Sinful Intentions

by Crystal Rhodes

  Slipping into his suit coat jacket, he grabbed the briefcase and headed for the door, eager to get home. As he moved through the office, he promised himself that before this evening was over things between Sharon and him would be better. However, that promise disintegrated as soon as he got into his car and his cell phone rang. It was his mother expressing her concern about the conflict between him and his wife. By the time he disconnected the call, his conciliatory mood had vanished.

  * * *

  Sharon was in her bedroom when Winston entered. He was home early, and she was happy to see him until she noticed his mood. Her smile of greeting quickly faded.

  She tried not to feel uneasy about having revealed the reason for their spat to Winston’s mother, but subconsciously, she knew that she should have kept their affairs private. That was Winston’s preference, and his next words confirmed her silent reasoning.

  “I don’t appreciate you telling my folks about our disagreement over the Reasoner affair.”

  Lying across the bed, Sharon slung an arm across her eyes, shutting out the late afternoon sun. She chose to ignore both his statement and his tone. She knew that an honest answer would start an argument, and she didn’t feel like having one today.

  He sat down on the bed next to her. “Hey, babe, did you hear me?

  It was clear that he wasn’t going away. Sharon removed her arm and looked at him.

  “Why?” The question was rhetorical. She was really curious as to why she shouldn’t have told them. His parents were family. His stepfather was a retired senior partner in the law firm with which Winston’s own firm had merged. He had valuable contacts in the law firm that might be able to help the Reasoners.

  Caught off-guard by her question, Winston drew back. “Because you know it’s something that I wouldn’t agree with. What’s between us is our business, nobody else’s. I’ve told you that. ”

  Sharon sighed and turned over onto her side with her back to Winston, effectively dismissing him. She felt the bed move as Winston rose. The room became as chilly as his tone.

  “I see. Instead of talking this out with your husband, you go running to my parents with your complaints, and then insult me when I try to resolve the issue. Is this something that I can expect in the future?”

  Even behind closed lids, it was hard to ignore the anger in Winston’s voice. Well, the feeling was mutual. She knew that keeping silent would be the better course of action, but her silence had been a weapon used against her in her former relationship. She meant to speak her mind whenever she felt like it. Sitting up, Sharon turned to face her husband.

  “I’m sure that I can hardly live up to all of your expectations, Winton, but I assure you that whatever disappointment I might be to you in the future, being able to count on me when you or someone you love is in trouble won’t be one of my failures.”

  Getting up from the bed, she stalked to the bedroom door, jerked it open, and then slammed it behind her so hard that the picture frames on the walls rattled and shifted as she exited. Seething, Winston stood looking after her.

  Chapter 13

  “Grandma’s here! Grandma’s here!”

  The words reverberated like a song throughout the Reasoner household, bringing it instantly to life. As soon as Mrs. Lucia opened the door fully to admit her, Gillian tore down the entrance stairway straight into the arms of Marva Davis. In the kitchen where he had been about to indulge in an afternoon snack, Trevor abandoned his treat and leaped from his chair, headed full speed toward the front door. Upstairs, Colin rallied from his bed where he had been laying listening to music and scrambled from his loft, intent on reaching his grandmother.

  Nedra was lounging on the sofa in the sitting room adjoining their bedroom when she heard her daughter’s announcement. A smile crossed her face. Her eyes met Sin’s as he entered the room through the balcony doors. Cocking his head, he looked at her puzzled.

  “What?” He hadn’t heard their daughter.

  Her smile broadened. “Mama is here.” The grin that lit up his face matched her own.

  * * *

  The arrival of Marva Davis brought a new surge of energy into the household. Despite all efforts on the part of the adults, spirits had been lagging since the news about Trevor’s biological father arrived. The sun now seemed to shine brighter.

  Marva wasn’t a wallflower by any definition. She made her presence known wherever she went, and she did so with authority as she sent Mrs. Lucia home early without consulting Nedra or Sin. She then announced that she would be cooking the evening meal. There were no objections. Marva’s culinary skills were legendary.

  In Kansas City, Missouri, the church of which she was pastor ran a restaurant, a day care center, a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter and a home for battered woman. Each was appreciated for providing needed support services to the community. As important as those services were, they each had something else in common—Marva Davis had cooked meals for each individual facility. Everyone knew that a meal cooked by Rev. Davis was almost as good as a one-way ticket to heaven.

  She insisted that her grandchildren keep her company in the kitchen while she cooked and sent Nedra and Sin out to a movie. She kept the children busy, cutting and dicing, measuring and slicing, teaching them the secrets of her delicious recipes, and eliciting giggles and laughter from each of them now and then. In spite of the fact that she was a strict disciplinarian, the children adored her. It was clear that being in her presence was special for them.

  “Guess what, Grandma?” Trevor kept his eyes on the piecrust that he was rolling as he spoke.

  “What, baby?” As she moved around the kitchen preparing the meal, Marva smiled down at her grandchild. He was so sweet, so loving and kind. He had never given his parents or her a bit of trouble. Trevor was the type of child that all parents longed for.

  “You might not be my only grandma.”

