by Pat Simmons
A minister, huh? Landon thought the kindred connection with Rossi was because…Landon didn’t know why. Landon didn’t know what disappointed him more—Rossi’s status or Octavia not acknowledging him. Rejection empowered him to come back swinging with a vengeance, but something told him not to tangle with Octavia because he would lose, and he wasn’t referring to his meager possessions, but his heart.
He had never seen a woman of color with that blondish shade of brown hair. It had to be natural because it blended with her skin tone, which made her stunning with little effort. Although the curls she wore the other day came off as sassy, today with her hair swept up in a ball, she looked like a princess. Beautiful didn’t begin to describe her. While she had been chatting with Rossi, Landon admired her shapely figure in that white dress. It might have been hot outside, but one look at Octavia and he was refreshed.
When she strutted away, she seemed to glide across the room, and she didn’t go unnoticed by others who parted a path when they saw her coming. As Octavia disappeared into the crowd, Landon remembered to breathe. That woman had his heart pumping as if he was running on a treadmill. “Wow.” Drawing his eyes away, he squinted at Rossi. “So did you two ever have a thing going?”
“No,” Rossi answered easily. “We’re brother and sister in Christ. Listen, I don’t know your story, but I know the look and I know her story. Don’t mess with Octavia unless you’re planning to put Christ first in your life.”
And that was a problem. People thought repenting was easy, but it was more than saying, sorry. He should know as one who had never allowed Jesus to be a barrier from him getting whatever or whomever he wanted in the past, and he had lost playing those games. “Noted. So why didn’t you tell me you were a minister?” As a server walked by, Landon eyed the flute of champagne. He needed something stronger.
“You didn’t ask me,” Rossi stated, pulling him back to the conversation. “Is that supposed to change our friendship?” He crossed his arms in a challenge, throwing the ball into Landon’s court.
Rossi was right—he hadn’t asked. Landon hadn’t asked Rossi or Octavia for anything. Yet the two had freely given to him. Plus, who am I kidding? Little by little, Rossi made him feel like Landon Jeffery Thomas instead of a nameless, faceless person on the street. He owed Rossi, and he wasn’t talking about the cost for the spa treatment he had received the day before at his family’s barber/beauty salon. Rossi had his clothes pressed and his shoes shined. Rossi had made introductions nonstop since they arrived and he talked about Landon as if he had known him since birth.
If only the man knew the laundry list of sins Landon carried and couldn’t dispose of. Still, he needed a friend—someone like Rossi who didn’t make him feel like a charity case, but Landon wouldn’t be a man if he didn’t hold on to some pride. “As long as you don’t hound me about going to church, I would like that.” Landon didn’t crack a smile. He was serious.
“Works for me.” Rossi extended his hand. “C’mon. Let’s mingle and get you back on track.”
Why did that simple statement hint of a double meaning? Maybe it was because a minister said it. Regrouping, Landon got back into his comfort zone. Schmoozing was second nature to him.
“Erica Monroe, it’s good to see you again,” Rossi said to a middle-aged white woman whose eyes sparkled. “I would like you to meet Landon Thomas. He has relocated to St. Louis. He worked at Foster & Wake ad agency in Boston.”
The woman lifted a brow. “Is that so? I would love to see your portfolio. I’ve seen their work on national accounts—ingenious concepts. I have some small projects coming up, and I would love to chat with you about ideas.” She pulled a business card from her purse and handed it to him. “How can I reach you?”
Landon swallowed. He didn’t have business cards or a cell phone. “I—”
Rossi stepped in. “He doesn’t have all his contact information situated yet, but give him until the end of the week—until then, call my office.” He winked and the woman blushed.
“Stop flirting with me,” she fussed. “I’m old enough to be your mother.”
“I love my mother,” Rossi teased as Erica was called away.
“Thanks for the rescue.” Landon slipped his hands in his pocket. “That was smooth.”
