Chapter Twenty-six
“What are you doing here?” Unfortunately, Deborah wasn't as pleased as her mother was to see Lynox standing on her doorstep.
Lynox was all smiles, bearing a brown paper bag with an aroma that immediately invaded the front living room. “I know how busy you've been the last few days,” Lynox started. “You've barely even had time to take a break to eat. I know this because I've asked you out to eat twice and you've declined because of your workload. So I figured if you couldn't come out and join me for a meal, then I'd bring it to you.”
“Oh, my,” Mrs. Lewis said. “What a sweet, sweet gesture. Isn't it, Deb?” Mrs. Lewis looked over her shoulder at her daughter.
Deborah just stood there stone-faced, actually fuming inside. “You didn't call first. Everyone knows you don't just stop by someone's house without calling. With cell phones now, there is no excuse.” Deborah was talking to Lynox like he was the bug-a-boo guy she'd gone out on a blind date with and now couldn't get rid of.
Under ordinary circumstances, Deborah would have been wooed beyond measure by Lynox's gesture. For a man to be that thoughtful as to bring her lunch in the middle of the day, interrupting his own busy schedule, what woman wouldn't have appreciated that? But these weren't ordinary circumstances. Deborah was living a lie and the idea of being found out instantly put her on edge. She couldn't see past Lynox about to find out, the wrong way, about her son. She couldn't see past all that to appreciate the gesture.
Mrs. Lewis turned slowly from Deborah to face Lynox, slightly embarrassed at the tone her daughter had taken with the surprise caller. “Well, I love a spontaneous man. My husband used to do stuff like that for me all the time. And back then we didn't have cell phones, so the fact that it was indeed a true unexpected surprise was all the better in my book.” She shot Deborah a sharp look over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Lynox.
“I'm sorry to catch you off guard. I hadn't planned on staying. I'm actually headed to a doctor's appointment,” Lynox explained. “I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were over here eating and not just working yourself to death.” Lynox said it in an apologetic tone.
“Well, as you can see, I'm working myself to death. And it still wouldn't have hurt for you to call.” Deborah's tone was still snappy. She needed him to leave. Or she needed her mother and son to leave. Someone needed to leave before she had an anxiety attack.
“Actually, I had planned on calling you,” Lynox explained, unable to force a smile, enthusiasm, or any excitement whatsoever from his tone. “I was just going to leave the food on your porch, then send you a text letting you know it was there. I don't know. Kind of thought it would be romantic. But I guess I'm not that great at living out romantic gestures personallyâjust writing about them I suppose. Anyway, my apologies.” He looked down at his watch. “I better get going or I'll be late for my appointment.” He went to walk away and then realized he was still holding the bag of food. “Oh yeah.” He placed the food down on the porch and then sarcastically said, “Guess I don't need to text you. Enjoy.” The wounded puppy dog made an exit off the porch.
“Lynox, uh, wait.” Deborah couldn't let things go down like this. Lynox was doing everything right; all the while she was doing everything wrong. If only he knew that her actions weren't personal attacks against him. They were a result of how she was feeling inside. Whenever she got overwhelmed and began to feel anxious, she got snappy and sometimes outright nasty. At the present, she was feeling both overwhelmed and anxious, so there was like a hurricane going on inside of her. She had to calm the storm.
Lynox had heard Deborah call out his name, but he was too furious inside to turn around and acknowledge her.
“Lynox. Hold on, please.”
“No, it's cool. I see you're busyâlooks like you're about to babysit and all.”
“Babysit.” Mrs. Lewis chuckled. “Looks like I'm the one who is about to babysit.” She stepped outside. “So why don't you two go ahead and share this lunch while me and the little guy here go to get some ice cream.” Mrs. Lewis stepped down off the porch. “I'll bring him back in about an hour. Is that enough time?” Mrs. Lewis looked at Lynox and winked.
Mrs. Lewis's kind gesture brought a smile back on his face. “Really, Miss . . .” Realizing he'd never been introduced to the grandmother of the child Deborah babysat for, his eyes asked her to fill in the blank of her last name.
