Alice stumbled toward the elevator. Somebody should report Megan for her unprofessional handling of her clients.
She mumbled about it all the way to the shop. She went to her office and looked over the books. She had enough money to expand. Maybe Montego Bay could handle another hairdresser.
Marsha was experienced in running the store. She had done a good job in the month that she was away. When she went to the shop, nobody seemed as if they missed her anyway. She could come to New York every six months and check up on the books. She would need to rent out her apartment and find a way to ship her cat to Jamaica. She needed to pack some of her belongings and ship them home. By the time she was finished sorting through all the nitty gritty details of her life, she was feeling lighter. She was going home.
That meant she could now open the special gift box that Carson had given to her. In it there were two items that she would treasure: a house key and a plain gold band inscribed with the words Alice and Carson.
Chapter Twenty One
It took her exactly one month to return to Jamaica. During that time, she had not spoken to Carson or Mia except for that terse phone call when she arrived in New York and called to tell him that she had reached. He did not sound as if he even wanted to speak to her.
It was a Wednesday. She had two suitcases this time. The rest of her stuff including her cat was on their way from New York.
She opened the front door and found Emilia in the living room cleaning the house.
"Hello, Mama," Alice said brightly.
"Alice?" Emilia looked as if she was seeing a ghost. Her mouth further fell open when Alice dragged her two bags inside and closed the door.
"You are here to stay?" Emilia asked gruffly.
"Seems so," Alice said. "My husband and my daughter are here. I figure this is where I should be as well."
"Oh, Alice." Emilia put done the mop and went over and hugged her. "I knew one day you would see that those two really need you around."
Alice nodded, her eyes teary. "I am just going to put these upstairs."
"Let me help you," Emilia said eagerly.
Emilia hardly did anything after that. She and Alice spoke way into the evening, while Alice fixed dinner.
"I don't even know what they like to eat," Alice said before she started dinner.
"Mia loves mac and cheese, and Carson will eat anything you cook," Emilia said helpfully. When Emilia finally left, Alice paced the floor waiting for them to get home. She was still unsure if she was doing the right thing, but there was no turning back.
Carson's car drove into the garage and she heard the car door slam. The door leading to the kitchen then opened slowly.
"I smell Mac and cheese…" Mia said, "and something else, yummy. Seems as if Aunt Emilia cooked."
"Bless her heart," Carson said meaningfully," because I am starving."
He switched on the kitchen light and glanced at the breakfast table. It was laid out restaurant style.
"It's not my birthday is it?" he asked Mia, frowning at the layout.
"No, Daddy," Mia said looking at the table skeptically. "It's set for three." She pointed to a third place.
Carson stiffened.
"Alice?" He did not want to say her name out loud but he did. He did not even know why he thought it. He had gone through a month of torture, waging a war with himself as to whether he should call her or go to New York. He could scarcely hope that it was her but every fiber of his being wanted it to be.
"Yes," Alice said from the doorway. He saw a flash from the gold band on her finger and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"Alice is back." Mia hurled toward her, hugging her for dear life.
Carson did not move. He just put his hand into his pocket.
Alice looked at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. When Mia finally let her go, Carson walked toward her, his heart free at last. "I love you, Alice."
"I love you more." Alice said, kissing him.
Mia was beyond excited. "My mommy is back." she squealed with joy, hugging both of them as they hugged each other.
The End
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Keep reading for an excerpt from Duet On Fire.
Ian and Ruby's story
Available April 2014
Chapter One
"We have an announcement to make. Pastor Bob James and his family will be leaving us shortly...."
A sigh of disappointment swept through the church and then the whispers started, "Why? How come?"
The elder who had announced the unexpected news tried to wait out the whispers, but the buzzing rose to a higher decibel than he had anticipated.
"Brothers and Sisters," he said over the microphone. "There are other parts of the vineyard that need Pastor James more than we do."
Ruby looked at Ian and raised an eyebrow. "Did he say anything to you or any of the guys from the band?"
Ian shook his head. "No. This is a complete surprise to me as well."
Ian looked over at Carson, who was sitting beside Alice. He had his hand around Alice's shoulders. Somehow, Ian doubted that Carson was more surprised at the news than he was. Carson only had one emotion these days—happy. He was in perpetual honeymoon mode with Alice since she returned a month a go.
"Hey," he scowled at his friend. "What are you grinning about? Isn't Pastor Bob's daughter Mia's best friend?"
Carson looked at him. His eyes had that look, that blissfully happy look that was grating Ian's last nerves mainly because he envied what Carson had with Alice. His friend had a love that could stand the test of time. He really wanted the same for him and Ruby, but these days it looked like they were not even on the same page.
