Page 67 of All In

“Don’t do that,” Najee said. “Do what?” Jackie responded.

“Act like having a nice home is out of reach.”

Jackie huffed softly. “For you, maybe.”

“For anybody,” he corrected.

Jackie didn’t argue. Instead, she just shifted the conversation.

“So, why you ain’t come to the field today?” she asked. “It looked like a family affair.”

Najee let out a quiet breath. “That’s exactly why I didn’t go.” She smiled faintly. “That bad?”

“Jackie… be clear. I love my family.” His tone was steady.

“But I try to stay out the politics of it all.”

Jackie went quiet, as her mind drifted back to the way Sister Malika had looked at her earlier. That tight smile. That slow once-over. Like she ain’t belong anywhere near them. Jackie hated that she could still feel the weight of her gaze, even now, hours later.

“You good?” Najee asked, snapping her back into reality. “Yeah,” Jackie said quickly.

The word came out a little too fast. “You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m good.” She lied.

The silence sat heavy now, and she knew he caught the shift in her voice. She thought he might press her on it. But he didn’t. And somehow, she was grateful. He let it go, and a quiet silence settled between them. “So how you and Max make out today?” he asked. Jackie shifted her weight against the wall. “We made out well, and thanks to you, we had enough food to share with a few of his teammates.” Najee chuckled. “That’s good to hear.”

“Seriously though, he did great today,” she added. “I was very proud of my baby.”

“I’m proud of him too,” Najee said. “He told me he was going to be a leader today, so I’m glad he kept his word.” Jackie smiled slightly. “I’m not going to lie, I think he had more fun off the field in those leaves,” she joked. “Oh yeah?”

“Hell yeah. Homeboy had a time today.” Najee’s voice warmed. “That’s good.” He paused.

“So, what time did y’all end up leaving?” Jackie hesitated. Then she exhaled. “Well…”

“Well, what?” he asked. “The time kind of got away from us…” Najee didn’t respond. “And when it was time to go…” she continued carefully, “my car decided to give out on me. Forreal this time.”

The silence on the other end shifted immediately. Sensing it, Jackie spoke quickly. “It’s fine though. Everything got handled,” she said. “We weren’t out there too long. Maybe a little over anhour or so.” “That is long,” he countered, his tone sharpening. “Especially alone in the dark with Max. I’m confused. Why didn’t you call me?” She wanted to saybecause your cousin was already there and that would’ve been awkward.But instead, she closed her eyes briefly and reached for something safer. Not quite the truth, but not a full-blown lie either. “You already bailed me out once today,” she said.

“I wasn’t about to call you again—”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” She frowned. “That thing you just did,” he said calmly. “Like I’m keeping score.”

Jackie didn’t respond. “If your car breaks down, or anything else happens moving forward,” he continued, quieter now, “I wanna be the first call.” Jackie pressed the back of her head against the wall. A small smile tugged at her mouth. “Yes, Dr. Amin-Rashid,” she teased. Najee chuckled.“Say my name right. “Her stomach tightened slightly. “This ain’t the doctor talking to you. This is the man.”

Jackie swallowed. “Yes, Najee.”

“That’s better.” He said, as a quiet pause landed between them.

From inside the bathroom— “Mommy!” Max called out. “My toes got wrinkles!”

Jackie let out a quiet breath. “That’s my Cue.”

“Call me before you close your eyes,” Najee said.

Jackie hesitated. “Okay.”