Page 49 of Anything Goes

Layne’s obsession with basketball was real.

Honestly, it felt like she’d been dribbling a ball since the moment she effortlessly slipped from the womb. Not only did she love to play, but she loved to watch, and she knew how to do everything she saw on TV. If she didn’t know, she had no problem practicing until she mastered it. For someone so young, she had a lot of discipline, a trait that she definitely got from me. Once upon of time, I would say that it was something that she got from us both. But after all of his piss poor actions these days, I wouldn’t dare give Latrell that credit.

Giving Layne what she wanted, we played the arcade version of basketball. Playing ball wasn’t my thing, and the fact that I was constantly being beat by a six-year-old reminded me of that.

Once we finally made it back home, Layne was so exhausted that she fell asleep the moment her body met the couch. Slowly, I slid her tiny shoes from her feet and placed a throw blanket over her.

It wasn’t even dark, and I was ready to call it a night. But not before calling Law.

“What are you doing?” I whispered into the phone.

“Nothing. Why in the hell are you whispering?” he said, laughing.

“My bad, I was trying to talk sexy.”

“Trust me, that shit is natural. You don’t have to do anything extra.”

“Good to know,” I said, scooting further up in the bed. “So, how was the rest of your day?”

“It was cool. I decided to hang out at the track for a little while after practice.”

“Oh really? Why?”

“Just to get a little run in and clear my head.”

“Did it help?”

“A little, but I’m still trying to sort through some things.”

I sighed, knowing that he was still trying to figure out how to approach his sister about Keyon. “Just talk to her, Law.”

“I am. I just have to pick the right time.”

“I doubt there's ever going to be a right time.”

“Maybe not. But I know I can’t do it after she’s worked a twelve-hour shift. I also can’t do it if Reggie’s nosey ass is around, which is all the damn time. So, I have to be smart.”

“You could always call her on the phone.”

“That definitely won’t work. If Tokyo gets pissed off, she will drop everything she’s doing to come find my ass. I have to be strategic. You know, take her out to a nice dinner or something. She loves to eat.”

I sat my cell down next to me and put it on speaker. “Well, there you have it. Take her to her favorite restaurant.”

I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the other side of the room. Law said something, but I didn’t hear what he said, which prompted him to ask, “What are you doing?”

“My bad, I was trying to take off my clothes. They smell like pizza and sweat. I need to get my ass in the shower.”

As soon as I said those words, the line went dead and my phone started ringing. I couldn’t help but laugh. The fact that Law had ended our phone call just to video chat me was hilarious.

“What are you doing?” I asked, holding the phone a few inches away so he could get a good look at me.

Lucky for him, I wasn’t wearing anything but my panties and bra.

“I’m trying to see what’s going on over there.”

“I already told you. I’m about to get in the shower.”

“Oh yeah? Can I watch?”