  “What are you talking about, son?” Marva shook her head at his observation. “Of course I’m your only grandma.”

  “What if that man who wants me has a mother? She would be my grandma, too.”

  Everyone in the kitchen stilled except Trevor who continued his preoccupation with his chore. His words had been matter of fact, but Marva could sense the misery behind them. Gillian addressed the question before her grandmother could speak up.

  “You’re not supposed to be talking about that, Trevor. Daddy said so.” Her reprimand was filled with her own fear of the unknown.

  Trevor looked up this time. “He didn’t say that. He said that I could talk about it to family all I wanted. It’s just nobody’s business outside the family, that’s what he said, Miss Know-It-All.”

  “You know better. No name calling, Trevor,” Marva gently reprimanded.

  His bright eyes went to his grandmother. “Sorry.” He returned to his chore.

  Marva wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing as she walked across the kitchen to stand before the boy. On the way, she stole a glance at Colin who was slicing sweet potatoes for the pies. He didn’t look up. Gillian had returned to her assigned task of flouring the piecrust pan. The happy chatter that had filled the room a moment ago had ceased. Marva sat down next to Trevor.

  “Baby boy, look at me.” She gently prodded his chin until he looked into her eyes. His small face was etched with uncertainty. “I love you, and I don’t care how many other people say that they’re your grandmother. You’ll always be my grandchild.” She hugged him to her and gave him a kiss.

  Not one to be left out, Gillian wiggled from her seat and got in on the hug. Marva looked over the heads of the children at Colin. The boy glanced at her briefly, and then returned to his assigned duty. His face was unreadable, but that brief glance had said everything he did not. What was happening was scaring him to death.

  Marva believed in being direct in everything that she did. With her there were no assumptions, and there would be none now. Removing her youngest grandchildren from her embrace, she motioned both of them b
ack to their places.

  “While we’re making dinner I want each of you to tell me what you think about what is happening in this family, and I want you to be truthful with me in front of each other. Don’t hold anything back.”

  Colin’s head shot up as his eyes went to his grandmother, then to his younger siblings who glanced at each other before both pair of eyes went to him. He was the elder, the wise one, the brother they trusted to lead the way. Could they trust this directive? Their parents had encouraged them to do the same thing, but individually. Each had done so, but selectively, afraid of the pain their words might cause. Now they were being asked to reveal what was in each of their hearts, not only to a grown-up but to each other. How should they proceed?

  Colin sighed, feeling the heavy responsibility of being the eldest. “And will you tell Mama and Dad what we say?”

  Trevor and Gillian slid questioning eyes back to Marva.

  “No, but each of you will when you’re ready,” she answered steadily.

  Colin breathed a sigh of relief. Their parents had enough on them. He didn’t want to add to the burden. “Then I’ll just say that I won’t give my brother up no matter what happens.”

  For the next two hours, the kitchen filled with not only sumptuous aromas, but with the unspoken fears of the children. Through it all, Marva listened to and comforted her grandchildren, providing much needed solace.

  At dinner that evening, Nedra noticed that the mood of her children seemed less melancholy, lacking the forced gaiety that had become commonplace in their household. The table conversation was lively, ranging from what was happening in Kansas City to Marva’s upcoming trip to Hawaii.

  “Can I go with you, Grandma?” Gillian asked eagerly.

  “Not this time, baby.” Marva had taken her grandchildren to the estate before, along with Brandon’s son. “This trip is for adults only.”

  “All right,” Gillian agreed. “I’ll stay here like you told us and help Mommy and Daddy through this…this…” She bit her lip and frowned as she tried to remember the word used earlier today during their conversation with their grandmother.

  “Gillian.” Colin’s tone was one of warning, but it was ignored.

  “Crisis,” Gillian blurted, proud that she could pronounce the grown-up word. Nedra froze. Sin’s brow furrowed.

  “Big mouth!” Trevor’s eyes narrowed. His sister’s eyes became as round as saucers at his disapproval.

  Nedra lowered her fork to the plate. She could feel her jaws tighten as her eyes fell on her mother. “What’s going on, Mama?”

  The question was pointless. She knew the answer. Her mother had been talking to the children about the family situation. There was no doubt that she would, but she could have at least asked for permission to do so. Was that asking too much?

  Marva continued eating as she answered her daughter’s question. “Oh, this and that. The children and I had a great time cooking, and you two haven’t said a thing about the meal.” She looked at Sin expectantly.

  “The food is delicious, Marva,” he said quietly. Sitting back in his seat, he assessed his mother-in-law and the children who peered at him in apprehensive silence. “You and the kids did a great job.” He threw Nedra a glance that said let whatever had been discussed without her knowledge go.

  “Well, we appreciate the compliment. Don’t we kids?” Marva winked at them.

  They nodded, unsure whether they were in trouble or not.

  “Now eat up, the food is getting cold,” Marva urged, undisturbed by her daughter’s look of displeasure. “Colin, pass those greens, back to me, will you?”

  Colin’s eyes shifted from his mother to his father, noting the difference in their demeanors. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut today. He passed his grandmother the serving dish.

