by Pat Simmons
Pepper swallowed. She wondered if this was God’s general message for the household of faith or was He directly speaking to her.
“You must really be focused on the message,” Monica whispered, grinning as she wiggled an opening between Pepper and an older man.
Pepper blinked. “You made it.”
Her friend shrugged. “You invited me and I accepted. Maybe one of your choir members will serenade me this time.” She snickered as Pepper groaned.
Yeah, they will serenade you on the path to salvation, Pepper thought. “Don’t start. Honestly, I forgot I had invited you. How did you find me?”
“I understand. You’ve got a lot—or a man—on your mind. Anyway, I wasn’t sitting too far from here when I saw you sashay in. I should have made my move then, but there was this cute guy nearby. I finally got tired of the chatty toddlers, so I decided to get up and squeeze in next to you.” Monica settled in.
Pepper half listened, trying not to miss a word of the sermon.
“Make no mistake about it. There aren’t any accidents, goof ups, or uh-ohs in your life. Everything—and I mean everything— that happens in your life will advance the story. That’s why you are here today. You’re on God’s schedule and timing. He’s made the promise to save you from your sins and set the captives free. Whatever you need today, God’s got it….” Elder Hammond preached a while longer until he closed his Bible, and then bowed his head in prayer. “Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your Word and Your promises. Touch a lost soul today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
As the choir stood and began singing, “I Surrender All,” Elder Hammond raised his arms. “You do not have to be lost today. Repent from where you are standing. Pour out your soul to Jesus. He’s waiting. It’s a perfect time to give your life to Christ. Repent and be baptized in the powerful name of Jesus, and He’ll fulfill His promises. Jesus is giving away the Holy Ghost today. It’s free and the Bible says once the Holy Ghost has come upon you, you shall receive power and you will speak in unknown tongues…”
The altar call was compelling, but Monica didn’t budge as others made their way to the front. “Maybe next time,” she whispered to Pepper.
Pepper nodded and hugged her friend. Hopefully, God watered the seed that Pepper had done a good job of planting. The two walked out to the parking lot and parted ways—Pepper went home and Monica to some scheduled event. Thank God Monica didn’t mention Drake’s stunt again.
Back at her house, Pepper prepared a Greek pasta salad and added bits of turkey sausage. She warmed up leftover green beans and toasted garlic bread—a staple anytime she had pasta. After she ate and finished cleaning up, she checked in with her parents.
“Pepper! I’ve been waiting to hear about the event last night. Anything exciting happen?” her mother, Gina Trudeau, asked.
She was not about to mention the daring Drake fiasco. “Nothing worth mentioning,” she mumbled.
“You attended a gala at the convention center. The event had been advertised in the paper and on the radio. Surely, you met some important and interesting people. If your father and I didn’t have a prior engagement, we would have been there with you.”
Maybe if Gregory and Gina Trudeau were present, things may have turned out differently. If she mentioned the devastatingly handsome, talented and scary Drake Logan, her mother’s brown eyes would gleam, expecting some juicy tidbits. Her parents had four grown children. Jamaal was married. Cole was engaged. Chelsea was dating, and Pepper was dateless.
“Well,” she said, making herself comfortable on her bed, “the event was beautiful. It was like fashion week. The night went downhill after I saw another woman wearing the same dress.”
“No,” her mother practically shrieked. “You looked so beautiful in that picture you sent me from your phone. Just beautiful….I was sure you would get every man’s attention. Next time, we’ll have to whip you up something special so that won’t happen again.”
Someone did tell me that I was beautiful, but his intensity scared me, Pepper withheld her comment. How could any man she dated after tonight outdo Drake Logan’s act? Clearing her throat, Pepper blinked the daydream away, then wondered if it was the dress that caught Drake’s eye or fate.
CHAPTER SIX
“I’ve been humming that song you killed last night,” Paige said, praising her brother-in-law when Drake called early Sunday morning. “As a matter of fact, I talked Stephan into singing it to me. Whew.” She sighed. “But I think you overwhelmed Pepper, though. She did seem a little shy.”
But their vibes were undeniably strong as they sat at the table together. Paige might be right. Pepper hinted as much when she walked away from him the previous night. While Drake shared her table, Pepper didn’t seem to have any problems with his flirting.
“I wanted to seal the deal on the stage before other wolves came on the scene. Maybe it was a little overkill.”
“Subtle is good. Patience is better.”
“If I recall correctly, Miss Paige Taylor was ready to walk away when she thought a certain Logan brother was taking too long to make a decision if he wanted to ask a certain woman he was in love with to be his wife.”
“Hey, this sista don’t play.”
“Listen, the real reason I called is I need your assistance in tracking Pepper down,” Drake got down to business.
“I don’t even know the woman except for introducing myself because we were wearing the same dress. Otherwise, I don’t know her age, where she works or lives. Sorry.”
“You were at her table.”
Drake would not be deterred as he paced the living room of his West County condo. He opened the blinds and watched as a breeze stirred leaves from the trees.
“Because when my brother-in-law dedicated a song to a woman I assumed he had just met and paid a thousand dollars to sit at—”
Drake grimaced. Paige knew too much of the wrong information. “Will you help me or not?”
