by Pat Simmons
Brecee jutted her chin. “My sister Shari taught me to plead the fifth, whether I’m guilty or not.”
He reached for her hand and wiggled his fingers as he entwined them with hers. “I can hold my own. Plus, my mother can be a frightening interrogator. Why do you think I’m still single?” He shuddered.
Laughing, Brecee gave him a playful nudged. “Humph. I don’t scare easy, either.”
“Oh, but you haven’t met Mrs. Cole. My mother can be a fierce cheetah and a lioness rolled into one when it comes to her only child.”
“A momma’s boy, huh?” she teased.
Adrian stared, daring her to blink. Then, speaking softly yet with great intensity, he said, “If being a momma’s boy means that I respect and care about the woman who gave birth to me and sheltered me from the storms, then I’m a proud card-carrying member of the momma’s boys club. I’m also the son of Grover V. Cole, who reared me to be a man and taught me how to treat women. I’m confident in both worlds.”
That statement took her breath away. It wasn't something he’d read in a book and memorized but something he lived. And she found that attractive. “I like you, Adrian Cole—your strength, your confidence—you. But your mother wouldn’t chase me away if I wanted to stay. Trust me.”
He squinted. “Is that so?” He leaned closer. “Will you always challenge me?”
“Always. You can thank Saul and Annette Carmen for that.”
“Saul? And I thought Grover V., or G.V., was different.”
Brecee hadn’t realized she had lost track of time, learning more about Adrian until Rahn got their attention.
“Hey, you two.” Rahn glanced at his watch. “Stay as long as you want, but it’s getting late, and my family and I are heading to bed. Set the security alarm when you leave, okay, Sis?” He wrapped an arm possessively around Shae’s waist as they walked toward the elevator.
Late, huh? Since when was eleven thirty late for grown folks? Brecee held in a chuckle as she looked back at her guests.
Adrian stifled a yawn. “I better call it a night, myself. Saturdays are busy.”
Rahn turned around. “Oh, and I’ll see what I can do about sending more business your way.” He pushed the button to call the elevator. When the door opened, he and Shae stepped inside. As the door was about to close, Rahn added in a whisper, so as not to wake Sabrina, “Hope you can make it to Family and Friends Day at the ballpark. Good night.”
Left alone with Adrian, Brecee looked beyond his handsome features for signs of exhaustion. Although she hadn’t asked him about his day, she was sure it had been long.
At least she could look forward to sleeping in tomorrow. The only thing she could do was hug him and silently pray that God would give him strength.
Finally, she wiggled free and stood. When Adrian got to his feet, she guided him toward the spiral staircase leading from the third floor to the second-floor landing, where the baby’s nursery was located.
They waved to Shae and Rahn, who were putting Sabrina to bed, before continuing downstairs. On the way to the side door leading to the driveway, Brecee grabbed her sweater and purse off the counter.
Outside, a cool breeze gave her goose bumps, making her shiver. Immediately, Adrian put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed her arms.
“Where’s your SmartAccess key to start your vehicle?” His voice was husky.
She pulled the key card out of her purse and tapped the start button. The headlights flashed, and the engine purred. She loved her Lexus.
When they reached her car, Adrian leaned against the hood and stared at her with an unreadable expression. “I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I didn’t make sure you got home safely.” He opened the door and waited for her to slide behind the wheel.
She looked up at him. “How about I call you once I’m safe and sound in my condo?”
Adrian shook his head. “How about I follow you home to see for myself, and—”
Without warning, Brecee’s defense mechanism kicked in. Her male cousins had taught the Carmen sisters well: Men think with their pants, so women better use their heads. Victor’s voice was loud and clear at the moment. “And what?” God, please don’t let him say the wrong thing. I’m not ready to write him off my list, she silently prayed as she waited.
“And make sure you don’t get another speeding ticket.” He winked. “I know how to tease, too.”
She laughed. “You got me on that. But I’ve gotten my first and last ticket, so no worries there. I live on the South Side. Twenty minutes in the other direction. I’ll be fine.”
