Genesis House Inspirational Romance and Family Drama Boxed Set: 3-in-1

by Angela Benson

  "Hey, is it all right if I use your phone? I need to call The Aunts." He shrugged. "Let 'em know I'm okay. They worry, you know."

  "I know," Marvin said, not surprised by Bo's concern for his great-aunts. "The phone's in the kitchen and the shower's across the hall. Help yourself to both."

  Marvin turned to leave, but Bo's words stopped him.

  "Thanks," the boy said. "For not taking me home last night. The Aunts worry, you know."

  Marvin nodded his head slightly and left the room, heading for his shower. Father, he prayed, I'm not going to let what happened last night cause me to lose faith in the work you're doing in Bo's life. Please show me how to demonstrate your love to him.

  * * *

  Shay opened her eyes as soon as she heard the front door close. Finally, she could get up. She'd been awake since Marvin had first gotten out of bed, but she hadn't opened her eyes. She'd pretended sleep rather than face her husband this morning. The sad thing was, she didn't feel guilty about it. Not one bit.

  She pushed back the covers and sat on the side on the bed, immediately popping into her mouth one of the crackers she kept on the nightstand. Marvin's note faced her as she chewed. She picked it up and read in his perfect penmanship: "Get some rest. I love you. Marvin." He'd known she wasn't asleep, she was sure. Yet, he'd gone along with her pretense, probably wanting to avoid another argument as much as she did. He'd written the note, kissed her on her forehead, and quietly left the room.

  Now what was she going to do? she wondered. Her plans had been to spend this Saturday helping out in some way with the work at the new Genesis House offices, but that idea no longer held any appeal. There would be too many people, too many watchful eyes. What was it Daniel had said about her and Marvin's relationship being a part of their ministry? Well, she was sure today was not the day to put that relationship on display. Her heart was so heavy, she didn't know if she could force a smile.

  She opened the top drawer of her nightstand and pulled out her Bible, opened it, and began to read, hoping to find some comfort, some direction within its pages. After about fifteen minutes, she gave up. Her heart wasn't in it, and though she knew that wasn't a good excuse to stop reading, she stopped anyway. Besides, she wasn't ready to deal with the Scriptures about forgiveness and not holding a grudge, and those seemed to be the ones she kept turning to this morning. Her Lord wasn't exactly subtle.

  The ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. "Good morning," she said brightly, not forgetting her role.

  "Shay, this is Evelyn. Did I wake you?"

  "No, you didn't," Shay told her. "What can I do for you this morning?"

  "I was wondering if you were coming down to Genesis House today. Mrs. Wilkins, the councilwoman who missed the Garden Club meeting that you and Vickie attended the other week, called to say she was coming by. She'd like to meet you and Marvin."

  So much for my plans to stay away. "Sure, I'll be there."

  Shay could feel Evelyn's smile through the phone. "Good, I'll let her know. Well, that's all I wanted. I'll let you go. Franklin and I are trying to get the kids ready. We're all going to come down and see what's going on."

  Hearing the wail of a child in the background, Shay knew it was time to hang up. "Thanks for calling, Evelyn. I'll see you in a little while."

  Shay hung up the phone. She really wasn't in the mood to face the probing eyes of her church family. She sighed and looked upward. Are you trying to tell me something, Lord? Without waiting for an answer, she got up and headed for the shower. She had a long day ahead of her.

  * * *

  Marvin lifted his hammer and tried to focus on both his conversation with Bo and the board he was trying to replace on the steps leading up to the porch of the house.

  "I'm waiting, man," Bo said. He held the board in place while Marvin hammered the nail.

  Marvin took another nail from his mouth. "Waiting for what?" he asked, positioning it on the board.

  "The lecture, or sermon, or whatever you call it."

  Marvin spared Bo a quick glance before turning his attention back to the board and nail. "Why would I lecture you?" he asked, with a downward swing of his hammer. He certainly wanted to point out to Bo the error of his ways, but he didn't want to lecture the kid. As surely as he knew his name, Marvin knew such a tactic was not the right way to reach Bo. No, a more subtle approach was called for. Subtle enough it slapped Bo right in the face, that is.

  Bo rolled his eyes. "You know, man."

