A Lesson on Love
by
Sharon C. Cooper
Copyright © 2018 Sharon C. Cooper
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For permission, contact the author at http://www.sharoncooper.net
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Disclaimer
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Dedication
To my biggest fans, my mom and dad, Willie and Johnnie Mae Cunningham. Thanks for your endless support and encouragement over the years. Love you two so much! Muah!
Blurb
Some lessons are harder to learn than others.
Jerry Jenkins is a player. He loves women. Curvy women. Soft women. He's unapologetically drawn to full-figured women. With all the beauties in the world, he has no intention of settling down with just one. Not until Rayne Ellison moves in next door. But the curvaceous beauty doesn’t fall for his charm. Still, she's the only woman who has him willing to shred his bachelor’s card.
If there’s one lesson single mom Rayne learned over the years, it’s to avoid players. Been there, done that. Barely survived. No way will she fall prey to another ladies’ man. She has one focus—raising her daughter, but there’s something so magnetic about Jerry. Rayne agrees to be friends, but nothing more. At least that’s what she tells herself.
When tragedy strikes, Rayne is ready to give up, but it’s Jerry who keeps her afloat. He breaks down her defenses and, in the process, gives her a lesson on love.
Chapter One
Jerry Jenkins turned his head left and right, tugging on the irritating bow-tie before lifting the glass of whiskey to his lips. His groomsman duties were over, and he couldn’t wait to shed his tuxedo.
But right now, he stared out at the dance floor where his cousin Nate and his new bride, Liberty, danced their first dance. Brian McKnight’s The Only One for Me poured through the hotel ballroom speakers as the couple stared into each other’s eyes, smiling as if they were the only two people in the room. Jerry didn’t miss the way Liberty gazed up at Nate. Like he hung the moon. Like there was no one in the world that she’d rather be with.
A stab of jealousy pierced his chest. He had never been envious of anyone. He always got what he wanted—including women. Yet, watching the newlyweds brought home what he was missing in his life. Someone to call his own.
That was a first. He loved and respected women, but never wanted to be tied down to just one.
At least not until recently.
Not until a certain beauty moved in next door to him.
Jerry held back a groan bubbling in his throat as thoughts of his neighbor infiltrated his mind…again. He couldn’t shake the unrest stirring in his chest.
Damn, this is messed up.
He wanted Rayne Ellison in a way he never wanted another woman. Maybe he’d been around too many loving couples lately. Seems so many of the Jenkins family members were happily tying the knot. Was he really ready for a lifetime commitment with one woman?
“Dance with me.”
Jerry glanced to his left, caught off guard by the melodious words that had been spoken close to his ear. That voice. He took in the statuesque goddess with her long, straight hair hanging past her shoulders, tawny brown skin with minimum makeup, and a smile that could be featured in a toothpaste commercial. To say she was stunning in the strapless royal blue dress that hugged her curvaceous body would be an understatement.
But he felt nothing. The usual stirring that would have once had him leading her past the dance floor and to the nearest dark corner to make out wasn’t there.
“I hate turning down a beautiful woman,” he finally said. “But I’m going to have to pass.”
“That’s too bad.” Her bold fingers traced a path down his arm while she stared into his eyes. “I would love to have had the pleasure of finally being in the arms of the infamous Jerry Jenkins.”
Normally he would have appreciated her boldness, but her comment grated on his nerves. For months he’d been trying to shake his lady’s man reputation. Yet, someone always found a way to remind him that it’s tough living down a reputation.
“Not tonight, Lo…” He stopped short of calling her Love, a term he often used with women. If he ever expected for people to believe he’d changed, he needed to chill with the terms of endearment that often flew from his mouth when he didn’t know a woman’s name.
“You sure you don’t want to dance?”
“Positive.”
After a slight hesitation, she dropped her hand from his arm and gave a shrug before sauntering off. Instead of watching her walk away, like he used to do, Jerry slammed back the rest of his drink.
“What the hell? I’m standing right next to you. Am I invisible or something?” Liam Jenkins, Jerry’s cousin, grumbled over the music. “That’s the fourth woman in the past twenty minutes who has asked you to dance. Yet, not one looked my way. I could see if you were better looking than me, but that’s not the case.”