"Yes, she is," Carson answered him, "but Mia has lots of friends. They'll still keep in touch. Pastor Bobby is going to Kingston; you all are acting as if he is going to another island."
"Why Kingston though?" Ian tried to whisper. He could see from the sides of his eyes that the elder was frantically trying to get everybody to stop talking but he was not going to comply.
In the last nine years since Pastor Keen's accident, the church had rarely seen good pastors. There was Pastor Duff, who stayed two years, Pastor Heywood who had stayed just six months, and now Pastor James was leaving. He had served them just a year and a half.
"He is going to take up a position at the Conference Office. They had a new opening for a Communications Director, and he accepted the offer."
"Oh, yes." Ruby piped in, turning to look at Carson. "I remember him saying that he was being considered for a position there."
"Sister Ruby Scott," the elder at the front bellowed over the microphone.
Ruby swung around from Carson and sank into her seat. She was literally the only one in the big congregation that was singled out. She hung her head and tried not to laugh. She felt as if she was back in preparatory school and being reprimanded by the headmaster.
"Okay, now that you are all quiet." the elder cleared his throat, "Pastor Bobby is leaving on such short notice that we would just like to thank him in this forum. He did say that he was not good with goodbyes, but I would like him to say a word to us."
The congregation clapped as Bobby made his way to the front. He had to adjust the height of the microphone to accommodate his six-foot-one-inch stature.
"Brethren, you know I love you, don't you?"
The church clapped. He was in his element. He knew that this particular church was on the same page with him.
Ruby was also clapping vigorously. She would miss Bobby and Tina, and she would especially miss Sancia. She loved children, and Sancia was an exceptional little girl. She would miss her little quips and her never-ending curiosity.
"Well, you will always have a place in our hearts, though we are taking this new step in our journey," Bobby said in his smooth, lilting voice. "Tina and I would like to say
that we appreciate you—everyone of you. If we were to begin calling names, we would be here all night. I would like to introduce my replacement to you. He is a young man, and a family man. He has one adorable daughter with his wife, Sue, but most of all, he is passionate about the ministry, and he is a true man of God. Brothers and Sisters, I present to you Pastor Rory Panton."
Ruby froze. There was no other way to describe the complete inertia that had taken over her body. She could feel Ian's hands to the left of her clapping and Carson's shoulders moving as he disengaged his hand from around Alice to clap as well, but she could not move. When Rory actually walked onto the stage, her breathing was suspended. She was happy that no one was looking at her. She was as still as a statue but her nerves had gone haywire and she could feel her fingers and toes ticking involuntarily.
When had he become a pastor, and what was he doing at the Cedar Hill Church, her church? He was from her past. People in the past were supposed to stay in the past. They were not supposed to come out of nowhere and smack you with their presence as casually as this.
"How are you Cedar Hill Church? From your response to Pastor Bobby's leaving, I see I have big shoes to fill."
Then he laughed that smooth laugh of his. He did not have to adjust the microphone. He was almost as tall as Bobby. His golden skin was glowing under the lights over the pulpit. His wavy hair was brushed back from his forehead. It was as thick, plush, and almost blue black, just as she remembered.
Her eyes were transfixed on his face. She did not hear a word he said. His features were as familiar to her as if she had seen them yesterday: chiseled cheekbones, dark brown chocolate eyes, and a proud Roman nose.
She swallowed convulsively when those chocolate eyes zeroed in on her in the fifth pew on the left.
He faltered a bit in his speech when his eyes connected with hers, but he recovered and she could see him looking elsewhere after that, his casualness forgotten. He stood straighter and a tick appeared at the side of his cheek.
She finally exhaled after he stepped down from the platform and his gray suit disappeared behind a potted plant near the choir loft.
"He sounds okay," Ian said above her head to Carson.
Carson shrugged. "It is a pity that we couldn't get to meet his wife. I like to see the new pastors with their wives and families."
"He did say they were in Manchester preparing to come over," Ian said. He then looked at Ruby.
"Ruby, you okay?" Ian asked her. "You have gone quiet, I thought you would have been excited that this new pastor is from your parish."
Ruby nodded. "I am fine." Her voice was working. Thank God.
"They are going to have a little reception for Pastor Bobby in the church hall now and introduce Pastor… What's his name again?" Ian asked Carson.
Rory. The name echoed in Ruby's head.
"Rory," Carson said out loud.
My Ex. Ruby pondered quietly. She had not really broken up with him. She had walked away from him seven years before without saying a proper goodbye.
OTHER BOOKS BY BRENDA BARRETT
Mount Faith Series
Saving Face (Mount Faith Series- Book 1) - Mount Faith University drama begins with a dead president and several suspects including the president in waiting Ryan Bancroft.
