Chapter 2
“You know the church used to be a place you could go to get away from the world. ”Carol Wright fingered the strand of pearls that hung around her neck. The sour expression on her face made Angelina think the crème puffs she'd eaten were bad.
Angelina followed Carol's eyes to find her staring at the young woman who had introduced herself as Rae Burns earlier. She could see what Carol found so distasteful. The dress was way too tight and much too short for anything other than a cathouse or a nightclub. Her makeup was so heavy Angelina thought if she stuck a finger in her cheek it would leave a hole. And those breasts, bad implants that stuck out from the woman's small frame like full water balloons at a carnival shooting gallery. Still, that was no reason to stare at her like she was from Mars.
“I don't think getting away from the world was ever the intent. ”Angelina pulled her eyes from Rae who had moved from the refreshment table that was set up at the back of the Bible Study classroom. Most of the women were avoiding her. The women at Greater Christian Life always shunned outsiders. Angelina knew that needed to change. She'd talked to them many times about welcoming others into the fold, but everyone at this church was so cliquish. That was one of the reasons the Bible Study wouldn't grow beyond its current attendance. People flocked to the services on Sundays to hear pastor's messages, but that was the extent of it. Once they attended a Bible Study or other ministry meeting and met with the cold reception, they didn' t come back. She was trying to change that. At least, in her class.
“I don't mean people shouldn't be saved. I mean they need to assimilate. When in Rome, do as the Romans,” Carol continued. “She can't do anything about those ridiculous boobs, but she can dress more appropriately.”
Angelina pursed her lips. “Don't do that.”
Carol gave her a look that said,
what?
Then she pushed her shoulders back. “I can't help it. When you buy them they're no longer breasts.”
“Oh, and I suppose when you paid for your weave it was no longer hair?”
“Ha-ha.” Carol took a finger and swept back a stray strand that hadn't moved with the rest of it. “Since you're in a funny mood, the joke can be on you. She can be
your
mentee.”
Angelina's shoulders dropped. She didn' t have time for another project. She was busy at work and now this child death situation.
“I know it's my turn,” Carol said, “but I don't have the patience for all the ghetto fabulous drama.” Angelina eyed Carol suspiciously. “Besides this Mentor-a-Sister thing was your idea, so you can take the lead on that messy job.”
Angelina looked at Rae again. Carol was right. Mentor-a-Sister was one of many ideas that she'd had for the women's group. The older women were supposed to teach the younger women. That was the scriptural reference for the project's purpose. Others with similar purposes always ended due to lack of participation. Deep down inside Angelina knew why. The women of Greater Christian Life were a bunch of snobs. Doctorsand lawyers wives who lacked the patience for anyone who wasn' t just like them. But she was determined that they were not going to sit around and do nothing to help other people. That's what the church was for. She would resign her membership before she continued to worship in a house that wasn' t relevant.
She let her eyes slide in Rae's direction and wondered what had attracted her to Greater Christian in the first place. Angelina didn't see a wedding band or an engagement ring. Then she remembered Rae said she was single. They didn't often have young, single women. Not for more than one or two sessions anyway, and they'd never have any if they couldn' t manage to keep one.
“You're right. I'll lead by example,” Angelina said with enthusiasm she wasn't sure she felt. “You'll see in no time, she'll be all that God wants her to be.”
“You don't have to shoot for God. If you can get her out of those tight clothes, I'll give you twenty bucks.” Carol walked away and joined a small group of women across the room.
Angelina rolled her eyes. Somebody needed to mentor Carol. She put the cup she'd been holding to her mouth and drained it. She was tired and hungry. It had been an awful day, beginning with a call at five in the morning that one of their foster children had fallen from the landing of a staircase and broken her neck. The child was only four, and no matter how many times the social workers and supervisors tried to explain it, she couldn't understand why they'd placed the child and her three-year-old sister in that home in the first place. There were too many accidents in the foster parentshistory.
