Flaws and All

by Shana Burton

  “We do want them, okay?” assured Angel, taking the two shopping bags of toys from Reginell’s hands. “We thank you, and so do the children of Chatham County.”

  “We just want to know which one of your faces is gracing us with your presence today, considering that you have so many,” added Sullivan.

  Reginell rolled her eyes. “I’m out!”

  “No, you’re not,” said Kina, dragging her by the arm. “We need to talk about this.”

  “We all know what you did,” muttered Sullivan.

  Lawson glared at Sullivan. “What she means is Mark showed up unexpectedly at the park last week, and we thought you might have some insight as to how that happened. You were gone when I got home that day, and you haven’t exactly made yourself available for answers since then.”

  “No mystery there. I told him,” boasted Reginell.

  Sullivan boxed up some toys. “Why would you send him after Namon and Lawson like that? Didn’t you know he was gonna blab everything?”

  Reginell crossed her arms. “Yes, that was the point.”

  Lawson’s mouth gaped open. “Reggie, why would you want to hurt me like that? I’m your sister.”

  “What’s the difference between me hurting you and you hurting me? Did you forget how mean you were and all the names you called me the other day?”

  “I wasn’t trying to be mean,” Lawson clarified. “I was trying to knock some sense into that thick head of yours. What you did was out of pure malice. Not only did you hurt me, but you hurt Namon and Garrett too.”

  Reginell felt a twinge of guilt. “So, Namon knows?”

  “Yes, and he was devastated,” broke in Sullivan. “Now Garrett doesn’t want anything to do with her because Mark made it seem like the two of them had something going on.”

  Reginell gasped. “Garrett dumped you? Lawson, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think he—”

  “You didn’t think period,” threw in Angel.

  “Guys, can you keep it down?” whispered Kina as more people came in to drop off gifts.

  “Well, how’s Namon now?” asked Reginell.

  Lawson shook her head. “He’s quiet, confused. I mean, here’s a man that Namon has no connection to claiming to be his father, and the man that he knows as his dad has moved on.”

  “Lawson, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I just wanted you to know how it felt to have your own blood turn on you. I had no idea it would lead to this.”

  Lawson shrugged. “Well, what’s done is done. Just don’t do it again.”

  “At least let me talk to Garrett,” offered Reginell. “Let me help get the two of you back together.”

  “I’m afraid that boat may have sailed,” concluded Lawson.

  “You can’t give up, sis. Garrett loves you, and you love him. He’s a great guy. Believe me, there aren’t too many of those around. You have to fight for him.”

  Lawson patted Reginell’s hand. “We’ll see. Either way, I don’t want you getting involved. It’s not your fault I wasn’t completely honest with Garrett. It was mine. If the Lord wants us to be together, I have to trust that it’ll happen.”

  Kina cut wrapping paper along the edge of a board game. “So, Reggie, when are you going to let us check out your new digs? It’s never too soon to have your first visitor.”

  “You can come by anytime you want, although technically you won’t be my first visitor.”

  “Just who was that honor bestowed upon?” teased Angel.

  Reginell smiled. “Just this guy who’s been hanging around.”

  “Hanging around the strip club?” asked Angel.

  “No, hanging around me. He’s sweet, but he’s not really my type.”

  “Are you sure?” grilled Lawson. “That twinkle in your eye says differently.”

  Kina creased the paper. “What’s his name?”

  “Jody Blash. He’s a barber. He owns a couple of shops in town.”

  “Oh, he’s an entrepreneur,” mused Sullivan. “I see you’ve learned a thing or two from me after all.”

  Angel cleared her throat. “Does he know about the, um, dancing?”

  “Call it what it is, Angel,” exclaimed Lawson. “Does he know you’re stripping?”

  “Yes, he does,” said Reginell in a huff. “And unlike you people, he also realizes that it’s just a means to an end, not a long-term career move.”

  Lawson exhaled. “I’m still not happy about you working there. I’ve gotten into my car more than once to go over to that strip club and drag you out of there kicking and screaming if I had to.”