“Brothers have to stick together.” They bumped fists. “I’ll have my secretary order you some business cards.”
When Landon convinced Rossi he could take it from there, they split up. Casually, Landon snacked on the hors d’oeuvres and used Rossi’s spiel about his business cards as he introduced himself. A few minutes later, he spied Octavia looking his way. Instead of acting embarrassed that she had been caught, she smiled and gave him a thumb up.
He winked. Yes, it was a flirt, but it came as second nature. In spite of Rossi singing her praises and Landon thinking such, he wondered about Octavia as he worked the room. Was she the real deal with the Lord or playing church and playing hard to get? Despite his own antics feigning a Christian, Landon would be crushed to find out that was the case with Octavia. There were die-hard saints of God, but he couldn’t bring himself to be one of them.
Yet, Octavia had sparked something within him. For once in his life, he was conflicted whether to act on his attraction—and there definitely was one—or to ignore whatever she stirred in him (and it wasn’t all raw desire) and keep moving as far as possible from the East Coast and with his history with women, including one in the church.
“God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he’ll reap,” his mother fussed after the ultimate scandal divided the family. “People aren’t play toys, especially God’s chosen. Mark my words, one day you’re going to want something so bad from God and it’s going to cost you. I’m praying God spares your life.” Lydia Miller Thomas threw up her arms and walked away. Judging from the scowl on her face, she had cut the umbilical cord of mercy on him, and Landon had felt the incision.
The flashback had come so swiftly that he had forgotten he was in the midst of people. He had played church so long with a recurring star role that he didn’t know how to be the real deal. His heart had become stone.
Repent, God whispered.
Landon shook himself. This definitely wasn’t the place for a come-to-Jesus moment. This time when the server strolled by with champagne, he lifted one off the platter. His hand shook as he tried to take a sip. “Forget it.” He stopped after a couple of attempts.
Rossi reappeared as the crowd thinned. “Ready to head out?” Landon could only nod. “Let’s say goodbye to Octavia.”
Still discombobulated, Landon held back as Octavia smiled at them.
“How’d you do, sis?” Rossi smiled back.
“I’m glad I came. I handed out all my business cards and received some in return. Hopefully, the Lord will give me favor.”
“Do you want to join Landon and me for dinner?”
She pouted. “Sorry. I already told Terri I’d be the third wheel with her and Andre.” She rolled her eyes. “But I’ll see you Saturday at the tent revival.”
“Unless the rapture comes,” Rossi replied.
This time, Landon was glad they hadn’t pulled him into their conversation. Although Rossi hadn’t technically invited him to dinner, Landon wasn’t going to turn it down. Mac’s Place was one of the nicest shelters he had stayed, and meals had been tasty, but he wasn’t ready to go back and be reminded that he no longer had the privacy his condo once offered.
“Landon,” Octavia said in a tone that seemed to drip with honey. “Please think about coming.”
“I’ll be there,” he said without thinking. When Rossi gave him an odd expression, Landon knew he had just eaten his words. Right now, his fight with God was gone. He was too exhausted. When Octavia was out of ear shot, Rossi smirked and nudged him.
“You’re so going down.”
“Yep,” Landon bobbed his head. “I’m thinking the same thing.” As they walked out together, Landon wondered what he was getting himself into.
>
Octavia beamed then turned around when a woman called her name.
Chapter 10
Octavia wasn’t the third wheel at dinner after all. When she walked into Joe Buck’s restaurant with Terri and Andre, a tall gentleman stood and waved them over to the table.
“That’s James. Isn’t he cute?” Terri whispered into Octavia ear.
“Yes, very,” she mumbled. As a matter of fact, he became better looking with every step she took.
He shook hands with Andre and kissed Terri on the cheek while never taking his eyes off her. “I’m James.” He had a nice smile. “Terri, you told me your friend was pretty, but that was an understatement.” He took a deep breath and exhaled, then patted his heart. “She’s breathtaking.”
