“Well, he can be as attracted as he wants. He lives in the apartment above the garage and I make sure he stays there. Now, are you going to keep asking me questions or are you taking me to lunch?”
A broad smile spread across Allan’s face. He looked like a big dumb dog. “I’ve reserved a private dining room for us upstairs in the Terrace Restaurant. I’m ready when you are.”
She nodded. She could do much worse than Allan, she thought. She might have to start treating him better.
CHAPTER 10
Sean took a covert glance at his watch. It felt as though he’d been sitting in front of the Boss’s desk for hours. After his snooty secretary had told him to go in, the Boss had told him to sit and had then gone back to whatever he was working on. It looked like a game of some sort, since the Boss was using joysticks, but he wasn’t about to inquire. Since the incident with the iPod, he figured he was better off not knowing. He certainly didn’t want to see a visual of Third Hades. Sean glanced at the Boss, then quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.
Given all the Boss wanted him to do, sitting here in the office wasting time didn’t seem to be a good use of either of their energies. Of course, Sean would never share that observation with the Boss. The man didn’t appreciate advice. He looked in the Boss’s direction again when he heard the man clear his throat. He found the Boss leaning back in his chair, arms folded across his stomach, watching him. Sean swallowed.
“Jones, I’ve been looking at your work, and for the life of me, I don’t understand what you’re doing.”
Sean swallowed. Here we go again. “Sir, I’m working on Preacher, his family, and his church friends the way you told me.”
“Not the way I told you,” the Boss snapped. “I said I wanted results. I don’t see results. All I see is a bunch of activity with no payoff.”
Sean took a deep breath. “Things are moving along, sir. My plan is working. I got Preacher to have sex with his fiancée,” he added with pride.
The Boss turned a hot stare on him. “That was a fiasco,” the Boss said. “I can’t believe you’re stupid enough to brag about it. Getting Preacher to have sex was the easy part, dummy. Our power is in what happens afterward. And what happened next with Preacher? He felt guilty for all of five minutes, confessed to his friend, and then they prayed for forgiveness.” The Boss lifted his hands in frustration. “What did we get out of that? Nothing,” he answered for himself. “Absolutely nothing.”
“But—”
“No, buts,” the Boss said. “I thought you understood the power of secrets, Jones. Apparently, I thought wrong. How hard did you work to keep Preacher from confessing to Barnard?”
Sean looked above the Boss’s head, unable to meet his eyes. “I’ll have another chance,” he said, hoping he sounded confident. “The girlfriend is going to keep after him. She’ll get him back in bed again. The guilt and shame game will be easier after he falls the second time.”
“You may have a point,” the Boss said. “I hope so for your own sake. Preacher is looking to me like the worst case of ‘almosts’ and ‘what-ifs’ I’ve seen in a very long time. What if he went on a revenge trip to find the person who set him up? He hasn’t. He almost forged his girlfriend’s name on the car titles so he could sell them. Almost, but he didn’t. You seem to be able to get close, Jones, but you don’t seem able to close this deal. I don’t know if you can.”
“I can,” Sean said, wanting to bring up the sex again but resisting the urge. Even if the Boss discounted it, Sean knew it was major. The Boss was just too ornery to give him the credit he deserved on that one. “You’ll see the results you’re looking for very soon. All I need is a few more days.”
The Boss wagged his head from side to side. “I’ve heard that before. What difference will a few days make anyway? What are you working on?”
“I’m leading Dante and Natalie to the altar and Barnard and Serena to divorce court. And Preacher’s going to help me with both. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will. After he does, I’ll lead him directly back to his sister and her business. I really do have a handle on this situation.”
“You’d better,” the Boss said. Then he lowered his head and went back to his joysticks. Since he hadn’t dismissed him, Sean didn’t move. He hoped it didn’t take another couple of hours before the Boss let him go.
CHAPTER 11
Preacher headed off alone for a surprise lunch with Tanya. His boys were more than happy to stay at the Center. In fact, they were so happy that Preacher was a little hurt. He would have enjoyed taking them for lunch, but they preferred hot dogs at the Center with the other kids and Miss Natalie. He shook his head. Barnard’s sister had done a job on his kids in no time flat.
In short order, he was pulling into the parking lot of Tanya’s Curl and Weave. It was the first time he’d seen the place since he’d been out, and it brought back memories of the excitement Maylene had shown the day she’d brought him and Tanya to this place. The salons were all Maylene’s idea: Maylene’s in southeast Atlanta and Tanya’s in Buckhead. Tanya hadn’t been too hot on the idea, but she’d gone along with the deal because she would own both shops–sole owner of hers and part-owner of her mother’s. Of course, Preacher put up all the money. A grim smile crossed Preacher’s face when he considered Maylene’s hypocrisy. As much as she derided his old lifestyle, she hadn’t hesitated to reap its benefits.
He had to give Maylene credit, though. The business brought in a steady stream of money. At least, it had before he’d left for prison. Preacher knew Maylene worked hard at her shop every day, but Tanya had a manager who did most of the work in hers. Tanya was truly a figurehead, which was why it was hard for him to believe she had turned into this hands-on owner during the time he was in prison.
