She couldn’t imagine Crew doing anything like that. Of course, he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in love and marriage any more than she was.
Why was she standing there thinking all these things? Ever since Jackie’s visit the day before, her mind had run on nonstop. She needed to get out of the house, go somewhere, do something. Ironically, all she wanted to do was sit and talk with Crew. Telling herself she was being ridiculous, she grabbed her purse and pulled out her car keys. She didn’t know where she was going or what she was going to do, but she was going to do something.
She wound up at Taryn and John’s house. As she pulled into the driveway, she found herself awestruck. It happened every time she laid eyes on the large, gorgeous Victorian style home they had built. There was no doubt God had a hand in that. John had nothing when they’d met, except for the two little kids he brought with him. Then, totally unexpectedly, he was left a mansion in California by the children’s grandfather. It sold immediately and he and Taryn had their home built in North Carolina.
The door was opened by Ricky, who gave her a big, beautiful smile of welcome. In a minute, they were joined by little Evie, who quickly jumped up into her arms.
“Aunt Shars! Why you here?”
She was wondering the same thing. “To see you, why else?”
“And Ricky?”
“And Ricky.”
“And Mommy and Daddy?”
“And Mommy and Daddy.”
“But Daddy’s at work.”
“Where’s Mommy?”
Ricky answered. “She’s in the kitchen. Go on in, Aunt Sharris. She’ll be glad to see you. She’s not feeling that great today.”
Sharris’ eyes widened.
Ricky grinned. “It’s her condition, nothing to worry about.” Saying no more, he left the room.
“Aunt Shars?” quizzed Evie.
She turned again to the little girl she was holding.
“I been thinking…..”
She waited.
“About Coo.”
Coo? Oh, she meant Crew. At not yet three, Evie talked surprisingly well but still had difficulty with some words. Why would she be thinking about Crew? Sharris waited.
“How come he has white skin but his mommy is black?”
How long had the child been pondering that question? It had to be ever since the party and that was weeks ago. If she was still thinking about it, it must be important to her. Walking over to the sofa, Sharris sat down and placed Evie on her lap. “Sometimes a mommy and daddy love a child so much that they want to make that child their own, even though it wasn’t born to them.”
Evie thought for a moment and then spoke very seriously. “Like me and Ricky? Daddy’s our daddy but Taryn’s not our mommy but she loves us anyway and takes good care of us. I don’t remember my real mommy. I love Taryn.”
“Well, Crew isn’t really Judy’s son, but she and her husband loved him, just like Taryn loves you, and he needed somebody to take care of him, so that’s what they did.”
“Even though he’s white?”
“The color of his skin didn’t matter. They loved him anyway.”
“Where’s his daddy?”
“He died.”
“He’s in heaven?”
“Yes.”
“Was his daddy black?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t Coo turn black after they got to be his mommy and daddy?”
She smiled. “He was born white and he’ll always be white, no matter what happens.”
“Did he ever wish he was black, like his mommy and daddy?”
“I don’t know.”
“If he asked God to make him black, would He?”
“God only makes us one way and we stay that way until we die. We never change colors.”
Evie laughed. “I wish I was purple.”
Sharris laughed, too. “Why would you want to be purple?”
“I love purple!”
Taryn entered just then and sat down beside them. “This is a nice surprise,” she said to her sister.
“Ricky said you’re not feeling well.”
Taryn laughed. “Oh, I’ll be fine – in about six months.”
They laughed together.
“So what have you and Evie been talking about? I heard her jibber-jabbering.”
“I don’t jib-jab, Mommy!”
Taryn ran her hand through the short dark curls. “Of course you don’t. Why don’t you go see what Ricky’s doing and let Aunt Shars and me talk awhile?”
“How long do you need to talk?”
“We’ll let you know when we’re finished.”
“The baby won’t be born while I’m gone, will it? You gotta promise. I hafta be here when it comes, so the doctor can tell me if it’s a boy or girl.”
Sharris tried hard not to snicker.
“I promise.”
“But how does the doctor know if it’s a boy or girl?”
“Oh, they just know.”
“Okay.” Evie jumped to the floor and ran from the room.
“She’s precious!” Sharris said, finally releasing her laughter.
“You need one like her. You’d never find yourself bored.”
“What makes you think I’m bored?”
Taryn met her sister’s eyes. “How often do you drive over here? You’re always either too busy to come or you come because you’re not busy enough and bored.”
Sharris didn’t respond.
“I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? So what’s bothering you? We have plenty of work on the schedule, so it’s not work related. I sure am glad I had all my computer equipment moved over here. I’d have to quit if I had to hire a baby sitter and drive to your house every day.”
“It doesn’t sound right, calling it my house.”
“But it is. That was our deal, the last sister to remain unmarried was the sole owner. The insurance money from the fire paid for it, so none of us is really out anything.”
