by Debby Mayne
“Girls like you get their hearts broken more often,” Mama told her. “Why don’t you learn to take baby steps until you are sure about what you’re getting into?”
Maybe that was what she needed to do with Tom. It wasn’t too late to start now. And while she was impressed with his involvement at church and his heart for the homeless and hungry, she couldn’t ignore the incident with the man in the subway. What if Tom was one of those after-hours Christians who didn’t follow his convictions on company time? She thought of how her aunt and uncle saw Tom, how they viewed him as the enemy. It was hard to believe or to reconcile two such different images of the same man. Who was Tom, anyway? Was he playing a game with her or using her for information to boost his company at the risk of damaging Zippers Plus again? Until she knew more, she’d better keep some distance.
After Cissy finished her tea, she slid beneath the covers of her daybed and picked up a book from the stack on the floor. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on her. Back in Hartselle, she rarely went to bed before midnight on a weekend, but it had become normal here in the city that never sleeps.
Chapter 19
THE NEXT MORNING Tom called as she was getting ready for church. “I’ll park at the church and walk to your place,” he offered.
“You don’t need to do that. I don’t mind walking alone.” She wanted to go to church with him, but she needed some distance to make it easier to watch for more warning signs.
Silence fell between them for a few seconds before he spoke. “Okay, if that’s what you want to do.”
“It is.”
“I’ll see you in a little while. Look for me when you get there.”
Cissy was pretty sure that was disappointment she heard in his voice, which pleased her to no end. She finished applying her mascara and took a swipe at her lips with a tube of tinted lip balm. Before she left, she made sure she didn’t have anything smeared on her face.
The instant she entered the storefront church, Tom made it to her side. He grinned as he gestured toward the front. “I like to be close to the pulpit so I’m not so distracted.”
They passed a row of teenage boys who looked extremely uncomfortable and out of place. She smiled at them, and they jeered back at her. She glanced at Tom, who made it clear he’d noticed. He leaned over and whispered, “I’ll explain in a few minutes.”
Once they sat down, some of the people around them introduced themselves. Cissy couldn’t believe the difference between the ages of these people and the ones at her aunt’s church, but she should have expected it based on the location. Not many people her aunt’s age lived in this section of the city.
A couple of members of the band had begun to play a soft song. Tom placed his arm around her and leaned toward her, whispering, “We have a ministry to help young kids stay out of trouble. Those guys back there either are or have been members of gangs.”
“Oh.” Cissy had never met a gang member before. “Are they dangerous?”
“Not here, but I wouldn’t want to mess with them when they’re with a bunch of their friends.”
“How do you find them?” Cissy asked.
He pointed toward a woman sitting a few rows over. “See that woman in the blue shirt? She lives in the neighborhood, and she gives us information.”
The church’s ministries amazed Cissy. They had nothing like this back home in Alabama. There the ministries consisted of vacation Bible school, canned food drives, and visiting patients in the nursing home.
The music grew louder, and the rest of the band went up on the stage. As the next song began, everyone stood and sang the words that were projected on the white screen at the front of the church.
The whole scenario felt right to Cissy. She loved everything about where she was at the moment—in this fabulous come-as-you-are church amidst a group of unpretentious believers. Her voice quivered with joy as they sang each song. Every now and then Tom glanced down at her with the strangest expression.
When the music ended, before the pastor walked to the center of the stage, Tom leaned over. “I love how you sing with such abandon.”
Cissy panicked. She hadn’t realized she’d sung loud enough for him to hear, and that was a very bad thing since she’d never been able to carry a tune in a bucket.
She cringed and gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. I reckon I just got carried away.”
He grinned. “That’s quite all right. I enjoy hearing your voice.”
“It probably makes you feel like an opera singer.”
He laughed. “Not exactly. I think you and I harmonize quite well, if you know what I mean.”
The pastor lifted his hands, indicating that it was time to pray. Cissy bowed her head and forced herself to concentrate on what she was there for. When the pastor ended his prayer, she silently added, Lord, show me who Tom really is. Show me if I can trust him.
After the service Tom took her by the hand and led her to a room behind the stage. “Would you like coffee or something?”
Although Cissy was tempted to stay, she’d already decided she needed a bit of space and time away from Tom in order to slow things down, allow her head to clear, and pray. “I think I’ll go on back to my apartment now. I have a lot of things to do, and I haven’t seen much of Charlene lately.”
The disappointment on his face almost made her change her mind, but she managed to hold back. He nodded his understanding. “Would you like for me to walk you home?”
“No, I think those guys want to speak with you.” She started to back away from him until she felt a bump behind her. She spun around and found herself face-to-face with a man-size person with a little boy’s face. He had a scar along the side of his jaw, and his scowl let her know he wasn’t in the best mood. “Oops. Sorry.”
His eyes narrowed as he continued staring at Cissy. Her stomach churned.
“Hey there, Barry,” Tom said from behind. “I’m glad you could make it.”
