Page 64 of All In

She hesitated, then nodded. “Ooooh, can we get sushi too?” Max added quickly. “Me and MJ always get shrimp tempuras, right, Mommy?” Jackie paused, then exhaled. “Yes, baby.”

Cash pulled up along the curb outside Terakawa. It was packed, like always. He didn’t just know a guy. He knew theowner.Personally.They had catered a few of his mother’s bougie dinner parties, so he shot him a quick text to move things along. He didn’t bother with the menu. Just ordered his usual and told him to make it three of everything so they could build their own bowls. He added sushi, fried rice, chicken, fish, and a few Japanese sodas.

From the back seat, Max suddenly pointed out the window. “Oh, Mom, look. Target. Can we go in there? I still got my gift card from the 100-book challenge.”

“Max, you have eleven dollars on that gift card,” Jackie said tiredly.

“Yes, but that’s enough for something.”

“Not tonight, baby.”

“I’ll take him,” Cash said. Jackie turned toward him immediately. “Only if it’s alright with you,” he added. “I gotta run in there anyway. Need to grab some stuff for the house.” That part was alie.

Cash didn’t need shit from Target. But he could see the weight sitting in Jackie’s shoulders, and if twenty minutes inside a quiet car gave her a chance to breathe, he was willing to play along. Jackie looked like she was about to argue, but the words died before they made it out. Instead, she reached into her bag, pulled out the gift card, and counted a few ones from her wallet. “It’s only eleven dollars on it,” she said. “He just wants another Captain Underpants book, and those are usually—”

“I got it,” Cash said quietly. Her eyes lifted to his. Something unreadable flickered there. She slipped the card and cash back into her wallet. Cash opened the door and nodded toward Max.

“Come on, young bull.” Max hopped out like it was Christmas. He slipped his small hand into Cash’s without thinking, and together they crossed the street.

Cash came back twenty minutes later, with Max bouncing beside him, as three Target bags hung heavy on his wrist. Jackie’s eyes narrowed immediately. “You said a book.” Max climbed into the back seat first, already digging through the bags like he couldn’t wait another second. “I did get a book,” he said quickly. He pulled out a brightCaptain Underpantspaperback and waved it around like proof. But then he reached back into the bag and pulled out the matchingCaptain Underpantspajamas. Jackie blinked slowly before turning her head toward Cash, who was conveniently looking down at his phone, pretending to text in an obvious effort to avoid her eyes. “Pajamas. Really Cassius?”

Max kept going, pulling things out one by one like it was show-and-tell.

“And toys.” Max continued as he sat two small action figures in the seat beside him like little passengers. “And I got—” Jackie held up a hand. “Maximus.” He froze. Then immediately pointed toward Cash. “Mommy, Coach Cash also made me get socks, undershirts, and big boy draws.”

Jackie didn’t say anything right away. She just kept her eyes fixed on the side of Cash’s face. Cash could feel the heat radiating off her stare.Did he let Max get pretty much everything he wanted in the cart? Yeah.But he also made him grab a few essentials. Most kids would’ve gone dumb if he handed them a blank check like he had Max. But Max only wanted a book, some new pajamas, and a pack of peanut M&M’s. Cash had to practically beg him to grab a few toys. “I got deodorants and soaps too,” Max added proudly. “Like the kind you get me.” Jackie was silent, but Cash could feel her eyes burning straight into the side of his head. He didn’t turn toward her, just started the car and prayed the food would be out soon. “Oh! And I got you something too, Mommy.” Jackie frowned slightly.“I reallywish you wouldn’t have,” she said quietly, her eyes still locked on Cash.

