Curtis tried to comfort Charlotte. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. “How close are you now?”
“Almost in front of the house.”
“Good. Hopefully when you turn in, she’ll keep going.”
“The only thing, though, is that the gate will be closed, and I’ll need to wait for it to open.”
Curtis hadn’t thought of that. “I still think you should turn into the beginning of the driveway, but start pushing the remote now because normally it’ll work a few feet away.”
“Okay, I’m here,” she announced.
“Did she keep going?”
“No, she slowed down and now she’s just sitting there, but I’m already driving through the gate and just pressed the button to shut it.”
Curtis leaned his head against the backrest. “Good.”
“Is she safe?” Elder Dixon asked.
“Yes.”
“Did the gate close?”
“Yes, I’m good.”
“Can you still see her?”
“She just eased in front of the driveway.”
“We’ll be there shortly.”
“Curtis, what are we going to do? What if Curtina had been in the car with me?”
“Thank God she wasn’t.”
“Okay, she just sped off.”
Charlotte finally sounded somewhat relieved and Curtis exhaled. “Good. We’ll be there in a few minutes, but you go straight in the house just in case she comes back.”
“I will.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m shaken up, but I’m fine.”
“See you in a few.”
Curtis looked straight ahead, knowing this wouldn’t likely end in his favor. At the rate things were going, how could it?
Chapter 41
Once Elder Jamison had driven back to the church, Curtis had run inside, grabbed a few items, stuck them in his briefcase, and headed home. Thankfully, Sharon hadn’t tried calling him, and when he’d arrived, there hadn’t been any sign of her, but he still worried. So, after spending a little time with Curtina and sending her up to her room to watch television, he and Charlotte had explained everything to Agnes. Now he and Charlotte were in his study with the door closed. He’d also just dialed D.C.
“This Sharon trick deserves whatever she gets,” he said. “Is your wife okay?”
“She’s fine, but I really need that security detail in place.”
“I’m on it. My uncle can’t get his men assigned until early tomorrow afternoon, but my boys will have you covered until then. I’m sendin’ two of them to your house tonight, and then I’ll have another one follow your son to school in the mornin’ and stay there.”
“And my daughter?”
“There’ll be someone in front of her school all day, too. I do need both addresses, though.”
Curtis looked them up and gave them to him.
“Pastor, are you sure you don’t want a couple of my associates to pay this woman a visit?”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“Well, if I was dealin’ with this kinda skank, I would at least have someone put a gun to her head. That always gets people’s attention. You never even have to pull the trigger, but you get results.”
“We already talked about this, D.C. No violence, remember?”
“Okay, it’s your call, but I’m tellin’ you now, any woman who shows up in another state uninvited and then stalks your wife like this is a clear-cut psycho… and when you’re dealin’ with a psycho, you have to respond accordingly.”
Curtis knew he was right, and the old Curtis from twenty years ago—even fifteen years ago—wouldn’t have thought twice about sending a hostile message to someone if his family was being threatened. But today, he was a better man who knew violence wasn’t God’s way of doing things.
“All I want is to make sure my wife and children are safe.”
“Okay, we’ll do it your way, but I think it’s a mistake.”
“I appreciate that, and just keep me posted on the security status.”
“I will.”
Curtis laid his phone down and Charlotte came around to the side of the desk where he was sitting and leaned her bottom against it. At that moment, however, his phone rang, and he looked at it.
“It’s her.”
Charlotte winced. “Good grief, when is this going to stop?”
The phone rang again.
“Answer it,” she said.
Curtis finally picked his phone back up. “Hello?”
“How’s your wife?”
“Look, Sharon, you’re going to have to stop this.”
“Stop what? Fighting for what’s mine?”
“You could’ve caused a major accident, and this isn’t funny.”
“I never said it was, and I told your little wifey earlier that if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll move on.”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say.”
“That you’re leaving her!” she screamed. “I want you to get her out of there so we can get on with our lives. I want you to obey God’s instructions.”
“You need help, Sharon.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s something very wrong with you, and you can’t keep going like this.”
“I’m as sane as anyone else. The only difference is that I know what I want, and I know what God has for me.”
“I’m ending this conversation.”
“I’ll bet she’s standing right there, isn’t she? Breathing all down your neck, trying to hear what I’m saying.”
“Good-bye, Sharon.”
“You belong to me, John, so why can’t you accept that? Why won’t you do what God is telling you?”
There she was calling him John again, and he wondered again who that was. “What did you call me?”
“What do you mean?” she yelled.
“You called me John again.”
“Don’t try to confuse me, Curtis.”
Charlotte sat quietly, but Curtis could tell from the look on her face that she heard how loudly Sharon was talking.
“Please don’t call me anymore, Sharon, and stay away from my wife.”
