Deborah pressed her lips together. “Nobody’s going to dictate to me how to dress when I’m not working.”
“Whatever. I’m going to try this on.”
Deborah shuffled through the clothes on the rack as Vianca went into the dressing room. She had nightgowns that covered more than some of these dresses. She picked up a tag.
“Three hundred dollars? There’s no material!”
When Vianca came out of the dressing room she looked just as Deborah imagined she would. The dress didn’t cover much of her petite figure.
“You look fabulous!” one of the sales associates exclaimed. “That dress was made for you.”
Vianca grinned. “I think so. Deborah, can’t you find anything?”
The saleswoman turned toward her. “I can help.”
She held up her hands. “No, thank you. I’m on a bit of a budget right now.”
“Girl, you sing for Lavelle. You don’t have money problems anymore.”
As Vianca sauntered back to the dressing room, the saleswoman, wide-eyed, rushed to Deborah’s side. “You sing with Lavelle?”
Deborah smiled. “Look at me.” She motioned with her hands. “Do I look like I sing with Lavelle?”
The woman was thoughtful, then shook her head and smiled. “If you need any help, just let me know. My name is Marie.”
Deborah waited while Vianca paid for the dress, then remained silent as Vianca chatted all the way to the car.
“Deborah, the one thing you need to remember is that in this business, it’s not just about you. It’s who you represent,” Vianca was saying. “So you have to forget all that stuff that you learned in Georgia and get with what people do in Los Angeles. We’re stars now. . . .”
She wished there were a way to close her ears, and was grateful when Vianca dropped her at her car. One thing was sure—if this was how the business was going to be, then she had to find a church home quickly.
CHAPTER 14
IT WASN’T UNTIL DEBORAH DROPPED HER BAG AND SANK into the couch that she realized she hadn’t spoken to Triage in several days.
It had been a week filled with firsts—first dance lessons, first vocal rehearsals, first fitting. She never realized how many dresses and special shoes were needed for one act. And then today, Lavelle spoke to her for the first time since she’d arrived.
“So, how’s it going?” he asked as she stood at the lunch table.
She nodded, surprised by his attention. “It’s good. I’m getting used to it.”
“Tisha said you’re doing great.”
“I hope so. I’m working hard. I want to do a good job for you.”
A smile crossed his face that Deborah couldn’t interpret. “I’m sure you’ll do a good job.”
When he walked away, Deborah pushed him from her mind. There was much more to worry about than Lavelle. What she was finding out was that most of the work was done without him.
Now, as she sat on her couch massaging her feet, she tried to put the day’s work out of her mind. She sighed when the phone rang and thought about not answering it. Every night Vianca called wanting to chat.
But she couldn’t take the chance of missing her parents. “Tomorrow,” she said aloud, “I’ll get an answering machine.” She picked up the phone.
“Hey, how’re you doing?”
She smiled, and it wasn’t until that moment that she realized how much she’d missed Triage. “I’m great. I survived five days.”
He laughed. “I told you. So how were the rehearsals?”
“Fine. I don’t want to bore you with things you already know about. What’ve you been doing?”
“I had some friends in town, and we’re also preparing for a new music video.”
“Sounds like you’ve been as busy as I have.”
“That’s what this business is about. But there’s also time to play. I was calling to see what you’re doing this weekend. I’m sure there’re still some things you need for the apartment.”
“What I need is a larger apartment,” she said, as she looked around at the four walls. “But that’ll have to wait.”
“Well, I’ll run errands with you. And then on Sunday we can go out on my boat.”
“I didn’t know you have a boat.”
“Yeah, it’s not a yacht or anything, but I think you’ll have fun. Sounds like a plan?”
She hesitated. “Triage, that sounds great, but actually, I was hoping to go to church on Sunday. I really want to find a church home before I get all into work. Do you know of one?”
Now the pause was on his end. “Actually, I do. I used to go sometimes. I haven’t been recently.” He stopped for a moment. “Why don’t we go on Sunday?”
She smiled widely. “Now that I would love.”
They made plans to meet the next afternoon, after Deborah’s workout. When she hung up the phone, she was still smiling. She’d been feeling like something was missing, but she knew church would help that. And with Triage going with her, that made it all the better.
It was just after nine when she opened out the couch and lay down on the bed. She couldn’t find a comfortable place on her pillow, and she turned until her head felt better.
She brought her hands to her scalp and massaged it. Yesterday, she’d done what she still couldn’t believe—after constant hounding from Vianca, she’d gone to her stylist and gotten a weave.
As much as Deborah wanted to put this on Vianca, she had made the decision herself. It took her just a week to discover that Vianca was right. All of the dancing and working out had thinned her thick hair, making it limp and lifeless.
“That’s why Emerald wears braids and I have this short cut,” Vianca had reminded her as she drove Deborah to Flyy Curls in Beverly Hills. “You’re doing the right thing.”