  Marvin rolled his eyes too. "Humor me. Why would I lecture you, or give you a sermon, or whatever?"

  Bo's bottom lip curled. "About the drinking. And stuff."

  "And stuff?" Marvin cut a glance at him. "What stuff?"

  Bo looked around as if to make sure no one was listening in on the conversation. "Hanging out at Jo-Jo's."

  "What else?"

  "All right, maybe I was smoking something I shouldn't have been smoking."

  "Maybe?"

  Bo cast his eyes down to the board.

  "So you expect me to lecture you about all that, or preach you a sermon?"

  Bo nodded.

  "Why should I?" Marvin stopped his hammering and gave Bo his full attention. "You already know what you did was wrong, and stunts like the one last night aren't going to help you get where you want to be. You don't need me to tell you that. Now hand me that board behind you."

  Bo's eyes widened, but he handed Marvin the board. Marvin hammered in four nails before asking, "So why did you do it? One day you're filling out college applications and practicing for entrance exams, and the next day you're wasted in a bar. What's up with that?"

  Bo shrugged, lowered his eyes, and looked away. "I don't know."

  Marvin raised a brow at that comment. "You look like a smart boy to me, Bo. I bet you do know."

  "Aw, man," he said, "it's just something to do on a Friday night. Just a way to waste the night away."

  "Is that what you tell The Aunts?" Marvin had deliberately referred to the elderly ladies the way Bo did. He wasn't surprised when he got a reaction.

  "Leave them out of this. They don't know anything about it."

  "They don't know you drink, hang out in unsavory places, and smoke stuff? They look like smart women to me, Bo. I'd guess they do know."

  Bo frowned. "No, they don't."

  "Why is it so important to keep them in the dark?"

  Bo turned his eyes back to the board, hiding them from Marvin's perusal. '"Cause they've been good to me, and it would hurt their feelings. They believe in all that God and church stuff."

  "And you don't?"

  Bo shrugged. "I don't really think much about God these days. He seems to leave me alone, and I treat him much the same way."

  Marvin considered those words and held them in his heart. "Hand me another board," he said to Bo. Bo passed him the board, and he positioned it for nailing.

  "You really aren't going to give me a sermon, are you?" Bo asked a few minutes later.

  Marvin looked up at the boy and shook his head. "Are you going to give me one?"

  Bo laughed. "You know, you're all right, man."

  Marvin laughed too. "So I've been told. Now hold this board in place for me." After nailing it in place, he asked, "So how did the practice exam go?"

  Bo rolled his shoulders back in a weird sort of shrug. "I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I did well, and then sometimes I think I failed."

  "Did you answer all the questions?"

  Bo nodded. "Shay told me that it was better to answer them all than to leave any blank, so I made sure to fill in an answer for all of them. I even used my own watch to make sure—" he looked at his wrist and then patted his pockets—"oh, man, I think I left my watch at your house."

  "Not a problem," Marvin said. "You can pick it up sometime or I can drop it by your house. You were saying about the test...?"

  "Oh, yeah, I used my watch to make sure I had time to answer everything. They had a timekeeper and a clock on the wall, bu
t I liked using my own."

  "Were you thinking about how you did on the test when you were drinking last night?" Marvin asked.

  Bo looked away. "At first, but the more I drank the more I forgot about it."

  Marvin studied the boy. "You know you can't handle your problems that way. Once the alcohol wears off, your problem is still there waiting for you, and most times, the drinking has made the problem worse."

  "I know," Bo said.

  Marvin nodded. "Good. Now hand me another board."

  * * *

  As Shay walked up the sidewalk to the house on Tremont, she spotted Marvin and Bo laughing together on the porch steps. She fought the hurt and anger that bubbled up in her as she watched them.

  "Shay!"

  She turned at the sound of her name. She saw Evelyn and her family coming from the opposite direction. She couldn't help but grin at the picture they made. The petite Evelyn pushed a blue stroller, while the slight man next to her—her husband, Franklin, whom Shay hadn't seen since that first Sunday at church—led their twin daughters, one on each hand.

  Shay waved at the oncoming brood. "Good morning," she called to them. "Looks like we're on the same time schedule."