  “Thank you, baby.” She scooped a spoonful of greens on her plate. “Lord, these greens are good.” She turned to her daughter. “Eat up, sweetheart. I didn’t come here to eat alone.”

  Nedra frowned. Her mother was up to something, and she was going to find out what it was.

  * * *

  “Leaving? What do you mean that you’re leaving?” The shock on Winston’s face would have been comical if the situation hadn’t been so serious. Sharon continued packing.

  “I speak English. You understood me loud and clear.”

  Anger replaced shock as Winston advanced on Sharon and stilled her actions.

  “And what brought this on?”

  Sharon looked at him with a mixture of pain and pity. “I know you’re kidding me! We do live in the same house, don’t we? But since you asked, where should I start? Should it be with the fact that we haven’t made love in nearly three weeks? Or maybe I should mention the fact that you’ve been giving me the silent treatment since I talked with your folks. You say that you love me, but when I do one thing that you don’t approve of, I get treated like I don’t exist. And you expect me to take this?”

  Winston sighed in exasperation. She was right. He had been so angry about her having shared their personal business with his parents that he had done little more than grunted at her each day.

  “I know what you’re saying is right, and I’m sorry. I don’t know why I felt so vindictive. All I can say is it’s a pattern I established in my past relationship, and it’s one I shouldn’t bring into this one. But this.” He paused and indicated the one packed bag by the bedroom door and the other one on the bed that she was packing. “It’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? We’ve had one disagreement, and you’re going to walk out like a child? We’re adults, Sharon! We’re husband and wife. We need to talk about this, not run away from it.”

  Sharon crossed her arms. “You’re absolutely right. We should have talked, weeks ago! But it’s too late.” She resumed packing.

  Winston’s anger began to turn to panic. “I don’t believe that you’re just going to leave like this.”

  Sharon shut the suitcase and zipped it. “Well believe it. Maybe your first wife took your cold treatment when you didn’t get your way, but I won’t. I’ve had enough!”

  “When I don’t get what I want! I can’t believe that you’re standing there and saying that to me. This all started because I wouldn’t do what you wanted!”

  Sharon faltered. His words were true. Her resentment over his refusal to help her godchild was still festering. Her own attitude over these past few weeks had been less than stellar, but—

  “Winston, you’ve been sleeping on your side of the bed, and I’ve been sleeping on my side. That physical distance between us is bad enough, but it’s the emotional distance that hurts worse…”

  “I know but…”

  “And neither one of us has done anything about it.”

  “You’re right, but Sharon, you’re pregnant. You’re carrying our baby. There’s more than the two of us at stake.” He didn’t try to hide his anguish.

  “I know that.” She didn’t try to hide hers either. “And all I’ve been thinking about since this began is our baby. That’s been my dilemma, my personal pain and I haven’t had one person to talk to about it. Carla thinks that I’m a traitor, and I haven’t heard from her in weeks. Nedra might lose her child. She’s got bigger problems on her plate than my shaky marriage. Hell! They don’t even know that I’m pregnant.”

  “You haven’t told them yet?” He was stunned by the revelation. The three women were as close as sisters.

  “No, I haven’t told them. Like I said, I don’t have anyone to talk to, not even my husband. So I talked to the only people who were willing to listen to me—your parents.”

  “Sharon.” He moved forward to touch her. He was willing to do anything to keep her with him. She pulled back.

  “I’ve got a lot on my plate, Winston, and I need time to think about all of it.”

  “Baby, I love you. I can’t let you leave here.”

  She pulled her bag from the bed and placed it on the floor. “You can’t do anything to stop me, because I am
leaving. I’ll be staying in a hotel for a while.”

  “A hotel?” Winston’s heart lurched. “Where?”

  “Closer to work.”

  This time he stepped to her and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t want you that far from me. I need you.” His eyes implored her to stay.

  Sharon was determined to resist the plea. It was difficult.

  “I do love you, Winston, but…”

  “And I love you too, so much.” He pulled her closer.

  “But that’s not enough. We’ve got problems that love just can’t seem to solve right now. I need space.”

  “What kind of space? We’ve only been married three months.”

  “That might be the problem. We’ve known each other for about as long as we’ve been married.”

  “Which means?

  “It means that we really don’t know each other at all.” She pulled away from her husband. Picking up her suitcase, she placed it by the door with the other one, and then walked back to the bed where she retrieved her overnight bag and slung it over her shoulder. She picked up her purse while Winston stood looking at her feeling helpless. There were tears in his eyes.

  “Baby, don’t go.” He pleaded, all pride set aside.

  Sharon wanted to touch him one more time before she left, but she didn’t. If she did, she might change her mind. Turning, she walked toward the door, and then stopped. She turned back to him.

  “I’ll send someone to come get the rest of my things.” She blinked back her own tears. “This hurts like hell, Winston, but it’s something I’ve got to do. Our child deserves to be raised in a home with two happy parents, and I’m not happy right now. There’s too much animosity between us, and we need to take a break from each other.” She gave him a watery smile. “But I know at least one person that will be happy about this development. Tell Rhonda that I said goodbye.”