𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬: 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐰𝐧

45

Marvin nodded approvingly. "Good. You know I raised you, boy, I ain't gon' let him miss a thing." He straightened up, looking at Jayceon now. "You eat yet?"

"Nah, I'm good. Got a full day lined up at the shop." Jayceon adjusted his shirt. "Just wanted to make sure he was straight before I dipped."

Marvin reached out, squeezing his shoulder. "You doin' good, son."

Jayceon looked down, hiding a quick smirk. "Appreciate it, pops."

"Mm-hm. Go handle your business. I got my grandson. We gon' watch the game later, ain't that right, Saiveon?" Marvin said, leaning back down and making the baby stir with a soft sigh.

Jayceon grabbed his backpack and headed toward the door. "Ight, I'll be back tonight to get him. Call me if you need anything."

"You already know I won't," Marvin said, waving him off. "Now go make that money."

Jayceon laughed under his breath, heading down the steps. As he slid back into the driver's seat, he glanced at the house one last time. He felt lighter, knowing Saiveon was in good hands.

Moments later he pulled up to his second detailing shop, since the third one still needed to be worked on.

The shop smelled like fresh wax and tire shine, the kind of scent that always made Jayceon feel at home. By the time he pulled up, two cars were already lined outside, customers leaning against the wall scrolling their phones while waiting. He parked in the back, threw his hoodie on, and walked in through the side entrance.

Inside, Aniyah, his new assistant, was at the front counter, headset on, typing into the computer. She was young, maybe early twenties, hair pulled back into a slick ponytail.

"Morning, boss," she said without looking up, still typing fast. "You got two details scheduled back-to-back, one full interior, one deluxe wash. I already checked them in and told the crew to get the bays ready."

Jayceon raised a brow, impressed. "You on it early."

Aniyah smirked, finally glancing up at him. "That's what you hired me for, right? I like to keep things moving."

"Facts," he said, sliding behind the counter to check the clipboard she'd set out. "Anybody call off?"

"Nope. Everybody's here. Darius is already on the first car."

Jayceon nodded, stepping back and scanning the shop through the glass window. His guys were moving smooth, vacuums roaring, water hitting chrome, music blasting faintly from a Bluetooth speaker. It was organized chaos, and he loved it.

Aniyah leaned on the counter. "By the way, a customer asked about memberships again. You think you wanna start offering packages? Like monthly unlimited washes or something?"

Jayceon rubbed his chin. "Been thinking on that. Could be good for steady money."

"Exactly," she said quickly. "I can draft something up, price points, what comes with each, pros and cons. Present it to you by the end of the week."

Jayceon smirked, watching her confidence. "You tryna run my shop now?"

Aniyah laughed. "Nah, I'm just tryna make sure you ain't leaving money on the table."

He shook his head, but he couldn't lie, she was sharp. And having her around meant he could focus on the cars and the bigger moves instead of chasing paperwork or answering phones every five minutes.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it for the moment, walking toward the bay where the first car was being detailed. "Ight, let's get to it," he muttered. He had a long day ahead, but with Aniyah holding things down up front, it already felt lighter.