Angelina had been on the board for four years, rising from the ranks of caseworker to supervisor to county director. Greg had pinned her inability to conceive children on the stress and aggravation from her work. Her friends agreed with solemn statements like, “That could be it, girl,” and “Maybe you should quit and see what happens. ”So she did, but not working at all was out of the question. She started Something Extra, a non-profit that raised funds to help foster children with the extras in life that foster care subsidy monies didn't always stretch far enough to cover. That included money for Christmas presents, backâtoâschool clothing and supplies, cheerleading and football team fees, graduation dues, vacations; even vehicles and college scholarships when she could finagle them. She and her volunteers were busy all day every day, setting up fundraising events and begging for money to pay for them.
Angelina felt she had a special kinship with foster kids. Even though she'd grown up with her mother, she did understand the idea of not having parents. Her father had left right before her seventh birthday, and her mother worked two jobs. She was alone a lot. Even when her mother was there, she was being critical about something. Angelina knew it wasn't the same as being completely abandoned by one' s family, but she did know about the ache of loneliness, and it hadn't ended with childhood. She was lonely now.
Her BlackBerry vibrated. There was a text message from the board secretary.
Â
The caseworker has resigned.
Â
Of course. The resignation was expected. The caseworker had done her job irresponsibly, and the threat of a civil lawsuit was looming. The deceased child's mother, a twenty-year-old heroin addict who'd never had custody of her daughter from birth due to her active drug habit, came running into the board meeting sobbing and screaming about how the agency was going to pay for what happened to her daughter. Of course an attorney was on her heels handing her the much needed Kleenex for the show. Angelina was certain her only concern was that they pay in dollars, since she'd never attended visitation sessions with either of her daughters. And even through all her screaming during the meeting, she hadn' t once asked for custody of her three-year-old, Katrice.
Angelina had been at the county office when they'd taken custody of Katrice from the foster parents. That baby's big brown eyes haunted her. Tears spilled from them. She cried for Bobin, the mispronunciation of her sister, Robin's, name and Aunt Ma, her foster mother. If her own mother would go to rehab and get clean....
She swallowed against her disgust. No point doing the if only game. That had been the downside of the job, learning how many people actually didn't give two flips about their own children. It made Angelina sick as she thought of her own empty womb. Her hand self-consciously fell to her abdomen. That woman's baby was dead, and she'd never given her the time of day. All Angelina could think about was how much she'd give to have a child of her own. If only ...
Now is not the time
, she thought, fighting the depression that always engulfed her when she thought about children.There was a child's death to deal with. Now she had to meet their visitor and focus on the ministry God had given her; encouraging other women. She was good at that. She took a deep breath, smoothed her hair, and walked toward Rae Burns who, to her surprise, was staring right at her.
Chapter 3
“Hi. I don't know if you remember my name from earlierâAngelina Preston.”
I chortled as I shook her hand. I couldn't believe my luck. Here I had been trying to think of a way to talk to Angelina, and now she was introducing herself. “A pleasure to meet you. That was a great lesson you taught.”
Now that she was closer, I could see she was a little younger than she looked from a distance. I knew Greg was forty-four. I'd stolen a look at his driver's license. This woman couldn' t be a day over thirty-eight. I was sure Greg told me he'd married his college sweetheart. He had lied. I was hoping for more of an age difference. After all, the younger model needed to be noticeably younger.
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I don't always get impartial feedback. As you may be able to tell by the little clusters around the room, some of us have known each other for a long time. It's nice to have an opinion from an ...” She paused looking for a word.
Outsider
, I thought, mentally finishing her sentence; because I definitely wasn't in with this frosty crowd.
“It's nice to have an objective opinion.” Angelina found her word. I nodded. “So Rae, tell me when you joined the church. I don't think I remember seeing you at the altar.”
The altar.
What was she talking about? Was it a sin to come to Bible Study before you went to the altar? I'd have to Google it when I got home. “I didn't come to the altar. I mean, I haven't joined yet. I wanted to see what the church had to offer first.”
Angelina was unphased by my confession. She simply nodded. “Well, I hope we've impressed you this evening. At least enough to come back. ” She leaned forward and smiled. Her luminous, healthy hair moved like silk. She had a fine grade of hair. Chemicals and heat couldn't do all that. I was instantly jealous of that too.