Jerry chuckled. They’d had similar conversations like this one. He leaned against the bar where they stood and held up his empty glass, signaling the bartender for a refill. He and Liam had been mistaken for brothers more than once, despite Jerry being a shade darker with less facial hair. At thirty, almost two years older than Jerry, Liam was six feet tall with a runner’s build. Jerry had a few inches on him and was a good twenty-five pounds heavier.
“What can I say, man? Women love me. It’s a gift.” Or a curse, he thought the moment the words were out of his mouth. Since the third grade, he had never had trouble snagging the attention of the opposite sex. A serial dater for most of his adult life, he had come by his reputation of loving women, honestly. He wasn’t a jerk about it. He treated the ladies well and with respect, leaving them wanting more of his attention.
Liam leaned in closer. “What’s even more mind-boggling is that you’ve turned down every woman, and two of them were definitely your type. Thick and curvy. Heck, I’ve seen the time when you’d be out on the dance floor with two or three honeys at the same time. So, what’s wrong with you?”
Accepting the whiskey from the bartender, Jerry swirled the glass before bringing it to his lips. No, it wasn’t like him to turn down a woman. But his world changed a few months ago when Rayne’s fine ass strolled into his life. He hadn’t been right since. He only wanted her.
The scary part was that his attraction to Rayne wasn’t just about looks. He’d admit to being somewhat shallow in the past, but he liked everything about her. They had quickly become friends. Laughing, talking and joking with each other as if they’d known each other for years. Gorgeous and smart with just enough sass, Rayne also had something else going for her. She was an amazing mom to the sweetest little girl that had stolen Jerry’s heart the moment their eyes met.
“There you go staring off into space again,” Liam said, interrupting Jerry’s musings. “So what? Nothing to say?”
Jerry shrugged and turned to face the crowded ballroom and lean
ed his back against the bar. “What do you want me to say?”
“I wanna know what’s going on with you. I want to know…” His words trailed off and Jerry didn’t have to look at him to know that he was staring at him. “Wait. Don’t tell me that this new you has something to do with that neighbor lady.”
Even if he couldn’t go a few minutes without thinking about Rayne, Jerry wasn’t in the mood to discuss her. The only reason some of the people in his family even knew she existed was because of Nate. His cousin had stopped by Jerry’s house months ago and like a fool, Jerry had told him about his feelings for Rayne. Soon after, the Jenkins family’s rumor mill was in full swing. For months he’d had to deal with some of his cousins ragging him about him finally falling for the one.
“Tell me about her.”
Jerry gave Liam a sidelong glance, trying to determine if he was really interested in knowing more about Rayne, or if he was just setting him up to be the butt of some joke. Had it been one of his other cousins, Jerry would’ve assumed the latter, but Liam was different. Unlike some of the others, who lived to dish out bullshit, Liam was more serious and understanding.
“Her name is Rayne, and yes, she’s my neighbor. I can’t figure her out. Each time I ask her on a date, she shoots me down.”
Liam nodded, looking as if he was in deep thought before speaking. “I’ve never known you to get caught up with any one woman. I’m surprised you haven’t moved on. What’s so special about this one?”
“Everything,” Jerry said shrugging, unable to keep the awe out of his tone. “There’s no moving on from her. She’s the one for me.”
Liam’s mouth dropped open slowly as he continued to stare at him. Seconds of his silence ticked by. Then he burst out laughing. “Yeah, right. Until the next one comes along.”
Oh, here we go. So much for thinking they could have an adult conversation.
Jerry tuned him out and went back to studying the crowd of individuals. Immediately following the wedding ceremony, Nate and Liberty had hosted a sit-down dinner for just family. That was a few hours ago. Now the reception they were all currently at was basically a party for all of those who hadn’t been invited to the dinner.
Nate and Liberty had spared no expense for their wedding day. The buffet tables on each side of the banquet room were loaded with food. Jerry couldn’t eat another bite if he wanted to. Now he stood at one of the two partial cash bars drowning his sorrows.
Liam finally sobered, looking at Jerry as if seeing him for the first time. “Wait. You’re serious?”
“Very,” Jerry said dryly.
“I thought you said you loved women too much to ever settle down with just one.”
“That was before I found one worth settling down with.” Heck, he’d said a lot of things over the years that he wasn’t proud of, but he was older and wiser now.
Liam nodded, still studying Jerry. “This must be serious. Why didn’t you bring her to the wedding?”
“I asked. She turned me down. I can’t get the woman to take me seriously. She might be new to the city, but she’s heard that I date… a lot. Well, used to.”
