“Then why did you invite them over?”
“I told you. I want her to see us as a family and I wanted her man to see her with you. He’ll probably tell her the same thing I’m telling you.”
“Here we go with the games.”
“It’s not a game to me,” she said. “I’m fighting for my family. You may think these church people can do no wrong, but I’m here to tell you they can.”
“I can see there’s no telling you anything. We’ll have your cookout and you’ll see what you need to see. All right?”
She nodded.
“Okay, now do you want to see the funeral home operation?”
She started shaking her head before he finished the question. “Not now. If we’re going to check out new cars today, we need to get started. We have to pick up the Porsche, drive to the dealership, and get back to the church in time to pick up the kids. We’re really pushed for time.”
Preacher accepted her excuse even though it wasn’t valid. They had plenty of time. Tanya just wasn’t interested in seeing the funeral home. How in the world was he going to get her to change her mind? He could feel his faith that she would change wavering. What would he do if she didn’t? He didn’t even want to think about it. He had enough problems for today. The most pressing were finding out how deep Dante was in with Loretta and figuring out what, how, and when to tell Natalie about him. “Okay,” he finally said to Tanya. “Let’s take care of the cars. At least, we’ll get that out of the way.”
CHAPTER 14
Serena put down the bottle of disinfectant she’d been using to clean the gym equipment and checked her watch. Her sister-in-law was over half an hour late. Natalie was supposed to close tonight, but she hadn’t called and she wasn’t answering her cell. Serena had called the church, so she knew her sister-in-law had left there over an hour ago. Where was she?
Serena pulled her cell out of her pants pocket and punched in Natalie’s number. She answered on the second ring. “Where are you?” Serena asked. “I’ve been worried.”
“Out front. Open the door and let me in.”
Serena peered around the corner and, sure enough, there was Natalie. She closed her phone and rushed to the door. “Are you all right? What happened? It’s unlike you not to call.”
Natalie hugged her. “I’m sorry I worried you, sis. I have no excuse; time just got away from me.”
Serena watched as Natalie stashed her shoulder bag behind the counter. “I know you’re ready to go home,” Natalie said, “so why don’t you head on out. I’ll be okay. The security guard is still in the lot.”
“I’m in no rush,” Serena said. “Barnard called and he’s going to be late tonight.”
“So you’ve spoken to Barnard,” Natalie said, as she made her way back to the gym area, disinfectant and a cleaning rag in hand. “I guess he told you then.”
Serena followed after her. “Told me what? Natalie, you’re acting strangely. What’s going on?”
Natalie glanced up at her and then focused her attention on the leather seat of the leg extender she was cleaning. “Preacher’s girlfriend came by the Children’s Center today.”
Why was Natalie being so cryptic? “And?”
Moving to the next machine, Natalie said, “She’s planning a cookout for the six of us.”
Serena dropped down on the seat of the leg extender machine. “Cookout? Six of us?”
Natalie glanced up at her. “Yes, cookout with you and Barnard, me and Dante, and her and Preacher. Sounds like fun, huh?”
It sounded like a nightmare to Serena but she didn’t understand why it seemed to sound the same way to Natalie. “So what was she like?”
“Who?”
Serena rolled her eyes. “Tanya, Preacher’s girlfriend. Who else?”
Natalie stopped cleaning and looked at her. “Tall, thin, attractive.”
“That’s how she looks. What’s she like?”
“Well, she’s bold. I have to give her that.”
Serena went to Natalie and pushed her down on the seat of the arm press. She sat on the seat of the chest compression machine next to it. “What’s going on?”
Natalie wiped her hands down her face. “I can’t believe I let her get to me. Lord, forgive me.”
“Start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
“She practically accused me of trying steal Preacher away from her.” Natalie stood and began pacing in the small space between the two machines. “Me? Steal her man? Please! You know what happened with me and Benjamin. I’d never do anything that cruel.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” Serena said, “but what makes her think you would?”
Natalie stopped pacing for a moment. “Who knows what goes on in that woman’s mind? Preacher and I are friends and that’s what I told her.”
“Friends?” Serena repeated. “When did you and Preacher become friends? I thought you were just acquaintances.”
Shrugging, Natalie sat back down. “We’re becoming friends. I like him, Serena.”
“You don’t even know him.” Serena wanted to knock some sense into Natalie’s head. “How do you know you like him? I didn’t even know you’d talked to him other than at church that Sunday.”
“Well, I’ve seen him a couple of times since then. He came by the church the other day with his boys and Barnard brought them down to the Children’s Center. The boys spent the day with me there while Preacher ran errands. Later, when he came back, he was looking for Barnard to tell him his good news about this business opportunity the Lord had given him. Since Barnard wasn’t there, he shared it with me. We ended up encouraging each other. That’s when I learned what a nice, genuine guy he is. I like him, Serena. Is that wrong?”
Not wrong, but not wise, either. “No, of course it’s not wrong.”
Natalie took a deep breath. “I know it’s not wrong, but Tanya’s accusation made me feel…I don’t know, dirty. It makes no sense.”