The kid turned his attention from her to Tom, but his face never broke into a smile. However, Tom didn’t let that sway him or alter his approach. He continued smiling as he took Barry by the arm and led him away from Cissy. They were a good ten feet away when she felt her pulse return to normal.
She took the opportunity to scurry out of the church. When she arrived back at her apartment, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. A knock made her jump.
The image of Barry’s scowl popped into her head. What if he’d followed her home? Then she remembered the code at the door downstairs and let out a shaky breath.
“Who is it?”
“Charlene. Are you gonna let me in, or do I have to spend the rest of the day wondering how church was?”
Cissy opened her apartment door. “Sorry.”
“Hey girl, you look like you just saw a ghost. What happened?”
Cissy spent more time telling Charlene about her encounter than the incident lasted. “Tom was amazing, though. He didn’t seem fazed in the least by that boy.”
“So what are you and Tom doing this afternoon?”
“Nothing,” Cissy replied. “I told him I was spending the afternoon with you.”
Charlene tilted her head and looked at Cissy with an odd expression. “Oh, but what if I have other plans?”
Cissy shrugged. “Then I reckon I’ll be spending the afternoon by my lonesome.”
“I was just funnin’ ya. I was hoping you’d save a little time for your old-maid friend.”
“You’re about the last person I’d ever call an old maid. What do you have in mind?”
“I dunno. Maybe we can just walk around and see what moves us. There’s always something interesting going on out there.”
“Then let’s go.”
Cissy had a wonderful time walking around the streets of New York City. They rode the subway to Times Square, where they watched tourists until they got hungry. “I’m in the mood for something exotic. How does Thai food sound?” Charlene asked.
&
nbsp; “When I’m this hungry I’ll eat just about anything.”
After they sat down and ordered, Charlene stared at Cissy for a few uncomfortable seconds.
“What?” Cissy bobbed her head. “Do I have something on my face?”
“I was just hoping you’d tell me more about Tom, like more about what’s going on that has you in such a dither. I feel like you just scratched the surface last time we talked.”
“I’m getting all kinds of mixed signals, and I don’t know what to do.” She unfolded her napkin and put it in her lap to buy a moment to think. “My history with romantic relationships isn’t good, ya know. I don’t have the best judgment.” She went into greater detail and explained why she felt so conflicted.
Charlene listened and nodded. “You do need to take some time to think and pray about this, but there is such a thing as overthinking.”
“How do you know when you cross that line?”
“I sure wish I could tell you. I overthink everything.” Charlene gave her a sympathetic look. “I do know that you can’t expect perfection in any guy, or you’ll wind up without one.”
When their food arrived, Cissy led the prayer. As they ate, they changed the subject, something Cissy appreciated about Charlene. She instinctively knew when a subject had been beaten to death, and Cissy needed a break.
By the time they got back to their apartment building, it was almost dark. Once again Cissy was exhausted.
“I can’t believe what this place is doing to me,” Cissy said once they reached Charlene’s apartment. “I get up with the chickens and go to bed before the old folks do back home.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Charlene snickered. “I used to pay a fortune at the gym when I lived in Atlanta, but this place is too expensive to have a gym membership, and I still lost weight. Go figure.”
“That’s because you do so much walking.” Cissy had noticed that too. She could eat almost anything she wanted, but her clothes had already started to get loose on her.
“Have you got plans with Tom this week?”
Cissy shook her head. “I’ve decided to back off a little bit. I don’t want to go into a relationship so fast this time. I’m sure you understand after what happened.”
“I do, and I think it’s a good idea.”
“I better go get my clothes ready for tomorrow. I hate having to steam my shirts in the mornings.”
“I should probably get a steamer. I usually just iron the front of my blouse, but I can’t take my jacket off all day, or my coworkers will see how wrinkled the rest of me is.”
Cissy laughed as she headed toward her own apartment. An hour later she was curled up in bed, forcing her eyes to stay open to read another chapter of her book.
The next morning when she got to work she spotted a note from Uncle Forest on her desk, telling her to go straight to his office. She knocked, and when he told her to come in, she did, closing the door behind her without his having to tell her to.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
“No.” He pulled a cooler out from beneath his desk. “I just wanted to make sure I gave you this. Bootsie was afraid you were sitting in your apartment all weekend starving to death.”
She took the cooler. “Thank you, and tell Aunt Bootsie I’m fine, but I’ll take anything she wants to send.”
“What did you do this past weekend?”
Cissy shrugged. “I handed out sandwiches to some homeless and hungry people and went to church. Charlene and I walked around last night. How about you?”
His forehead crinkled momentarily, but finally he broke into a grin. “Sounds like you stayed pretty busy. How do you like being on your own so far?”
“It’s okay, I guess.”
His gaze held steady on her long enough to make her squirm before he turned back to his computer. She stood there and watched him for a few seconds and then he glanced back up at her. “That’s all I wanted. Now get back to work. We have a bunch of sewing notions to sell.”