“Mrs. Lewis,” Deborah's mother obliged.
Now Deborah wished nothing more than that she had just let Lynox go ahead and leave.
“Lewis?” His eyes got bigger. “Your last name is Lewis too. Is that a coincidence, or are you two kin?”
“A coincidence?” Mrs. Lewis laughed. “I'mâ”
“You're just leaving to take the baby for ice creamâremember?” Deborah reminded her mother, making a mental note that this couldn't go on much longer. The close calls were getting closer and closer. Just as soon as she and Lynox were alone, she wasn't going to hesitate to tell him the truth.
“Mrs. Lewis, really, you don't have to leave and come back. I'm sure you have things to do, otherwise, you wouldn't have been dropping off the little guy here for Deborah to babysit in the first place.”
Deborah felt the life drain from her body. She could feel eyes of confusion burning on her face. She couldn't return her mother's glare.
“Deborah? Babysit her ownâ” Mrs. Lewis started.
“Nephew!” Deborah spat. It just came out. Where it came from, Deborah had no idea. But that lie shot out of her mouth like a curse word from a sailor's tongue.
“Nephew?” both Lynox and Mrs. Lewis said in unison.
“You mean this little guy is blood?” Lynox asked. “I should have seen the resemblance.” He stared at Deborah's son. “Shoot, he has your nose and your mouth.”
Mrs. Lewis stared at her daughter strangely, waiting for her to correct Lynox.
“I guess that explains why you two have the same last name,” Lynox said to both Deborah and Mrs. Lewis. Now he looked at Mrs. Lewis. “So you are Deborah's . . .” Lynox was expecting for Mrs. Lewis to say aunt or first cousin or something.
“I'm Deborah's . . . mo . . . ther?” She looked at Deborah to make sure it was okay to tell him that. Because something weird was going on here.
“Mother!” Lynox said in shock. He then threw his shocked expression at Deborah and then back at Mrs. Lewis.
“Yes, that's right.” Deborah nodded, letting her mother know it was okay to tell the truth as far as their relationship was concerned. “I guess I never did get to formally introduce you two, huh?” Deborah tried to put an innocent smile on her face, but when she swallowed hard, she must have swallowed the smile as well. “Lynox, this is actually my mother, Mrs. Lewis.” She tried with all her might to keep the smile she'd just once again forced to cover her lips. The smile held long enough for her to speak those few words to Lynox, but when she turned to make the introductions to her mother, it quickly melted away. How could it not with the hot look Mrs. Lewis was shooting her daughter? “And, Ma, this is Lynox.”
Mrs. Lewis just stood frozen, waiting for some type of explanation from Deborah. She'd be waiting until a cold day in hell if she thought Deborah was going to give her one right then and there . . . in front of Lynox. Explaining to her mother would mean explaining to Lynox. And once again, this was not how the truth was supposed to go down. But something told Deborah that she just might be able to keep the lie going; but would her mother?
Chapter Twenty-seven
“Well, Mrs. Lewis, the pleasure truly is all mine,” Lynox said, extending his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Lynox, mine too.” Mrs. Lewis was still quite dumbfounded.
“Please, just Lynox is fine.” He looked to Deborah. “Honestly, I had no intentions of staying. Really; I just wanted to do something nice for you is all.” Lynox was putting his tail back between his legs at the recollection of how Deborah had jumped on him for coming over unannounced.
“And, I'm sorry,” Deborah apologized, taking Lynox's hand and looking him in the eyes. “It's just that . . . well, you know how it is when you're flowing in a manuscript.”
“Yeah, and not to mention you've got to worry about taking care of little man here, too.” He nodded toward her son. “That's awful nice of you to keep your sister's kid for her, knowing you have to work, too.”
“Sister?” both Deborah and Mrs. Lewis said at the same time.
“Oh . . . then I guess he's your brother's kid?” Lynox thought for a minute. “But I thought you said you were an only child.”
Oh snaps!
Deborah felt so cold busted. How in the world was she going to get out of this one?