  Evelyn's ever-present smile beamed. "It's always a big deal to get this gang out of the house," she said. "Stop it," she said to the little girl who was holding her daddy's hand. The child had tried to fold herself behind her mother's skirts. Shy, Shay assumed. Evelyn looked up at Shay and shrugged. "Kids—what can I say?"

  Shay chuckled. "That about says it all. You have a lovely family, Evelyn."

  Evelyn rested her open palm against her cheek. "Well, they're not lovely all the time, but they're mine, so I'm happy."

  Franklin dropped one daughter's hand and extended it to Shay. "I'm happy to see you again," he said with a grin that matched his wife's. "It's been a while. Evelyn has told me nothing but good things about the work you and Marvin are starting."

  Shay shook his hand. "Thank you, Franklin. It's good seeing you again, too." She inclined her head toward Evelyn. "We consider Evelyn a blessing. When I think about all she has to do with her family, I'm amazed she has time to volunteer."

  "I want to do it," Evelyn said, shaking off the praise. "Besides, I don't do that much, and it gets me out of the house a few days a week and around adults. Believe me, with four kids and Franklin away so much, I need the adult interaction."

  Franklin leaned close to his wife and pulled her into a quick embrace, their daughter between them. "That's my Evelyn," he said. "I'm always telling her how wonderful she is."

  Evelyn smiled up at her husband before looking at Shay. "Of course, he doesn't tell me nearly often enough."

  Both Franklin and Shay smiled. "They never do, Evelyn," Shay agreed.

  "Hey, I think I'm being maligned here, and the odds are not exactly in my favor. Is Marvin around?"

  Shay nodded, glancing over at her husband. He was still talking to Bo, but he'd stood up and was now brushing off his pants. Shay turned back to Evelyn and her family. "I think he's trying to make his way over here."

  "He's with Bo," Franklin observed with a smile. "That's good."

  Shay turned surprised eyes to Franklin. "You know Bo?"

  He nodded. "Practically all of his life. He's made some bad decisions recently, but I can still see the good kid he used to be, hiding just beneath the surface. I was spending some time with him before my job change, but I haven't seen much of him lately with all my time on the road. I regret that."

  "We invite him over to the house, but he won't come," Evelyn said. "I'm glad to see that he and Marvin seem to be getting along."

  Shay nodded just as Marvin and Bo joined their circle.

  "Hey, Bo," Franklin said, "long time, no see."

  Bo clapped the older man on his shoulder. "Yeah," he said. "How long you in town?"

  "Couple of days. Why don't you come over and have dinner with us tonight?"

  "We'd love to have you, Bo," Evelyn said.

  Shay felt the boy withdraw. "Well, I'm not sure," he said. "I'm supposed to meet some friends."

  "The invitation is always there," Franklin told him.

  Marvin draped an arm lightly around Shay's shoulders—she noticed their bodies weren't touching any other place—and shook hands with Franklin. "Good to see you again, man. Thanks for loaning Evelyn to us a few days a week. I don't know what we'd do without her."

  Franklin smiled down at his wife. "I was just telling her how special she is."

  "Franklin...," Evelyn said in a pleading tone.

  Shay watched the couple and was encouraged by their loving relationship. She was sure they had their share of problems, but they seemed genuinely to enjoy each other. It was obvious they were very much in love. Shay wondered if what she saw with Franklin and Evelyn was what Daniel had said people saw with her and Marvin. She glanced up at her husband, whose arm still rested lightly across her shoulders, and wondered what people saw now. What did she herself see when she looked at them?

  "What?" Marvin asked, catching her looking at him.

  She shook her head as she shook off her thoughts. "Nothing," she said. "So show us what you've been doing this morning."

  "Yes," Evelyn said, "show us everything."

  Marvin looked at Bo, grinned, and looked back at the others. "I'll do better than that," he said. "I'll show you what more needs to be done and put you to work."

  "We mommies can't do too much manual labor, can we, Shay?" Evelyn asked, and by the flutter of her eyelids Shay knew Evelyn guessed she'd said too much. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said immediately. "I didn't mean to say that."

  Shay looked at Marvin, who had stopped in midstride at Evelyn's words, his lips tight, his eyes too bright. The phrase "deer in the headlights" came to Shay's mind. "Don't worry about it," Shay said, turning away from her husband.