After lunch Uncle Forest called everyone into the conference room for an impromptu meeting. He looked around at everyone and then broke into a grin. “I have some wonderful news. The Fabulous Threads account is about to undergo some changes, and that involves more sales opportunities for us.” He turned to Dave and gestured for him to stand.
Dave spoke about prior sales to Fabulous Threads and explained how the changes would directly affect the account. “They plan to break things up into different departments, so more than one of us will benefit. In fact . . . ” He glanced at Uncle Forest who nodded. “I think we’ll be able to offer everyone here a piece of the pie.”
Cissy took notes. As Dave spoke, she imagined making a name for herself with this great new opportunity.
The rest of the week seemed to drag. Tom let her know he was called away on a business trip, so she might not hear from him for a while. She texted him, and he sent a short response, letting her know how busy he was. Cissy thought about Tom off and on, but she resisted the urge to call him. And perhaps sensing her hesitance, he didn’t call her either. This was probably what she needed in order to think clearly and evaluate her feelings.
Each evening she and Charlene took short strolls up and down the streets near their apartments looking for inexpensive wall hangings. “I so want that vase,” Cissy said, pointing to one of the pieces in a local gallery. “But even if I could afford it, I wouldn’t have any place to put it.”
“One of these days you will,” Charlene assured her. “Let’s go see what else we can find.”
Finally, the end of the week had arrived. Cissy still hadn’t heard from Tom other than a few very brief text messages letting her know he was thinking of her and inviting her to a concert on Saturday. “Should I call him?” Cissy asked as she and Charlene walked to work together.
Charlene shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
Cissy tried, but his phone went straight to voicemail. She didn’t leave a message.
Tom finally called at seven that night. “Sorry it took me so long, but this has been a bear of a week.”
She was slightly annoyed, but she wasn’t about to let him know. “That’s okay. I’ve had some time to get a few things squared away. Where are you?”
“I just got back to the office. Do you still want to go to the concert with me tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Good. How about I pick you up at nine in the morning? We can stop and get a few things from the deli on the way to the concert.”
After she got off the phone with Tom, Cissy called Charlene. “Got a few minutes?”
“Sure. I was about to fix some mac ’n cheese. Want some?”
“Sounds good. I’ll bring dessert.”
On her way out the door Cissy pulled the last of the cookies from Dave’s gift box from the freezer. Her diet had suffered since she’d been on her own, so she vowed to change that, starting on Monday. Even though she hadn’t put on a pound she knew she needed better nutrition.
Charlene had opened her apartment door and left it open while she stood at the stove. Cissy walked in, closed the door behind her, and took a long look at her friend.
“What’s the matter?” Cissy asked.
Charlene lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “I dunno. I’ve been feelin’ a tad lonelier than usual lately.”
Cissy could relate, but she didn’t want to burden her friend with more of her own doubts. “I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good friend. All I’ve done is talk about me, my work, my bare walls, and Tom.”
“Oh no, it’s not you. It’s just that . . . ” She contorted her mouth. “I want a date, but it seems like all the good guys are taken.”
Cissy had thought that many times when she lived in Alabama. “Maybe you just need a change of scenery.”
Charlene laughed. “Are you saying I won’t find anyone inside these four walls?”
“Something like that. How about church? Aren’t there any nice men there?”
; “Most of the ones that are left are married or seeing someone.”
“Since your church is about to close, why don’t you go to Tom’s church with me? I mean, you did say that you’ll probably have to find a new church soon anyway.”
Charlene tilted her head. “Are you saying I should use church as a dating service?”
“No, of course not. All I’m saying is that there isn’t any reason you can’t worship in a place where there are a few eligible bachelors in the congregation.”
“Well . . . ” Charlene bobbed her head. “You do have a point. Maybe I can try it out this Sunday.”
They made plans over mac ’n cheese and cookies. Then Cissy told her about Tom’s phone call and their date at a concert the following day.
“If it weren’t for what he did to your uncle, he would seem perfect,” Charlene sighed. “You really are in a pickle, aren’t you? I’ve had my share of man problems in the past, but not a one of ’em is as interesting as what’s happenin’ to you.”
“Maybe one of these days I’ll write a memoir.”
Charlene chuckled. “You’d have to sit still long enough to do it, and somehow I don’t see that happenin’.”
Cissy washed her dish, put it away, and gave Charlene a hug. “Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you?”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Charlene said. “I have to admit that I’ve been feeling mighty homesick lately. It’s nice to hear a little back-home talk.”
“I feel the same way.”
“I know you have, sweetie. If it makes you feel any better, this feeling we both have will come and go. We just have to take advantage of the times we’re not like this and have ourselves a little fun.”
Cissy nodded. “You and I need to stick together, no matter what. There isn’t any one place that’s perfect.”
Charlene snickered. “Ain’t that the truth? If I’d stayed in Atlanta, I never would have had the opportunities I’ve had here.”