Max reached back into the bag and pulled out a pack of peanut M&M’s. The corner of Jackie’s mouth lifted before she could stop it. “Thank you, baby.” Max beamed like he had just done something heroic. “You’re welcome, Mommy. I know you like the yellow pack.”Cash finally glanced over, their eyes met for just one second. Neither of them said anything. Then Jackie spoke softly. “Thank you.” Before Cash could answer, two runners from the restaurant suddenly appeared beside the car pushing a cart stacked with catering containers. Jackie blinked. “How much food did you order?” Cash popped the trunk and stepped out. “Enough.” The cold night air hit him as he moved around the back of the car. The runners worked quickly, passing him container after container while the smell of broth, fried rice, and grilled chicken drifted out of the bags. Cash tipped both before loading everything into the trunk. By the time he slid back into the driver’s seat, Jackie was digging through her purse like a madwoman. The leather bag was practically upside down in her lap. “What you looking for?” he asked. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she kept rummaging, fingers flying through the inside pockets before dumping the entire contents onto the floor between her legs. “My fucking house keys,” she said, her voice tight with panic as she checked her hoody pockets next. Cash watched her from the corner of his eye. The movement was frantic now, not just searching, butscrambling. Then she froze.

“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. “They’re in the middle console… of my car.” The words came out hollow, as Jackie leaned back in the seat and let out a long, defeated sigh. Her hands fell into her lap, fingers still curled like they didn’t know what to do now that the search was over.

Cash felt the shift in her immediately. The exhaustion that had been riding her all night had finally caught up. “You don’tkeep a spare nowhere?” Cash asked. “Like outside your crib, under a flowerpot or something?” Jackie let out a tired breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “Have you seen my block?” she said, turning her head toward him. “Would you keep a spare key out there?”

Cash nodded slowly. “Nah… you right.”

For a second, he just watched her. He could practically see her mind running a mile a minute, trying to solve ten different problems at once. Her eyes had that glazed overlook people got when they were trying real hard not to lose their shit in front of somebody. Cash knew that look.

Finally, he spoke. “My condo’s not far from here.” Jackie turned her head slowly. Her eyes were glossy now. Not crying, but close enough that he could see the moisture gathering there. “We can go there,” he continued calmly. “Eat and figure out the key situation later.”

He kept his voice steady, giving her something simple to grab onto. “I already had your car towed to my folks’ repair yard, so tracking it down ain’t a problem. Only thing is it’s after eight, so they might be closed by now.” He paused before adding, “If that’s the case, we’ll just call a locksmith.” Jackie stared straight ahead for a moment, her chest rising slowly as she tried to settle herself.

“Kormia has a spare,” she said quietly. “I could call her.”

“That’s an option too.” Cash said, as they sat there in silence. Jackie studied his profile from the passenger seat, her eyes lingering on him longer than they had all night. Then the tension slowly drained out of her shoulders. The fight that had been holding her upright all evening finally started to dissolve. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. Cash didn’t say anything. He simply shifted the car into drive, pulled back into traffic, and headed toward his place.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

JACKIE

Downtown Philadelphia looked different after dark.

Not the busy, impatient version Jackie was used to seeing during the day. This version of the city was quieter and far removed from the horn-blaring, traffic-packed chaos that ruled the streets when the sun was up. At night, the city came alive. The streets shined wide and glossy as skyscrapers lined every stretch of city block. Jazmine Sullivan played low through the speakers as Cash maneuvered through the streets with one hand on the wheel and the other resting near the center console. The sound ofPick Up Your Feelingsfilled the quiet that settled inside the car, and for a good while, nobody said anything.

Outside, the city carried on around them. Traffic lights clicked from red to green as cars drifted past in steady streams. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed briefly before fading back into the night. Inside the car, though, Jackie sat in the passenger seat, trying her hardest todecompress.Meanwhile, Max shuffled from one side of the backseat to the other, his face pressed against the window, taking the entire city in like a little tourist. “Mommy, look—a skyscraper!” he said, pointing out the window.

“That one tall as heck.” Jackie shot him a quick look through the rearview mirror. “Maximus.”

“Sorry,” he muttered quickly. But it only lasted about two seconds before he pointed again. “Look at that one! Mommy,that one even bigger than the other one.” Jackie let out a quiet breath, rubbing the side of her temple as she sank deeper into the passenger seat. For the first time since her car decided to call it quits, Jackie felt something she hadn’t felt all night.Relief.It was quiet, and it crept in slowly. But it finally allowed her to breathe again. Max kept turning his head from one side of the car to the other, staring out the window like the city had just turned into his personal field trip. “Coach,” he asked suddenly, leaning forward between the seats, “is your house in a skyscraper?” Cash glanced at him briefly in the rearview mirror before giving a small nod. “Yeah.”Max’s eyes widened.