  "Me and my big mouth," Evelyn said. "I overheard Vickie call you two Mama and Papa, and I guessed you were pregnant. I wasn't going to say anything because you hadn't mentioned it. I only told Franklin. We were so happy for you that—"

  Shay rested a hand on her friend's shoulder to stop her babbling. "Don't worry about it, Evelyn. We knew we couldn't keep it quiet for much longer anyway. You haven't done anything wrong." She watched Evelyn's gaze settle on Marvin. His look in no way said all was well. "Isn't that right, Marvin?" Shay encouraged her husband to think of their friends' discomfort instead of his own.

  "Yeah, no problem," he said, with very little conviction, in Shay's opinion.

  Evelyn visibly brightened. "Well, then, is it all right if we say congratulations?"

  "That'd be—," Shay began.

  Marvin lowered his voice, as if making sure no one beyond their circle could hear his words. "We don't mind you knowing," he said to Bo, Evelyn, and Franklin, "but we'd still like to keep it quiet for a few more weeks. Until we get past the first trimester."

  The uncertainty returned to Evelyn's eyes, and Shay knew her friend was again thinking she'd done something wrong. "Sure, Marvin," she said, "we won't tell anybody until you do."

  "Thanks," Marvin said. "Are y'all ready to work yet?"

  Shay and Evelyn fell in behind Bo, Marvin, and Franklin. The three men were already talking about what more needed to be done to the house.

  "You didn't say anything wrong, Evelyn," Shay told her friend again. She felt Evelyn needed to be reassured, and she was angry with Marvin for making their friend feel guilty. Just because he was unhappy about the baby didn't mean everybody else had to be. "Sometimes I feel I'm bursting with the news."

  Evelyn's characteristic smile returned. "I know that feeling," she said. "And it doesn't get any better. I was as giddy with happiness when I learned I was pregnant with number four as I was with our first child. I don't think I'll ever completely lose the awe I feel about the entire process."

  "I hope I don't either," Shay said. She rested her hand across her abdomen, breathing a silent prayer for her unborn child's health and her husba
nd's heart.

  Chapter 13

  Shay wanted to scream. Instead, she marched into the house, slamming the door behind her, kicked off her shoes, and tossed her bag on the kitchen table. Then she went into the bedroom, threw up one of the windows to let in some fresh air, and headed for the shower. Locking the bathroom door behind her, she turned on the water, shrugged out of her clothes, hopped in, and allowed the lukewarm water to beat down on her.

  This was what she'd come to, she thought to herself. Hiding out in the bathroom to nurse her anger. She stood and began to scrub her skin. Marvin had crossed the line today. He'd gone too far.

  Her shower ended much too soon. She shut off the water, dried herself, and went to get dressed. She heard her husband enter the house as she donned the yellow top that matched the walking shorts she'd already put on. She took a deep breath when she heard him enter their bedroom.

  "Why didn't you wait for me?" he asked, emptying the contents of his pockets on the dresser. "I could have ridden with you and saved Daniel from having to make the trip over here."

  Shay had forgotten that Daniel had picked up Marvin and Bo this morning, but she wasn't sure if her remembering would have made any difference in her decision to leave her husband at Genesis House. As she thought about it, she considered that she may have gotten a bit of pleasure in knowing she was leaving him stranded. "You got a ride, Marvin. What's the problem?" She turned away from him and slipped a pair of earrings into her ears.

  He turned to her—she saw his reflection in the mirror—his eyes demanding. "What's wrong with you?"

  She turned on him and braced her hands on the dresser behind her. "What's wrong with me?" she asked, a hysterical chuckle clogging her throat. "Now that's a riot!" She laughed an empty laugh. "What's wrong with me?"

  Marvin watched her as if she were some crazy woman. "What's wrong?" Now his voice was calm, caring, and that irritated her all the more. She hated the way he controlled his emotions, turning them off and on at will. She hated it. She turned away from him. "You wouldn't understand."

  He braced his arms on her shoulders and turned her back to face him. His eyes spoke concern and love. "Tell me what's wrong." The words were a caress, and she remembered a time in the past when they would have sent her flying into his arms. Today was not one of those times. "You really don't want to know," she said, jerking herself out of his arms.