The car came to a stop as Isaiah pulled up in front of her house. She turned to him, hoping that he would have something to say to her. But all he did was turn a blank stare her way as he said, “Goodnight.”
Wiping the tears from her face, Ramona said “I made a mistake, Isaiah. I should have told you about my ex-husband. But everything else I told you was true.”
“Well, thanks for that.”
The sarcastic sound of his voice undid her. She opened the passenger door and put one foot out before turning back to him. “I told you before, Isaiah… forgiveness is a choice. You seemed to think that people have to be perfect to qualify for your love. But people aren’t perfect. We are flawed, emotional creatures who somehow still need love anyway.”
***
Ramona stood before Isaiah, Eric and Joel Morrison as she delivered the presentation she’d been working on from the day she’d arrived at the church. She and Isaiah hadn’t spoken, besides a quick hello or goodbye since the episode at the coffee shop. She had cried herself to sleep the last few nights, but no more. Ramona decided that all of this feeling-sorry-for-herself stuff would end today.
She handed a portfolio to all three men seated before her as she said, “More detailed information has been sent to each of your emails so that you can file the documentation in the appropriate place.” Her eyes kept darting towards Isaiah, but each time, she would refocus on Joel or Eric. “The information I’m providing you with today shows our investment and giving strategy.” She had one other file in her hand, she sat that one down in front of her and then said, “Please open to the first page.”
Ramona then reviewed the table of contents with them, guiding them through the document so that they would be able to easily locate needed information.
“This looks really good, Ramona. I can tell that you poured your heart and soul into this project,” Joel said.
An unexpected smile crossed Ramona’s lips. She hadn’t smiled in a week. Not since… “Thank you, Mr. Morrison. Coming from you, that is certainly high praise indeed.”
“Dad, did I tell you that Ramona’s grandmother has all of your old movies?” Isaiah said to his father, while his eyes were on Ramona.
She rolled her eyes heavenward, as if to say, ‘give me a break’. “Anyway,” she began, “I have listed all of the investments on page five and began the list of charitable organizations we will be donating to on page eight.”
The meeting went on for another hour as she listed figures, percentages and organizations. Everyone nodded as if they understood the information and no one fell asleep, so as far as Ramona was concerned, the meeting was a success. “Thank you gentlemen for taking the time to review this information with us. If you have any questions, I’m sure Pastor Isaiah will be able to answer them for you. She then stood up and handed Isaiah the folder that she had placed in front of her when she began the meeting. “Good day, everyone.” She walked out of the conference room without another word.
“You’ve got a good one there, Isaiah. You’d better hold on tight to that one,” Eric said while still reviewing the portfolio.
Isaiah opened the folder that Ramona handed him before leaving the meeting and his eyes bugged out. “She quit,” he said before he could stop himself.
“She what? But why?” Joel asked, clearly not understanding this turn of events. “She seems like the perfect person for a job like this.”
“Well, she quit,” Isaiah said while handing his father her two line resignation letter. “Without giving me any type of explanation.”
“Why did she give you her divorce decree,” Eric asked while pulling out the other document that had been in the file Ramona handed to Isaiah.
Isaiah snatched it away from his brother. He quickly reviewed the document and noted that Ramona was indeed divorced as she had told him. He’d accused her of lying about the divorce, so she’d quit a job that Isaiah knew she desperately needed. She wanted to get away from him more than she wanted to get her financial life back in order. For a financial planner that was huge. “I’ll be right back,” Isaiah told his father and brother as he stood up and rushed out of the room.
He’d messed up and now he needed to fix it, before he lost the woman Isaiah knew he was born to love. When he reached Ramona’s office, she had a box on top of her desk that she was filling with photos and little knick knacks that she’d brought with her. She looked up as he walked in. “Don’t worry; I’m not taking anything that doesn’t belong to me.”
“Why are you leaving?”
She gave him a why-do-you-think look and continued packing.
He held up his hands. “Look, Ramona, I was mad after your husband… I mean, ex-husband confronted us. But if you would have given me some time, I would have gotten over it.”
“Oh really, and how am I supposed to believe that when you can’t even forgive your own brother. I noticed that he was not in attendance today.”