  “I hope you don’t humiliate me that way, Lawson. Don’t forget that I’m old enough to make my own decisions, and this is what I’ve decided to do for now.”

  “I know you say he’s fine now, but how comfortable is Jody going to be with you stripping if the two of you get serious?” posed Angel.

  “He’s not judgmental like that,” replied Reginell.

  “Can we refrain from all the pole talk while we’re working for the Lord?” asked Kina.

  “While we’re on the subject of things we should not do,” jeered Sullivan, “what’s up with you and Mr. King?”

  Angel raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing up with me and Duke. I’m his wife’s nurse. That’s as far as it goes.”

  Sullivan snickered. “Nobody said you couldn’t be a nurse to Theresa while playing doctor with Duke.”

  Angel adhered a bow to a gift-wrapped box. “Obviously, I have more respect for marriage than you do.”

  “Marriage-smarriage!” cried Sullivan. “You had him first. You broke him in. It’s only fair that you get to ride him—pun intended.”

  “Next subject please,” Angel deadpanned.

  “Have any of you checked out that new restaurant that just opened on River Street?” asked Lawson.

  Angel poured Reginell’s gifts out onto the floor for wrapping. “No, but I heard they have an excellent salad bar. We should check them out for lunch, Kina.”

  “Okay, but let’s not go Monday. I have to go up to the high school during my break.”

  Sullivan grimaced. “Are you still bringing E’Bell his lunch every day like clockwork? Kina, you’re better than any trained puppy I’ve ever seen in my life!”

  Kina appeared shocked. “Don’t you do that for Charles?”

  Sullivan gave her a sideways glance. “Kina, don’t make me cuss you out in the middle of this vestibule.”

  “Well, anyway, I’m not really going to see E’Bell. I wanted to visit one of my old teachers.”

  Angel smirked. “Take a picture for Lawson so she can see what she’s going to look like in a couple of years.”

  Lawson sidled up to Kina and spoke low enough so that no one else could hear. “I think you’re doing the right thing.”

  Kina nodded. “I decided that the only thing worse than knowing is not knowing.”

  “Well, you know I’ll be here for you if the news isn’t good. Together, maybe we can get E’Bell the help he needs.”

  Kina smiled, but her smile hid the fear of her wondering if she would have the help she needed once she confronted E’Bell with the truth.

  Chapter 42

  “You’d be amazed at what you can do when you let go and let God.”

  —Angel King

  Theresa was sitting up in the bed with a beautiful array of yellow roses sprouting out from the vase on the nightstand next her.

  “How are you feeling?” asked Angel.

  “I’m okay—just happy to be able to see another day.”

  “I think we’re all happy for that.” She began taking Theresa’s vital signs. “Those are beautiful,” she noted, nodding toward the roses. “Where did you find roses this time of year? It’s Poinsettia season.”

  “Duke got them for me this morning. You’ll have to ask him where.”

  “That was sweet of him.” She released Theresa’s arm after taking her blood pressure.

  “Duke bought them because I asked him to. Th
ey’re not for me, they’re for you.”

  Angel checked Theresa’s pulse. “For me? Why?”

  “Angel, you’ve been a lifesaver for me and my family. Sometimes I really do believe you are my guardian angel.”

  “Don’t exalt me to sainthood yet. My wings are as crooked as everybody else’s.”

  Theresa shook her head. “I don’t think so. Most women couldn’t have done what you’ve done for me, not even the ones who profess to be Christians.”

  “It’s been a struggle, but you’d be amazed at what you can do when you let go and let God.”

  “I thank Him for you every day. I really do. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you, especially the girls. I’ve seen the way you are with them. They love you so much. They’re going to need your strength after I’m gone.”

  She squeezed Theresa’s hand. “You know I’ll always be there for them.”

  Theresa raised her eyes. “Duke is going to need you too.”

  Angel thought about her feelings for him and tried her best to mask her uneasiness. “Duke will be fine.”