But even as Deborah sat in front of the mirror with Blair, the stylist, standing behind her, she still had her doubts.
“Girl, look at all this beautiful hair,” Blair gushed as he lifted her hair from her shoulders. “I can just style it for you—”
“No,” Vianca had jumped in. “She needs a weave, Blair. I already told you.”
Deborah stared at her reflection as Blair and Vianca went back and forth, debating what was best for her.
“I think a nice cut—”
It was Deborah who stopped him this time. “No, Blair. I don’t want to cut my hair.” Her eyes dropped from her reflection. “A weave will be better. That way I can take it out when I’m ready.”
Vianca had crossed her arms in front of her and smiled triumphantly. Deborah spent the next six hours sitting in the chair as Blair transformed her.
It was after eleven when she finally looked into the mirror. Deborah was surprised to see how natural she looked—the long layers fell just a bit beyond her shoulders.
“You can do anything with this, darling,” Blair declared. “You can wear it straight, curled, or with or without bangs. I must admit, Vianca girl, you were right.”
As Deborah wrote the check to Blair, her only hope was that Vianca really was right.
Blair had told her that she’d be fine in a day or two. She hoped so. Finally, she dropped her hands and sighed.
“I’m still blessed,” she said to herself. “I cannot forget that.” A few seconds later, she said aloud, “Father, all I can do is thank You and give You praise, honor, and glory. This has been tough and is not what I expected. But I still love it, Lord, because I’m going to be able to use the gift that You blessed me with. Thank You for Your keeping grace, the way You protect me and guide me. And I pray that I continue to do Your will, Lord. Help me to stay on the right path, even in the midst of all of these things that I don’t understand. Thank You, Father. Amen.” Then she added, “And thank You for gracing my life with Triage Blue.”
CHAPTER 15
THE MOMENT SHE STEPPED THROUGH THE DOOR, Deborah felt like she was at home. Macedonia Baptist Church wasn’t much bigger than Mountain. Deborah and Triage had waited until exactly
eleven o’clock to go inside. The wide-smiling usher tried to escort them to the front, but Triage asked to sit in the last row.
Deborah had never sat so far back in church. Being with Triage was showing her just how different life could become with celebrity. But even fifteen rows back, it felt good to be in the House of the Lord.
As the choir sang, Deborah was surprised that only a few in the congregation stood and sang along. But as others beside her began to rise, so did she. She raised her hands and voice to God, thanking Him for all He had done.
After two songs, Deborah finally sat down. Her foot was still tapping as one of the assistant pastors read from the Bible. And the beat continued to reverberate through her when the pastor stood for the sermon.
“This morning I want to talk to you about ‘staying in the course.’ The Lord has given each of us a path to pound, a race to run. But it is up to us to stay the course and run it well. Turn to Deuteronomy 13:4.”
Whispers of turning pages filled the church, and Deborah handed her Bible to Triage. But as she watched him search for Deuteronomy, she leaned over and turned to the chapter herself.
He smiled. “It’s been a while.”
Her smile told him that she understood.
“‘Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him.’ The Lord makes it very clear. While you are running the race and moving along this path that He has set for you, you must follow Him.”
Deborah smiled. That was why she was so glad to be back in church. The messages were designed just for her. She knew it was going to be a difficult walk—to run after this dream and stay focused on God. But it wasn’t a choice. She would give it all up if this business interfered with her relationship with the Lord.
“Now I want you to turn to Matthew 6:24. ‘No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.’ You see, while God has laid out this path for you, don’t think that Satan isn’t going to be there, on the sidelines, just waiting. Waiting for the chance to tempt you with something that will pull you from the road. Waiting for the chance to get you to serve him instead of the Lord. Because the path has been set by God, but your walk is up to you.”
Deborah nodded in agreement and glanced at Triage. He had leaned forward slightly, focused on the pastor, his gaze intent as if the words were meant for him. Deborah smiled.
“Galatians 5:7 says, ‘You did run well; who did hinder you.’ Run the race, children of God. Run it well. But let it not be said that you did run well. Because that will mean that you have not stayed the course. Run for the Lord. In all that you do, serve Him.”
As “Amen”s and “Hallelujah”s rose through the congregation, Deborah raised her hands in praise.
“Thank You, Father, for this message that You’ve given me,” she whispered. “I hear Your Word and I receive it. Thank You, Father.”
The pastor was still walking across the altar, waving his hands in the air. “We have to stay the course, but there are some of you who may not even know what your course is. For anyone who has not made a decision to know God for themselves or for those who know the Lord but have found themselves straying away from Him, it’s time for you to come back into the fold. Please come up now so that I can pray for you.” The pastor reached toward the congregation.
Triage took Deborah’s hand and squeezed it. He motioned for her to stand, and she smiled. He was going up for prayer, and that pleased her.
She picked up her purse and stood with him, but blinked in surprise when Triage turned away from the altar and led her out the front door.
