What Goes Around by Denene Millner Page B

Donald, drove to her house, and pulled Baby into her parking spot in the circular driveway, the Duke household was in full crisis mode. She could hear Altimus and Keisha in his office, talking in hushed tones. Even though she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, she was sure the discussion involved how all of them were going to end up in the clink. Sell drugs, beat people upside the head with a baseball bat, threaten family members with bodily harm and cellphone monitoring and nobody cares. But mess with Uncle Sam’s cut? Even Lauren knew the government wasn’t to be played with.
    â€œOh, hello, Ms. Lauren, can I get you a snack?” Edwina asked, grabbing Lauren’s book bag and purse as Lauren flipped off her heels.
    â€œHäagen-Dazs,” Lauren said, not bothering with greetings and niceties. “Lots of it.”
    â€œYes, Ms. Lauren, right away,” Edwina said.
    Lauren walked over to the closed office door and lingered a little, while she waited to hear a lull in the obviously heated conversation. When she heard someone walking toward the door, she quickly knocked, lest whoever was approaching thought she was spying.
    Keisha snatched open the door.
    â€œHey,” Lauren said simply when her eyes met Keisha’s. They were bloodshot—so red they almost matched the Chanel lipstick that had begun to wear off of her lips. Over her mother’s shoulder, Lauren could see Altimus, sitting at his heavy wooden desk, rubbing his temples, his elbows resting on stacks of paper-filled folders.
    â€œHey,” Keisha answered back. “What’s up?”
    â€œUm, question of the day, for sure,” Lauren said quietly. “I saw the article about Dad.”
    â€œI’m sure,” Keisha said. She looked at Altimus, then stepped outside his office and shut the door. “Look, we’renot going to panic, okay? To hear your father tell it, this investigation is preliminary, and it doesn’t prove he did anything wrong. That’s the family line if anyone asks, got it?”
    â€œBut…”
    â€œLook, Lauren, now’s not the time to ask questions or give your two cents about anything, okay? Your father and I? We got this. This family has been through far worse things, trust,” Keisha insisted. “Now, like I said, keep your mouth shut about this, and let me and your father handle it. No worries. Yet. And if anyone’s got anything to say about it, tell them to come see me.”
    And with that, Keisha stepped back into Altimus’s office, and quietly shut the door. Lauren stared at the massive mahogany door, then dropped her head and headed for the kitchen. Her ice cream was waiting.

5
SYDNEY
    â€œNot for nothing, I don’t know what’s more unbelievable: that you and Jason are back together, or that your parents are even letting you out of the house with everything that’s going on with your dad’s business,” Carmen mused from her end of the three-way call.
    Sydney had initiated the call twenty minutes earlier to discuss strategy for her first official-official date with Jason.
    â€œI hate to say it, but Rhea might really have a point about that, Syd…”
    â€œI told you.” Rhea happily tooted her own horn. “If it were my mom, she’d have me and my sisters sitting in a twenty-four-hour prayer vigil for her country club membership.”
    Humph, you’d be surprised at half the things my parentsare capable of, Sydney thought cryptically before responding with the more appropriate, “I guess I’m just really lucky to have the parents I do.”
    â€œTotally,” Carmen responded, “and—”
    â€œAnyhoo, it’s almost seven. So let me…” Sydney cut Carmen short.
    â€œOh, no, my dear. I’m so not hanging up this phone until you absolutely promise to call us the moment you walk back in the door and tell us Jason’s reaction to the dress,”