  “Angel, you know him as well as I do. The whole macho thing is all an act. I know he thinks he’s being strong for me, but I worry about him. I know he’s not as tough as he pretends to be.”

  “I’ll look after him too. I promise.”

  “Do you still love him?”

  Angel looked away.

  “It’s all right. You can tell me if you do.”

  Angel sighed and sat down next to her. “I guess a part of me always will.”

  Theresa smiled. “It’s okay to love him, you know.”

  Angel shook her head. “No, it’s not. He’s your husband.”

  “He was yours too.”

  “Okay, this is a little awkward for me, so why don’t I go and let you rest.” Angel rose. “I’ll come back and check on you in a bit.”

  “No, I want you to stay. Please, sit back down.”

  Angel sat down in a chair beside the bed.

  “Do you know why I asked Duke to get those roses specifically? Because they’re yellow, and yellow roses represent friendship. Despite our colorful history, I’d like to think that we’re friends now.”

  “Of course we are.”

  “Then as a friend, I would like for you to do something for me.”

  “Anything. Just name it.”

  “I want you to look after my girls when I’m gone. I don’t mean a phone call every few weeks and a gift at Christmas. I want you to be a part of their lives.”

  “Theresa, I told you I would.”

  “No, I mean . . . I want you to adopt them. I want you and Duke to raise them together.”

  Angel blinked her eyes, stunned into silence for a moment. “You want me to what?”

  “I want you and Duke to raise the girls together, to be a family. Angel, my family is the most precious thing in the world to me. You’re the only one I trust enough to ask to do this. I know that you’ll love them and take care of them the way I would. I know that you’d be an excellent role model for my daughters, and I know that you can make Duke happy.”

  Angel shook her head. “No one can make Duke as happy as you do. Any ties he had to me ended a long time ago, and I know I could never replace you in your daughters’ hearts. I don’t even want to try.”

  “It’s not about replacing me. It’s about making sure that Duke and the girls don’t miss out on life because I’m not here. You’ve always wanted a family, Angel. You told me so yourself. This can be the family you never had.”

  “Theresa, I can’t just come in and claim your family as my own. It’s not right.”

  “You’d be honoring my memory. It would give me so much peace to know that my guardian angel was watching over the ones I love the most, and I want to be able to die in peace. Besides, you would be the perfect woman to help Duke manage his grief and to build a life with.”

  Angel thought about it. “It just wouldn’t feel right to me. Duke is your husband, and that’s the only way I see him now.”

  “I know, but there will come a time when he’ll come out of his grief and accept that his obligation to me has been fulfilled. One day, his heart will open enough that he’ll be ready to love again. I want you to be there when it happens.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not? The Bible says that if a woman separates from her husband, she should either remain single or return to him.”

  “I don’t mean from a biblical perspective. This is from a personal one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Angel held Theresa’s hand. “I know that we have gotten past all this now, but the fact remains that Duke left me. He betrayed me, and he broke our vows. Regardless of what I may feel about him, I don’t think I could ever trust Duke with my heart again.”

  “He’s not the same man he was eight years ago.”

  “Then I don’t know who he is, and I definitely can’t commit my life to a stranger,” said Angel. “I meant it when I said I’ll always be there for those girls, and I will try to help Duke through his grief. Anything more than that is not in the cards for us. No offense, but I just don’t trust him.”

  “Are you sure it’s Duke you don’t trust? Maybe it’s yourself and the feelings you want to pretend don’t exist anymore. Don’t be afraid to love again, Angel. Life’s too short for that.”

  Angel plucked one of the roses. “I’m not afraid to love,” she said. “I’m afraid to love the one man who has hurt me the most.”

  Chapter 43

  “Why didn’t you tell me that getting dumped sucks?”

  —Sullivan Webb

  “Well, don’t we look tired and spent?” said Lawson, looking up and seeing Sullivan drag through the door later the next day. “I take it that Vaughn has the same haggard look on his face too.”

