“You can’t fight her while you’re pregnant.”
“No. She can’t fight me while I’m pregnant. I can still slap her.”
“I don’t need you to take out any revenge. What’s done is done.”
“Well, I am mad at this coronavirus, but can’t hit it. I’m mad that Mom is sick, but can’t slap the hospital. So, I get to take all of my aggression out on Amber.”
“It’ll be a waste of time. Soon she’ll just be a distant memory to us all.”
“I look forward to that day.”
“Until then, I’ll talk to you later, sis.”
“Okay, Kamal. I love you.”
“I love you and tell Corey I said hi.”
“I sure will. Bye.”
I hung up, set the phone on my lap, and stared at the silent view of Brooklyn—a place that usually would be buzzing with activity on a Saturday morning. With this pandemic, every new day brought some unique form of crazy and another odd thing to get used to.
Please, let her be okay.
My mother being sick changed my perspective. I no longer worried about my company Z.E.N. or the employees or even Amber and our shitty relationship. I didn’t care about how long the city would be on lockdown or if we would forever have to wear masks. All I could do was close my eyes and pray for my mother’s immediate recovery.
Nothing else mattered.Chapter 7
JadeCoronajerks
Kamal spent a good bit of time on that balcony, pacing back and forth and talking on the phone. The whole time, I made our breakfast and tried not to ogle at him looking so sexy in that towel.
That man is all the way fine. Jesus Christ.
I didn’t do the omelets until after I fried up some crispy, shredded hash browns and a few slices of Zora’s turkey bacon. Again, I glanced up a few times and loved the sight of him.
Mmmmhmmm. I wouldn’t mind him wearing just a towel all week.
After I finished, I plated our food and carried it all to the table. I poured us both a glass of orange juice and set those out on the table with silverware.
Kamal stepped back in from the balcony.
I set the plates on the table. “How’s my mommy?”
He stood in the center of the living room. “She tested positive for coronavirus.”
My heart fell to my stomach. I stepped back from the table and held my chest. “Wait. What?”
“Zora told me that her housekeeper called—”
“Delores?”
“Yes. Mom had a fever and was coughing.” Pain covered his face. “She took her to the hospital. They tested her.”
“Oh my God.” I rushed over to Kamal and held him. “I’m so sorry.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him tight. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. She’s a soldier.”
“She’s also a cancer survivor. Wouldn’t that be high risk?”
I leaned back a little and looked at him. “I don’t know, but focus on the fact that she’s a survivor.”
Worry creased his face. “What would I do without her?”
“We won’t know now. She’s going to be fine. She told me you hooked her up with the best doctors and—”
“Will that be enough?”
“Yes. I’ll tell my mom if it’s okay. She’ll want to check up on her and make sure everything is okay.”
“Your mother can’t go see her now. What about your Dad?”
I blinked. “That’s true. But my mom would want to know. At least she’ll have her whole church pray. They have a prayer group and they do all these requests every week.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “That would be good.”
I slowly moved away from him, but he pulled me back in and held me tight.
And there we stayed for several minutes. I leaned my head against his warm, hard chest. His heartbeat thumped in my ear. His scent swarmed around me. It reminded me of my body wash.
I was shocked that I had even grabbed him into a hug, but he needed it.
There was power in human touch—magic in a simple embrace. When I was a kid and scared, one hug from my father erased all fears. It made me feel safe and protected. I’d learned later that when a person received a hug, their body released oxytocin—the love hormone. Oxytocin made us happy. It reduced stress and anxiety.
Kamal let out a long breath, squeezed me hard, and then let me go. “Thank you. I. . .I needed that.”
I smiled. “I’m here all day at your personal hug service.”
“Do you promise?”
“It would just be a small fee.”
“I’ll pay anything you request.”
A silly grin spread across my face. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you the friend discount.”
He studied my face.
I blinked and looked away. “So. . .breakfast is ready.”
“I don’t know if I’m hungry now.”
“Doesn’t matter. You must eat. You can’t be there for your mother if you’re sick too. The best thing we can do for our families is to stay as healthy as possible.”
“Good point.” He walked over to the table. “Damn. This smells amazing.”