“Except Marna. She’s the one who should rightfully have it. She's the one who suffered agony for an entire year and will be scarred for the rest of her life.”
“Marna’s happy where she is. Devon makes good money and she still works with us occasionally. They built the home they wanted. We’re all happy.”
Sharris smiled. “I guess you’re right.”
“So, what’s bothering you?”
She told her about how fond she’d become of Crew, stressing their relationship was merely friendship. Then she went on to talk about Jackie’s visit.
“I can’t believe Jackie feels the way she does,” Taryn said when she’d finished. “I don’t know anyone who knows us who would be prejudiced just because Crew was raised by a black family. Maybe she does still have a crush on him and she’s afraid you’ll take him away from her.”
“I don’t think so. I think she was so traumatized by what happened when they were teen agers that she’s obsessed with the thought it might happen again.”
“Well, it’s time she gets over it. She needs to give it to the Lord.”
“We all need to give a lot of things to the Lord.”
“That’s what Ottie’s always telling me. Maybe that’s what he’s always done. Maybe that’s why he’s 92 years old and still living.”
The door opened unexpectedly and John walked into the room. “I thought that was your car, Sharris.”
Taryn jumped to her feet and threw her arms around her husband. After a warm, affectionate hug, she let him go and they stood there close together, his arm wrapped around her.
Sharris couldn’t help but notice the love between them. If it had an audible voice, it would be heard throughout every corner of the room. They’d had a rocky start, but everything had worked out in the end. She was glad her sister was so happy and contented.
She stood to her feet. “I think it’s time for me to go. I’ve pestered Taryn long enough.”
“You don’t have to go on my account,” John sai
d, his dark eyes twinkling as he smiled. “I just came in for a bite of lunch. You may as well join us.”
What else did she have to do?
Chitter-chatter and laughter filled the room as everyone sat around the table. Although Ricky didn’t have much to say, Evie never ran out of things.
“Can I say gace?” she wanted to know.
John laughed and tousled her hair. “Sure, you can say the grace. Go ahead, sweetie.”
Evie bowed her head and closed her eyes, but opened them again immediately and looked around. “You all gotta shut your eyes!” she scolded.
Everyone did.
Sharris wondered if everyone was having as much trouble trying not to snicker as she was.
“Thanks for the food, God. It looks good. And, God, will you do me a favor? If Aunt Shars and Coo get married and have a baby, will you let it be – a real pretty green color?”
∞ EIGHT ∞
SHE WAS STILL LAUGHING as she backed out of the driveway a little while later. Evie had been totally serious when she’d made the request for the baby to be a real pretty green color. Where on earth would she get an idea like that? She wondered if she had a preference for her new little brother or sister. She’d mentioned that she wished she was purple. She laughed again.
Her laughter stopped abruptly when she glanced in her rear view mirror to see a black SUV close on her tail. My goodness, if she was to stop suddenly he’d run into her. She sped up. So did he. She looked in the mirror again to see if she could recognize the driver, but the car windows were tinted so dark, she couldn’t even tell if it was a man or woman.
She sped up again, noticing there was very little traffic on the highway, other than the two of them. The faster she went, the faster he did, too. What was wrong with him? She glanced at her speedometer. Eighty miles an hour! Her heart started racing. She couldn’t slow down. He’d hit her.
She finally rolled down her window, laid on the horn and stuck her hand out in a halting signal. To her relief, the other vehicle started slowing down. She watched in her mirror as it turned onto a side road and disappeared.
What in the world had that been about? That driver had been deliberately antagonizing her. Was it someone she knew, thinking he was playing a joke? No. Nobody she was acquainted with would do anything like that. It was not only childish, it was dangerous. What if she’d run off the road? She’d passed several sharp curves. She could’ve missed one of them and wrecked. She could’ve been killed! She never stopped trembling until she reached her own driveway again and was safely inside her house.
For several long moments, she leaned against the closed door, breathing deeply. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. What if that person did the same thing to others? Should she call the law and report it? What would she say? All she saw was the front of a black SUV with dark tinted windows. Not much of an identification, since it could fit a lot of vehicles that were on the road all the time.
When the doorbell rang unexpectedly, she jumped and her heart started racing all over again. Finally realizing what it was, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hi,” Crew said, smiling.
The relief that washed over her was so great that she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
He just stood there, too surprised and startled to move.
Finally, she realized what she was doing and pulled away quickly. “Oh. I’m sorry. I……”
“What’s wrong?” He stepped inside and closed the door. “I’ve never seen you looking so upset. Are you okay?”
“I just had a terrifying experience. I thought I was all right when I got inside the house, but then I kept thinking about it and got scared all over again.”
“I must have come at just the right time. Let’s go sit down and you can tell me all about it.” Taking her hand, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do, he led her to the sofa and they sat down. Once seated, he didn’t let go, but simply sat there quietly, waiting for her to speak.