Never one to give him a straight answer, she seemed to ignore his request. “You freaked that woman out. As soon as she could get away, she did.” She sighed. “Me personally, I thought it was romantic.” Paige switched the conversation back to her favorite subject—her husband—which basically meant she wasn’t going to help him.
When Drake’s smoke detector blared, he remembered his frozen Eggos. He signed off the phone and raced to the kitchen where smoke was billowing out of his new toaster. Opening the window for the smoke to escape, Drake dumped the charred waffles into the sink, then doused them with water. After they were soaked, he dumped them in his trash bin. He reached for a box of cereal—something that wouldn’t require cooking.
Crunching on Cheerios, Drake’s mind kept ticking. Pepper wasn’t rid of him yet. He picked up his TV remote off his kitchen table. Paige reminded him of the money he dished out. He stopped chewing. Monica. Maybe he could solicit her help since he’d plopped down a thousand-plus dollars for her cause. He clicked his television on, then off. Standing, he abandoned his cereal bowl and headed upstairs to his bedroom.
Hopefully, last night’s program was still stuffed in his tuxedo pocket. Besides a phone number, maybe Monica’s name would be listed as part of the committee or he would know someone on the board.
“Where is it?” he asked, becoming frustrated. Drake deserted his pants on the floor as he wracked his brain. “I did bring a program home last night, I think,” he tried to reassure himself as he raced down the steps and out the garage door to his SUV. He checked his leather seats and on the floor—no such luck. Drake was about to give up when he returned to the kitchen.
A corner of the gold program was peeping out his trash can. Inspecting it closer, he opened the lid. Drake gritted his teeth. The soggy remains of the waffles he haphazardly threw away smothered it. Carefully, he pulled it out and gingerly wiped it off. Next, he dug out his blow dryer from his closet, then blasted the paper until it was crisp.
He scanned the names and didn’t recognize any of them. Plus, there
were no Monicas. Since it was a Sunday morning, the best Drake could do was to leave a message. Drake grabbed the cordless and punched in the digits. He was shocked when someone answered. He sat straighter.
“Good morning. Children Are Our Future Association.”
Suddenly, Drake became tongue-tied.
“Hello?” the man repeated his greeting, becoming somewhat irritated.
“Sorry. You caught me off guard. I was prepared to leave a message. This is Drake Logan, my brothers and I—”
“Hey, Drake. This is Rick Williams. I’m one of the unlucky board members who had to miss church to come in this morning and verify our contributions for the bank deposit tomorrow. You put a lot of brothers in the doghouse with that show you put on last night.” He chuckled. “My woman wanted to know why I don’t sing to her like that. I can’t hold a note, but seriously, thanks for letting us put you all on the spot.”
Bobbing his head, Drake grinned. Gratitude could work to his advantage. “You bet. I’m glad we could help make it a successful event.” He grunted. “I know I came to Monica Marshall’s rescue when it didn’t look like she was going to fill her table. That’s why I called, to get her number.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Yeah, we appreciate your contribution, man. We really do. Give me yours. I’ll give Monica a call to make sure it’s okay to pass her number along.”
Drake begrudgingly rattled off his digits and hung up to wait. Sunday morning. He couldn’t remember the last time he had made an effort to go to church. When Stephan became serious about courting Paige, he started to attend her church. Drake had visited a few times. Since their marriage, both Stephan and Paige had slacked off.
Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, then an hour passed. Drake stopped watching the clock. Evidently, Rick didn’t know that the Logan brothers weren’t patient men, and although Drake was the youngest, he was the ringleader of impatience. An hour and twelve minutes later, the phone rang.
“Monica wasn’t home, but I left a message,” Rick said.
Drake grimaced at the unfavorable news. Maybe he would have had better luck going to church and lifting up a few prayers for a little intervention. They disconnected.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Monday morning, Pepper woke up refreshed after a fairly decent night’s rest. Drake’s charming face and sexy smile only taunted her once while she slept. The first order of business was getting on her knees and giving Jesus a few minutes of praise and worship for living to see another day. Afterward, she ate breakfast and prepared for work.
It was close to nine when Pepper scurried across Maryland Avenue in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis, to the Brown Shoe headquarters building. Although she and Monica worked for the same company, most of the time the two never saw each other until lunch. Forgoing the elevator, Pepper took the winding stairs to her office on the second floor where she was the assistant to the buying rep.
When Pepper opened the door to her office, Monica was perched on Pepper’s desk in her cubicle instead of working in the art department where she was on a team responsible for sketching the latest footwear. Pepper frowned. “Hey, what are you doing up here?”
“Good morning to you, too. This couldn’t wait for lunch and I wanted to see your expression, so texting was out.” Monica’s wide grin was suspicious.
“Okay, you see me.” Pepper opened her drawer and placed her purse inside. “Now what’s the breaking news?” She took her seat and logged on to the computer.