  “Vaughn who?” murmured Sullivan as she dropped her purse at her feet. “That oil rag can kiss my well-sculpted derrière!”

  “Looks like somebody got dropped off at the Heartbreak Hotel,” teased Angel.

  Sullivan fell in between Lawson and Angel on the couch. She turned to Angel. “Why didn’t you tell me that getting dumped sucks?”

  Angel rose. “Any sympathy I might’ve had for you just upped and boarded a plane to Timbuktu.”

  “What happened?” asked Lawson.

  Sullivan rested her head on Lawson’s shoulder. “He treated me like I was dirt. Less than dirt. Like last season’s shoes.”

  Lawson looked down at her feet. “Well, considering that my shoes are circa 2003, I need you to put this in terms I can relate to.”

  Sullivan fumed. “He kicked me to the curb! Me—Sullivan Raquel Webb! Do you know what he referred to me as? A freakin’ used car!”

  A snicker escaped Lawson’s lips. “I’m sorry, girl, but a used car?”

  “Sully, it’s not like you’re in love with the guy,” consoled Angel. “Or are you?”

  “Love is a little strong,” admitted Sullivan. “But it was a very passionate like. I actually thought we were soul mates.”

  “Really? Honestly, I thought it was just about the sex,” disclosed Lawson.

  “I had real feelings for him . . . at least I thought I did,” said Sullivan. “Maybe I was just caught up in the excitement of it all.”

  Angel nodded. “Sin is like that. It always takes you further than you want to go and leaves you there, lost and broken, for far longer than you ever wanted to stay. No matter how much the devil tempts you, God always leaves a way for you to get out of it.”

  “Well, God had a little help from Mr. Lovett with getting me out of that one.”

  “Sully, it’s for the best. You should be thanking God that no one got hurt, namely Charles.”

  Sullivan pointed at herself. “I was hurt!”

  “No, your ego took a beating, and that’s not the same thing,” reasoned Angel.

  Sullivan stretched her legs out on the sofa. “I still can’t believe I allowed myself to get s
ucked in like that.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Even when we mess up, God still loves us, flaws and all. We still love you too.”

  “I suppose,” resolved Sullivan sadly. “You got anything to drink around here?”

  “Choose your poison,” replied Lawson. “We’ve got milk, Kool-Aid, juice, bottled water. Take your pick.”

  “If you don’t have anything that requires an ID, I’ll pass.” Sullivan’s eyes wandered over to Angel, who was staring out of a window. “What are you doing over there, Angie?”

  Angel peeked through the wooden blinds. “Just thinking.”

  Lawson leaned forward. “About what, or shall I say who?”

  “I was thinking about my life and how I thought it would turn out,” revealed Angel. “It’s kind of ironic really. Theresa stole my family, now I may be getting hers.”

  Sullivan looked up. “So, you’ve decided to go after Duke after all. I don’t blame you, honey. Finders keepers . . .”

  Angel shook her head. “It’s not like that. Theresa wants to me look after her family when she dies.”

  “Of course you’ll stay in touch them,” said Lawson. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate you stopping by for birthdays, graduations, and holidays, things like that.”

  “I don’t think she meant it that way,” Angel explained. “She said she wants her kids to come live with me. Duke too.”

  “She said that?” asked Sullivan. “Reese actually said she wants you to marry her husband and raise her kids?”

  Angel nodded.

  “I know that I can be a little self-absorbed, but even I wouldn’t stoop to that! How selfish can you get?”

  “How is that being selfish, Sully?” questioned Angel.

  “Ol’ Reese just wants to ease her conscience before she meets her Maker. It’s selfish of her to put that kind of pressure on you.”

  “Sully, the woman’s dying. Have some sympathy,” said Lawson.

  “Reese destroyed Angel’s family, so now she wants to atone for it by giving her another one?” posed Sullivan. “That’s sick! It’s sick and it’s creepy.”

  “I think she sees it like a gift,” said Angel.