Page 16

The mid-morning sun hung high over Trinity Bay as Krys stepped out of her Porsche Macan, adjusting her sunglasses before locking the doors.

The smell of fresh-cut grass and distant car exhaust filled the air as she walked across the lot of E. Davis Estates, one of her higher-end rental properties. The three-story townhomes were lined with modern brick, black trim, and neatly manicured hedges.

She didn’t slow her pace as she reached the leasing office; not even when she sensed Kenyatta walking up beside her, moving like he had all the time in the world.

“Damn, you really be on the go like this every day?” Kenyatta asked, his tone laced with amusement.

Krys shot him a glance, barely breaking stride. “You expected something different?”

Kenyatta shrugged. “I dunno. Just didn’t think you was the type to pull up on site like this. Thought you’d be in your fancy office, letting other people handle it.”

Krys pulled open the door to the leasing office. “That’s how people lose money.”

As soon as they stepped in, Krys was immediately in her element.

The leasing manager, Monique, looked up from her desk, eyebrows raised. “Didn’t expect to see you today, Boss Lady.”

Krys waved a hand, already moving toward the desk. “Just checking in. I want to go over the late rent accounts. Who do we need to handle this week?”

Monique pulled up a spreadsheet. “We got about six late payments; three already set up extensions, two waiting on response, and one…well…”

Monique sighed. Krys knew what that meant.

“Which unit?”

“Townhome 214. Mr. Parker. Two months behind.”

Krys exhaled sharply, her expression unreadable. “Alright,” she said coolly. “Call him. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll handle it myself.”

Monique gave a knowing nod and scribbled a note.

Kenyatta watched all of this silently. He could see it with more clarity now; Krys wasn’t satisfied with just owning anything; she had to run it, control it. And not in the detached rich-girl way he had assumed.

No.

She was in the trenches, handling tenants, managers, finances; all of it. She was a real boss, and in his eyes, that shit was attractive.

**********

After reviewing updates with Monique, Krys led Kenyatta on a walk-through of the property, pointing out details; landscaping maintenance, unit renovations, plans for future upgrades.

She spoke with ease and confidence, completely in her zone.

Kenyatta walked beside her, hands in his pockets, just taking her in. He wasn’t used to women like this. Women who didn’t just talk about being independent and successful; they actually were.

She moved sharp, direct, powerful; but even through all that he saw something else: a glimpse of softness. It was in the way she gently touched the leaves of a hibiscus bush as she passed it, checking for overgrowth. It was in the way she smiled slightly when a tenant’s little boy ran past, kicking a soccer ball. It was in the way she rolled her eyes playfully when one of her older tenants stopped her for a brief conversation about his new rescue dog.

Kenyatta noticed it all. And he realized something: If she was this passionate about her business, how passionate would she be about a man?

He let the thought sit for a second before speaking. “You ever slow down?”

Krys raised a brow. “What?”

“You always moving. Always handling something. You ever just…chill?”

Krys questioned, “Is that your way of saying I’m uptight?”

Kenyatta grinned, shaking his head. “Nah, just tryna figure you out, that’s all.”

Krys folded her arms. “Why?”

Kenyatta didn’t answer right away. He just watched her, his gaze slow and intentional. “‘Cause you interest me.”

Krys wasn’t expecting that. For a moment, she just looked at him. Kenyatta was serious, no teasing smirk, no game-playing.

Just honest; and it threw her off balance.

She tilted her head slightly. “You know, Kenyatta…”

He cut his eyes. “Here we go.”

She chuckled softly. “I think you just like the idea of trying to figure me out. That don’t mean you ever will.”

Kenyatta licked his lips, watching her closely now. “We’ll see about that.”

The words hung between them, thick with something unspoken. Something neither of them was quite ready to address.

But it was there.

**********

The sun was starting to set, casting a warm orange glow over the small courtyard. The trimmed hedges stood at attention, the winding sidewalk empty except for the occasional tenant walking their dog or carrying in groceries.

Krys sat comfortably, legs crossed at the ankle, her iced coffee resting between her fingers. Kenyatta was next to her, one foot propped up on the step below, forearms resting on his knees as he stared off into nothing.

For the first time since they started this little game, neither of them were playing. They were just…talking.

Something about that made Krys uneasy.

She cleared her throat, swirling the ice in her cup. “So…you tell baby girl she’s coming to the graduation yet?”

Kenyatta let out a deep sigh, running a hand over his head. “Nah. I gotta figure out how to tell her without her thinking I’m about to drop her off on somebody again.”

Krys lifted a brow. “She don’t like being passed around?”

“Hell nah. And I don’t blame her. She’s eight; she notices everything now.”

Krys found herself intrigued. She’d heard plenty of men talk about their kids, but the way Kenyatta spoke about Kaliyah was different. It wasn’t just fatherly obligation; it was genuine awareness.