Serena knew she had to be careful with her next words. She placed her hand on Natalie’s knee. “But I can see Tanya’s concern. You’re an attractive woman and Preacher’s an attractive man. Things happen.”
“We’re brother and sister in Christ, for heaven’s sake. Besides, I’m happy in my relationship with Dante, and Preacher’s definitely committed to his family and that means Tanya. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you, of all people. You know me.”
But Serena also knew Preacher. “It’s not your intentions I’m worried about.”
Natalie looked up at her. “Preacher is not interested in me that way.”
Serena shrugged, trying to ease into her position. “Maybe not now. You have to remember that he’s a new Christian, involved in a relationship with a non-Christian who doesn’t appear interested in becoming a Christian. It doesn’t take a giant leap to think that one day he’s going to start wishing Tanya were more like you.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t continue my friendship with Preacher?”
That’s exactly what I’m saying. “Not really. What I’m saying is that you have to respect Tanya’s wishes. You can be friendly with both of them, but if it makes her uncomfortable, the friendship can’t really go any further than that, can it?”
Natalie sat there for a few moments, eyes closed. Serena respected her enough to give her time to sort through her feelings.
When Natalie opened her eyes, she said, “You’re right. I have to be careful with Preacher for Tanya’s sake.” Now she placed her hand on Serena’s knee. “So I need a favor from you, Serena.”
Serena covered Natalie’s hand with her own, very pleased her sister-in-law had come to the right conclusion. “Whatever you need.”
“I need you to be a friend to Preacher and Tanya.”
“But—”
“Wait,” Natalie said, “and hear me out. I know in my heart that Preacher needs friends. You didn’t see him the other day when he came by to tell Barnard his news about working at the funeral home. He was crestfallen
when Barnard wasn’t there. When I offered to lend an ear, I could tell he was reluctant, but he gave in and shared with me. It was wonderful, Serena. For me and for him. I want him to have more opportunities like that. He needs them if he’s going to grow as a Christian.”
“But why me?”
“Not only you, really, you and Barnard. You two could sort of adopt Preacher and Tanya until they get to know and feel comfortable with other Christian couples. I’m sure Tanya would be more comfortable with you than she is with me. And there’d be lots of opportunities for the four of you to do things as a couple. Please, Serena. They need you.”
“I don’t know.”
Natalie slid her hand away. “I don’t understand your reluctance to give Preacher a chance. He’s a good man. All I’m asking is that you let him show you.”
Serena couldn’t believe the conversation had turned on her this way. Her goal had been to get Preacher away from Natalie and now Natalie was asking her to become his best friend. That was impossible. But what choice did she have. “I’ll try,” she finally said, all the while wondering how she would pull it off. She’d have to find another couple for them; her mind was already going through the church roster.
Natalie leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, sis. I knew I could count on you. The first thing we have to do is give Tanya a couple of available dates for this cookout of hers.” She stood. “I’ll get our purses and we can do that now. I want to get started making Tanya feel welcomed and not threatened.”
Natalie walked away with a bounce in her step that hadn’t been there when she’d arrived at the gym. Serena was left plotting to extricate herself from the promise she’d just made.
Preacher had gone to bed worrying about Natalie and he’d awakened the same way. It was like knowing someone was about be involved in a car crash, and having no way to save them. All he could do was remind them to wear their seatbelt to limit the damage. In Natalie’s case, he still wasn’t sure how to do that.
Natalie had been nothing but good to him and his family, and he was about to bring pain into her life. While a part of him knew it wasn’t his doing, another part of him felt fully responsible. He’d brought Loretta into this business a long time ago, and the business that he started was going to hurt somebody he cared about, somebody who cared about him.
Early on in the business, he’d learned to harden himself to how his actions affected others. How else could he run a business that exploited people’s helplessness? After getting saved, he’d found he couldn’t dwell on his past sins, for doing so was debilitating. He didn’t like to put faces on the money he made. He didn’t want to think about the broken lives and broken homes his business had created. It hurt too much.
But this thing with Natalie was something he couldn’t run from. He’d have to face this head-on, except he wasn’t sure how. He wished he could talk to Barnard or Luther or even Wayne, his probation officer, but he couldn’t talk to them because he didn’t want to put his sister in jeopardy.
He’d convinced himself to stay away from Natalie until he had a plan. Then he’d dropped the boys off at the Children’s Center and run into Barnard. In his excitement about the upcoming cookout, Barnard had told Preacher that Natalie was working at the gym today while Serena was taking the day off.
That bit of information was why Preacher was parked in front of Serena and Natalie’s gym now. He needed to talk to Natalie, if only to apologize to her for Tanya’s accusations yesterday. As he pulled open the door to the gym, it occurred to him that his presence in a women’s gym might be awkward. He walked up to the unmanned counter, looking for a bell or some way to make his presence known. Not seeing one, he stood there with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“You did good today, Bertice,” came a voice from around the corner that Preacher recognized as Serena’s, not Natalie’s. He considered making a run for the door.
“Thank you, Miss Serena. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Serena and a young girl rounded the corner and Preacher’s escape plans evaporated. Serena’s eyes widened when she saw him, but she kept a smile on her face until the young girl left the building. “What are you doing here, Preacher?” she asked, once they were alone.
