Page 43 of The Phyre that Burns

“He did, and I’m sure you’re all very excited.”

“We are. Let’s sit down,” Phoenix said, and we took our seats.

We picked up our menus once we were seated, and the server came over immediately. After we placed our drink orders, we returned our attention to the menus. When everyone decided what they wanted, Phoenix spoke.

“I’m glad to see my suggestion worked,” she said proudly.

“Like a charm. Your brother had me crying like a newborn baby.”

“Aww. I’m sure that’s not what he meant to do.”

“Wait, what are we talking about here?” Kevin asked.

“Phee suggested that I write Ginae a letter because she refused to have a conversation with me. As you can see, the letter worked,” Phyre told him.

“Yeah. I forgot to tell you that part.”

“Apparently, our history isn’t a secret since he told his whole staff. I assume you two know all the gritty details,” I said.

“Girl, my brother was in a bad way when he found out you left town. He refused to talk about it until a few months later,” Phoenix said.

“Kavia had shared some details with Kevin, so they weren’t completely in the dark,” Phyre said.

“How do you like being back in Black Elm? It’s changed a lot over the years,” Kevin said.

“I’ve only been here a little over a week, and I haven’t done much exploring. From what I’ve seen, there are a lot of new businesses, but it still has a small-town feel. Being from Chicago, that was something I really liked about Black Elm.”

The server returned with our drinks and took our orders. When she left, a woman appeared at our table, and I could immediately feel that her energy was off.

“Fancy meeting you all here. What is this? A double date?” she questioned, waving her hand in the air dismissively.

“Hey, Bianca,” Phoenix greeted dryly.

“Damn. You don’t sound happy to see me.”

“Good observation.”

Bianca smacked her lips before asking Phoenix, “Are you ignoring my question?”

Phoenix rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to ignore your presence, but you can’t take a hint.”

“Isn’t someone waiting for you?” Phyre asked before I could respond.

“Yeah. I think I heard someone calling you on the other side of the restaurant,” Kevin said.

“Y’all are a tough group. Who are you?” she asked when her gaze landed on me.

It was apparent my man and his sister didn’t fuck with this woman, so I decided not to give her any energy. Instead of responding, I picked up my glass and sipped my wine.

“Are you deaf? Are you unable to speak?” she asked.

“Bianca, our table is ready,” a man a few tables away announced.

She looked annoyed that her interrogation had come to an end, and with a big huff, she sashayed away.

“Umm, what was that about?” I asked since I was the only one who didn’t know Bianca.

“We grew up with her, and she’s been a messy ho her whole got damn life,” Phoenix said.