Anthony sighed, and I pictured him scrubbing his hands across his face in frustration. “I don’t know, man.”
“You’re lying,” I accused, bringing myself back up. “Tell me the truth, or our friendship is over.”
He snorted and plucked the joint from my fingers. “Let me get this straight. Instead of marching over there and demanding answers from your adult children, you would end our friendship? I told you to check your children years ago, but you wouldn’t listen. Don’t take your inaction out on me. I did my fucking part.”
I’m being unreasonable. It’s my fault that I turned a blind eye for all these years.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized.
“You’re forgiven.” I chuckled ruefully as the pieces started putting themselves together. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Y-you thought Grant was asexual, and the whole time, he was involved in a secret marriage with his stepsister.”
“If you look on the bright side, they’re not biologically related.”
“I guess that’s one for the win column.”
We fell silent as we continued to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Kiyah, I’m sorry. I panicked and made a bad judgment call. Please forgive me.”
Kiyah looked at Grant as if she considered forgiving him for his transgressions. “No,” she said, fumbling with her clutch.
“Damn. She’s cold-blooded,” Anthony laughed.
I shook my head. “Don’t fall for it. Kierra does the same thing. Kiyah wants Grant to grovel a little.”
“Grovel a little? That’s it?”
“That’s it,” I confirmed.
“Simone damn near makes me nail myself to the cross to earn her forgiveness,” Anthony complained.
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I kid you not. The last time we got into it, the woman didn’t talk to me for three weeks—twenty-one days.”
“Are you referring to the time you faked a heart attack to get out of a function?”
“To be fair….”
“Don’t,” I said, cutting him off.
“It was so fucking boring, Jon. You had to be there to believe it. I’d nodded off five times and finally gave in. To be fair, I didn’t say I was having a heart attack.”
“You grabbed your arm and started hissing and wincing like you were in pain,” I reminded him.
“I was in pain from when the ball whacked me in the arm when we played tennis earlier that day. I had the bruise to prove it.”
“And Simone proved she wasn’t putting up with your bullshit.”
“She’s so cruel. I had to live with Ronan for three weeks. I almost strangled the boy Homer Simpson-style several times.”
“You didn’t have to stay with Ronan. You could’ve stayed in a hotel.”
“Mhm. I see your elevator is jammed between floors nine and ten. There was no way in hell I was staying in a hotel for her to accuse me of cheating. I wanted someone to keep an eye on me at all times. I could’ve crashed with you guys, but Simone knows Ronan would never lie to save my ass.”
I shrugged. “Maybe if you were kinder to your son, you wouldn’t have those issues.”