They walked in silence until they were in the car.
“I hope you don’t mind leaving early. I wanted to get out of there before it ended and people started bombarding me.”
She nodded as if she understood. “Next time, maybe we should make arrangements so that we can stay for the whole service.”
When he shrugged, Deborah crossed her arms across her chest. They drove in silence with his new CD blasting through the car. Triage had already made arrangements for brunch at the Vine, and once they arrived, they were escorted to a private room. Deborah ordered a clam-and-scallop omelet, while Triage had smoked salmon on a bagel.
“Did you enjoy the service?” Triage asked as soon as the waitress had taken their orders. He smiled.
“I did, but I was a little disappointed that we had to leave so early.”
Triage frowned. “The service was almost over, wasn’t it?”
She dropped her eyes. “Triage, I understand about the fans bothering you, but you can’t let that get in the way of your relationship with God.”
He stared at her, then gave her a slight smile. “You’re right, but it’s not like I have the relationship with God that I used to.”
“Don’t you want to have that relationship again?”
His smile widened a bit more, and he nodded. “I would, especially after watching you these past weeks.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I know you think you got this job because of me, but I’ve gotta tell you, it happened even quicker than I ever thought it would.” He paused. “Grandma said it was God.”
“I know it was Him,” she said quickly.
He raised his eyebrows. “And all this time you’ve been thanking me.”
She laughed. “It was you, because God used you to help me. But it was His plan, and His will that I be here.”
He paused thoughtfully. “It’s so hard for me to get back to where I was with God. My career is so demanding.”
“What does that have to do with serving the Lord?”
“You know, I can’t go to church all the time, I don’t read the Bible—I don’t even have a Bible; I haven’t prayed in I don’t know how long—”
“Triage, all of that can be fixed like that.” She snapped her fingers. “What’s really holding you back?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“I think this is what the pastor was talking about today when he said you can’t serve two Gods. We all have to make a decision who our God is going to be.”
They had been sitting in silence for several minutes by the time the waitress brought their food.
When the plates were placed in front of them, Triage said, “Would you mind if I gave this a try again?”
She smiled and reached across the table, taking his hands.
“Dear God, we thank You for this food that we are about to receive. We thank You for everything that You’ve given us in this life and we thank You for caring for us.” He paused, but Deborah kept her head bowed, and squeezed his hand. “We thank You because you are God. Amen.” He looked up sheepishly. “How did I do?”
She smiled. “That was a great beginning.”
As Triage handed his ticket to the valet, a man approached them from the side of the building.
“Triage,” he yelled.
They turned toward the voice, and the flash made them blink. Then the photographer disappeared around the corner.
“Don’t these guys have a life? How do they know where you are every moment of the day?”
He shrugged. “They pay people at restaurants and hotels to call them.”
“Don’t you get sick of it?”
He opened the door for her to get into the car. “There’s nothing I can do.”
She smiled as he got into the car. “But won’t your girlfriends mind? Seeing you in a picture with another woman?”
He chuckled. “Haven’t you read about it? I just broke up with my longtime girlfriend.”
“No, I didn’t read that. But I did read about how you made me cry.”
He laughed. “I saw that one too. I guess I should have warned you.”
“It’s fine for me; it’s you that I worry about.”
“Don’t worry about me; I’m in between wo
men right now, so I can hang out with you.”
Deborah looked at Triage, but he was looking at the road.
“Speaking of hanging out, I wanted to know if you would go to the premiere of One of Those Days with me. It’s Wednesday night.”
She smiled widely. “Triage, that would be so awesome. I’ve never been to a premiere.” She paused. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll go with you if you go with me to church next Sunday.”
He laughed. “Oh, I see. I do something for you and you do something for me.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“Honey, that’s one deal that I’m glad to make.”
CHAPTER 16
MONDAY’S REHEARSAL SEEMED TO FLY BY, AND even Tisha was pleased with Deborah’s performance.
“I don’t know what happened to you over the weekend,” Tisha said, “but whatever it was, make sure it happens again tonight. I want to see that same energy tomorrow.”
Deborah laughed, now used to Tisha’s brazen tone. As soon as Tisha and Emerald left the room, Deborah pulled Vianca aside.
“What are you doing tonight?”
Vianca shrugged. “Probably the same old stuff. You don’t want to work out?”
“Well, I have something else for us to do.” She paused for effect. “How would you like to go with me to pick out a dress for Triage’s premiere?”
Vianca’s mouth opened as wide as her eyes. “Girl, you told me there was nothing going on with you and Triage.”
“We’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh. Then why is he inviting you to the premiere? That is something that these men save for only the special women in their lives.”
“Well, I’m a special friend. So do you want to come with me or not?”
“Of course, girl,” Vianca said, backing into the hallway. “You need me. I bet you don’t even know where to go.”
Deborah laughed. “Well, I was going to ask you for a few ideas.”
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