“You’re wrong for this, Curtis. You used me, and now you’re trying to act as though I never meant anything to you. Well, I don’t like it. You’re stealing my joy, and I just wonder how you would feel if I stole yours. Huh? How would you feel if I went to your elder board and then told all your members that we’ve been sleeping together? Or better yet, how would you feel if something happened to your children?”
“If you even think about touching my children or coming near my wife again, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Yeah, well, you just keep pushing me and see what happens.”
“I’m not playing with you, Sharon,” he said, but she was gone.
Charlotte turned toward him. “Why was she calling you someone else?”
“I don’t know. She did the same thing earlier.”
“What else was she saying? Was she threatening to do something to our children?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God.”
“Baby, you know I won’t stand for that.”
He pressed the Contacts icon on his phone. “We have to end this. I’m calling D.C. back.”
With a solemn face, Charlotte gently slipped his cell way from him. “No.”
“Then what do you expect us to do?”
“Go to the police and file for an order of protection. I know you don’t want to hear that, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and it’s the only way.”
“But you know what’s going to happen once the local media gets wind of it. They’ll contact Sharon, and she’ll say we’ve been seeing each other. She’ll tell all kinds of lies just like she told you. Then it’ll only be a matter of time before the national media comes at us, and all the gossip will begin.”
“I don’t want you, me, or the children t
o experience that again, either, but what choice do we have?”
Curtis stroked his hair from front to back with both hands.
“She’s never going to leave us alone, Curtis, and I think you know that.”
“But what about Matt and Curtina and even Alicia? What about all those wonderful members at our church? They’re going to be so disappointed,” he said, and it was funny how Alexis, D.C.’s sister, fell on his mind. As it was, she was already leery of pastors and hesitant about joining Deliverance Outreach, so this news about Sharon would certainly validate her thinking.
“Not if we tell them the truth beforehand. Not if we stand together and tell them what’s been going on with our marriage for the past year.”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s just go before the congregation on Sunday and then contact the police. D.C. has us covered security-wise, anyway, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then all we have to do is lie low until Sunday. Matt’s last day of finals is tomorrow, and we’ll just ask him to hang around here on Saturday.”
“Are you sure you wanna do this?”
“I’m positive. It’s the only way, and it’s the right thing to do. Plus, when you think about it, all Sharon has are phone records, so the rest of what she says will be her word against yours.”
“I guess, but this still won’t be good.”
“It’s better than living in fear and wondering what she’ll do next.”
Curtis hesitated but then said, “Fine, but I think we need to inform Matt because if this does go public, he’ll be deeply affected by it.”
“I agree. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow evening, though, because he and Racquel are at her house studying. I also don’t want him upset while he’s taking his last two exams tomorrow.”
“I’ll also alert Lana, the elder board, and the assistant pastors in the morning so they’ll know what to expect on Sunday.”
“That’s a good idea, and, hey,” she said, caressing his face, “we’ll be okay. We’ll make it through this storm the same as we have all the others, and I’m praying this will be the last one.”
“That’s my prayer, too, and I believe it will be. It’s time we stop all the madness and just be happy. Just be faithful to each other and take our vows more seriously,” he said, standing and hugging her. He held her close, and while he dreaded having to admit his indiscretions yet again to his congregation, he knew Charlotte was right: Sharon would never leave them alone. She’d proven that on a number of occasions already, and it was time they brought things to a halt—not violently, the way D.C. kept suggesting, but legally and morally. At the same time, though, he wondered if maybe there was something incriminating he could find on Sharon, some terrible thing she’d done in her past and was trying to keep a secret. Everyone had skeletons, so maybe what he needed to do was a little digging. It was certainly worth trying.
Chapter 42
Do you want your dad and me to drive over for morning service?” Noreen asked.
“I really would, Mom,” Charlotte said. “I know Curtis and I will be okay, but I would feel even better if you and Daddy were here with us.”
“Of course, honey. Maybe we’ll just come on Saturday evening and spend the night with you all.”
Charlotte smiled with tears in her eyes. “Matt and Curtina will love that.”
“I really hate you’re going to have to tell your business to everyone, but I guess if there’s no other way…”
“There isn’t, Mom. We’ve thought about this a lot, but given the situation, we have to go to the police. And if we go to the police, we have to prepare the congregation so there won’t be any surprises.”
“I understand, but it just seems to me your personal life should be off-limits. You shouldn’t have to tell anybody anything if you don’t want to.”
“It’s different, though, when you have a couple thousand people supporting your ministry, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of readers Curtis has nationwide. They become your family, and you feel like you owe them an explanation when things aren’t right. Years ago, I used to feel the same as you, that our business was nobody else’s. But not anymore. What I realized was that there are so many people who look up to us, that it’s time we become much better examples.”
