Chapter One

JaRue ‘Rue' Malone

"Shit…shit…shit."

I was running late for work, and I couldn't afford that shit. Not right now, anyway. My car wouldn't start, and I still had to get Infiniti to daycare. It was already seven-thirty, and I had to be at work at eight-fifteen. The daycare was twenty minutes from my apartment and my job was another twenty minutes away. With traffic from the Heights all the way to the Valley…I wouldn't get to work until almost eight-thirty.

I worked as a receptionist at Richmond Crematory he let it go.

"Damn, nigga. I was right here."

Knight mugged his brother after snatching the door back open.

"I can see, nigga."

"The fuck you close the door in my face for?" he asked.

"The fuck I'm a hold it for? Your hands work," Knasim grumbled.

"You a nasty ass nigga. Sis' must be holding out on you again."

"Stop worrying 'bout my wife, nigga. I done told you about that shit." Knasim frowned at his brother before turning to me. "Rue, our cousins are expected to come through. You already know to send them back. If my wife and son come, send them straight back. I don't care what I'm doing. I know there are three families due this afternoon. Let me know when they get here." I listened as Knasim ran down the details of the day while I made mental notes.

"Okay. Anything else?" I asked.

"Nah. That's all I got right now." I nodded, and he went down the hall that led to his office. I went around to my desk, then turned my computer on before going into the employee lounge and making a cup of coffee. Today seemed like it was going to be light, but I knew coffee would still be needed in order for me to get through it.

I had just come back from lunch and was about to get ready for the 2:00 consultation with a bereaved family. Right when I was setting up the meeting area, Knight came into the room.

"Aye, Rudy Rue. We're going to need you to stay over tonight. You good with that?" It wasn't unusual for them to ask me to stay over. I knew all about The RCF and what they were about, so anytime they offered me to stay over, I did because I could use all the extra money I could.

"Uh, sure. Let me call my daughter's father and see if he can pick her from daycare."

"Bet." He nodded as he walked out of the room.

I went back to my desk and pulled my phone out of the drawer before I dialed Keith's number. He answered right before the voicemail came on.

"What is it, Rue?" he asked like I was annoying him.

"I have to work over tonight. Can you pick Infiniti up from daycare?"

I could hear him huffing, but I didn't have time for his shit today. The answer was ‘yes or no'.

"Working over?" He scoffed. "I know what that means. I don't know why you won't get a respectable job and leave those people alone," he stated.

He always belittled my job every chance he got but had better sense than to say that to The Richmonds. He just liked to talk shit.

"It's a job, and it's how I take care of my daughter. You do the bare minimum and that's only when you feel like it. I pay for daycare even though you told me you would. I-" he cut me off.

"I told you if you wanted me to do more, sign your rights over to me and my wife and I wouldn't have a problem taking care of her financially."

This nigga never ceased to amaze me.

"Why would you think I would give you my daughter? You know what? Don't worry about it."

I hung up in his face because I didn't have time to be going back and forth with this overgrown ass man.

"You good?"

I turned around and saw Knas standing on the other side of my desk.

"I'm fine. I just need to make sure I have someone to watch my daughter tonight. Knight asked me to work over, and I desperately need all the extra money I can get."

I sat down in my chair and put my head in my hands.

"Look, I get it. I'm a father myself, and that nigga Knight has three kids. Go home to your baby."

"No, I can find somebody to watch her," I insisted.

"Rue, you're good. I promise. Don't worry about staying over." I cut him off again, but he put his hand up to stop me. "I'll still pay you."

I was floored.

"I can't take money I didn't earn, Knasim."

"Look at it as a bonus." He smiled, which was something he rarely did.

"Thank you! Thank you so much."

I was on the verge of tears, but the family was walking in, so I had to straighten up my face immediately. Keith can say what he wants, but The Richmonds were lifesavers.

