All the while, you couldn’t have cut the thickness of the silence with a sharp butcher knife.
Finally, Sharris spoke. “It’s true. Crew was abused when he was a little boy and a loving black family took him in and raised him up. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“And you like this guy, huh?” Grace wanted to know.
Don looked at her. Don was a man who didn’t mince his words and he wasn’t about to start now. “So, you know if you get serious about this guy and you wind up getting married, you’re going to have a whole lot of black people around all the time. I don’t have anything against them, but there’s always more harmony when the whites stay with the whites and the blacks stay with the blacks. Society is more prone to leave them alone and not try to interfere with their lives.”
“I don’t care what society does. It’s beside the point anyway. Just because I’m very fond of Crew doesn’t mean I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him. Neither one of us plans to give up our freedom for the sake of a marriage that may or may not last, no matter what the circumstances.”
Grace blinked. “Well, Don and I have been married for almost twelve years and we’re not close to wanting to call it quits yet.”
“When you love someone enough,” Marna said softly, “you don’t even think about what may or may not happen in the future. You give it your best shot, work together, and pray for God to always keep your love strong enough to overcome the obstacles of life.”
“I agree with Marna,” said Taryn.
Sharris looked at first one sister and then the other. “And you’ve both been married less than three years. I hope you’re right and your happiness lasts forever, but I’m still not willing to risk my heart on it.”
“Or your beauty?” asked Don, a little sarcastically.
“Don!” Grace said.
Don continued. “Maybe she thinks there are too many fish in the sea to settle down with just one. Maybe she’s afraid she’ll marry someone and then someone more handsome will come along, and want her because of her beauty, and she’ll already be taken.”
Sharris was dumbfounded. Why was he being so cruel?
Don’s eyes softened when he looked at her. “I’m sorry if you don’t want to hear this, but I’ve seen it happen before. If you ever convince yourself that you want one love and one love only, you won’t be afraid to risk anything to get it. You won’t think of marriage as a loss of your independence or giving up your freedom. You’ll see it for what it is, the partnership of a man and woman who want to be together enough to work hard enough to make it happen.” He stood up then. “And you’ll look for a man who sees the beauty inside you, instead of one who can’t see anything past the beauty of your face. I think I’ll run over to the house. I’ve probably said too much already.”
When the door closed behind him, no one spoke for several minutes.
Finally Grace said, “He isn’t trying to hurt you.”
Sharris sighed. “What I’d like to know is how this all came about just because I had lunch with Joe Callen?”
Marna chuckled. “When you said he reminded you of Crew.”
“Me and my big mouth!”
∞ TWENTY∞
They headed home early Sunday morning. To their dismay, the trip wasn’t anything at all like the one going down. First of all, Evie got sick and started throwing up. By the time they got her settled down, Marna, who was driving, took a wrong turn and drove miles out of the way before she realized it. Sharris was angry because her sister hadn’t been watching the navigation system. Taryn had a headache and Ricky kept complaining that he didn’t want to go home, he wanted to stay in Florida forever. The only one who sat still without saying a word was Suzi.
According to the radio report, the traffic in Atlanta was crazier than it ever was and none of them wanted to be the designated driver as they approached it.
“Well, if I was old enough to drive,” Ricky commented, “I could go through that place with my eyes closed.”
“I sure wouldn’t want to be in the car with you if you did,” Suzi said, speaking for the first time in quite a while.
“I’ll drive,” Sharris said. “Boy, will I be glad when this trip is over.”
Evie started to cry. “I don’t want it to be over! I just wanna go home. I miss Daddy!”
“At least you get to see your daddy every day,” Suzi commented. “Mine works away and I only see him a couple times a month. So stop complaining.”
Taryn sighed and placed her hands on her still aching head.
Marna started to pull over to change drivers, praying silently they would still all be friends when they did get back home.
Then they had a flat tire.
Before long, both Taryn and Marna’s phones started ringing. John and Devon were worried because they were late. Were they okay? Did they need them to come get them? Where were they? What was taking them so long?
Sharris was all the more resolved to never be chained to a man! When she finally entered her home, alone, she welcomed the silence, not even able to imagine taking another vacation for a long time.
She plopped down on her own comfortable sofa, leaned back and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep.
The ringing of her phone awakened her and she groaned with dismay. When she thought it might be Crew, she immediately perked up and answered without checking the caller ID.
“Is this Sharris Cord?”
Crew? It sounded like him but then again it didn’t. She pulled the phone down to where she could see if it was, only to see the words Unknown Caller and no number. Why did she even have to look? Crew wouldn’t be asking if it was her speaking.
“This is Joe Callen.”
Her eyes widened. How had he gotten her number? She hadn’t given another thought to him after that brief encounter at Disney, not to mention the lecture from Don, and had just about forgotten about him. “How did you get my number?”
He laughed. “I put two and two together. You told me you were Sharris Cord from Murphy. I did a little googling and found some information on The Cord Sisters Advertising Service in Marble and there were the numbers for each one of the three of you.”
