She went still, her gaze fusing with his. “A girl could get use to being a guest?”
He put the bowl to the side, moving slowly as if he was in deep thought.
“That is just the way my mother raise us. Guests are catered to when they are in your home.”
She squinted at him from her perch on the stool. “Smart mother.”
He picked up his knife and began to dice an onion on the chopping board. “It’s not often I get the chance to entertain in my home and I really want to impress you.”
“Well you are. Just seeing you move with expertise around this kitchen has impressed me.”
Putting his knife down, he scrubbed his hands under the cold water of the sink that was built into the island. After drying them, he reached out to take her hands and pulled her off the stool. Adam pulled her up close, flattening her against his chest.
“I’m not going to lie. This brunch was a way to get you to spend more time with me. I would love to rush what God is trying to do in his time. I want to be with you more each time I leave you. But I’m willing to wait on God. I want this relationship to be all the things he promised in his Word. I want to be satisfied with being with you everywhere but the bedroom.”
Smiling, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. “To be honest with you, my flesh screams every time I see you or touch you, but I have to conquer the flesh and let the Holy Spirit take control,” he whispered against her cheek. “So yes, my flesh would love to take advantage of this situation, but I don’t want to do anything that will cause us to damage God’s blessing on this relationship.”
“I’ve never met anyone like you. Why is that, Adam?” she whispered against his shoulder. Her voice was barely audible against the fabric of his shirt.
“I don’t know, Destiny. All I can say is that from the moment we met, I knew there was something special about you and about this relationship.”
“I want it to be that way, Adam. I just want to take baby steps for right now.”
A soft laugh rumbled from deep inside Adam’s chest. “I understand although I would like for it to be different.”
“Good.” It came out of her mouth like a sigh of relief.
“So now that we have that out of the way, we can enjoy our brunch.”
Closing her eyes, she tried to still her heart. She knew he could feel it beating wildly in her chest. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But she decided this time she was going to get it right.
Releasing her, he turned, walking over to the refrigerator to take out the pitcher of fresh orange juice.
“Come on. I’ll show you where we’re going to eat.”
Turning, Destiny followed him into the room across from the kitchen. She didn’t know what to expect but certainly not the scene unfolding before her. The large space reminded her of an Italian villa. The room was filled with ceramic pots and beautiful flowers. There was a stone fireplace with a beautiful, carved table made of marble and wood. The walls had a beautiful painted mural of a villa’s garden. After helping her into a seat, Adam slid her chair under the table.
Brunch lasted for two hours over several cups of tea; omelets filled with peppers, onions, smoked ham, a variety of cheeses; and sweet potato muffins. Destiny was happy. Never could she have imagined being at this place in her life and totally at peace.
She listened to Adam talk about his goals and future plans for the ministry. The afternoon progressed after they leisurely talked over coffee. Adam showed the rest of the house to Destiny. It was beautiful. He had excellent taste.
Cradling her hand, Adam led the way back downstairs. He pulled her close to his chest as they reached the landing. Turning to look her in the eyes, he asked, “Can I see you again tomorrow?”
He wouldn’t take no for an answer, not that she’d exactly told him no yet.
Everything in her wanted to jump up and down like an excited child.
“You haven’t told me whether you will go with me to Tacoma. It’s not ‘til next month, but I want to have all of the details worked out.” Adam patiently waited for her to answer.
Without even knowing it, Destiny found herself drawn into the deep pools of his eyes. Yes, she would see him again. For the first time in a long time, she was eager for tomorrow to arrive. Images of their Saturday together stayed with Destiny as she pulled her car into the driveway.
In his kitchen later that evening, Adam stood, drinking a glass of water and reflecting on their day, only his thoughts were immediately interrupted by the ringing of his phone. After listening for a minute, he ended the call, grabbed his keys, and rushed out of the house. He could remember not wanting her to leave. Even after walking her to the car, he was sad when he went back inside the house, he should have convinced her to stay longer.
Destiny had forgotten to change the porch light again. She and Adam had just discussed it. She made a mental note to change the bulb tonight as she pulled into her driveway. This bulb was just a reminder that she needed to contact the police about all of the phone calls she’d been getting. It was one more necessary thing to add to her list. And she’d better not forget to do it or she’d hear about it on Sunday from Adam. Her aunt had also stressed it was time to contact the authorities.
She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and opened the car door. The day had changed from the earlier rain and now it turned into a cool, dark night. Her day with Adam had been exciting. It could have been a whole lot better if she put on her big girl panties and told him everything about Stanley.
“You’re going to have to tell him sooner or later,” she muttered as she fished keys out of her purse and jogged up the porch steps.
A sound carried through the darkness. She could almost hear some kind of fabric rustling as someone drew near. Destiny stiffened, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She glanced over her shoulder, her heart leaping as she saw a shadow moving across the lawn. Medium height. Face hidden in darkness.
