“You’re funny. Let me call him now.”
Curtis lifted his phone from the island, dialed, and waited.
“Hey, Pastor,” Minister Simmons said.
“How’s it going? I hate calling at the last minute, but I need a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Can you teach Bible study tonight?”
“Of course,” he said. Curtis wanted to laugh, because Charlotte had been right about how excited he’d be. Minister Simmons sounded as though someone had offered him a million dollars.
“I really appreciate this,” Curtis said.
“I already studied ahead, anyway, so it’s no problem at all.”
“Really? I’m impressed.”
“You mentioned the topic last week, and you know what the Bible says: ‘Therefore be ye also ready,’ and that’s what I try to do with everything.”
“That’s great to hear.”
“Also, Pastor, since I have you on the phone, I wanted to ask if you’ve thought more about my suggestion. About my starting a separate Bible study class for teens.”
“I have, but I think our challenge will be getting them to attend. Many of their parents attend Bible study on Wednesdays, so I’m not sure they’ll want to bring their children out on a separate evening.”
“Well, what if we offered it on the same night? I could just teach it in the main seminar room.”
“That’s a possibility. Why don’t we discuss it more at the next staff meeting?”
“Sounds good. I just want to help however I can. I know I’ve said this many times, but Deliverance Outreach is my life, and you can always call on me.”
“I believe that, and I’m grateful for it.”
“I’m serious. Even if you wanna take a long vacation, I’ll be glad to speak on Sundays for as many weeks as you want.”
Curtis was a little shocked by his last comment. “That’s good to know, and thanks again for leading the study session.”
“I’m glad to do it. You have a good night, Pastor.”
“You, too.”
Curtis ended the call but wondered whether Charlotte was somewhat right about Minister Simmons and how determined he was. The whole time he’d been working there, Curtis had decided he was simply a young man with honest and innocent aspirations. Curtis had been highly motivated when he’d started out as a young minister, too, so he understood the desire to grow and move ahead quickly. Nonetheless, right now, Minister Simmons gave him pause. Or maybe it wasn’t Minister Simmons at all—maybe it was Curtis’s newfound paranoia in regard to who was out to get him. Because he’d learned a long time ago that even the most unsuspecting and seemingly loyal person would stab you in the back if you weren’t careful. There was just no telling, and now Curtis couldn’t help wondering about Minister Simmons and a slew of other folks he could think of. He didn’t want to, but given the calls and the letter he’d received, he had to.
Chapter 24
Charlotte turned her car off, gathered her thoughts, mentally practiced the way she would smile, along with the words she would say, and took a deep breath. Then, she stepped out onto the pavement. A couple of hours ago, she’d called Racquel, asking if it was okay to come talk to her and her mom. Racquel had seemed shocked, of course, but the more Charlotte had promised her that it would make things better between them, the more open to it she seemed. Then, when Charlotte had asked her to check with Vanessa, interestingly enough, she’d agreed. Charlotte wasn’t sure if Vanessa had said yes because she was tired of all the battling or if it was because Charlotte had asked Racquel to tell Vanessa how sorry she was and that everything was all her fault. If Charlotte had to guess, she knew it was the latter, because Vanessa believed Charlotte was to blame, anyway, and she was likely happy that Charlotte was finally admitting it. If only she knew, though, that there was a good reason Charlotte was backing down and preparing to apologize in such a genius fashion.
Charlotte walked up the brick-patterned driveway, looking across the property and then at the brick-and-stucco structure. It was a nice enough house, but Charlotte wanted something better for MJ. Neil earned a good living as a surgeon, and overall he and Vanessa did well by most people’s standards, but six figures were a lot less than seven, and it showed. Curtis had worked hard to get where he was, not just with the ministry—since he took only a minimal salary from the church—but also with his speaking and writing accomplishments. His talent and charisma had earned him a lot of money, and Charlotte wanted MJ to benefit from it. She wanted her grandson to have all that he was entitled to.
She walked up to the cement porch and rang the doorbell. She heard footsteps, and the door opened. Racquel smiled.
“Hi, Mrs. Black.”
“How are you, Racquel?” Charlotte said, hugging her.
“Come in.”
Racquel closed the door, walked down a long wooden hallway, and went into the family room. Charlotte followed her and thought about the baby shower that had taken place there. What a time that had been.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Racquel asked.
“No, thanks.”
“Mom’s on a conference call right now, so would you like to look in on little MJ? I just put him down about twenty minutes ago, but you can still take a peek if you want.”
Charlotte was thrilled about seeing him, but she didn’t want to seem too eager. She had to appear to be a changed woman. It was also the reason she pushed Vanessa’s conference call out of her mind, because it was just another reminder of why MJ truly did belong with her and Curtis. Vanessa was simply too busy for her grandson. “I would love to, but only if you’re okay with it.”
“Follow me,” she said, and they walked back down the hallway and went up the stairs.
As they entered the nursery, Charlotte scanned the yellow-and-lime wallpaper. This was a result of Racquel’s big bright idea of not wanting to know the sex of the baby—meaning it was the reason she hadn’t been able to choose any pattern with too much blue or pink. Charlotte hadn’t been able to choose those colors, either, but now, Charlotte would have the nursery in their home completely redone so that it portrayed the perfect atmosphere for a boy. Worse, this nursery was way too small for little MJ. He deserved something much bigger and classier, and soon he would have it.