Octavia thanked him as he pulled out her chair.
Moments later, the hostess appeared and asked for drink selections. “Sprite for me,” Octavia said as the others requested something stronger.
As she hid behind the menu, she could feel James’s eyes on her. She was at somewhat of a disadvantage. He knew more about her than she did about him and he definitely had expectations.
When their hostess returned, Octavia ordered a baked chicken pasta dish and a side salad. Handing over the menu, she had no choice but to meet James’s waiting gaze.
As long as he didn’t peruse her body parts, she would hear him out. However, Terri didn’t give him space to say much as she sang James’s praises as if the man wasn’t sitting there and couldn’t speak for himself. He had an impressive résumé.
“Corporate law,” Octavia said to be polite when Terri ran out of steam. “That must keep you busy.”
“Not too busy for a social life.” James’s hints weren’t subtle. “Terri tells me you stay busy with church.” She nodded. “I wouldn’t turn down an invitation, if you asked me.” His eyes danced with merriment.
Octavia blushed. “Then I guess I’d better ask. The biggest decision is once you’re there, will you accept God’s invitation to salvation?”
Terri frowned and gave her the evil eye.
“What?” Octavia jutted her chin at her friend. The few men she did give a chance to had come to church only to impress her as their agenda. With no intention of anything more, they lost interest in her and church.
“Maybe.” James didn’t commit, but he didn’t back down either. She liked when a man had confidence…like Landon. Landon hadn’t lost his dignity in his cast-down situation.
Terri quickly changed the subject and kept changing it until their food arrived. James seemed content watching Octavia’s every move.
After eating half of her cheesecake, Octavia dabbed the corners of her mouth. “Well, I guess I’d better head home. It’s been a long day. James, it was nice meeting you. Terri, thanks for dinner.”
“James picked up the tab,” her friend corrected.
Tilting her head, Octavia thanked him. When she got to her feet, so did he.
“Let me walk you to your car.”
Octavia shrugged. “Oh, I’m in the parking lot and it’s still light outside. I’ll be fine.”
“I insist.” He waited as she hugged Terri and Andre, then he fell in step with her. “We’re downtown and you never know what homeless guy may be hanging around.”
Octavia stopped in her tracks. Homeless? Landon was homeless and she enjoyed his company. She held her tongue as she continued walking, then allowed him to continue to put his foot in his mouth. “Maybe you’ll consider volunteering at a soup kitchen with me and see that homelessness could be a temporary fate if we all help.”
“I’d rather donate,” he said, then in the same breath asked for her number as she deactivated her car alarm.
He opened her door, and she faced him. “I’m out of business cards, but I’ll take one of yours.”
Twisting his lips, James smirked. “I have a better idea. Why don’t I program my number in your phone?”
Okay, it was time to stop this surprise speed-dating dinner from going any faster. “James, I feel ambushed here. Give me your card and I’ll call you.”
He squinted. “I get the feeling you might not ever call.”
“Of course I will. I’m inviting you to church, remember? This Sunday…”
James shook his head. “I already have a commitment,” he said, then countered with a movie on Saturday.
“I have a street tent meeting.” Once she explained what type of church ministry it was, he declined.
“Thursday.”
Since when did dating become a negotiation? “I’m conducting a first-time home buyer’s seminar. Do you want to tag along?”
“Can’t.” This time James didn’t offer any reasons why, so Octavia accepted his card, got into her car and drove off. “Lord, I’m not saying he’s not the one but I’m not impressed.” She was looking beyond his good suit. What was in his heart? Many are called, but few are chosen. God whispered Matthew 22:14.
How many times had she heard that scripture? “God, please chose for me a prayer partner for a mate—someone who knows about Your goodness and mercy…Jesus, please open my eyes to see the candidates You’ve set before me. Amen.”
***
“So what you think?” Terri asked when Octavia arrived at the office for the weekly meeting.