“I feel silly now.”
“Why?”
She told him what happened. All the time she was talking, he was holding her hand and gently squeezing her fingers.
“And you say it was a black SUV with dark tinted windows?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I know. There are probably hundreds of them on the road.”
He raised their joined hands, pressed hers against his lips and kissed it softly.
She met his eyes.
He smiled into them. “My mama always told me a kiss made everything better. Do you feel better now?”
Even as she returned his smile, she couldn’t answer his question. She didn’t know if she was feeling better – or worse - because suddenly she was trembling all over again. Inside, where nothing could be noticed.
“I came over for a reason,” he said, seeming not to notice anything amiss.
She waited, wishing her heart would slow down.
“I was going to see if you wanted to take a drive, but after what you’ve just experienced, maybe you’d rather take a walk. It’s a beautiful day.”
She swallowed. “Yes, it is.” And so were his eyes. “I’d like to take a walk.”
He stood up, pulling her up with him. “Where’s Mom? I need to at least say hi to her.”
“I’m not sure. Is her car outside? I was so shook up I never even noticed.”
He looked out the window. “Nope. She must be running an errand. Are you ready?”
Still hand in hand, they went outside. He talked casually and light-heartedly, but she didn’t have much to say. His voice was soothing and comforting and all she wanted to do was listen. The further they went, the more relaxed she started feeling.
By the time they got back to the house, she felt as if nothing unusual or upsetting had happened at all. Recalling what Evie had said earlier, she started laughing.
He looked at her quizzically.
She didn’t mention the questions Evie had asked about Crew being white instead of black. She could hardly keep a straight face as she repeated Evie’s prayer.
He laughed. “A green baby, huh? I wonder why she specifically named us for the ones having it.”
“That was after she told me she wished she was purple.”
“What an imagination. I love little kids. They say what they think and don’t care if anybody likes it or doesn’t like it. Did you ever think you wanted any kids, Sharris?”
“When I was little and playing with doll babies, I wanted ten or twelve. But then I found out real babies cried a lot, spit up all over you and messed their diapers….”
“And all that other good stuff.”
“I still thought I wanted a couple, but then I lost my parents and I couldn’t shake the fear about what would happen to my children if they lost me like that.”
He waited.
“I was grown and could take care of myself when it happened to me. What if I’d been little?”
“I was little when I was being abused, but God stepped in and took care of everything. We have to trust that He’ll always do that, in every situation. If we do, we won’t worry about what will or won’t happen.”
“Then why have you decided you don’t want a family?”
“Maybe I don’t trust Him as much as I think I do.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“I never found anyone I thought I would love forever. Why did you decide not to ever get married?”
“Same reason, I guess. I don’t like the way men look at me, like they want to eat me up or something.”
He laughed, clicked his teeth together and pressed his lips against her shoulder. “Yum! Yum! Eat her up!”
She laughed, too. “You’re crazy. Do you know it?”
They stopped at the door. “I need to go now. Will you be okay?”
“I feel much better. I’m so glad you came when you did.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave?”
&nb
sp; Yes, you can kiss me! Where on earth did that come from? “I’m fine.”
Once again, he smiled into her eyes. Then he was gone.
She watched him until he was out of sight and then started opening the door.
All at once, her spine prickled, overcome with the very real feeling that somebody was watching her. What was going on? Not taking time to look around, she shoved open the door, ran inside and slammed it shut, locking it immediately.
Once again, she found herself trying to still the sudden pounding of her heart. Had someone actually been out there or had she imagined it? She’d been fine as long as Crew was there with her, but the minute he was gone, she’d had that awful sensation. What if someone had been there all along? What if whoever it was had been watching her and Crew, maybe even listening to what they were saying? Several times they’d talked pretty loud.
What if she was being stalked? She rechecked the lock on the door. She would be glad when Judy came home. She didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts and fears any longer than she had to be. She wouldn’t mention them to Judy, though. There was no point in worrying her.
▬ ▬ ▬
THE UNSEEN MAN standing in the shadows watched for quite some time after the door closed behind her. Then he quietly walked away to where he’d parked his black SUV, got inside and started the ignition. He chuckled to himself. The little scare on the highway had been fun. He’d enjoyed the thrill of it. She’d never known he’d followed her home. It had been easy enough to get back on the highway when he was certain she couldn’t see him, and she’d led him right to where he wanted to be.
Just as he was ready to drive away, he saw another car pull into the driveway. His eyes widened when he saw a black woman get out. He watched as she took some things from the back, went up the walkway and unlocked the door to the house. His heart started racing wildly. How much better could things get for him? He’d know that woman anywhere! Did she live there with the blonde?
With a smug grin, he left.
But he would be back.
Inside the Beauty Page 4