She had him there. “You’re right. I haven’t forgiven Shawn yet. But I’m getting closer and closer to it every day.” He stepped closer to her. “You didn’t do anything to me, Ramona. So you don’t need my forgiveness. I need to ask you to forgive me.”
She had been reaching for her purse, but stopped mid-reach. “What do I need to forgive you for?”
“For judging you based on my past experiences.” He inched closer. “I should have believed you when you told me that you were indeed divorced. I can’t understand why you didn’t tell me in the first place.”
“I wanted to tell you.”
He was so close to her now that he put his fingers to her lips. “Shh. You don’t need to explain anything to me. I trust you, because my heart tells me that I can.”
A tear slid down her face.
“You once told me that forgiveness was a choice, I agree with you on that. But you need to know, that for me, love isn’t a choice. I can’t control my heart, and it wants you.”
“But Isaiah-”
He silenced her with a kiss that was so passionate, so filled with all the love he was feeling that it swept them away to a land where betray and lies didn’t exist. There was only hope and love for them now. “So, what do you say, baby,” he asked when they came up for air.
“About what?” He had her so dazed she couldn’t even remember what they had been talking about.
“About loving me… having and holding me… from this moment, until death do us part. It’s your choice.”
“Then I choose you,” Ramona told him without a second thought. “Now, pastor, about that kiss.”
“What about it?”
“Let’s do it again.”
Isaiah was about to oblige his woman, but as he leaned his head forward they heard a noise behind them. They both turned their gazes toward Joel and Eric Morrison as they stood in the doorway of Ramona’s office.
“Um, I think y’all need to wait until after the wedding before you kiss her like that again, Son.”
The group laughed at the wise words of Joel Morrison. But then they began to rejoice, because the preacher’s heart had been mended.
The End.
OTHER EBOOKS BY VANESSA MILLER
The Blessed and Highly Favored Series is available in ebook format only…
The Blessed One: (March 2011) Joel Morrison proved his love for God when he lost all of his children in the 1952 Kern County earthquake. He weathered those hard times, and God blessed him with five more children. But now that his children are grown and living their own lives, Joel worries that the devourer has once again set his sights on the family that God has blessed.
For the most part, Joel’s children are successful and rich yet very unhappy. Joel realizes that giving his children more money will not make them happy, nor will it secure a place in heaven for them, when their hearts and souls are not fully committed to Christ. So, Joel Morrison decides to change his will in an attempt to teach his children a lesson in giving. He invites his children on a family vacation in the Bahamas to tell them that
he will be giving most of his money away to charity. However, Joel’s declaration is not the biggest surprise of their vacation.
Shockwaves are sent throughout the Morrison family, the likes of which they may never recover from.
The Wild One: (release date: June 2011) Dee Dee Morrison-Milner is a movie star and the wild child in the Morrison family; you name it and she’s done it, with almost no regrets. However, when her younger sister, Elaine, asks her to adopt an African orphan child (Natua), Dee Dee agrees because Hollywood is full of actresses adopting underprivileged children--no big deal. But when a psycho fixates on Dee Dee’s maternal abilities and imagines himself married to the movie star diva, she finds herself running from a stalker.
When Natua is kidnapped, Dee Dee turns back to her estranged husband, Drake Milner, to help her find the child whose kind nature stole her heart. Along the way, Drake helps Dee Dee restore her relationship with the Lord.
The Preacher’s Choice: (release date: August 2011) Isaiah Morrison is a man after God’s heart. Even though his wife divorces him, Isaiah continues to preach and declare the goodness of the Lord. He is content to live alone for the rest of his life, never imagining that God has something else in mind for him.
The first day Ramona Verse walked into Christ Tabernacle, she fell in love with everything about the church, and especially the handsome self-assured man behind the pulpit. But would a man like Pastor Morrison ever consider a woman with a dark past like hers? Ramona and Pastor Morrison are brought together through his need for someone to head his charity foundation, but Isaiah will soon discover that he needs much more from the secretive Miss Verse than he ever thought possible.