“Drake Logan called me for your number yesterday. Well actually, he called the office on Sunday. Rick left a message that Drake wanted me to call him.” She grinned. “Besides him, his sister-in-law, Paige called—you know the one wearing the same dress—”
“You just had to remind me.” Pepper was trying to forget about that debacle. Pepper’s fingers skidded across the keyboard, causing her to type in the wrong password.
“Girl, that’s old news. Drake Logan is headline news. Anyway, she was pleading her case for me to release your number to Drake. That man is determined to track you down.”
Pepper couldn’t help but wonder if Drake had attended church and whether he made the call before or after service. Although it was none of her business, it would be if—a big if—she decided to talk to him again. She was no different from any other woman that had deal breakers when it came to the opposite sex, like the man had to have a job, completed high school—graduated from college preferably—and possess good looks. For Pepper, she couldn’t compromise Jesus. She was a committed Bible-reading, sanctified living, and praying woman. The desires of her heart were legitimate.
“The first time I accept your invitation to church and what happens? I miss an important call. I called the man back, but it was late. Drake answered as if his phone was riding shotgun on his ear. Anyway, he got to the point—no chitchat or games. He wanted your number.”
“I thought I made myself clear Friday night that I wasn’t interested.”
“Was that before or after the ballad? Because if you weren’t interested before he sang his heart out, then he was definitely a keeper afterward.”
“No comment. At least you didn’t give it to him.” Pepper exhaled, then squinted. “Please tell me he didn’t bribe you with more money.” Pepper’s heart skipped.
Monica leaned closer and whispered, “I’m sure he thought about it, but I told him I would get back to him. I wanted to talk some sense into you first. Do you have any idea how many women would have paid money for a man to serenade them like that?” Monica became animated.
“Humph. Well, as you know, I’m not that type of woman and thankfully, I’m not his client.”
“Just once, Pep, follow this trail. Didn’t your pastor preach something about nothing happens by accident?”
“How convenient that you suddenly have selective hearing and memory.”
“Deny that was a romantic gesture.” Monica challenged with a smirk.
“Romantic would have been between the two of us. And I’m not saying there is an ‘us’, but I was so embarrassed to be singled out. I couldn’t get past that to be enchanted.”
“Too bad none of the men from your church had put you on a pedestal like that. I’ve double dated with you a few times, remember? And those men had to be prompted to even open a door for you.”
“Okay, their dating etiquette was less than impressive, but don’t you think people should get to know each other before going public and making those types of declarations?”
“Humph. My feelings would not be hurt if a man wanted to let other women know that he was taken.” Monica stood to leave. “You can deny it, but you’ll repent later. I’m sure of it. I can see it in your eyes; you want the happily-ever-after.”
Busted.
Why couldn’t Monica just leave? Instead, she sat again on the corner of her desk, scooting over a small flowerpot that was nourishing a cactus plant. Pepper smirked. It would serve Monica right if she got stuck. “Did his parents call you next?” she asked sarcastically.
“Who else could vouch for his character?” she baited her friend. “Paige is pulling for you because she has never seen Drake so infatuated with a woman. She thinks it was the dress that did it.”
Monica was starting to test their friendship. Rolling her eyes, Pepper turned away, dismissing Monica and giving her the hint to leave. If Pepper could return that dress, she would. It was overpriced anyway. The dumpster was starting to sound really tempting.
“What are you afraid of?”
“My heart, Monica. I’m guarding it just like the Bible says.”
“Pepper, as long as I’ve known you, I know you’re not fanatical, but a practicing Christian. Help me understand why you won’t go on a date, dinner, or to a movie with Drake to see if he is the type of person you’re judging him to be or to prove yourself wrong.”
“Because it could be just the beginning of a disaster.”
“Or the beginning of something special and permanent,” Monica coun
tered. “Girl, pleeze. You don’t even know what’s good for you.”
“God knows, and—”
“Listen, I’ve got to get back to work, but not before getting religious on you. Use this Holy Ghost you profess. Test the waters and see if Drake is genuine. Aren’t you the one who says the Holy Ghost can spot a demon a mile away? All I’m saying—”
“You’re saying goodbye before someone pages you. Girl, go to work.”
“Just so you know, I have defected to the other side. I’m on team Drake because I think he’s the sugar to your spice and I have no problem becoming a co-conspirator.”
“Then I guess I better watch my back because too much sugar can lead to cavities.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
It had been two days and nothing. Either Monica didn’t speak to Pepper on his behalf or Pepper was still angry. He doubted he would be able to figure women out in a lifetime. He snickered to himself. “But I can hold out.” He tried to recall the saying about the patience of Job from the Bible. They had to be distant relatives.
By Friday, his fortitude had run out and he was ready to take action. Drake called Monica again.
“She’s not budging.” Monica explained that she hadn’t made any headway.
“Why is she so against going out to dinner?” He was perplexed. “What am I lacking in her eyes?” He glanced at his appearance in a store window at West County Mall.
Monica was quiet at first, which put him on guard. “Pepper’s attracted to men who profess and portray a commitment to God.”
That’s all? Drake held in a chuckle. As Monica continued to babble on, Drake thought back to dinner and Pepper’s beautiful eyes that seemed to come alive after he prayed—interesting. “What’s the name of her church?” he interrupted.