Preacher felt a bit of trepidation as he reached the entrance to the shop. He realized this visit would be his first to his past since he’d been released. Until today, he’d spent his time at home with Tanya and his kids, or with Barnard and the people from church.
Walking through the door was like stepping back in time. A lot of things had changed but apparently beauty shops weren’t one of them. Tanya had stuck with her original blend of silver, black, and white, which made for a pristine look. Wisps of old school R&B floated in the air and mingled with the varied conversations among the customers and stylists. Wanda, the stylist-manager, who’d been there when he was sent up, saw him first.
“Preacher!” she called. “Is that you?” Without waiting for him to answer, she stopped pressing her customer’s hair and rushed to him, giving him a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” he said, stepping back and looking at her. “Still looking good.”
She grinned. “And you’re not so bad yourself. It looks like you spent some time in the weight room.”
He took a quick glance around the room at her reference to his time in prison, self-conscious of his status in the eyes of Tanya’s customers. He caught a few whispers and some sly, and not so sly, glances shot his way. He guessed he’d have to get used to the uneasiness he felt. Returning his attention to Wanda, he said, “I had to do something with my time.”
“You got that right,” she said. “My cousin LeRoy did a hard four at Jackson and I swear that boy blew up like a balloon. First man I ever seen to get fat in prison.”
Preacher almost winced at her mention of prison and again his eyes scanned the room to see who may have overheard her. After giving Wanda the chuckle he thought she expected, he asked, “Tanya here?”
Wanda shook her head. “Nah, she’s been gone all morning. Said she had to run an errand.”
Preacher’s disappointment must have shown on his face because Wanda added, “Cut Tanya some slack, Preacher. She had a rough time of it right after you got sent up. You know how some people can be. There was some talk,” she said. “The police came around a lot in the beginning.”
Preacher remembered that now, but he realiz
ed he had pushed those thoughts from his mind. Since the cops knew Tanya was his woman, they had tried very hard to connect her business with his. Fortunately for both him and Tanya, they had agreed to leave her alone on the condition that he turn over all his liquid assets. He’d done it, too. Except for the money that was technically Tanya’s, he’d left prison a broke man. He didn’t like to think about that because the entire incident left a bad taste in his mouth. He’d feared for his family and he knew that his illegal actions had almost ruined them. He promised himself he’d never put them in that situation again and he meant it. “I’m sorry they involved the shop,” he finally said to Wanda. “Thank you for sticking with Tanya. I know she can be a pain sometimes.”
Wanda rolled her eyes. “What do you mean sometimes? Tanya’s always a pain; I just know to keep my Advil on hand, so she doesn’t get to me the way she gets to other folks. Anyway, like I was saying, she held up better than I thought she would in the aftermath. You know, Tanya never struck me as a fighter or someone to depend on for the long haul, but she fooled me. She toughed it out.”
Preacher realized Wanda was right. Tanya had endured a lot because of him, so he needed to be more patient with her and her attitude. “Well,” he said to Wanda, “so much for my plans for a surprise lunch for Tanya. I should have called her on her cell to find out her schedule.”
“Nah, you shouldn’t have. A woman likes to be surprised. You’ll have to come up with something else.”
Preacher nodded. “I guess I will. Anyway, tell her I was by and I’ll catch her later this afternoon.”
“Will do,” Wanda said, backing toward her client. “You take care of yourself, Preacher,” she added as he reached the door. “And don’t be a stranger.”
Preacher went back to his car and tried to reach Tanya on her cell, but she wasn’t answering. Her business was probably a trip to a spa somewhere, so he tried not to let his inability to reach her bother him. He didn’t want to eat alone and let thoughts of Tanya’s whereabouts drive him crazy, so he decided to get fast food at the nearest drive-through and then head over to the funeral home early.
After the nightmare that Sunday had been—starting with the failed lunch with Preacher and ending with a less than satisfactory bout of lovemaking—Serena was happy for the chance to hide out at her gym. The stress of taking a teen’s measurements was about all she could take today. She wished Preacher would disappear from her life. She wished Barnard would stop pestering her about adoption. She wished—
“What’s the verdict, Miss Serena?”
Serena read the numbers on the measuring tape she’d placed around Bertice’s waist. “You’re down another inch, girl,” she told the teenager, who’d been coming to the gym religiously for the last six months. “You should be proud of yourself.”
Bertice’s round face lit up in a smile. “I am, Miss Serena,” she said. “I can even tell it in my clothes. I’ve gone down three dress sizes.”
“Good for you,” Serena said, glad somebody was getting good news. “We’re going to have to make you the poster girl for the gym.”
Bertice chuckled. Then she sobered. “But I still have so far to go,” she said.
“Don’t think about the distance, Bertice,” she advised the still-chubby girl. “Focus on feeling better and being active. Thinking about how far you have to go is only going to make you depressed.”
“You’re right,” the girl said. “But sometimes it’s hard. All the other girls are so skinny and I’m always the biggest one. I’m tired of being the big one. I want to be a normal size like everybody else.”
