"Hi dad." Grace greeted her father, who was currently on the phone, "I-"

"Not right now." He interrupted, not even sparing her a glance, before continuing his conversation, "I just want the contract. I really don't care how you get him to sign."

No matter how many times she was rejected by him, each time still hurt.

Isiah didn't make his fortune by being slowed down by his family. He'd seen many of his counterparts left behind because they put family first.

He thought those men weak as in the long run, his family would be well taken care of when he did choose to retire, and then he'd make up for lost time.

They'd just have to deal with it until then.

Grace turned and walked out of the room, retuning to the kitchen where their housekeeper, Celina, was preparing lunch.

"What did he say?" Celina asked when she saw Grace descend the stairs.

Grace didn't bother lying to her since she'd seen all their family had to offer by now, "He didn't say anything. He was on the phone and said not right now."

Celina smiled sadly, "Tell him at lunch then, when he's not on the phone."

They both knew it wouldn't have mattered if he were on the phone or not. He could've just been sitting there staring at a fucking wall and he still would've told her 'not right now'.

Mason walked into the kitchen, going to the refrigerator to pull out a bag of grapes, "What's for lunch?"

"Your favorite." Celina laughed, "Grilled Salmon."

"Wow, you love me." He said while walking over to lean down and kiss her cheek, "Same thing for dinner?"

Celina nodded her head yes, "I won't be cooking dinner tonight. Noah has a game today and I told him I'd be there."

Grace, who was partially listening to their conversation, looked up from her phone then, "I wanna go if that's okay?"

"You don't want to tell your dad the news?"

"What news?" Mason asked.

"Grace got into Columbia." Celina boasted proudly as if she were her daughter.

"No shit? And you're just now telling me?"

"I just got the letter today." Grace explained, "Celina opened it with me."

Mason observed his sister's face, noticing she didn't even look like she cared about getting into an ivy league school.

Neither of them made any effort to go to college when they graduated, choosing to take a year off, that turned into them never going.

Yet here Grace sat, accepted into one of the hardest schools to get into, 4 years after high school, and she was acting like it meant nothing.

That could only mean Isiah acted as if it meant nothing.

"And you didn't tell your dad?" Mason asked, purposefully referring to Isiah as her dad only.

"Nope. He's busy."

"Fuck 'em then. Let's celebrate tonight."

Grace sat silently for a minute, "It's nothing to celebrate really. I was just trying to see if I could get in, I'm not actually going."

Celina and Mason made eye contact, both of them knowing that had Isiah shown any interest in what she was saying, this would've been an entirely different conversation.

As if on cue, in came Isiah, trailed by Samantha who had a Zoloft pill tucked securely in her hand, "How are you Celina?"

"I'm fine Mr. Simmons. How are you?"

Isiah didn't respond, taking his seat at the table and glancing briefly at his daughter, "Will Haiden be joining us for lunch?"

Haiden and Grace had been friends before they even knew how to walk, their mothers meeting at a birthing class, and basically forcing them together when they were older.

She often joined them for lunch and/or dinner, especially following her parent's ugly divorce.

Grace swallowed her annoyance at him remembering to ask where Haiden was, but not remembering that she had come upstairs to talk to him not even 30 minutes earlier, "No."

Mason looked at Isiah, taking it upon himself to start the conversation, "Grace has good news."

He didn't even look up from his phone that he had pulled out, "Does she?"

That should've prompted her to not even tell him, but the tiny sliver of hope for his acknowledgment wouldn't go away, "I got into Columbia."

Samantha eyes shone with happiness, as she darted from her chair to embrace Grace, "That's amazing, Grace!"

When Isiah stayed quiet, Samantha looked at her husband, "Isn't it great Isiah?"

All positivity vanished from the air as he stood up from the table, pressing his phone to his ear, "Did he agree to a meeting?" He asked while leaving the dining room.

"We'll tell him again when he comes back." Samantha told Grace, scrambling to make an excuse for his actions, "I heard it's a big contract."

Grace scoffed, "Who'd you hear that from? It couldn't have been him because he doesn't tell you shit."

Celina pretended to not see the display, continuing to bring their food out.

The arms that were still wrapped around Grace slowly fell and Samantha walked back to her chair, reaching for the glass of water to take the pill she'd momentarily forgotten she'd needed.

Samantha wasn't upset at Grace for her outburst, but more so herself that she had allowed her family to spiral out of control while waiting for a man to choose them.

Just for Isiah to never choose them.

Celina had finished setting the table by that time and she looked at Grace, "Are you still coming with me? I'm planning on putting meat on the grill after so you can eat there if you want."

She nodded "I just need to get ready."

"It's at a park Grace. I don't think heels are necessary."

"Is there ever a time when heels aren't necessary?"

"You'll be standing majority of the time too. Your feet are going to feel like bricks."

Grace laughed, "I'll pay one of boys to carry me to the car."

"You're paying for sex now?" Mason asked jokingly, "An all time low."

A frown came over Celina's face, "I don't want to think about the girl I've known since she was 2 having sex. Thank you."

"Well I have to have kids somehow. You're the one who gave me the birds and the bees talk anyway."

"Oh so she got a talk but I had to watch porn and connect the dots? This is a sexist world."

The three of them laughed as Celina shook her head, "No you watched that because you wanted to."

"We all knew when you magically made everyone start knocking before coming in."

"So you have to give my son the talk then." Mason told her, "It's only right."

"First of all Mase, she's going to be with my kids. You like white girls anyway. Get a caucasian nanny."

"I have sex with one white woman and now only I like white girls?"

Mason and Haiden had sex one night after they left a party together. It was a one time thing and never happened again.

He hadn't even intended on telling Grace but Haiden did it for him, texting it to his sister early the next morning.

"Black women are beautiful." Mason continued, "And they age like wine. Celina you don't look a day over 20."

"Compliment her all you want. She's still watching my kids."

"Hopefully by the time y'all have kids, I won't need to be a nanny anymore." Celina laughed.

Grace pretended to be shocked, "You do it for the money? We thought you loved us."

"Ain't that much love in the world Gigi."

Samantha had been watching their exchange, seeing her children interact more with the woman who was hired to help, than they did with her.

Seeing them debate over whose kids Celina would help raise made her feel sick to her stomach, caused sadness that even the strongest depression pills couldn't cure.

She rose from the table and gave Celina a fake smile, "Thank you so much for lunch Celina, but I'm not feeling well."

Celina responded quickly, before turning her attention back to Samantha's children.

• • •

Once they arrived at the park, Grace saw what Celina meant about her feet feeling like bricks by the time they left.

Almost every single seat was taken, the bleachers filled all the way to the top.

She was the only one dressed in nice clothes, the rest of the women in jeans or tights, some in shorts.

They were approached by Celina's daughter, Brielle, who greeted them with hugs, "Mama why you let this girl wear heels out here?" She asked with a laugh.

Her question was good-natured as she'd known Grace for about the same amount of time as Celina, so she knew how she was.

"Am I overdressed?"

"I'm not about to play with you." She laughed, "I saved y'all a seat over there."

Grace looked towards where Brielle pointed, and saw Josiah sitting next to the guy who worked the party with him almost two weeks ago.

She knew there was a reason she came to this game.

________

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