“You are fine, but I insist, because I care about you. I have no other motives. Momma taught me well. I won’t disrespect you.”
Lord, he says the right things. Can I trust him? Tilting her head, Brecee studied his expression, trying to gauge his honesty. She was sure Shae and Rahn had taken down his license plate number, and their home security system was videotaping them at the moment. “All right,” she said, exhaling.
She waved at the security camera, then shifted into drive.
Adrian pivoted on his heel and turned toward the house, evidently looking for signs of her sister or brother-in-law, before heading for his Audi.
As Brecee crossed Lindbergh to I-40 eastbound and exited onto the highway, she mused that it had been a long time since she’d been treated with such chivalry. And she liked it. “Lord, please let him be the one.”
Chapter Twelve
T
he next day, Adrian was slightly off his game at the dealership. He was still two sales shy for the month, so he hoped to snag some prospective customers walking into the showroom.
He worked the smile and the handshake, but his mind wasn’t on building customer relationships; it was on Brecee and what she was doing on this sunny day in April. Since she lived across the street from a park, he wondered if she was there, perhaps taking a walk or riding a bike?
It had pricked his heart to see traces of doubt in her eyes last night when he’d offered to tail her home. Brecee mattered to him. Despite the other demands in his life, whether work or school, she was becoming his number one priority. It would take some time, but Adrian planned to prove it to her.
“My credit is on the rebound,” Mr. Sikeston said, leaning on Adrian’s desk and pulling his mind back to the business at hand. “I had some bad investments,” he said, glancing at his wife, “but it should still be okay for us to get the Mercedes.”
“Let me talk to my financing department and see what kind of interest rate we can get you.” Adrian stood and walked out of his office.
There had been plenty of lookers that morning, but if their credit score didn’t hit a certain number, getting the key into their hand was a moot point.
It wasn’t long before they learned that his score wasn’t high enough, after all. So, the Sikestons settled for a preowned car. “Whenever you’re ready for an upgrade, I’ll be here for you,” Adrian told them.
By the time the dealership closed its doors, Adrian had handed out five business cards to potential clients who’d promised that they would be in touch. He planned to follow up with them on Monday with a thank-you note and a gift card to Starbucks or Applebee’s.
Adrian was mentally drained as he drove the short distance home. The game face of a transportation problem solver had to be consistent, hiding disappointment and desperation to meet monthly goals. But Adrian liked the adrenaline rush of a challenge, which brought Brecee to mind, so he called her, but it went straight to her voice mail. He smiled anyway. “Hi. I didn’t want anything, just to hear your voice. I miss you.”
He had never opened himself to a woman this early on in a relationship. But this was Brecee’s game, and he was a willing participant.
As he parked in the lot outside his condo, the only things on Adrian’s mind were a hot shower and steaming plate of food. At least he could look forward to Sunday, his day of rest. He stepped out of his car and stretched before taking the short pathway to his door. His brain
and his body needed the downtime before classes resumed this week, and he went back to the grind.
In his kitchen, it didn’t take long for Adrian to fulfill his cravings. Then he caught the end of the evening newscast with Shae Maxwell. He thought about Rahn’s invitation to Family and Friends Day at the ballpark the following weekend. Hopefully, he could fit it into his schedule.
He began to doze when his smartphone rang, jarring him awake. Eyeing the caller ID, he saw that it was Brecee.
“You sound tired,” she said when he answered. “Did I wake you?”
“I was sleeping,” he confessed, “but I like the sound of my wakeup call.” He chuckled. “What did you do all day?”
“Oh, a little bit of everything: cooking, cleaning, strolling through my neighborhood, discovering more sights....” Her voice was chipper. “But I thought a lot about you, wondering how your day was going? If you made any sales, hungry?”
That comment gave him a burst of energy. “The next time you think of me while you're working in the kitchen, I’ll take a personal delivery of a home-cooked meal.”
