The Cookie Lady [Complete]

6

"So why are you still here then?"

"Because I can be...who gonna move me? You?" Zac said smartly. "As I was saying...Fatima a few of branches got ruined from it being on my bed for so long but if you go to this hardware store up the block...it will have branch glue." He winked, hoping she got the message.

Fatima thought he was having a stroke from all the blinking before she caught on. "Oh damn...that sucks...I just ask the associate about branch glue or is there a special kind?"

"Yeah any kind works, I would ask for the maximum hold if you plan on putting a lot of decoration on the tree..." Zac confirmed before looking at Ian.

Fatima just smiled before whispering 'thank you' to Zac and heading to her car.

Ian went up to hug Fatima before whispering in her ear. "Prepare yourself for when I get home. Got this nigga talking to me in my home like this...and you allowing it?" He kissed her cheek before walking back to the car,

A few minutes later, they both pulled up to the hardware store where Fatima hopped in Zac's car so they could head to the Disney on Ice show.

"This not gonna work. He's gonna wonder why I have been at one store all day." Fatima said overthinking. "He has a tracker on the car, he thinks I don't know but one day the red light was beeping for low battery and it was mirroring off the asphalt. I thought it was a bomb until I looked closer."

Zac chuckled at her last remark. "Put the keys on top of your wheel but out of sight. I will handle it."

"What?"

"You heard me. I will have my friend drive around in your car and buy random stuff so he doesn't suspect anything then once the show is over...drop you back off wherever the car is at." Zac stated.

Fatima looked at him crazy...he must've done this before because how did he come up with this on the fly.

A few minutes later they were hitting the freeway and Zac could tell how nervous Fatima was. "Relax...everything is fine. I promise." He said resting his hand on her thigh.

She looked at his hand and smiled...feeling somewhat comfort. "How come you got on me about wearing an ugly sweater and you don't even have yours on?"

"That boy don't run me..." He laughed. "Sike nah...I had a meeting and I was running late but it's in the back. Junior not paying us no mind. He watching Boss Baby on the iPad."

Fatima turned around to see a quiet Junior with his Spiderman headphones on. "Is his mother in the picture?"

Zac was taken back by the random question. "No...uhm she actually died." He lied to her.

"Oh...I am sorry. I didn't mean to invade."

"No worries. Now wassup with old dude?"

"He just loves hard."

"Stop making excuses. No man should feel that threatened that they beat rush hour traffic because a dude is delivering a tree to his house."

Fatima giggled a bit due his tone. "You're right but things are complicated. I have been picking up shifts under the radar so that I can have enough money saved and leave him. But I am also scared of what that reality would look like."

He scrunched his face up before it soften once he understood what she meant. "You scared you won't like who you are without Ian?"

"Yes." She paused for a few seconds. "Scared that I may actually need him or something I don't know. He made me depend on him for so much that I feel like I am three years behind the average adult."