Hearing a familiar voice sound into his ears and smelling the sweet aroma of maple bacon wafting through the air, Zane groaned, reluctantly waking from his sleep. He stretched his limbs, letting out a contented sigh as he pushed himself halfway off the bed and let out a relieving shake.
"It's probably just a stomach bug baby, try and make some lemon and honey tea but make sure you eat. Alright?" Sierra's mom, suggested through the phone speakers.
"I will momma call me when you get off work love you." Sierra said before pulling her phone from her ear and hanging up. Carefully tossing her phone on the counter and placing the red oven towel that was on her shoulder back on the handle she huffed and leaned on the counter.
"Mmm," She groaned as Zane walked behind her and rubbed her back.
"You Ight? What's wrong, ma?" Zane furrowed his eyebrows, concern etched in his features as he surveyed her.
Straightening up and turning around, Sierra managed a smile as Zane leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Yeah baby I'm good, but if you're hungry, I put your plate in the microwave." Sierra dismissed.
"What did you make? I could smell it all the way in my sleep. It must taste good," Zane remarked, moving past her to retrieve the plate from the microwave, his mouth already watering in anticipation.
"Just some eggs, maple bacon, and waffles. Oh, and some salmon croquettes; they're in the oven, though," Sierra replied.
"Salmon croquettes? What the hell is a croquette?" Zane asked, his curiosity piqued. Scrunching her face in disbelief, Sierra gasped, "You've never had a salmon croquette before?"
"No, but it must be mad good 'cause why are you looking at me like that?" Zane chuckled, taking a bite of his bacon.
"Because it's crazy you've never had one before, so now you gotta try them," Sierra declared, opening the oven door to reveal a plate full of golden-brown croquettes. "Take a bite," she instructed, holding one up to his mouth.
Watching as Zane savored the flavor, Sierra couldn't help but smile, eagerly awaiting his reaction. "It's hella good, right?"
Zane grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Hold on, let me get another bite!" As Sierra took a bite herself, Zane reached for hers. "No sir, you better grab another one; I'm hungry too!"
"That's alright because the whole plate is finna be gone. Also, I wanted to let you know I'm gonna be gone for the rest of today, and I'll be back home tonight," Zane announced. Sierra paused, turning around with a puzzled expression. "Where?"
"I gotta handle business," Zane replied.
"Well, I have a meeting with my new team for the salon, so I'll be out for a little bit too. But I'll make sure to set the alarm before I leave, baby," Sierra reassured, planting a quick kiss on his lips. Zane tightened his embrace, playfully smacking her on the backside.
"What's the rush for? Calm down and redo that," he teased, pulling her closer.
Rolling her eyes, Sierra huffed and corrected the kiss, making it longer and deeper. "That's enough, baby. I gotta get dressed."
"Just one more," Zane pleaded, his playful demeanor melting Sierra's resolve. With a reluctant sigh, she gave in to a few more pecks before finally breaking away.
Watching as Sierra walked away, a slow grin spread across Zane's face as he realized he had gotten his way. Checking his diamond Rolex and noting he had 20 minutes before he needed to leave, he picked up his plate and hurried up to continue his meal.
Locking up her car and clutching onto her brown Micheal Kors purse, Sierra made her way into the salon, her heels clicking lightly against the pavement. She couldn't help but admire the new interior design as she entered, her eyes roaming over the sleek, modern furnishings and vibrant pops of color.
Hearing small talk in the back, Sierra carefully made her way to the rear of the salon, where she was greeted by her accountant, marketing consultant, and another experienced salon owner—all of whom she had intentionally chosen to be melanated. "Ms. Wilson! It's so nice to meet you!" Taylor, the marketing consultant, happily spoke, reaching out a hand.
"It's nice meeting you all as well!" Sierra replied, connecting her hand with each of theirs and shaking it warmly.
"So today I wanted us all to meet since I know and see that everything is finished and ready to go except for a little bit of the exterior, right?" the accountant, Dinah, said.
"Yes, the brown brick they had put in, I didn't like it, so they should be swapping it out with grey timeet," Sierra informed.
"Ok, sounds good. But as I was saying, I wanted us to meet since we will be your team to help you get everything going! Taylor here will be working on helping you develop a stronger brand identity, create marketing strategies, and implement promotional campaigns to attract and retain customers!"
"Along with Yasmine, who has 8 years of experience as a salon owner in the beauty industry! She can provide valuable insights, advice, and support as you navigate the challenges of starting and running your business."
"Meanwhile, I just help with financial planning, budgeting, tax preparation, and financial analysis to ensure the financial health and stability of your salon. I wanted to also speak on something because I know you mentioned you really didn't want me knowing much about your financial things since it's your personal privacy preference, and I wanted to say that's perfectly fine! We only do what you allow and prefer," Dinah explained, causing Sierra to nod in agreement.