Tattered Tiara (Mount Faith Series-Book 2)- Micah Bancroft is targeted by femme fatale Deidra Durkheim. There are also several rape cases to be solved.
Private Dancer (Mount Faith Series- Book 3)- Adrian Bancroft was gutted when he returned to Jamaica and found out that his first and only love Cathy Taylor was a stripper and was literally owned by the menacing drug lord, Nanjo Jones.
Goodbye Lonely (Mount Faith Series- Book 4) - Kylie Bancroft was shy and had to resort to going to confidence classes. How could she win the love of Gareth Beecher, her faculty adviser, a man with a jealous ex-wife in his past and a current mystery surrounding a hand found in his garden?
Practice Run (Mount Faith Series- Book 5)- Marcus Bancroft had many reasons to avoid Mount Faith but Deidra Durkheim was not one of them. Unfortunately, on one of his visits he was the victim of a deliberate hit and run.
Sense of Rumor (Mount Faith Series- Book 6)- Arnella Bancroft was the wild, passionate Bancroft, the creative loner who didn't mind living dangerously; but when a terrible thing happened to her at her friend Tracy's party, it changed her. She found that courting rumors can be devastating and that only the truth could set her free.
A Younger Man (Mount Faith Series- Book 7)- Pastor Vanley Bancroft loved Anita Parkinson despite their fifteen-year age gap, but Anita had a secret, one that she could not reveal to Vanley. To tell him would change his feelings toward her, or force him to give up the ministry that he loved so much.
Just To See Her (Mount Faith Series Book 8)- Jessica Bancroft had the opportunity to meet her fantasy guy Khaled, he was finally coming to Mount Faith but she had feelings for Clay Reid, a guy who had all the qualities she was looking for. Who would she choose and what about the weird fascination Khaled had for Clay?
The Three Rivers Series
Private Sins (Three Rivers Series-Book 1)- Kelly, the first lady at Three Rivers Church was pregnant for the first elder of her church. Could she keep the secret from her husband and pretend that all was well?
Loving Mr. Wright (Three Rivers Series- Book 2)- Erica saw one last opportunity to ditch her single life when Caleb Wright appeared in her town. He was perfect for her, but what was he hiding?
Unholy Matrimony (Three Rivers Series- Book 3) - Phoebe had a problem, she was poor and unhappy. Her solution to marry a rich man was derailed along the way with her feelings for Charles Black, the poor guy next door.
If It Ain't Broke (Three Rivers Series- Book 4)- Chris Donahue wanted a place in his child's life. Pinky Black just wanted his love. She also wanted him to forget his obsession with Kelly and love her. That shouldn't be so hard? Should it?
Contemporary Romance/Drama
Homely Girl- April and Taj were opposites in so many ways. He was the cute, athletic boy that everybody wanted to be friends with. She was the overweight, shy, and withdrawn girl. Do April and Taj have a love that can last a lifetime? Or will time and separate paths rip them apart?
The Preacher And The Prostitute - Prostitution and the clergy don't mix. Tell that to ex-prostitute, Maribel, who finds herself in love with the Pastor at her church. Can an ex-prostitute and a pastor have a future together?
Love Triangle: Three Sides To The Story- George-the husband, Marie-the wife and Karen-the mistress. They all get to tell their side of the story.
New Beginnings - Inner city girl Geneva was offered an opportunity of a lifetime when she found out that her 'real' father was a very wealthy man. Her decision to live up-town meant that she had to leave Froggie, her ‘ghetto don,’ behind. She also found herself battling with her stepmother and battling her emotions for Justin, a suave up-towner.
Full Circle- After graduating from university, Diana wanted to return to Jamaica to find her siblings. What she didn’t foresee was that she would meet Robert Cassidy and that both their pasts would be intertwined, and that disturbing questions would pop up about their parentage, just when they were getting close.
Historical Fiction/Romance
The Empty Hammock- Workaholic, Ana Mendez, fell asleep in a hammock and woke up in the year 1494. It was the time of the Tainos, a time when life seemed simpler, but Ana knew that all of that was about to change.
The Pull Of Freedom- Even in bondage the people, freshly arrived from Africa, considered themselves free. Led by Nanny and Cudjoe the slaves escaped the Simmonds’ plantation and went in different directions to forge their destiny in the new country called Jamaica.
Jamaican Comedy (Material contains Jamaican dialect)
Di Taxi Ride And Other Stories- Di Taxi Ride and Other Stories is a collection of twelve witty and fast paced short stories. Each story tells of a unique slice of Jamaican life.
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Barrett, Brenda, Going Solo (New Song)
Going Solo (New Song) Page 15