“Can I help you with something? Is anybody there?” She kept her gaze focused on the approaching figure as she shoved the key in the lock and tried to turn it. She wiggled the key, her palm sweaty and slipping on the metal door handle.
“Come on!” The key turned, and she shoved the door.
She screamed, her purse dropping as she turned to scream again and she froze not moving an inch.
“Whatever you want, you can have it.” Another step and she’d be inside.
“Everything okay over here?” A masculine voice broke through the darkness as her attacker disappeared around the house.
This was her chance, so Destiny took it, jumping back and slamming the door, her fingers shook as she tried to turn the lock. She pressed her back against the door, her heart beating so hard she thought it might burst from her chest.
One hour later Destiny found herself in the police office with Sara.
The phone calls, trailing cars, and now this attack was just too much. She didn’t know what all of this meant, but she wondered if it had anything to do with Stanley. She told the police about everything, even her leaving Stanley.
“Ms. Harper, why do think it may be your ex-boyfriend?” the detective asked almost as if he didn’t believe anything she told him. “It really doesn’t make sense why would he be that interested in finding you unless you took something from him when you left.”
Destiny didn’t like the way this conversation was going. Her aunt touched her hand in a matter that said, “I’ll answer this one.”
“Listen here, Detective, my niece didn’t take nothing from Stanley but his pride when she left. That man beat my baby as if she was his piece of property. No man has a right to do that to any woman.”
The detective turned to Destiny, “Is this true? Did he physically abuse you?”
Destiny looked at her aunt sighing. She told him, “Yes, that’s why I came here to start a new life.”
The detective seemed to ponder what she
said for a few moments, tapping the pen he was using to take notes on his desk. “Well, it seems a little strange that you are only now coming forth to tell your story. Why didn’t you go to the police in Charleston?”
Destiny looked at the detective, “Stanley Womack is a very powerful man in South Carolina, they would have never charged him with anything.”
“So you are telling me that he has somehow found you here and is now threatening your life?” The detective seemed to roll his eyes at his assessment, which was pretty much what Destiny believed to be true.
“Yes.”
He stood. “Well, ma’am,” he looked at her aunt, “Ms. Harper, we’ll see what we can do. We will be in touch. In the meantime, if you remember anything else, give me a call.”
“Sure.” They stood at the same time, thanked him, and left.
Despite the detective’s obvious disdain, Destiny felt empowered. She was trying to take control of her life. For too long she felt like she was watching someone else’s life. She felt so disconnected from her own. She now resolved not to watch it but to be an active participant in it. And that meant finding out who was trying to terrorize her, and why.
When they finally returned from the police department, Adam was sitting on the front porch. As he stood, Sara greeted him with a warm embraced then entered the house leaving them alone. The quiet stretched between the two of them until Destiny wanted to scream.
“Adam, What are you doing here?” She sounded as surprised as he looked, and her hand shook as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I received a call tonight from one of the members of the church who works at the police department. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Especially since I was the last person you saw before coming home. Is everything all right? What happened?”
“Someone tried to attack me. They ran off after my neighbor rushed over after hearing me scream. I called the police to check things out around the house and then went to the station.”
“Did you get a chance to see who it was?” he asked.
Her voice trembled as she scanned the area beyond the porch.
“No, I was so nervous trying to get in the house, and they had their face covered up.”
“What about your neighbor? He questioned with concern. “Did he get a license plate number?”
“He told the police that if the intruder had one he didn’t see it. But he did leave his number with them just in case they wanted to ask him more questions.”
“Why don’t you sit down, you look beat.” He gestured to the empty rocker beside him.
Destiny’s eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting him to be here let alone stay with her for a while. “I think I am. Today started out great but now this.” She crouched slowly, and reaching for her purse she’d dropped on the porch.
She watched Adam as he grabbed her hand, but he nearly released it again when she noticeably seemed to be agitated by his touch. All of the things that had been worrying her about Stanley simply shook her to the core.
She didn’t want to hurt his feeling when she pulled her hand away from him, if he was he didn’t show it. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.” He seemed to be apologizing for his touching her.
“The sooner the police start looking, the more likely it is they’ll catch the person.” He said as they sat beside each other. Despite her seeming calm, her hand still shook and her eyes were filled with fear. She was terrified, and there was no way he planned to leave her alone. Not like this.
Destiny met his eyes, the wariness in her gaze unmistakable. She frowned again, turning her back on him.
“Are you okay, Destiny?” He finally blurted out. She knew he was concerned by the way his eyes were watching her facial expression. He turned sober eyes on her. “Not yet, but I will be soon enough.”
She nodded, recalling the days and weeks she’d stayed in her room, too afraid to come out because she didn’t want to face Stanley. The prayers she’d whispered over and over again, asking God to help her get away from him and now that he did, she had to take control of her life. Her joy about being in Seattle and Adam was still firmly twined with her agony. She just couldn’t hurt him; he’d been too sweet even coming here tonight. “Thank you,” she said, in a voice a little too low.