“I will.” I finished my cup of punch and tossed it in a nearby trash basket.
“Glad to hear it.” Angelina gave my forearm a friendly pat. “Since you haven't joined the church yet, would you mind sharing your contact information with me? Maybe we could talk from time to time. I like for everyone who attends the meeting to feel welcome. I can also answer any questions you may think of later in the week.”
“Sure.” I reached into my purse, careful to get the clip of phony business cards I'd made earlier in the day that had
RAE BURNS
,
HEALTHCARE CONSULTANT
and my cell phone number printed on them. I made a mental note to change my voice mail message to one of the generic ones. It wouldn't do for Angelina to call me and get the greeting from Samaria Jacobs, my alter ego.
I removed two cards and a pen. “That will work both ways right?” Angelina's eyebrows rose. “I'll share if you'll share. ”I handed her the back of the second card and a pen.
She paused, and then walked to the refreshment table to use it as a desk. I followed. Angelina returned my card. “Please, feel free to call anytime.”
I looked at the information Angelina had shared. Then like the prize it was, I tucked it into the pocket of my handbag. “So I can call during the day? Do you work full-time?” I was dying of curiosity. “I won't be a bother, but if I think of something ...”
“I do work, but I can usually take a phone call. Don't hesitate,” Angelina replied. “Now let me introduce you to a few of the other women.”
No way, no thanks.
“Actually, I really need to get going. ”I looked at my watch like I was checking the time. “I have a proposal to complete for a client, and it's due first thing in the morning.”
“Okay, next time.”
I thought she looked relieved. She knew good and well those stuck up women didn't want to meet me, and I darn sure didn't want to meet any of them. “I'll be going, but before I do, would you mind telling me the name of the perfume you're wearing? You smell like an angel.”
Chapter 4
Angelina's breath caught in her throat. Her heart raced, and even in the cool of the room, she felt perspiration break out all over her body. It always amazed her that making love with her husband still had this effect on her, even after thirteen years. After everything they'd been through.
Greg kissed her lips, slid to his side of the bed and whispered, “This is going to be a good day.”
Angelina pulled the sheet around her body and rolled on her side to face him. “I was thinking the same thing. ”But in actuality she thought,
I hope I get pregnant.
“So what's going on with that investigation?” Greg asked the question as if she hadn't filled him in on every detail last night when they were lying in these exact same positions.
Angelina fought to keep in the wind of frustration that filled her lungs. She rolled back over to her side of the bed, picked up her BlackBerry, and pushed the power button. It was almost 6:00
A.M
. She was bound to have a message from someone by now. “I told you, the stairwell was in disrepair. We shouldn't have had a child in the home until they fixed the landing.”
Greg shook his head like it was the first time he'd heard it. She supposed it was since he apparently had not listened to a single word she'd said last night. “I don't know how you do that work.” He reached for his own phone and turned it on.
That work. Her work. Always reduced to a bitter pill on his tongue. “It's difficult for everyone, but someone has to or it won't be done.”
Greg swung his legs over the side of the bed, then reached back and gave her thigh a vigorous pat. “I wonder why the someone has to be you.” He stood, walked his nude body into the bathroom, and seconds later, Angelina heard water spray in the shower.
She thought about the love they'd made and wondered how they could make music so wonderfully one moment and make war the next. Or at least it could have been war if she'd decided it was worth the fight. She threw her feet over her side of the bed and reached for her discarded nightgown and slid it back over her head.
I hate him
, she thought, but she knew that was a lie. She walked around to his side of the bed and picked up his underwear that lay on the floor. She didn't hate him at all. The problem was she loved his dirty drawers. She realized she was holding them a little too tightly.
Okay, not literally.
Angelina walked to the closet and dropped them in the hamper, pulled clean underwear from his bureau and a suit from the closet and laid them on the bed for him. He came out of the bathroom drying his head with a towel.
“That was quick.” She couldn't help but acknowledge the rare three minute shower.
“I have an early procedure.”