Preacher felt like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I dropped by to see Natalie.”
Serena began shaking her head. “I don’t understand you, Preacher. Can’t you leave Natalie alone? You have a fiancée. Isn’t one woman enough for you?”
Preacher pulled his hands out of his pockets and clasped them together. “Natalie and I are friends, Serena. I’m sure you understand friendship.”
Serena stared him down. “Maybe I do, but apparently Tanya doesn’t.”
Preacher dropped his hands. “So Natalie told you. How bad was it?”
“It was bad, Preacher. Your girlfriend left Natalie feeling as though she’d done something wrong. You should never have put her in that position. You should have stayed away from her, but you couldn’t, could you?”
Preacher had no comeback because Serena was right. How could he explain to her that he valued his friendship with Natalie, despite Tanya’s evil thoughts? “Maybe you’re right.”
He could tell his words surprised her by the way she eyed him. “Then why don’t you leave Natalie alone? Why are you here today?”
“I was sure Tanya’s words had hurt her and I wanted to apologize,” he said. “That’s the only reason I’m here.”
Serena studied him, as if trying to decide whether to believe him. “You know, I almost believe you, Preacher.”
“Almost?”
“Yes, almost. If you really cared about Natalie, you’d stay away from her. Can’t you see you bring pain and sorrow wherever you go? Leave her alone. Let her be happy.”
Preacher squeezed his hands into fists to fight the pain Serena’s words caused. They hurt so much because they were so true, truer than she even knew. “I can’t relive the past, Serena. I can only do what I can in the present. I want to make things right with Natalie, with you, and with Barnard. I want you all to be happy.”
“What does Barnard have to do with this?” Serena asked, sounding like a momma bear protecting her cubs.
“It’s what we’ve done to him. Serena, we have to tell him the truth.”
“Not that again.”
“If Natalie told you about Tanya’s accusations, then I’m sure she also told you about this cookout that Tanya has planned. We need to tell Barnard before this cookout. There’s no way we can spend another evening behaving the way we did at the restaurant that Sunday. Barnard’s not stupid. He’s going to know something’s wrong. It’ll hurt him less if we tell him now. The longer we hold on to this secret, the more damage it’s going to do.”
“I’m not telling him,” Serena said, her eyes hot with defiance.
“If you don’t tell him before the cookout, I’ll tell him after.”
“Why do you want to hurt me?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you or Barnard, but the reality is that both of you are going to be hurt. I’m only trying to lessen the pain.” He paused, unsure if he should add these last words. He loved Barnard like a brother and he wanted to show Serena how desperate the situation was. “Serena, Barnard has told me about the problems you’re having in your marriage.”
“He wouldn’t!”
“He did, and that tells me how much he’s hurting. Besides feeling like a hypocrite when he confides in me, I also feel that some of your problems are related to our secret. You have to tell him so you can begin to work on your issues.”
Serena gave him a hard look. “Stay out of my personal life and family, Preacher, and get out of my place of business.”
He opened his mouth to say more but she cut him off.
“Leave. Now. Or I’m calling the cops.”
He believed her, so he left.
Loretta drummed her fingers on the table of the booth at McDonald’s while she waited for Tanya and the
boys. Her table faced the window so she could see them when they drove up. If the chick didn’t show up in the next five minutes, Loretta was leaving. She’d have to see the boys another time.
When Loretta saw the tan Lexus crossover SUV with the vanity plates that read “TANYA1” pull into a space across the lot from the door, she shook her head at Tanya’s notion of scaling back on cars. A few minutes later, Tanya breezed into Mickey Dee’s sporting dark sunglasses and a micromini. Evidently, she thought she was in Hollywood.
“You’re late,” Loretta said as Tanya slid into the booth across from her.
Tanya slipped off her sunglasses. “Not that late.”
Loretta ignored her fake smile. “Where are the boys?” she asked. “I thought you were bringing them.”
Tanya shrugged. “I thought I was, too, but Preacher ended up picking them up from the church and they’re going to some Little League game or something. I passed, since I preferred to spend time with you.”
“Yeah, right. What do you really want, Tanya? I hope you didn’t come here just to show off your new ride. Unlike you, I have things to do.”
“No need to be mean, Loretta. I just wanted to see you. Have some girl talk.”
“Tell me anything,” Loretta said. “Like how you got Preacher to buy you that Lexus. I thought you were scaling back.”
“We did scale back. I gave up a Benz and a Porsche and I’m left with that thing.” She waved her hand in the direction of her vehicle. “I wanted the premium SUV, the LX model, but Preacher wasn’t having it. That thing out there is the bottom of the line Lexus SUV. I’m almost embarrassed to drive it.”
Loretta’s dislike of Tanya gushed up in her like lava in a live volcano. “Girl, you’ve got some nerve complaining about a Lexus, especially when none of the money came out of your pocket.” She sighed deeply. There was no sense chastising Tanya about her spending. She didn’t get it. “Now tell me why we needed to meet before I get up and leave.”
Tanya leaned back in the booth, lifted her right hand, and studied her nails. “Guess who’s giving a cookout?”
Up Pops the Devil Page 17
