“I guess you’re meeting more people from my life,” Retta said as she pressed the button to grant entrance into the apartment complex.
“It went well the first time. Also, your shirt’s on backward,” he said.
She quickly corrected it and soon after heard the excited pitter-patter of her niece and nephew running down the hall. The moment she opened the door, Alicia and Emmanuel ran for the kitchen to find the treats she’d promised them over the phone.
“Hi, Auntie,” they both said in unison before disappearing behind the counter.
“Sorry,” her brother, Kevin, said. “Tabitha needs to pick some stuff from her mother’s before we—”
Kevin stopped when he spotted Duncan casually standing beside her.
“Who’s that?” Alicia asked with her mouth full.
“Ah, this is Duncan.”
Her brother’s eyebrows raised in question before settling into a neutral plane. “Nice to meet you.”
The men exchanged handshakes before Duncan went over to her niece and nephew and similarly gave each of them a handshake.
“The chocolate is pretty good, right?” Duncan asked, getting down to their level.
The two kids nodded, ganache already all over their mouths and chins. All three of them proceeded to chat about their favorite chocolate desserts.
“How long?” her brother asked softly as he handed her two small backpacks.
Retta shrugged. “It’s new,” she said, vaguely.
Her brother nodded. “I’m happy for you.”
A pang of guilt hit her. She wished he had something real to be happy for her about.
“Well, sorry for interrupting you this afternoon,” Kevin said.
“No problem. I have to head out anyway,” Duncan said, standing up and joining them near the door.
Her brother looked at his kids. “Be good for Auntie. I love you.”
They were already preoccupied and detached from whatever their father was saying.
“Hold on, I’ll walk down with you,” Duncan said to her brother.
For some reason, them leaving her place at the same time made her nervous, but she didn’t have the chance to overthink that because both men quickly left her apartment. Turning to her wards for the evening, Retta put on her brightest smile. She’d have to throw herself into this task to not reflect on how this relationship was progressing.
ChapterEleven
Duncan foundhimself pacing his small office during a short break one afternoon. He was expanding on the few bullet points he’d made for the speech he’d read at his parents’ divorce party. Or at least he was trying to. But if he was being honest, he was finding the process more difficult than he’d expected. Everything he wrote sounded sappy.
Sure, he could lean into the sentiment, but that would require parsing out his feelings about the most turbulent relationship he’d ever had the displeasure of witnessing.
As he was Googling yet another synonym for “great,” Anthony entered the room and moved to the shelf in the corner where they stored office supplies.
“I thought you went out for lunch.”
“No, I’m working on my speech,” Duncan said, sighing.
His friend looked up from where he was refilling a stapler. “For the divorce party? You’ve decided to go?”
Duncan rubbed his face. “Yeah. Mostly because Gwen is going and making a speech. I can’t leave her hanging.”