∞∞∞

After the consultations, I was able to go pick my daughter up on time. When I got ready to leave, Knasim and Knight came back upfront, and both handed me ten thousand dollars apiece. I almost fell flat on the floor. I never expected them to give me anything, especially not that much. I refused it at first because I didn't want them to think I was a charity case. They explained that wasn't the case at all. They knew I was a hard worker and being a single mother could be hard. I never told them about Infiniti's father because a part of me was embarrassed that he was well off but still refused to take care of his child without stipulations. To them, my baby's daddy was just another broke ass deadbeat. I thanked them for the money again and went straight to the bank to deposit it. As soon as I picked up Infiniti, I paid for her daycare for the rest of the year. I told Stephanie how I got the money, and she told me I would have been a fool to block that blessing. After that, I went home to bathe my baby, order groceries and house essentials. I paid my rent and lights for the rest of the year and paid off my furniture. I would call my mechanic in the morning to see how much it would be to fix my car and pay that upfront. I didn't care if I didn't have a dime left; I wanted to make sure my bills were paid, and we had food in the house.

After bathing and feeding Infiniti, I laid her down, then ordered the groceries and waited for them to arrive. While I did that, I poured a glass of wine and called Journei.

"Hey, boo," she answered.

"What you doing?"

"Nothing. Sitting here looking at the walls, look at me. My mama still out doing whatever with whoever, so I'm here by myself."

Journei still stayed at home with her mother. It was just the two of them, so she didn't see the need to get her own place. She didn't work because her mother paid for everything, and she was able to do that because she stayed boo'd up with a rich husband. She was currently on husband number four and wasn't ashamed, not one bit. We knew she didn't love these men, but she made sure that she was taken care of and so was Journei.

"Come over. I got some tea to spill, chy." I took a sip of my wine and sat on the sofa, tucking my leg under me.

"Say less. I was about to call you anyway once I realized the time. Give me twenty minutes." I agreed, and we hung up.

I searched my Fire Stick for something to watch while I waited for Journei and my groceries. Fifteen minutes later, I heard a knock at the door.

"Damn, that was quick," I said as I got up to go to the door.

I'm pretty sure it was the groceries because Journei wouldn't be here that fast. Opening the door, I was greeted by the delivery person, along with Keith's annoying ass. I watched as he walked up to my door and step around my groceries. Bastard didn't even bother to help bring them in. After thanking the driver, I started bringing my stuff on the inside of the door so I could put them up. I had well over six hundred dollars' worth of stuff and his ass just stood there.

"Where did you get the money to buy all of this? You got another nigga buying shit for my daughter?"

I looked at him like he had all the audacity in the world. I refused to respond. I had to continue getting my things inside. Once I did, I shut my door and faced my sorry ass baby daddy.

"It's none of your business where I got the money. You didn't provide it, and my daughter has everything she needs no thanks to you," I snapped.

"If I find out that you've had another man around my daugh-"

"You ain't gonna do shit." Journei cut him off as she came through the door.

My friend was beautiful. She was thick in all the right places with the prettiest caramel colored skin that I've ever seen. She was a little shorter than my five foot five frame, standing at five foot three, but that didn't stop her from running up on anybody…my baby daddy included.

"This has nothing to do with you, Journei. Learn to stay in your place," Keith spat.

"My place? Nigga, your place gonna be down that damn incinerator where my girl works at. Stop playing with me."

She stood toe to toe with Keith and dared him to clap back. Like I knew he would. He stood down and turned his attention back to me.

"I'll be back to see my daughter when you don't have stragglers around."

He looked at Journei up and down in disgust.

"You got me fucked up with your lopsided wig, wife," she spewed.

That caused me to burst out laughing. He pinned me with a nasty glare, but I gave him one right back, causing him to roll his eyes and leave. Once he was out of the door, Journei and I looked at each other and laughed.

"He mad, huh?" I laughed.

"Bitch, he big mad. But, uhm. Where did you get the money to get all of this? I was prepared to tell him I brought it and it'll still be our story, but bitch, spill it."

As she helped me put up the groceries and other supplies that I brought, I told her about the day I had at work and how my bosses gave me twenty thousand dollars as a bonus. I told her everything I did with the money and how I was going to put the rest up.

"Bitch, you sure you ain't fucking none of those fine ass niggas?" she asked.

"I'm positive. Knasim's mean ass is married and so is Knight. I'm good on them and would never push up on my bosses that way. I'm just appreciative that they're family oriented and understand my situation."

"I hear you. Let's finish putting this stuff up so we can order food and drink this wine. I might even stay here with y'all tonight."

We did just that and ended up drinking three bottles of wine. I'm glad I had tomorrow off because had I not, I wouldn't be any good.