"Thank you, Dinah, for explaining that and understanding. I have a few questions for Taylor about the marketing and if I'd be able to do a grand opening soon knowing the audience I have right now."
"So with me helping get your business out there, I'd say personally with the connections I have it would take at least 2 months. Now, when are you thinking of throwing a grand opening?"
"I was thinking something at the end of December going into January for like an accomplishment for the new year, ya'know?" Grabbing the half-filled glass of rosé champagne, Sierra took a sip and quickly sat it down as she pulled out her notebook.
"Ok, so the 30th-31st or 1st of January I'd say, depending on how much you do on your own advertisement, you should be able to, ma'am."
After several hours of productive discussion, Sierra thanked her team for their hard work and dedication. As she made her way out of the salon, she couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude and thank God for how far she had come.
Pulling into the bando's makeshift parking area, Zane maneuvered his car onto the sidewalk, the full new tires rolling against the gravelly pavement. He spotted Andrew, his old childhood neighbor, and a surge of nostalgia washed over him. Andrew had always been like a nonrelated grandpa to him, filling the void of a father figure that Zane never had.
Zane used to stop by his house for that father figure and Andrew would always give him that type of love even though he knew that wasn't his own blood. Andrew's house was a sanctuary of sorts, offering solace and warmth in the midst of chaos, He always used to give him five dollars for Zane to get his mail when he was younger. Now it made it smile that he was able to supply that to him plus more.
"How you been, pops?" Zane greeted warmly, extending his hand in a familiar gesture.
Andrew, settled into a weathered red chair walker, returned the greeting with a smile, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners with age. "I've been good. Just tryna scrap up some money so I can buy myself a new walker. This one here 'bout on its last leg. But how you been doing these few months, young bull? I ain't seen ya' stop by here in a hot minute."
Zane's expression softened. "I um just had to lay gramz to rest a few weeks ago so I'm still tryna push through that. But other than that, really it's the same ole same ole pops. Just been outchea tryna survive and feed the family I do got left."
"Ahh man, I give condolences. I sure wish you woulda stopped by and let me know. I was just wondering how that woman was doing last night. Crazy how someone here one day then the next they gone. You must got kids now huh?" Andrew mused, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness.
Shaking his head, Zane chuckled softly. "Nah, pops, I ain't no father yet. But I do got a woman; we been together for a year now. Hopefully, we do have a little one running around here soon, getting on your nerves just like I used to do."
Zane's playful remark elicited a hearty laugh from Andrew, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Shit, hopefully I'm still here by then!"
"76 and running stronger than me, pops. I'm convinced you still gon be around!" Zane quipped.
As Andrew pushed himself up from the seat, his gaze momentarily flickered to the Glock peeking out from Zane's pocket. A silent acknowledgment passed between them before Andrew spoke again, his voice tinged with a mix of fondness and warning. "Welp, young bull, it was nice seeing you, but ima let you go handle your business. You just make sure you don't up and leave me hanging like that without coming to see me."
"Trust pops you ain't gotta worry bout it ima come stop by tomorrow it ain't nothing in the way Ight. I got your chair this week." Zane said hugging him and slipping a couple of hundreds in his pocket.
Keeping an eye on him till he got to his house across the street Zane huffed as he entered the crib they were using to hold product in and dapped King up.
"Where's Jayvon at?" Zane inquired, his tone tinged with impatience.
Seeing King point to the back, Zane turned his head and looked at the closed door before directing his gaze back at him. "Look, though. Some of our shit been leaking out that we haven't put out for sale, and those packs we've got? Niggas been telling someone about that. Remember how you made Kyree responsible for checking new arrivals to make sure they were solid? Turns out, that nigga been the one snitching to Jah's niggas, giving them free game for money!" King informed, his frustration evident in his voice.
Zane couldn't believe what he was hearing. While he could expect Kyree to do some foul shit given recent events, the fact that it was his own blood cousin made the betrayal even harder to swallow. Despite his willingness to handle dirty business, Zane couldn't help but feel conflicted about the situation.
"So why the fuck isn't he here? And Jayvon, hurry the fuck up!" Zane snapped, his patience wearing thin.
"He said he was coming tomorrow," King replied, his tone resigned.
Hearing the door open and watching as Jayvon sat down in front of him, Zane bounced his leg up and down for some sort of stress reliever and stared at him, waiting for him to speak first. "What happened, mane? Why y'all looking at me like that?" Jayvon asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Zane smacked his teeth in frustration. "Stop with all that acting shit. You know why you're here. Where were you when I was outta state for those three days, Jayvon?"