She shifted slightly, resting her elbow on her knee. “You and her mom…y’all cool?”

Kenyatta let out a sharp breath. “Define cool.”

Krys scoffed. “You know what I mean. Y’all get along?”

He hesitated. Then, “It’s…complicated.”

Krys lifted a brow. “Complicated?”

Kenyatta rubbed his jaw. “I mean, we ain’t at each other’s necks, but we ain’t co-parenting goals, either. Brooke got her new dude now, and he’s…that nigga in the streets, so I don’t even like dealing with her like that unless I got to.”

The slight edge in his tone caught Krys’ attention.

“So, what’s the issue?” she asked, tilting her head. “You don’t like the fact that she moved on?”

Kenyatta shook his head quickly. “Nah, I don’t care about that.” He paused. “I just don’t like who she moved on with. That nigga got the same lifestyle that had me locked up. But since he got money, she think that makes it better.”

Ah .

Now she got it. It wasn’t about this Brooke chic moving on; it was about watching someone else live the life he left behind. Watching a man with the same hustle, same dangers, but without the consequences Kenyatta had to face.

Krys studied him, noting the way his jaw tightened just mentioning it. “You ever tell Brooke how you feel about that?”

Kenyatta let out a dry laugh. “And get cussed out? Nah, I’m good.”

Krys smirked. “Mmhmm. Thought so.”

Kenyatta side-eyed her. “You real comfortable talking about my situation.”

Krys shrugged. “You the one venting. I’m just listening.”

He scoffed, shaking his head, but there was no irritation in it. She had a point.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, the hum of the city faint in the distance.

Then Krys spoke again. “Your lil girl…she’s aware of everything, you know…between you and her mama…You and why things happened the way they did?”

Kenyatta’s entire posture changed. His shoulders stiffened slightly, and for the first time since she met him, his confidence flickered.

“Kaliyah knows.” His voice was quieter now. “I mean, I don’t know how much she really understands, but she ain’t dumb. She knows I went away. She knows I ain’t been around like I should’ve.”

His voice dropped slightly.

“And I know she’s still trying to figure out if she should even get excited about me being back.”

That hit Krys in the chest because that was real.

She took in the way he stared out at nothing, jaw tight, expression unreadable. And for the first time since this started, she realized that this wasn’t a game for him, either. This was a man trying to figure out how to fix something that had already been broken.

Krys respected that.

She tapped her fingers against her thigh before asking, “You ever tell her that?”

Kenyatta frowned. “Tell her what?”

“That you know you let her down.”

Kenyatta went quiet.

Krys tilted her head. “You think she doesn’t already know? Kids aren’t dumb, Kenyatta. They know when we fail them.”

Kenyatta leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. “Yeah, but what’s admitting it gon’ do?”

“Maybe let her know you acknowledge your past mistakes with her and how they may have made her feel…and that you’re now actually trying to rectify it all.”

Kenyatta didn’t respond. Because he had never thought about it that way. He had spent so much time proving he was back, trying to do right, that he never stopped to just acknowledge what had been broken. Krys could recognize that easily.

She let the silence settle before shifting the conversation slightly. “So, what’s up with you and your mom?”

Kenyatta let out a short, humorless laugh. “What ain’t up? She irritated with me, I’m irritated with her.”

Krys frowned. “Why?”

He exhaled. “She got a problem with everything I do. I breathe too hard, she mad. I come home too late, she mad. If I stay out of her way, she still mad.”

Krys gave him a pointed look. “Be serious.”

Kenyatta sighed, rubbing his temple. “She just…I don’t know. She frustrated. She tired. And I guess I get it. She been holding it down for so long, she ain’t got no patience for nobody…including me.”

Krys tapped her nails against her cup, thinking.

“You ever think maybe she got her own shit she’s dealing with?”

Kenyatta side-eyed her. “You on her side now?”

Krys rolled her eyes. “I don’t do ‘sides.’ I do logic. And logically, your mom been handling life by herself for a long time, right?”

Kenyatta exhaled. “Yeah.”

“So, why do you think she’s supposed to suddenly be okay with everything now?”

That made him pause.

Krys continued, her voice softer now. “She’s probably scared. She don’t know if you’re really trying to change or if you’re just waiting for the first opportunity to mess up again.”

Kenyatta clenched his jaw.

Krys watched him closely. “But once you get on your feet, you can actually do something about that. You can bring her some relief. Let her breathe. Maybe even bring some happiness back into her life.”

Kenyatta sat with that for a long time.

Then, finally, he shook his head with a small smirk. “Damn. You really be thinking about shit like this?”

Krys smirked back. “I think about a lot of things, Kenyatta.”

And just like that, more was added to the dynamic they were developing.