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his eyes slowly roll from Jermaine’s face to his feet and back up to his eyes again—“skills.”
    â€œWell, as I’m sure you know, my brother passed away last month and I’ve been involved in trying to find out who killed him, so my class work and my extracurricular activities suffered some, but it won’t be a thing to get my weight back up,” Jermaine said confidently. His words made Lauren shiver—partly because she was impressed that her boyfriend was standing up to Altimus, but mostly because she was sure Altimus would just as soon see Jermaine join his brother in the afterlife than continue to let Jermaine disrespect him this way. She shifted from one foot to the other, searching desperately for something to say to cool down the conversational tension that went from simmer to boil in just a few sentences.
    â€œGet your weight up, huh?” Altimus said, his eyes locking with Jermaine’s. “What weight, exactly, are you talking about, Jermaine? Surely you’re not referring to drugs in the presence of my daughter, are you?”
    â€œNo, sir,” Jermaine said quickly. “I don’t fool with that stuff. You’re from the West End, so you know how it canget in the hood, but you also know that it’s possible to leave the hood and do something with yourself that doesn’t involve illegal substances. I mean, you proved that with your business selling all these ultimate driving machines, right?”
    Altimus didn’t bother to respond.
    â€œI got nothing but good intentions, Mr. Duke,” Jermaine continued. “Right up until my brother died, I was always a straight-A student. I got big plans to turn that into something positive for myself—the kinds of things only a skilled, fearless driver like yourself can accomplish. You can believe that.”
    Just as Altimus was about to respond, Lisa summoned his help. “Mr. Duke, sorry to disturb your conversation, but you’re needed in the office. We have a gentleman who is looking to purchase a 7 Series, but Drew would like to give him some incentives to close the deal.”
    â€œI’ll be right there, Lisa,” Altimus said, his eyes still locked on Jermaine’s.
    â€œYes, sir, I’ll let him know,” Lisa said.
    â€œBut I must say, your daughter,” Jermaine continued, smiling at Lauren, who was now as close to physically ill as she could possibly get, “she’s been really supportive—helping me get through the death of my brother and all,” Jermaine said, folding his arms.
    Without bothering to reply, Altimus turned his attention to Lauren. “Lauren, I’ll see you back at the house. I’llbe working late tonight, but you make sure you get home in time for dinner. Your mother is expecting you.” And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away, without so much as a word to Jermaine.
    â€œOkay, Daddy,” Lauren called out after him.
    â€œNice meeting you, Mr. Duke,” Jermaine yelled.
    Lauren waited until Altimus was out of their view before she turned to Jermaine and let him have it. “What the hell were you doing? Didn’t I tell you my stepdad is crazy? Are you trying to get on his last nerve?”
    â€œCome on, Lauren, don’t sweat it, okay?” Jermaine said. “And get it right: I’m the one who told you your stepdad is crazy.”
    â€œOh, I see—you’ve got a death wish, huh?” Lauren stage-whispered as Jermaine took her hand and headed toward the door.
    â€œNo death wish. I just wanted your dad to know a little bit about your man, that’s all. Where’s your coat? Let’s get out of here.”
    Lauren grabbed her coat off the showroom chair and pulled it on as Jermaine opened the door. The Atlanta winter chilled her to the bone, but she suspected her shivers had less to do with the air than what she thought Altimus might do to Jermaine for cutting up. “You