Think, Debbie. Think. Think. Think
. And so she thought. And she came up with this: “Well, see, he's not really a nephew . . . nephew . . . blood nephew. His mother is just a real, real close family friend.” Deborah needed a coconspirator. It would be taking a risk to use her mother as one, but she had no other choice. “Isn't that right, Ma?” Deborah swallowed again and waited on razor's edge for her mother to reply.
“Oh, yeah,” Mrs. Lewis stated, still giving Deborah the evil eye. “The boy's mother is really close to the family.” She gave Deborah a sarcastic look. “Why I almost even consider her to be my daughterâalmost.”
“That's nice,” Lynox replied. “Guess next time I'll have to think, and throw a Happy Meal or something in the mix for the little guy.” Lynox winked at the toddler. “Anyway, let me get going. Don't want to be late for my appointment.”
“I'll walk you to your car,” Deborah said, eager to get away from her mother. She did not look forward to being left alone to explain the situation to her. Once the couple arrived at Lynox's car, Deborah took the liberty of apologizing once again for being so snappish toward Lynox. Truth be told, she absolutely loved the gesture. She thought it to be most romantic. She was just caught off guard and didn't know how to respond. Under pressure, instead of being cool, calm, and collected, her emotions kicked into overdrive and she got all fired up. That's how her mother had always reacted to things. Naturally, that's how Deborah reacted to things.
“I'd like to meet your friend, the kid's mother. You never talk about any of your friends. I've only heard you refer to the sisters at church. But you do have a life outside of just the church family, don't you?” Lynox put his hands up in defense just in case Deborah took his comment the wrong way. “Not that there's anything wrong with having a church family and all.”
Deborah chuckled. “I hear you. But I guess I'm just so into my writing thing, raising my . . . babysitting my nephew. I just don't have time for the girlfriend thing, you know.”
“I hear you. But you have to have a life, too. You gotta get out and live. Otherwise, how do you meet a fine, handsome, successful man like myself?”
“Now that's one thing I didn't miss about you over the years, your cockiness.”
“Woman, you know I'm just messing with you.” Lynox brushed his hand down Deborah's cheek.
There was something about Lynox's touch that was magic. It calmed Deborah. It made her happyâpeaceful. As bad as she felt about not being truthful with him when it came to her readymade family, moments like this almost made it worth itâalmost.
“I apologize in advance if this makes you uneasy in front of your mother and all, but I can't help it.” Lynox took Deborah's face in his hands and planted the most delicate but, at the same time, sensual kiss on her lips she'd ever had in her life.
For a moment, Deborah forgot about her entire life. It was just her and Lynox. No one else. Nothing else. She didn't know how long the kiss went on as her tongue tangled with his. But what she did know was that when it ended, she could have gone for seconds.
“Apology accepted,” Deborah whispered, her eyes still closed. “Now, do you accept mine?” She opened her eyes. She was still nose to nose with Lynox. She could feel his breath like a summer breeze whisking across her face. Thank God they were out in public, in front of her mother, and that he had a doctor's appointment; otherwise, the two of them might have found themselves caught up in an act of sin.
“Apology accepted.” He gave her a little peck on the forehead. “But like I said, I'd love to meet your friend. Let's all go out, have some fun. Take the edge off so you won't be so on edge.” He playfully began snapping at Deborah's nose like a crab.
“I hear you, and I'll make it happen just as soon as I find the time.”
“Make the time. I've learned that you have to make the time or else you'll spend an eternity trying to find it. I've already waited an eternity, it seems, to get with you. I'm not trying to wait an eternity to live life with you . . . really live life.”
“Mr. Lynox,” Deborah said, mimicking her mother, “you are one amazing man. You have no idea what a woman would do to have a man like you in her life.”
“Aww, how sweet.” Lynox pulled Deborah in for a hug.
Deborah leaned against Lynox's strong, manly chest while thinking,
No, really, you have no idea what a woman would do to have a man like you in her life.
She pulled away from Lynox and looked over at her son in her mother's arms.
Even deny her own child.