Angelina knew she had to be careful about how she stepped into the next mine field. “Early procedures, late procedures. I never know when I can expect you to be home.”
He stopped for a few seconds and looked at her like she'd cursed at him.
“I mean, I'm trying to set something up. I called Dr. Luke yesterday. I think we should talk to him about trying again.”
Greg shook his head, picked up the underwear, and began to dress. Angelina noticed the angry vein pop out in the center of his forehead, the one that always presented itself when she bought up a topic he didn't want to discuss.
“I don't know if I'm ready for that yet.” Greg looked her in the eyes. “As a matter of fact, I'm sure I'm not ready.”
Angelina felt like she'd sucked in a room full of bad air.
He wasn't ready.
This wasn't the right time for the conversation, but they were here. He'd put his thoughts out there, and waiting to hear all that was on his mind was not an option. So with fear clenching her stomach with the grip of a vice, she pressed on. “It's been two years. I'm not getting any younger. Neither are you. If we're going to have childrenâ”
Greg threw up a hand and silenced her. He seemed to be measuring his words. “Maybe we shouldn't. I mean, maybe we should leave it the way it is with us.”
He couldn't have shocked her more if he'd punched her in the face.
Not have children? Where had this come from?
“You wanted children, Greg. You wantedâ”
“I wanted our Danielle, but now she's gone, so I don't know that I can really put my heart back out there to do this again. ”He picked up his towel and ran it over his damp hair like he was talking about the weather or sports.
“We can't give up on everything we ever wanted and planned because of what happened.”
“Well, maybe what happened has changed what I want. ”He paused. His eyes bore into hers, and she was sure he could see her heart ripping in two, but it didn't stop him. “Look, I'm running late. I've got to get out of here. Can you get a shirt for me?”
Angelina didn't move. He had never said that before. Never said they shouldn' t try. Greg walked around her frozen frame and reached into the closet for a dress shirt. He stared into her eyes when he removed it from the hanger, continued to stare as he did the final buttons, and after he pulled on his slacks and fastened his tie. Angelina had not moved. She was frozen in time by his words.
He couldn't put his heart back out there. What child had he carried for nine months and nursed for six?
Greg's phone began to hum a familiar beep. He swiped it from his night table and shoved it into his pocket without looking at the screen. “Lena, don't freak on me. I just think we should talk about it.”
“I'm trying to talk about
it
.” Her lips trembled as she spoke.
“When both of us have time.”
He came to stand in front of her, smelling like a mix of warm musk and mango shampoo. He looked like every black woman's dream with his Adonis features, chiseled body, and perfect height. Who picks up a ringing phone without looking at? She wanted to rip the BlackBerry from his slacks and smash it into his face. “You're beeping,” she said.
He looked confused, like he couldn't hear the insistent chirp in the quiet of the room.
“Your phone is beeping.” She pointed at his jacket pocket. “Don't you need to see who it is?”
“I know who it is.”
That much is true
, she thought.
“It's the hospital. My patient is probably there.”
Angelina nodded and took the kiss he placed on her cheek. He really thought she was stupid. That particular beep was not the hospital.
“Don't hold dinner. I've got a long day.” He threw the words over his shoulder as he left the room. He'd been tossing them way too much.
A long dayâthere were too many of those lately. Late evenings, strange phone calls, special beeps on his pager. She sat on the side of the bed and let the tears she'd been holding cascade down her cheeks. Her life was a mess. Her husband was probably cheating, and now as the final act of betrayal, he wanted to take her babies.
Greg's going to break my heart.
Angelina didn't know when the other shoe would drop, but she knew it was falling. She closed her eyes and shut out the voice in her head that said leave him now because he wasn' t going to do it. She needed to get something out of the thirteen years she'd sacrificed in the marriage. She wouldn't let him steal her dream of being a mother. She had lost Danielle right before she was to turn six months, and she'd accepted that. She had no choice. That had been God' s will. Her choices were to accept it or lose her mind. But to give up what she wanted to a man who walked around in a flesh and blood suit.
No way.
She was going to get pregnant and Gregory Preston was not going to stop her.