“For what?” he asked.
“For coming here tonight. You didn’t have to. I appreciate it.”
He shrugged. “Who’s after you, Destiny?”
“I don’t know.” Which was the truth. She had an idea but wasn’t sure about it.
He pulled out his phone. “I can call my friend at the department. He’s a detective. Maybe he can help.”
Destiny began to shake her head no. “I’ll handle it myself, Adam.”
She watched the muscles worked along his jaw. “Someone tries to attack you and you think you can handle it yourself? I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise. But after everything we’ve talked about over the last two days, I feel like you still don’t trust me.”
She hated the sadness in his tone, but it ignited a flicker of anger inside her. All she could think about was the fact that she always depended on some man or woman to help her. But not this time! This time she was going to fight her own battle and win with the help of the Lord. For when she was weak, He was strong.
I’ve been co-dependent for so long. God, don’t ever let me feel like that again, she’d prayed many times. I won’t depend on anyone. Especially since I want to depend on you.
She wanted the life she longed for: an independent life, strong and in control.
“Adam this has nothing to do with you. All I’m trying to do is get my life back,” she murmured more to herself than to Adam.
“The police will help me, I’ll be fine.” She looked at him with a renewed sense of determination.
“I understand, I guess… but if you need some assistance, let me know,” Adam said, eyes blazing. “But tell me this, Destiny, why can’t you tell me what’s going on?”
She faced him, cheeks hot. “I’m not your responsibility, Adam. I don’t belong to you.” The glimmer of grief in his eyes made her breath catch.
“I know that and I don’t want to own you,” he said, voice suddenly soft. “I just thought we were friends or even more than friends.”
Her cell rang. After looking at the caller ID she allowed it to go straight to voice mail she’d call Tina after she went inside.
“Thank you for being here when I needed you,” she said. “You’re a good friend, Adam, but this is something I have to do on my own,” she whispered.
“I’m…I’m sorry. Maybe we have moved too quickly,” he mumbled, getting up from the chair he was occupying. His eyes were questioning her.
She knew he was disappointed and she understood why, she caused him to believe she was ready for the next step in this relationship when in actuality she wasn’t, she thought, because their date and the brunch told him a different story. Shaking away the conflicting thoughts, she smiled at Adam as he got up to leave. “Good night.”
He smiled, but there was sadness in his eyes as he did so, sending her heart knocking against her ribs. She quickly turned to unlock the door and pushed it closed before she did something stupid. She double checked the lock and squeezed her eyes tight, praying for safety.
Chapter 26
Adam was restless when he returned home. He had a shower, turned on the television, tried to listen to some television ministers, and turned it off again. His body was tired, but his mind kept circling, thinking about the conversation he’d had with Destiny. His decision to go over to her house was last minute. He didn’t even finish listening to the information he was being given on the phone. He just wanted to be there for her to help in any way he could. But she’d pushed him away.
Adam leaned back in bed. What was it that had Destiny so afraid? Didn’t she know he was just trying to be a friend? Surely she wasn’t going to keep him out of her personal life or end their friendship. He rejected that thought as soon
as it occurred. He switched the light off around midnight. He had service in the morning. By two he was still staring at the ceiling. Sleep use to be a rare commodity in his life. But now he usually had no problems resting. When he was addicted to porn, he was used to being awake when most of the world wasn’t, but he didn’t like it.
He rolled onto his side. Back in the old days if he’d had trouble sleeping, he would have opened his laptop and find all he needed to keep him company. But this was a new day and he was a new man. A frown formed on his face as he thought about the conversation they’d had earlier. They needed to clear the air because this was beginning to be confusing to him. One minute she was eating brunch with him and the next she was pushing him away. She was important to him. Very. And he was determined to fix whatever had gone wrong between them if she gave him the chance.
Lying in her bed Destiny couldn’t help but to think of how cruel it would be of her to continue to take advantage of Adam’s generous and caring nature when she wasn’t ready for their relationship to go any further. It didn’t matter what her heart was saying or what the dates they had were like. Tonight proved that life could be random and unpredictable. Maybe it was God’s way of telling her she wasn’t ready for any relationship. Knowing that Stanley could possibly be the one harassing her didn’t mean she should or would deliberately ignore the trouble it would cause for Adam or his church. And Stanley certainly qualified as trouble. All she wanted was a peaceful steady life. Not one with surprises or uncertainties. She’d had enough of that in her life. Adam had told her in a conversation that God would take care of those he loved. So with that she drifted to sleep.
A scream jolted Destiny awake from her restful sleep.
She bolted upright, scrambled to a sitting position against the headboard, and clutched the covers to her chest. Her heart thudded in her ears. Sweat covered her skin. Her gaze searched the bedroom room for any signs of danger. The scream echoed inside her head.
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