“You’ve come a long way, sweetie, and I’m really proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom. But you know what’s interesting?”
“What’s that?”
“I almost had to lose everything to get to this point. The idea of losing Curtis and Curtina and then having Matt lose faith in me, too, really made me take a long look at myself. It made me recognize how self-centered I was and how I had hurt so many people.”
“That’s all behind you now, though, so don’t even look back.”
Charlotte’s phone beeped, and Janine’s name and number displayed on her screen. “Mom, this is J, so I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“Tell Janine I said hello. Love you.”
Charlotte pressed the Send button. “Hey, how are you?”
“I’m good, but how are you?”
“Hanging in there.”
“How’s Curtis?”
Charlotte had called Janine early this morning and filled her in. “He’s okay. He’s not happy about what we have to do, but he’s still in agreement about it.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll all be there for you.”
“Thank you for that.”
“Have you guys spoken to Matt yet? I know you said you were planning to.”
“No, but I think he just got home.”
“How do you think he’s going to feel about this?”
“I don’t know, hard to say.”
“Maybe it’ll be different for him this time because he’s so much older.”
“Or it could be worse because he’s tired of all the drama we’ve caused him. Matt has been a wonderful child all his life, and it’s hard to believe he made it this far without any issues. He’s never gotten into trouble, he’s always treated people the way he wants to be treated, and he has a kind spirit.”
“You and Curtis are very blessed to have him as a son.”
“Don’t I know it. But we haven’t been the best parents, and that bothers me.”
“Things will be so much better now, though.”
“I hope so.”
“It will,” Janine said.
“Well, hey, I’d better get going so we can sit down with him.”
“I’ll be praying for the best, and I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”
“Kiss my little goddaughter for me.”
Charlotte left the bedroom and went downstairs. She passed by the family room and went into the kitchen and wondered where Curtis and Matthew were. She was sure she’d heard Matthew talking while she was on the phone with Janine. But then she walked down the other hall and heard Matthew and Curtis chatting. They were discussing his finals.
She walked into Curtis’s study. “So you’re all finished?” she asked her son.
“Yep.”
For some reason, he didn’t look too happy, so Charlotte hugged him. “I’m so proud of you, Matt. You’re actually graduating next week. What an accomplishment.”
“Where’s Curtina?” he asked.
Curtis sat on the edge of his desk. “She’s playing with her little friend next door. We sort of sent her over there so we could talk to you about something.”
Matt already seemed uncomfortable, as if he didn’t want to hear what they had to say. He seemed sad, even, and Charlotte hated this.
“Son, your mom and I are going to address the congregation on Sunday.”
“Why?”
“There’s this woman who’s been threatening us.”
“What woman?”
“A woman at the church who I sort of became friends with.”
Matthew put his hands in his pockets. “So what’s wrong with having friends?”
“Nothing w
hen it’s the right kind of friendship, but as a pastor, I never should have started communicating with this woman.”
“Did something happen between you?”
Charlotte was a little shocked that Matthew was asking his father such a bold question, but then again, she had to remember he was eighteen.
“If you mean sexually, no. I never touched her in that way, but she thinks she’s in love with me and that I’m going to marry her.”
Matthew didn’t respond to that, so Charlotte said, “This is all very complicated, Matt, but she’s really become a problem, and we’re going to have to go to the police. We need to get an order of protection against her.”
“Oh.”
Charlotte looked at Curtis, and since it was obvious Matthew hadn’t considered the repercussions or the possibility of another scandal, she said, “The reason we wanted to tell you now is because you may end up seeing it on the news or posted on various websites.” Charlotte thought about the whole Tabitha disaster and how by the time Charlotte and Curtis had decided to inform the congregation about his affair with her back then, Reverend Tolson, the pastor who’d been filling in for Curtis while he traveled, had gone on a national news channel and disclosed everything. From that point on, the news about Curtis having a baby with another woman had gone viral on the Internet and had been reported through all other media sources.
Curtis tried reassuring him. “We know how embarrassing this kind of thing can be, and we’re really sorry, Matt. We’re sorry that we haven’t done right by you and Alicia and now Curtina. But I promise you, things are going to be different from here on out. I know it’s a little late, but we won’t ever disappoint you like this again.”
Matthew looked at both of them and burst into tears.
Charlotte felt so sorry for their son and took him into her arms. “We really are sorry, Matt.”
“I know, Mom, but I’m sorry, too.”
“For what, sweetie? You didn’t do anything.”
“I did, Mom. You and Dad are gonna be so upset.”
Curtis walked closer, placing his hand on his back. “Son, what is it?”
Matthew sniffled, wiped his face, and said, “Racquel is pregnant.”
Chapter 43
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