Serena’s heart went out to the girl. “I understand, Bertice.”
“How could you?” Bertice said. “I bet you’ve never had a weight problem.”
Serena forced a smile for the teen, even though memories of the time during which she’d gained the weight were painful. It had been right after she’d had the abortion, the most difficult time in her life. Why did everything these days seem to go back to that period? She couldn’t help but blame Preacher. “Well, you’d lose your money. I was never heavy as a teenager, but there was a time before I finished college that I gained a lot of weight.”
The girl’s eyes widened. “You did?”
Serena nodded.
“How did you lose it?”
Serena grinned. “The same way you are, exercising and cutting back on the junk food. I felt as awkward as you felt, probably more awkward, since people kept commenting on how much weight I’d gained, like I didn’t know it.”
“People can be so mean.”
Serena rested her forehead against the young girl’s. “Yeah, they can be.”
“You know,” Bertice said, “sometimes I wonder if I’m too fat to even call myself a Christian. I feel like I’ve let God down. Did you ever feel that way?”
Serena knew the feeling very well, but this wasn’t about her. “I did and sometimes I still do. But you know what, Bertice? It’s not true. If we all waited until we were perfect to call ourselves Christian, then very few of us would ever get the chance. The Lord is proud of you for what you’re doing to get yourself healthy. He’s the one who’s giving you the desire to make the change and the courage to do the hard work to make it happen. Yes, you may stumble or fall off the plan, but you get right back on it. God doesn’t care whether you’re fat or thin, but He does care that you’re using food the wrong way or if you’re not taking care of yourself. He cares because He loves you.”
“I know, Miss Serena. Sometimes I just get down on myself.”
Don’t we all? “Well, that’s not God who’s telling you to get down on yourself. God is the one who’s building you up, who’s encouraging you to continue on the path you’re on. God is the one who’s trying to tell you how beautiful you are in his sight exactly as you are. You aren’t making yourself good enough for God with the exercise and all, Bertice. You’re only doing your part in keeping the temple in which He resides healthy. No more. No less. Got that?”
Bertice smiled. “Got it.”
“Okay, then, now you’d better get started on the machines. Your mom will be here to pick you up in a little while.”
Bertice walked away encouraged, but Serena felt like a hypocrite. She could give advice to others about accepting God’s love, but she didn’t follow her own advice. If she did, her life wouldn’t be so messed up now. She wanted to blame Preacher, but there was only so much she could lay at his feet. The lies to Barnard were hers and hers alone and she’d have to deal…
“What’s got your nose all scrunched up?” a deep baritone voice asked.
Serena turned and saw her husband standing at her side. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “I came by to have lunch with my wife.”
She smiled. “That was a sweet idea but you know I can’t go out for lunch.”
He took her hand and led her to the front of the club. She gasped when she saw the lunch he had laid out for them on the table in the anteroom, the only place men were allowed. He’d stopped at the Chinese restaurant down the block and picked up her favorites. “You shouldn’t have,” she said, even though she was glad he had. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m such a lucky woman to have you.”
Barnard chuckled. “Perfect response,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
After letting her assistant know where she was going to be, Serena sat in one of the wicker chairs and he took the one next to her. Following a quick blessing, they dived into the containers.
“This is so good,” she said, licking sweet-and-sour sauce from her fingers. “But my customers are going to kill me for eating here.”
Barnard dug into his orange chicken. “Tell them it’s healthy Chinese.”
Serena laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m sure they’ll go for that.”
He lifted a spoon of fried rice to her lips. “Or you could tell them that I made you eat it.”
“Like they�
��ll believe that. Most of them already know you’re a softie.”
He chuckled. “How’s your day, so far?” he asked.
“Typical. Good. Yours?”
“Interesting.”
She stopped eating to look at him. “What does that mean?”
“I met with Preacher this morning.”
Serena froze at his words. She didn’t want to talk about Preacher. “Something happen?”
“Not really.” He leaned close to her. “He’s still having problems with Tanya. She seduced him.”
“Yeah, right,” Serena said, before she could stop herself. “It takes two to tango, Barnard. Don’t make excuses for Preacher. He’s a grown man.”
“I know, and that’s what I told him. But he had such honorable intentions.”
Serena’s food felt like it was sticking in her throat. She couldn’t put Preacher and honorable in the same sentence. “Hmmm…”
“We talked about what happened and what he could have done to prevent it.”
“Preacher has two kids,” she said. “I’m sure he already knew.”
Barnard put down his fork. “You really don’t like him, do you?”
At that question, Serena knew she’d gone too far. “It’s not that I don’t like him,” she said. “It’s more that I don’t trust him.” At least that was true.
“How can you trust him, when you don’t know him and won’t give yourself a chance to get to know him? This isn’t like you, Serena. Are you sure there isn’t something else about him that bothers you? He hasn’t been inappropriate or anything, has he?”
Serena shook her head. “No, no,” she said, trying to think of a way to extricate herself from the conversation. “It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
Serena knew this was an opportunity to tell Barnard the truth, and she considered doing so for a brief moment, but then decided that this was not the right place. “It’s nothing, Barnard.”
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