He’d gone to all that trouble to call her? Rather than feeling flattered, it made her uncomfortable. Why was he so eager to find her?
“So are you home now?” he wanted to know. “Did you enjoy your vacation?”
“I just got in the door and I’m give out, Joe. It really isn’t the ideal time to have a phone conversation.”
“Oh, of course! Look, I’ll be in your area in a couple days. Maybe we could get together, have dinner or something.”
“I don’t think so.” What excuse could she use? “I’m going to be behind for quite a while now, since I took last week off.”
“So business is good, huh?”
Another call flashed on her phone. Crew! “I have to go. I have an important call coming in. Good-bye, Joe.”
Just the sound of Crew’s voice made her feel totally rejuvenated. They talked for nearly a half hour, during which time, to her dismay, the unknown caller ID flashed up twice. When she finished her call with Crew, she turned her phone off. Maybe that would prove to Joe Callen that she didn’t want to talk to him. Not then anyway. Maybe not ever. She’d enjoyed their little lunch together, but she had no desire to get to know him better. The only man she wanted to be better acquainted with was Crew.
She went to bed and slept like a baby, but was awakened early to the tantalizing aroma of freshly brewed coffee. At first, she simply lie still, savoring it. But then her eyes flew open and she jumped up. Why was she smelling coffee? She hadn’t set the automatic timer the night before. Quickly pulling on her robe, she grabbed her pistol from the night stand and shoved it into the pocket, then went as quietly as she could to the kitchen.
She sighed in deep relief when she saw Judy sitting at the kitchen table.
“You said you missed my coffee. I rang th
e bell, honey, but you must’ve been in a really deep slumber and didn’t hear it, so I used my key to come in. I hope it’s all right.”
Sharris ran to her and gave her a hug. “It’s more than all right. Oh, that smells heavenly!” She quickly poured herself a cup and sat down next to Judy.
“You might want to check your phone,” Judy said then. “After I talked to Crew last night and he told me you were home, I tried to call but it kept going to voice mail. Same thing happened before I came over.”
Because she’d turned it off. Because she didn’t want to talk to Joe Callen. She smiled. “I’m sorry. I was so tired, I turned it off so I wouldn’t be disturbed once I got to sleep.”
“So tell me all about your trip and I’ll listen while I fix some breakfast.”
Sharris couldn’t help smiling. Judy was back.
The day turned out to be quiet and peaceful and she was able to concentrate on her work. There were no more disturbing calls and she was thankful for that. Maybe Joe Callen had gotten the message that she didn’t want to talk to him when she turned off the phone the night before. She hoped so anyway.
She didn’t think she’d done anything to encourage him after their accidental meeting. Then again, she was aware that sometimes all it took was a smile, and she had smiled quite a bit while they were together. She liked to smile. It came naturally. She was usually a happy person and her feelings came out in smiles. A Bible verse she’d once read came to mind, something about a merry heart being a good medicine and a broken spirit drying up the bones. She smiled again. Being happy was a lot more enjoyable than being sad and depressed all the time. Not only to her, but also to God.
She didn’t expect to suddenly be reminded of some of the things Don had said to her. He’d hurt her feelings at the time, but thinking back, she saw so much truth in his words. The comment about her being afraid to settle down with one man because she was afraid someone more handsome would show up later really stung. She would never have admitted, even to herself, that she never intended to settle for a man that wasn’t tall and extremely good looking. Just the same, she’d never taken an interest in one who was short – until Crew came along. She couldn’t resist smiling. He wasn’t exactly short but he wasn’t much taller than she was either. He didn’t have movie star looks – like Donovan – but he was attractive in his own way. Maybe he was cute more than anything. Still, when he smiled he lit up the room, as well as her heart.
What did he see when he looked at her? Don had made a most thought-provoking statement when he’d said she needed to find a man who would see the beauty inside her and not only the beauty of her face. Most men only saw the outward appearance. That was talked about in the Bible, too, she realized. It clearly stated that man looked on the outward appearance but the Lord looked on the heart.
From the first time she’d met Crew, she was certain he liked her for more reasons than her beauty. Just as she felt the same way about him.
“We are in love with each other,” she said softly. Her own words, spoken aloud, amazed her. “We are most definitely in love.” She laughed. “Now that I know it, what do I have to do to convince him that we both need to change our lifelong plans of staying single and consider a future together?”
She wasn’t quite sure of the answer, but she was going to search until she found it.
She was going to marry Crew Everton – no ifs, ands or buts!
∞ TWENTY-ONE ∞
JACKIE CAME BY the following Saturday afternoon. After greeting Judy warmly and welcoming her back, she and Sharris went outside and sat down on the porch swing.
Sharris could tell Jackie was excited about something and waited for her to tell her what it was. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Donovan’s asked me out again. I think he’s starting to like me.”
Sharris grinned. “Why am I not surprised?”
