstairs and talk?”
“Kelly, it’s not really a good time and—”
“I understand, I understand,” Kelly quickly said. “And I’m really sorry for just coming over like this, but I need to ask you a favor.”
“Well, you can ask me right here. Let’s sit down.”
Kelly followed Casey’s lead and took a seat on the lobby chair across from her and started to speak. She stopped several times before finally uttering a sound other than a sigh.
“Casey, I know that you know that me and Steve have been having some problems lately.”
Truthfully, she didn’t think they were still together as a couple to even have any problems. Casey, like everybody else, knew they had a child together, but Steve behaved as if he and Kelly were history.
“I suppose I’ve heard that.” Casey hesitated.
“Yeah, we’ve been having some difficulties, but I think we’re gonna be able to work everything out real soon,” Kelly said, playing with one of Diamond’s short braids.
What was she getting at?
“I … we, me and Diamond haven’t seen too much of him lately, and I know all we need is to have a little more family time with him. Then we’ll be able to get things back on track. You know what I mean, Casey? Like when you tryin’ to work things out with your man?”
“Yeah,” Casey said defensively. She wondered just how much Kelly knew about her issues with Brent.
“Well, that’s what I’m tryin’ to do with Steve. I want us to be a family again. I mean, I am still his fiancée, after all.” The real Kelly peeked out, flamboyantly waving the rock Steve had given her in Casey’s face.
Casey had no idea what was really going on between the two of them, but she had no interest in playing mediator. All she knew was that Steve had asked Alexis to invite another girl to the breakfast. Someone who was a polar opposite of Kelly.
“I see,” Casey said, afraid to find out the favor Kelly wanted from her, but her guests were still upstairs and she was anxious for Kelly to get to the point. “Well, what do you want me to do?”
“You know Diamond is finally old enough to understand what her daddy is doing out there on the basketball court.”
Casey looked at the little girl, who was under two years old, and very much doubted that she knew what her daddy was
“No, thanks. Tell him that I’ll be right down.”
“Sure.”
Martha hurried out as Casey stood up and looked around the room suspiciously.
“Did anyone mention to Kelly that we were getting together?”
Casey watched as everyone shook their heads no and looked around, staring at one another, confused. All of the women had witnessed Kelly in action at one time or another and they knew what a loose cannon she could be.
“What’s up with the ‘Tucker’ last name?” Trina demanded. “When’s that girl gonna learn? Didn’t Steve have his new girlfriend at Alexis’s house for the breakfast?”
“Yeah,” Casey answered. “Her name’s Stephanie. I’ll be right back.” Something had to be up for Kelly to crash in on her like this.
Riding down in the elevator, Casey hoped Kelly didn’t come over to confront her about being snubbed today. Casey knew that Alexis had not included her in the breakfast at Steve’s request, but Kelly considered Casey her friend. How could she explain not inviting Kelly to her own home?
As soon as Casey arrived in the lobby, she noticed Kelly and Diamond sitting on one of the guest chairs. Kelly looked uncharacteristically demure as she held her adorable twenty-month-old daughter in her lap.
“Hey, Kelly.”
“Hi, Casey! I’m so glad to see you, girl,” Kelly excitedly said, standing up to greet Casey as if she were her long-lost sister.
“Were you just in the neighborhood or something?” Casey asked after a long, tense silence.
Casey watched as Kelly cast down her eyes and then quickly looked back up and rubbed Diamond’s small back.
“Is it possible for us to go upstairs and talk?”
“Kelly, it’s not really a good time and—”
“I understand, I understand,” Kelly quickly said. “And I’m really sorry for just coming over like this, but I need to ask you a favor.”
“Well, you can ask me right here. Let’s sit down.”
Kelly followed Casey’s lead and took a seat on the lobby chair across from her and started to speak. She stopped several times before finally uttering a sound other than a sigh.
“Casey, I know that you know that me and Steve have been having some problems lately.”
Truthfully, she didn’t think they were still together as a couple to even have any problems. Casey, like everybody else, knew they had a child together, but Steve behaved as if he and Kelly were history.
“I suppose I’ve heard that.” Casey hesitated.
“Yeah, we’ve been having some difficulties, but I think we’re gonna be able to work everything out real soon,” Kelly said, playing with one of Diamond’s short braids.
What was she getting at?
“I … we, me and Diamond haven’t seen too much of him lately, and I know all we need is to have a little more family time with him. Then we’ll be able to get things back on track. You know what I mean, Casey? Like when you tryin’ to work things out with your man?”
“Yeah,” Casey said defensively. She wondered just how much Kelly knew about her issues with Brent.
“Well, that’s what I’m tryin’ to do with Steve. I want us to be a family again. I mean, I am still his fiancée, after all.” The real Kelly peeked out, flamboyantly waving the rock Steve had given her in Casey’s face.
Casey had no idea what was really going on between the two of them, but she had no interest in playing mediator. All she knew was that Steve had asked Alexis to invite another girl to the breakfast. Someone who was a polar opposite of Kelly.
“I see,” Casey said, afraid to find out the favor Kelly wanted from her, but her guests were still upstairs and she was anxious for Kelly to get to the point. “Well, what do you want me to do?”
“You know Diamond is finally old enough to understand what her daddy is doing out there on the basketball court.”
Casey looked at the little girl, who was under two years old, and very much doubted that she knew what her daddy was
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