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I nodded. “Okay, and how do you think I should handle this?”

“I’m willing to turn my tips in at the end of the night so you can take a percentage of it until I pay it back.”

“You hear yourself? I don’t even take y’all tips from y’all, and y’all still get a paycheck. I appreciate you offering it, but money is not the issue here. It’s trust. My question is, can I trust you not to do it again if those damn friends come in?”

“I’ve already talked with them. It will never happen again.”

“The next time, I will personally fire you. Are we clear?”

“Yes. And thank you for being understanding.”

“Thank your kids when you get home,” I told her.

I nodded for Grif so he could walk her out. My operational manager had sent me an email that she needed to meet with me before I left about an event that someone was trying to book. This would be the first event since I had taken over. I wanted everything to go as it was supposed to. This was going to bring so much money in. As we were in the office going over the contract that I wanted to send, I could hear yelling downstairs. At first, I ignored it because that’s what I had security for. They needed to do their job. Royal Flush was full of grown people with money and alcohol around them. Loud didn’t always mean there was a problem. Then I heard Grif’s voice, and that got my attention because he never raised his voice. He was more of an action man. The yelling got louder, and then I heard my name.

“Please don’t let this be who I think it is,” I said, closing my eyes.

“You want me to go see?”

“No, if it is, Grif already knows what to do.”

A few seconds later, Grif appeared in the door looking irritated. That confirmed it before he spoke.

“Raya?”

He nodded.

“What the hell does she want?”

“She got some paperwork in her hand talking about you holding her money. I told her she couldn’t come up here yelling, but she said she ain’t leaving until she talks to you.”

“Bring her up here,” I said.

I cleared all the paperwork and gave it to my manager.

“I’ll come back,” she said.

“Nah, stay so we can finish when she leaves.”

Raya walked in with her nose flared.

“Where the fuck is my money?”

I slowly stood because she was standing. The only thing separating us was my desk.

“Good afternoon to you, too,” I told her.

“Don’t do that fake ass professional shit with me, Kyenna. Lloyd told me you have the authority to release money from my daughter’s trust, and I need it.”

She threw the foreclosure on my desk. I looked down at it and back at her ass.

“Behind on your mortgage?” I asked, being funny.

“Obviously.” She frowned.

“How far?”

“That’s not your damn business.”