Real Men Knit(30)

Who knew, maybe that was part of why he fought so hard to keep the shop open. How could he lose her and them too in one fell swoop? He knew he couldn’t take it.

When he came out of his own thoughts both Ziggy and Craig were staring at him, as if he maybe had stopped talking midstream and they expected him to say more. He hoped like hell that he hadn’t expressed any of his thoughts out loud, but he didn’t have to worry about it much because just then their server came over with their drinks and Craig’s order of wings, along with Ziggy’s.

Craig was all about the wings and immediately dug in, but Ziggy wasn’t ready to let the conversation go. He’d picked up a wing but still pointed it at Jesse. “So, you didn’t answer. How you holding up?”

Jesse shook his head and took a sip of his beer. “I’m like you see me here. I’m okay. Don’t I look okay?”

Craig slipped him a look, then nodded. “You look all right. Still a little too pretty, and I’m not sure why I hang out with you. But yeah, alright.” He stared at him a little harder. “But you’re not sleeping worth a damn, are you? You need to get some rest. That pretty face won’t last forever.”

“Aww,” Jesse said, and reached for one of Craig’s wings. Craig’s horrified expression was priceless. “Thanks for your concern, Auntie.”

“Shut the hell up and be prepared to give me one of yours when it comes or shoot me a dollar.”

“A dollar?” Jesse said. “It’s a seventy-five-cent wing.”

“Interest, my man. Interest. And wing hour is about over anyway.”

Jesse laughed, feeling kind of glad to have come out now that Ziggy had broken the mood. “Okay, so wings aside, what’s up with you and Erika Taylor? You and her getting serious?”

Jesse’s laughter quickly faded. Dammit, word traveled quick. “No, we’re not getting serious. Nowhere near close to that. She may have stayed over at my place, but it was a onetime thing.”

“A onetime thing?” Craig asked. “Damn, you pretty motherfucker. That’s a smooth-ass drop right there. Slipping in about Erika Taylor staying over and then a onetime thing. Your lucky ass been tipping with her about a minute, pissing off half of Harlem and the Bronx, and now you’re talking a onetime thing.” Craig shook his head. “You really are worse off than I thought. Here, have another wing. You need a refill on your drink too?”

“More like a few-times thing, but her sleeping over at my place was a onetime thing. She knows this,” Jesse said. “Just like I told you. And I gotta keep my mind on my grind right now.”

“Oh, Erika can keep a brother’s mind on his grind. That’s for damn sure,” Craig said as he and Ziggy clinked glasses.

“So what’s the grind?” Ziggy asked. “Did you and your brothers decide how you’re going to close up the shop?”

Jesse felt the tension that was just starting to dissipate rise up again. Even his boys didn’t give any thought to him keeping the shop open. Nothing like a high dose of no one believing you’ve got any ingenuity to bring a guy down. Still, he faced his detractors head-on. “No, we’ve decided to keep the shop open. Or rather, I have. My brothers will help me out when they can.”

The looks the guys were giving him had him thinking for a moment that he was speaking another language. Even Craig had stopped chewing. He decided to continue on. Go remedial and maybe they would understand. “We figured it’s what Mama Joy would have wanted. She cared about the shop and what it means to the community. I figured I need to at least try.”

Craig and Ziggy continued to stare.

“Jeez. Why are you both looking at me like that? Is my reputation that bad? Don’t I always come through whenever either of you needs me?”

They frowned and looked at each other skeptically, no doubt thinking of all the times he’d been late to a party or hadn’t shown for an event at all. “Come on and cut me some slack,” he said. “This is going to work out.”

Finally, his friends nodded. “We get it,” Ziggy said. “We were just a little shocked is all.”

“Yeah,” Craig agreed. They were turning into quite the little act as they shook their heads and confirmed their comments with their wings. “You know,” Craig said between bites, “though, sure, you can do whatever you want and put your mind to, it’s just the idea of you and your brothers running a knitting shop is a little shocking. Do you plan on converting it into some sort of other kind of business? Like do some sort of play off the Strong Knits name. Say Strong Brothers Bodega. Or go the ironic route and do Strong Brothers Vegan Snacks.”

“Vegan snacks? This from the wing happy hour champion? Besides, Harlem doesn’t need another redundant or useless business with a short shelf life.”

Craig shrugged. “You got a point there, don’t go vegan. If it was me, I’d do a chicken and rib shop.”

Jesse made a face. “Didn’t I just say we don’t need redundant?”

Craig nodded. “I know it sounds that way. But with chicken and ribs it’s all about the sauce, and I’ve got a helluva sauce.”

Jesse knew there would be no getting Craig off this particular bone, so he just let him go with it. “When you open that rib shop, I’ll be first in line,” he said. “I know you can burn. Until then, I plan on doing my best with the yarn shop I’ve already got. Besides, I’ve got a plan, and luckily Kerry is staying on awhile to continue to help out. Between the two of us, with the way she keeps her nose to the grindstone and her mind on her work, we shouldn’t have any problems.”