“Personal delivery, huh? Are you telling me you don’t get many home- cooked meals?”
“Only when I stop by my mother’s. Even Laura cooks eggs better than Dolan, so, suffice it to say, the Cole men can’t cook. Mom seems to have a deep freezer full of meals ready to thaw when my key turns the lock at her house.”
“Sounds like my mother,” Brecee said. “Only she would always send me home with leftovers.”
“I think God broke the mold on my mother,” Adrian told her. “She’s always scheming.”
“Really? In what ways?” Brecee pressed him.
He didn’t have to rack his brain. His life had been full of examples. “I had a nervous stomach when I was young. So, if I wanted to get sent home from school, I would just eat anything at lunch to make myself throw up, which meant the nurse would call Mom. After the second time, she had the nurse put me on the phone. She asked me why I didn’t eat what she had packed. If she wasn’t satisfied with my answer, she’d tell the nurse to give me some 7Up and to send me back to class.”
When Brecee burst out laughing, Adrian couldn’t help but join in.
“Clever lady,” she said. “I remember when I went to senior prom, my mother had my cousins pay their friends to act as undercover bodyguards. I didn’t know until the night was over....” She paused. “I miss home. How long as it been since you visited your parents?”
Adrian exhaled. “A few weeks. But, as a good son, I do call routinely to check on her and my pops.”
“If I could fly home to see my mother and my other two sisters every weekend, I would,” Brecee said. “But Shae is here, so I am, too. When I finished my residency, I could’ve taken a position at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, but then Shae would’ve been here without any family. One of our male cousins had even considered relocating to St. Louis, just so we would have a bodyguard.”
“I gotcha.” Adrian nodded to himself. “Why did you think I wanted to make sure you got home safely last night?”
She was quiet for a moment. “I’m getting the message that you care.”
Good. Adrian grinned. “I admire your tight family bond. Dolan is my closest cousin here. Most of our relatives live in either Detroit or Oklahoma City.”
“Why don’t you make a special trip to visit your parents tomorrow?” she suggested.
“I will, if you’re ready to come along and meet them,” Adrian blurted out, without considering how his mother—or Brecee—would receive that. He held his breath. That’s the kind of thing that happened when he played with Brecee. Had he made a bad move?
“I’m giving you a chance to take that back,” she said softly.
“I can’t.”
“Then I would love to come with you. I promise to be on my best behavior.”
“Why does that scare me?” he teased, recovering. “I’m surprised you weren’t with Shae today.”
“That’s because Rahn’s in town,” Brecee explained. “On his weekends at home, I step back into my place and let her be his wife.” Her whimsical tone made him curious.
“So, you’re the only single Carmen sister left, huh?”
She released a soft grunt. “Yep. I’m still waiting for that special someone to come into my life.”
“You’re beautiful and caring. That’s a dangerous combination for a man not to be smitten.”
“Ah, that’s sweet.” He imagined she was blushing. “I’ve been holding out for the right one.”
Even though he was about to take her home to meet Mom and Pops, he still had to take it slow. “I’m not trying to send mixed signals, so let’s take our time and see if you’ve found the right one.”
“I’d like that,” she said. “I’ll be back from church around one thirty. Be here at two. Until then, get some rest.”
The next morning at church, Brecee got down on her knees to thank God for the privilege of His presence, then stood and slid into the pew next to Shae and Rahn.
She whispered into her sister’s ear that she wouldn't be joining them for dinner. Shae asked why, and when Brecee told her, one of her eyebrows lifted like their mother’s with a “You’d better explain yourself” expression.
“You’re going to meet his parents?”
Brecee reached for Sabrina, then smothered her niece’s neck with soft kisses. “We were joking around, and the invitation slipped out. I actually felt bad for him and offered him a way out, but he didn’t back down. Maybe he just didn’t want to hurt my feelings. We both agreed to wait and see where our relationship is going.” She paused as the members of the praise team picked up their microphones.
“Then go along for the ride.” Shae nudged her. “Get it? He’s a car salesman.”