"Working! I've been waiting for the new shipment to come in because ain't nothing I'ma be able to do if we ain't got nothing to sell right now," Jayvon replied defensively.
"Nah, there's some shit left to sell. I know for a fact we still got at least 5 packages left. And how did Kyree know where this stash house was though?" Zane demanded, cutting straight to the chase.
Jayvon shrugged, genuinely confused. "Zane, I don't fucking know. But whatever you're trying to accuse me of, I didn't do that shit!"
Zane furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "Who said you did anything, Jayvon? All I asked was how he got the address." Jayvon laughed nervously, the tension palpable in the air.
By now, Zane had his answer. He couldn't fully say that it was Jayvon, but he knew he would get his final answer tomorrow. And it still pissed him off because regardless, when he asked how Kyree got the address, someone was supposed to be on their toes and do research, but instead, they slacked off and threw around a bunch of "I don't knows."
"Ight, I'ma hold you to that answer. But if it's a lie, you might as well kiss your momma goodbye tonight, nigga," Zane said, his tone cold and unforgiving.
"All this shit gots to go! I want all of Pablo's shit gone by sunrise. We're starting fresh, and I swear I ain't got time for nobody's games today, so choose ya'll fucking battles wisely," Zane added, his voice dripping with authority.
"This is so cute! Dreka, I'm having baby feverrr!" Sierra exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she helped pack Dreka's hospital bag.
Dreka chuckled softly, her hands expertly folding tiny clothes. "Until you hear the screaming and crying, then that all goes out the window," she joked, her tone tinged with amusement.
"But It really don't be that bad when it's a newborn doing it 'cause it's a natural thing, but as soon as they hit 2-3, oh baby no!" Dreka added, arranging the two newborn black and white Nike hats that matched the onesie in the diaper bag. Sierra grinned, her heart melting at the sight of the tiny baby items.
"And bitch, tell me why while you been gone, I been at home struggling to keep my fuckin' job! Why is Aleya talking about some I've been gone for too long and I'm holding up the line for new bitches to come in?"
"I'm like Aleya, I'm on maternity leave, what the hell do you want me to do, get up on the poll looking dumb?" Sierra laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Not she want you on the stage all pregnant showing ass and shit! What be wrong with her," Sierra exclaimed, her eyebrows raised in incredulity.
"Like girl, I cannot. But I'm finna quit after I have baby boy. I been looking more to go back to school for my J.D. degree 'cause I feel like I'm starting to outgrow this era," Dreka explained, her voice filled with determination.
"You should do it! I definitely see a lawyer fitting you," Sierra encouraged, her eyes shining with admiration for her friend's ambition.
"Really? King said I should do it too, but girl, the homework is ridiculous and ion know if I'm ready for all that."
Sierra smacked her teeth. "Of course, it's gonna be hard, you dealing with real deal cases and all that shit, but the pros is you get paid big checks for it. At least get your feet wet and try it out."
Dreka huffed and nodded, finding solace in Sierra's words of encouragement. "Everyone telling me to, so Ima try it out."
"But anyway, you still haven't told me about the trip! How'd that go?" Dreka asked eagerly, changing the subject.
"It went great, girl! We had talked about our relationship and getting to know more about each other on a deeper level, and he opened up to me— it was just amazing!" Sierra explained, her face glowing with happiness.
"I'm so glad he's opening up better to you, Si. I really love this for you like whatt— my sis a whole salon owner!" Dreka acknowledged proudly, her heart swelling with pride for her friend's accomplishments.
"I know it's still unbelievable. I'm so ready to get all the way into it," Sierra said, her excitement palpable.
"But how's baby girl been knowing her brother a few weeks away from arrival?" Sierra asked, zipping up the bag and placing it on his little elephant rocking chair.
"Girl, super excited, like every day she comes home from school and hugs my belly. It's so cute. But at first, she was a wreck as she started seeing more of his toys and clothes come in realizing it wasn't for her."
"I miss my baby's I gotta get Aubrey and LayLay soon," Sierra said wistfully, looking around the grey nursery.
"Tuh, girl, you can get her now! Matter of fact, it's 1:20, she should be on her way home now," Dreka said as held onto the grey wooden crib and stood up.
"Well, I'ma stay till tonight 'cause Zane is supposed to be out all day and I don't have nothing to do until tomorrow," Sierra groaned, not wanting to return to the empty house unless Zane was there.
"Then I already know King's gonna be out too, We might as well do a little mini girls' night," Dreka suggested, her smile brightening at the idea.
"I'm down," Sierra agreed.
Sending some of the night over at Dreka's and catching up on everything with each other Sierra missed moments like this with her best friend. Especially since Dreka's family was growing and Sierra was starting to become busier with her business, she felt like they hadn't had time together in a while which was definitely needed.
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