Charlotte moved closer to the bassinet. Her precious little grandbaby slept peacefully, and she couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight. She wanted to pick him up and cuddle him so badly, she could hardly contain herself. But she kept her cool and acted as though little MJ was no big deal; that he wasn’t any more special than any other child she knew.
After a few minutes, they went back down to the family room. Vanessa was already sitting on one of the plush red chairs, and Charlotte smiled. Actually, Charlotte’s smile felt so convincing she was sure Vanessa believed it was genuine, too. Charlotte was proud to be such a talented actor.
Charlotte took a seat across from her on the sofa. “Thank you for agreeing to see me. Both of you.”
Racquel sat in the chair adjacent to her mother, but neither of them commented.
“Wow,” Charlotte said, taking a deep breath. “This is a little embarrassing, but I guess the first thing I want to say is that I’m sorry. I was wrong on so many levels, and when I left the restaurant yesterday, I did a lot of thinking. I thought about how unhappy both of you seem with me, and how Matthew and Curtis also blame me for what’s been happening. And that’s when I remembered something my grandmother used to say: ‘When you can’t seem to get along with anyone, it’s time to ask, “Lord, is it me?” ’ So, that’s exactly what I did. I went all the way back to the first day I met you, Racquel, and also when I finally met you, too, Vanessa, and I had to admit that I could have been a lot nicer to you both.”
Racquel’s face softened, but Vanessa sat with a blank stare. The wicked witch of Mitchell was going to be a lot harder to break, but Charlotte wasn’t leaving there until she’d succeeded.
“I even asked myself why
I felt the way I did, and it finally dawned on me, Vanessa, that I was jealous of you.”
Now Vanessa raised her eyebrows and seemed more interested.
“It’s true. All I could see was that the baby was going to be living with you and that you’d have a much closer relationship with him. I told myself that eventually he would love only you and Neil, and he would never want to be around Curtis and me. I know that sounds crazy, but I’m just being honest.”
“But you know that would never happen, Mrs. Black,” Racquel said. “Matt is little MJ’s father, and you and Pastor Black are his grandparents. You’re his blood relatives, and he’ll always love you.”
“I realize that now, but I let my fears get the best of me. And then, Racquel, even before you got pregnant, I was worried that you were trying to trap Matt. But now I know that you truly love him, and that you don’t care about our money.”
“I do love him.”
“I know, sweetie,” Charlotte said, and the tone of her voice proved again how great her acting abilities were. “That’s why I also want to officially congratulate you on your engagement. I’m sorry for not acknowledging it before now. I never even asked to see your ring.”
Charlotte had noticed the ring that evening they’d stopped by the Andersons’ so Matthew could see them before heading to the airport. She’d seen it each time Racquel had brought the baby over, too, but she hadn’t said anything. She couldn’t wait to compliment her new piece of jewelry now, though.
Racquel walked over and held out her hand.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Charlotte said.
“Thank you,” she beamed. “I’m so glad you like it.”
It wasn’t the largest ring she’d seen, but it was still pretty costly for an eighteen-year-old. Matthew didn’t know it, but his credit card statement had arrived yesterday, and Charlotte had opened it this morning. He’d spent a little over three thousand dollars for it, and there was no question that she and Curtis would be the ones paying for it. Actually, since Curtis never liked having any revolving debt on their credit histories, she knew the whole thing would be paid in a matter of days. That was fine, though, because when the engagement was broken off, at least Racquel wouldn’t walk away empty-handed. At least she’d have a ring to pawn if she wanted to.
Charlotte looked at Vanessa, who still seemed leery of her sincerity, so Charlotte pulled out the big guns. “There’s something else I wanted to mention. Not that I’m using this as an excuse, but I’m not sure the two of you know that I lost a little girl. She fell to her death, and ever since then I’ve been extremely protective of Matthew, and I found myself starting to feel the same way about little MJ. I realize neither of you knows the pain of losing a child, but it’s devastating. It changed me forever, but I still had no business treating either of you so badly, just because of my own insecurities and issues.”
Vanessa’s face softened with sympathy. “No, I had no idea. Did you know, Racquel?”
“Yes. Matt mentioned it to me, but he doesn’t talk about it much.”
“I’m very sorry,” Vanessa said. “And as a matter of fact, I do know how you feel. I didn’t lose a little girl, but before Racquel was born we had a son who died at birth. That’s why when Racquel went into early labor I knew she could lose MJ, and I blamed you. All I could think about was my own son and that because of you, Neil and I might lose another child we loved.”
Bingo. Charlotte hadn’t counted on her and Vanessa relating to any of the same things, but she was glad she’d brought up the loss of Marissa. She hated using her daughter’s death and memory to get what she wanted, but right now little MJ’s needs were more important.
They chitchatted a while longer, but then MJ screamed out crying.
“Uh-oh, there he goes,” Racquel said. “I’ll be right back.”