Rolling her eyes, Brecee exhaled. “He’s a transportation problem solver,” she reminded her.
When Sabrina reached for her mother, Brecee handed her back and stood to join in the sequence of songs about the blood of Christ: “The Blood Still Works,” “The Blood,” and “I Know It Was the Blood.”
Before long, the praise team yielded the floor to the person tasked with reading the weekly announcements. As Brecee took her seat, her mind drifted to Adrian. Was he still in bed? Rahn had an afternoon game that day, but at least he was committed to spending an hour at church with his family before going to work. There was no doubt she wanted what he and Shae had, and she was willing to wait for it.
Pastor Archie began to preach from Romans 5, beginning with verse 4, which he summarized: “Patience produces character, and character produces hope.”
Help me, God, to trust You in all things, was Brecee’s silent prayer. You’ve been with me through all my tests, so please give me patience to trust You and to exercise patience with this new relationship.
God ministered to her soul throughout the sermon. Many others seemed just as affected when they walked down the aisle for the altar call and requested baptism in Jesus’ name.
Minutes after the benediction, Brecee barely took the time to hug Shae good-bye. “Got to go.”
She hurried home, careful of her speed. The attorney she’d hired had taken care of one ticket; she didn’t plan on using her services again. Once at her condo, she took off her hat and heels, changing out of her stylish suit into a simple knit dress with a coordinating cardigan and open-toe wedge shoes—comfortable and casual, yet classy. After all, she was meeting his mother.
Ten minutes to two, she peeked out the window and saw Adrian drive up. He parked but didn’t get out right away. Frowning, she continued to watch. “He better not be about to honk and expect me to come down,” she muttered.
She checked her makeup and overall appearance in her bathroom mirror, then glanced out the window again. What was he doing?
A few minutes later, her doorbell rang. She took her time answering, but her frown vanished at the sight of him. Even casually dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, he was an eye-catcher.
“Hi. On time.” Adrian beamed, showing that hint of a dimple, and his eyes sparkled as he handed her a bag from St. Louis Bread Company. “I know we’re going to my mother’s for dinner, and she will kill me if she finds out, but here are your favorite cookies for later.”
Brecee’s heart melted as she accepted his gift. “Thank you,” she whispered. She looked up at him. “I saw you pull in ten minutes ago. When you didn’t get out, I thought you were expecting me to come down on my own.”
Chuckling, he took her hand and kissed it. “Not on my watch. I respect you and will always treat you as a lady. C’mon. Once my mother sets the table, she likes to serve on time.”
“Okay.” In the back of her mind, she could hear her own mother scolding her: Let him be a man. She locked her door. When she slid into the passenger seat of his Audi, she relaxed. “Ooh, this is nice.”
“I thought you would like it.” After shutting her door, he came around to the driver side and got in, then clicked his seat belt.
“Is this a loaner from the dealership?”
“This is my own car that I purchased from the dealership. The days of loaner cars are mostly gone.”
When Adrian’s smartphone rang, he ignored it.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” she asked.
“No.” Keeping his eyes on the highway, he squeezed her hand. “It’s not my mother...or you. My clients have to accept boundaries. Sunday is my only day off, so I turn myself off, too. Besides, who wants to talk business when I have you to speak with about anything else?”
So, he could separate business from pleasure. That earned him a few brownie points. She appreciated that as they chatted about music, family—everything but work. There were no predictable days in the emergency room, and she didn't relish reliving the heartbreaking cases when she wasn’t on the clock.
Soon, Adrian turned into a neighborhood of spacious houses with well- maintained lawns in the suburb of Black Jack. He parked in front of ranch- style home. As they made their way up the front path, one of the black double doors opened, and a woman about the same height as Brecee stood there. Her silver-gray hair enhanced her beauty. Her features were delicate, her frame small but not thin. And her facial expression was unreadable until they got closer. There was no smile on her lips nor a sparkle in her eyes as the woman seemed to size her up.