The Politician’s Wife: (release date: October 2011) Eric Morrison’s wife, Linda, hits a football superstar while driving drunk, and Eric tries to cover it up. But Linda is now ready to atone for her sins. With help from unexpected places, she finds the strength to stop drinking and gives her life to Christ. Eric is thrilled when his wife stops drinking. However, when she tells him that she wants to start an organization that helps recovering alcoholics put their lives back together and that she intends to use some of his father’s foundation money to do it, Eric rejects the idea, convinced that it will put his bid for governor at risk.
Then a blackmailer threatens to reveal pictures of his wife’s drunk-driving accident unless he receives ten million dollars. Eric must decide whether he will stand up for the truth that his father taught him and that his wife also believes in or sell his soul for public office.
This story has so many twists and turns, you won’t be able to put it down!
The Playboy’s Redemption: (release date: January 2012) After a very public argument over increased child support payments, the mother of Shawn Morrison’s third child is found dead. Shawn is the primary suspect. Now in a fight for his life, Shawn turns back to Lilly, the woman whose heart he broke after she gave birth to two sons for him, but never even received an engagement ring. Lilly is now a born-again Christian. Will her forgiving heart and new attitude concerning morality finally help Shawn turn back to God in this, his darkest hour?
Love Isn’t enough (Short Story) ebook
Sometimes love just isn’t enough and Hannah Ellison is sick of pretending.
She promised to love, honor and cherish her husband, but Thomas kept secrets. And now as Hannah wades through all of Thomas’s unpaid bills, baby mama drama and her inability to conceive… she must decide if love is enough to keep her at home when her heart and mind is in turmoil over something that only God can fix.
This short story is loosely based on the Old Testament story of Hannah’s pleas for a child of her own (1 Samuel 1:1-2:26).
A Mighty Love (Novella) ebook
Shay Lamont was sick and tired of dating men who didn’t know the first thing about being faithful. She’d spent a lifetime chasing after losers, now she was determined to spend the rest of her life chasing after God.
Just as Shay sets her sights on God, Malcolm Harris sets his sights on her… and Malcolm is just as determined to get what he wants. If Shay can let her guard down and learn to trust again, she just may discover the mighty love God intended for her heart only.
The Rain Series is now available on ebook:
Check them out on your Kindle or Nook
Titles: Former Rain, Abundant Rain, Latter Rain, Rain Storm and Through the Storm
Here are a few of Vanessa’s newer books
For complete list Visit www.vanessamiller.com
Long Time Coming
Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband and beautiful home, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty her entire life and has three children by three different men. After learning that Kenisha has inoperable cervical cancer, the relationship between these two women becomes a catalyst of hope, leading them both to a place of redemption and healing.
Second Chance at Love Series
Titles:
Yesterday’s Promise
A Love for Tomorrow
A Promise of Forever Love
Available Wherever Books Are Sold
AUTHOR BIO: Vanessa Miller
Vanessa Miller of Dayton, Ohio, is a best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying.
Vanessa has been writing since she was a young child. When she wasn’t writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels, reading consumed her free time. However, it wasn’t until she committed her life to the Lord in 1994 that she realized all gifts and anointing come from God. She then set out to write redemption stories that glorify God.
To date, Vanessa has written four complete series and one single title mainstream book. Her readership steadily grows with each new release as she is a consummate promoter of her works. Vanessa believes that each of her books touch the heart and soul of readers across the country in a special way. It is, after all, her God-given destiny to write novels that bring deliverance to God’s people. These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestsellers’ lists.
• Essence Bestsellers’ List March 2008; May 2008 (Former Rain)
• Essence Bestsellers’ List September 2008 (Rain Storm)
• Black Expressions Book Club Alternate Selection 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010
• #1 Ebook for fiction on Amazon.com November 2010 (Long Time Coming)
• #1 on BCNN/BCBC Bestsellers’ List November 2010 (Long Time Coming)
Vanessa is a dedicated Christian and devoted mother. She graduated from Capital University with a degree in Organizational Communication. In 2010, Vanessa was ordained by her church as a minister. Vanessa believes that God has called her to minister through her writings and help readers rediscover their place with the Lord.
Most of Vanessa’s published novels depict characters that are lost and in need of redemption. The books have received countless favorable reviews.
“. . . Heartwarming, drama-packed and tender in just the right places.”—Romantic Times Book Review.
“Recommended for readers of redemption stories.” –Library Journal.
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