“You might not be, but I am! But you know what? You aren’t going to believe this, but it seems like there’s something missing in the way I feel about him. Maybe I’m not as crazy about him as I thought I was. Maybe all I was seeing was his good looks.” She sighed, then went on before Sharris could say anything. “So what’s happening in your life, Shar? We haven’t even had a chance to talk since you got back from Florida. I wanted to go so bad! Sometimes I hate having to give up so many fun things just to keep my job.”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve been going almost non-stop this week to keep my job. I may work for myself, but I still have schedules and deadlines and last week put me behind more than I thought it would.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore about our jobs. I want to know about Florida. Did you meet anyone special?”
“I didn’t go to meet somebody. I went to have fun.”
“Well, did you have fun with somebody that you might have met?”
Sharris laughed, but was interrupted by her phone. When she looked at the caller ID to see the Unknown Caller come up, she decided to let it go to voice mail.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” Jackie wanted to know.
“No, it’s an unknown caller.”
“I hate those kind of calls. You never know when they might be scams. So tell me about your trip.”
She told her about everything they did, even the part about her meeting Joe Callen.
“Maybe he’s the one,” Jackie teased.
“No, he’s not.”
Jackie waited for her to continue, her eyes wide.
“Jackie, I’m in love with Crew.”
Jackie’s eyes widened. “Come on now. I knew you liked him a lot. I mean, why else would you have spent so much time with him, especially after I tried so hard to get you not to? And – well – to put it bluntly, he’s not your type and you know it.”
“How do you know he isn’t my type?”
“For goodness sake! Look at all the guys you’ve dated. There’s no comparison.”
“Nope. None. Maybe that’s why he’s so special.”
“He’s got a lot of garbage in his past, you know.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“You know what I’m talking about. He was badly abused. Lots of times that affects people in their later life.”
“So he might need somebody to help him through it if it happens to him someday. Why can’t it be me?”
Jackie shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re saying all this stuff. What happened to your determination to never be chained – as you’ve so often put it – to a man? All your resolve to keep your freedom and independence?”
“I fell in love.”
“You’re not making sense. How long have you known him, a month?”
“I feel like I’ve known him forever.”
Jackie sighed. “What about him? How does he feel about you?”
“I know he cares a lot. I think he loves me, too, but he’s as scared as I’ve always been about commitment. I have to convince him that we were meant to be together.”
“I can’t believe this.”
For a while, they were quiet, each lost in her own thoughts, before Sharris spoke again. “When you knew Crew, when he was a teen ager, did he ever say much about his brother Tom?”
“Nope.”
“Did he say anything at all?”
“I didn’t know him that well, Shar. We went to school together in Atlanta and barely talked to each other. One day, the cafeteria was so crowded that the only seat was beside him, so I sat down and struck up a conversation. He was pretty shy back then. You know me, I’ve never been shy.” She chuckled. “So we became friends and then the crush started. We went to one movie together – and you know what happened. After that, we barely even talked anymore.”
“Did you know he was living with a black family when you first started liking him?”
“Everybody in school did. He was made fun of a lot and called names. I felt sorry for him. But when we started talking, I started to like him. He was a nice guy.”
“But he never talked about his
brother?”
“Hasn’t he mentioned him to you?”
“Only briefly.” Sharris paused. “Since I know that I’m in love with him, I guess I just want to know more about him.”
“The best thing you can do is ask him.”
“You’re right.”
“I hope you’re not forgetting how the gossip might start flying.”
“I don’t care about that.”
Jackie sighed. “So tell me more about Joe Callen?”
“There isn’t any more to tell. He was nice and I enjoyed having lunch with him. Marna didn’t care much for him, but I think it was because she was wary of him. Like Don. He gave me the third degree about trusting strangers.”
“And you know he was right.”
“I’m starting to becoming wary of him myself, since he’s been calling so often. He went to a lot of trouble to get my number and it sort of freaks me out.”
Jackie’s eyes narrowed. “You only mentioned one call, the night you got home.”
“I didn’t pick up on the other calls. That call a few minutes ago was him. The one I didn’t answer.”
“You said it was an unknown caller.”
“That’s how his calls come through.”
“As well as a ton of others. It may or may not have been him. Maybe you should talk to him if he calls again.”
“I’m not interested in getting to know him, even if he turns out to be a great guy.”
“You said he reminded you of Crew. In what way? Did he look like him?”
“Not really. I may have only imagined it because Crew was on my mind so much. His eyes were blue like Crew’s, but his hair was darker. He sounded a little bit like Crew. I guess those were the only similarities. He was quite a bit taller.”
“You know, getting to know him could either prove or disprove whether the feelings you think you’re having for Crew are real.”
“I know they’re real. I’ve never been in love before, so that’s how I know this is the sure thing.”
Jackie’s eyes widened, as if she’d had an unexpected thought. “I know what. If he calls again, tell him you’ll meet him somewhere. Then call me, and I’ll be there, too, sort of accidentally. It’ll give me a chance to do my own evaluation.”
Inside the Beauty Page 10