“I think I should be mad at you for setting me up without giving me a heads up,” Octavia feigned an attitude before she laughed.
“But you’re not because James is handsome, charming, he has a steady income…”
“I need more than that,” Octavia said softly. “You know that. I don’t want my feelings to be so jumbled up in a relationship that I compromise. Regret is a hard thing to live with.”
Their chat was nipped when other agents filed into the conference room for their Monday briefing.
As the broker, Terri kicked off the meeting with praises before she tackled problems. Since her company was the listing agent on the property Landon had gotten into, Terri accepted the blame for not double checking after a contractor said he had secured it. “Okay, here are our current listings. I want to hear why we’re not selling them.”
Octavia chimed in, “I am going to re-evaluate how I have those two houses in Olivette staged. They’re both listed online. I have that seminar on Thursday, so I plan to showcase them.”
Terri nodded and faced another agent whose buyer’s offer fell through. She brainstormed strategies how to regroup, and before long, the meeting was over and everyone was out the door. Octavia made sure she was the first in order to escape any further discussions about James without knowing where he stood with the Lord.
The next couple of days whizzed by, but when there was a pocket of free time, her mind detoured to Landon. She bit her lip from smiling.
On Thursday afternoon, Terri was just finishing up a call when Octavia stopped by the office to grab brochures and supplies for the seminar.
“One of my hardest working Realtors. Tsk, tsk. Tavie, you could be a broker by now if you’d focus on different clientele.”
“I gave up that notion after working here the first year. Besides, the extra fees and license and the liability to be responsible for other agents’ mistakes is scary.”
“I know your heart is in the right place with these community workshops, but you need to focus on those contacts you made over the weekend and make some real money,” Terri said.
Octavia knew Terri was looking out for her well-being and wanted to groom her to be a broker and to open her other agency office one day, but Octavia wasn’t driven by money alone. She wanted to show Christ in her life, and helping others was part of it. “I will…I will, but we know first-time home buyers move within five to seven years to bigger homes. The initial step is to be informed.”
Having a place to call home was personal for Octavia. She was a product of a loving Christian home in a distressed area in East St. Louis. The home values were low and businesses scarce, but the minute she and Olivia walked through the door from school, she felt lov
ed, protected and happy. Why couldn’t everyone experience the same thing whether it was a two bedroom house or a six?
Call her an old soul or a practicing Christian, but it was her responsibility to serve the under-served communities and to help them go from renters to buyers, which was the main reason she joined the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. As long as racism denied a group of people equal opportunities, whether it was in housing, employment or legal representation, there would always be a minority organization that would fight for access. NAREB groomed the underserved on how to qualify for home ownership and stay in possession of their houses.
When she graduated with a BA in business management, she knew she had to encourage and help people climb out of poverty. If that meant a series of seminars on money management in order to qualify for a first home, then she would do it, so Terri’s arguments against that fell on deaf ears.
“Well, please be careful going by yourself into the city,” Terri warned.
“Always, I’m thinking about asking Landon. Maybe he won’t mind tagging along. Who knows? This info may help him get back on his feet.”
“You and your charity cases. I don’t care if the man is good-looking. Be careful with him, too. He could have been on drugs, dealt drugs, served prison time, run a prostitution ring. He did something wrong for him to fall out of God’s graces,” she mocked. “The bottom line is he had to make some bad choices along the way.”
Octavia waved. “See you later.”
“Have you called James yet?” Terri said in a sing-song voice.
“Not yet…” She grinned and hurried to her car. As far as she was concerned, James was an open book; Landon wasn’t and that curiosity made Octavia want to get to know him better.
Chapter 11
Church. Landon huffed. He wasn’t looking forward to going, but Octavia was his incentive. Boy, he missed being around her and watching her dance for the Lord. It was as if he had known her for years instead of barely a week and only two days in her presence. How did she get into his head like that?