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Roc retorted with a fake laugh of his own. “I don’t know,” he deadpanned. “Who names their kid after a map?”
Well, he had me there.
Roc reached into his jeans and pulled out a money clip before peeling off more than a few of the crisp hundred-dollar bills and trying to hand the stack to Demi.
“Roc, this is too much, and I’ve told you before I don’t want your money.”
“Take it,” he insisted though it sounded like an order.
“No.”
Without missing a beat, Roc looked down at his daughter. “Baby, remember what Daddy told you when you said you wanted to stay up late like a big girl?”
Halo nodded solemnly. “Yes, I ‘member.”
“Here you go, baby girl.” Roc handed her the cash. “Now, what are you going to do with it?”
“Ummm…” Halo thought with her fingers in her mouth. “Put in my pocket?”
I tucked my lips to keep from laughing. Halo was just too much.
“No,” Roc said before exhaling through his nose and leaning over to whisper something in her ear.
Whatever he said made Halo’s eyes brighten with excitement before she climbed to her knees in the chair and thrust the fist full of cash toward Demi. “Here you go! I’m a big girl now, so I pay my own bills!”
Demi’s pissed-off gaze slid to Roc a second before my astonished one did. “You dirty bastard.”
Halo giggled. “What’s a bastard?” she screamed, delighted at learning a new word. “Bastard! Bastard! Bastard Bastard!”
“It’s something you shouldn’t say,” Roc scolded right before he turned it on Demi. “Aye, hate me all you want, but don’t curse in front of my daughter.”
“Then stop using your daughter to manipulate me!”
“Ain’t nobody manipulating you!”
“Okay, Roc.” I could see Demi widening the emotional and physical distance between them as she stepped back. “You can go now.”
Before either of them could spew any more venom, Halo burst into tears, crying her little eyes out and raising the invisible white flag between Roc and Demi.
They both stopped fighting to console her.
“All right, Halo. Daddy’s sorry. Come on,” Roc pleaded. “Stop crying.” He picked her up, and she immediately laid her head on his shoulder while Demi rubbed her back in soothing circles.
“I’m sorry for making you cry, best friend.”
Halo lifted her head in response and wiped away her tears. “It’s okay. My daddy said him going to marry you and make you my new mommy, so don’t be mad, okay, Dem Dem?”
“All right,” Roc grumbled while Demi surprisingly giggled. If I wasn’t mistaken, there was even a blush creeping up her cheeks. “You doing too much,” he continued to fuss. “What did I say about telling all of my business? Let’s go.” Now that Halo had exposed him, he couldn’t get out of the door fast enough.
“But you did say that!” Halo whined just before the shop door slammed shut behind them.
“This is so stupid.” I huffed for the third time in ten minutes and tucked a loose loc back inside my top knot. I was sweating my ass off down here despite the cool draft circling the basement of Pride of Kings.
I’d been down here in the stockroom hauling boxes and supplies since the start of my shift.
Why?
Because I’d been six minutes late.