When she left, Charlotte hesitated but then said, “So he still cries a lot, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, but the doctor says he’s fine. Mostly he does it because Racquel holds him all the time, and he’s gotten used to it. He’s spoiled rotten already, and he loves to eat. He drinks one bottle after another but never seems to get enough,” she said, laughing.
Charlotte laughed with her for the sake of keeping her award-winning performance intact, but deep down she couldn’t wait to leave there. She’d won Vanessa and Racquel over as much as she needed to, and it was time to move on to the next phase of things. Her conversation with Curtis last night and her visit with Racquel and Vanessa today had worked smoothly and according to plan, so now all she had to do was make another phone call to the person who was going to be a lifesaver. She’d called this kind individual yesterday afternoon during her drive home from Chicago, explaining the kind of help she needed. But now she wished she’d made the call two weeks ago when Matthew had returned to Harvard. If she had, she would already have everything she wanted. As the saying went, though, “better late than never,” so all would be fine before she knew it.
Chapter 25
Curtis wondered when this was going to stop. He’d allowed himself to believe that when this mystery person had claimed they wouldn’t be calling him again, that this also meant they wouldn’t be sending any more letters. But here he was holding another envelope with the word urgent written across the top of it. He didn’t want this awful person to expose his secret, but because the anticipation had turned dreadful, he was getting to the point where he almost wished they’d do what they were threatening to do and get it over with—almost. But then, he knew that wasn’t true, because in reality he wanted no one to ever learn about that unfortunate time in his life. This morning, he’d thought about maybe telling Charlotte the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but they’d enjoyed each other in such a wonderfully passionate way last night, he hadn’t been able to find the words. He also hadn’t wanted to ruin her new attitude toward Racquel and Vanessa, because this was a revelation in itself.
He slowly pulled out the letter and unfolded it.
Curtis,
I’m going to keep this short, but I just had to write you one last time before your big secret goes viral. I figured the best place to start would be on the Internet, then with every major media outlet, including national newspapers and magazines. I’ve spent a lot of time preparing for this day, so I don’t want a single soul to miss it. Not that anyone would want to miss the news of the century, anyway. This is going to be huge, but by now, you have to know that. It might not be news if maybe if you were like me, a simple nobody, but because you fought, struggled, schemed, cheated, and walked over decent people to make a name for yourself, you’ve reached top celebrity status; meaning that people everywhere care about everything you do, especially all your ungodly sins. Both the ones you committed in the past, like the one I know about, and also those sins people are hoping you’ll commit in the future. They’re hoping they’ll have something to laugh and talk about. In this age of Facebook and Twitter, your story will be reshared and retweeted millions of times, and there will be no explaining it. You won’t be able to talk your way out of this one, Curtis. You’ll have to man up and deal with the situation. You’ll be forced to do right by the people you’ve hurt. Most of all, though, I can’t wait to see the terrified look on your face, probably the same look you have on your face right now while reading this letter. You must be wondering day and night when the ball is going to drop, but guess what? That’s for me to know and, well…for me to know!!!! I’ll bet you thought I was going to say “and for you to find out,” didn’t you? At least that’s what me and my little friends used to say when we were kids. But not today, Mister. You see, you’re not going to find out anything until the moment it happens because I want you to suffer. I’m going to go now, but in the words of Victor Newman, “You have a nice day.” You have watched The Young and the Restless before, haven’t you?
Curtis dropped the letter onto his desk, grabbed his face with the palms of his hands, and stroked his hair from front to back. He tried not to let this
thing fluster him, but he was failing miserably, mainly because he was frantically trying to figure out a way to stop this from happening. It just wasn’t possible, though, because how could he stop anything when he had no idea who was behind all this? How could he stop people from gossiping online or calling up TV and radio producers with the kind of news story that not even Good Morning America, CNN, or Oprah would turn down? This was even the kind of thing his favorite nighttime comedian, David Letterman, would joke about. The sad thing, though, was that to Curtis and so many others, this awful secret of his wouldn’t be funny. To him it would be life-altering and catastrophic. He had a mind to call D.C., his trusted street warrior, but while D.C. had been known to handle anyone who was causing trouble, he couldn’t see where D.C. would be able to do a thing about a person Curtis didn’t even have a name for. He couldn’t even offer him clues that might help. Last year, D.C. had saved the day when that Sharon woman had gone too far with her fatal-attraction tricks and had also started threatening him and his family, but this was different—so different that Curtis felt like crying. He was a grown man, but he wanted to weep louder than little MJ had the last time he’d seen him. The only reason he didn’t was because he knew tears weren’t going to help anything. They wouldn’t prevent what was bound to happen, and the only thing he could do was what he’d been doing all along, and that was to keep praying.
Curtis snapped out of his misery when someone knocked at the door. “Yes?”
“Pastor, do you have a few minutes?” Minister Simmons asked.
Curtis hurried to set a stack of documents on top of the letter and envelope he’d received. “Sure. Come on in.”
He opened the door, strolled in, and took a seat in front of Curtis’s desk.
“So I hear Bible study went very well last night,” Curtis said.
Minister Simmons nodded with excitement. “If I must say so myself, I had the Word on fire.”
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