“I guess your Casanova reputation has caught up to you and not in a good way.”
Jerry straightened, trying to keep his frustration at bay. “Man, that’s just it. I’ve changed. She hasn’t seen women coming in and out of my house because I haven’t been out with anyone. But she won’t give me a chance to prove that I’m not the same man.”
They stood in silence, and Jerry returned his attention to the dance floor. Some of the guests showed off their smooth moves, while others sat at the round tables eating and drinking. Then there were some standing around talking and laughing. Everyone seemed to be having a good time while he wallowed in self-pity.
“Man, I can’t believe it. Maybe there really is something to the Jenkins’ men myth?”
Jerry narrowed his eyes. “What myth?”
“You seriously don’t know?”
Jerry shook his head not having a clue to what he was talking about.
“The Jenkins’ men myth is…wait. Actually, even as the horndog of the family, you might’ve just proved that it’s not a myth. If a woman can get and hold your attention, there might be something to this. Anyway, it’s been said that when a Jenkins man meets the one, he immediately knows. Even if he tries to walk away or denies his feelings for the woman, it doesn’t matter. They’re destined to be together.”
Jerry studied him, trying to determine if his cousin was serious. Liam met his stare head on. “You’ve got to be kidding. Who came up with that, Gram?” he asked of their grandmother, Katherine Jenkins, the backbone of the family. “You know what? Maybe it is true. All I know is that whenever I’m near Rayne, I can’t think straight. She throws me off my game every time. Now all I want is for her to give me a chance to prove I’ve changed.”
“Well, I’m not an expert on women, but I do know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You can talk all you want about how you’ve changed, or how you’re no longer a player, but a woman ain’t tryin’ to hear all that. If you’re serious about the neighbor lady, you’re going to have to show her who you really are, who you want her to see when she sees you.”
Jerry considered all that his cousin was saying. He was definitely serious about wanting more than a friendship with Rayne. For the first time it wasn’t about getting a woman into his bed. It was about getting the right woman, her, to be a part of his life.
Now, all he had to do was figure out how to make that a reality.
Chapter Two
Past due.
Second notice.
Rayne Ellison’s chest tightened as she stared down at the pile of past due bills on the kitchen counter. Her gaze went to the electric bill in her hand, the words second notice blurring because of the tears filling her eyes. It didn’t matter how many hours she put in at work, she never seemed to have enough cash.
Was it too much to wish for one month where she didn’t have to figure out how to stretch money? Lately, it seemed to be one surprise expense after another. A couple of weeks ago, she’d had to replace the radiator in her old Chevy after putting it off for months. At the rate she was going, before long, she would have replaced everything on the car.
Rayne dropped the bill onto the counter and closed her eyes to push away the emotion threatening to overpower her. She couldn’t keep going like this. Three years since her husband’s death, and still she struggled financially. If only Kirk hadn’t left her with a mound of debt and no life insurance.
Anger crept through her body. It wasn’t good to think ill of the dead, but she despised everything about the man. The lack of respect, the cheating, and then leaving her with bills she hadn’t known existed, made her hate him that much more. It was bad enough that he’d been a crappy husband towards the end of their relationship, but the shit that hit the fan after his death would forever haunt her.
Rayne shook her head. I’m not going there. Kirk had already robbed her of her belief in happily ever after. No way would she allow herself to go to that dark place in her mind. Besides, it was her fault for giving up so much of her independence to the wrong man. She’d been a fool back then, but never again. Never would she give a man the chance to destroy her self-confidence…or her life.
Her gaze returned to the stack of bills. Something had to give. Rayne had hoped living in a new city would provide a good job and a fresh start. But so far, she was still struggling to make ends meet with her factory job that paid just a little more than minimum wage. Some days she just wanted to throw up her hands and say, I quit. I give up. I...
“Mommy, can we go to the bookstore?”
Rayne startled. With the heel of her hand, she quickly dabbed at the corners of her eyes not wanting her over observant five-year-old to see her upset. Stormy had been so quiet in the adjourning living room watching television that Rayne had momentarily forgotten that she wasn’t alone.
She glanced down at her daughter. The two long ponytails on each side of her child’s head were frizzy and in need of brushing, but they didn’t detract from her cuteness. They framed her adorable face that was the color of deep amber, but it was the innocent, light-brown eyes staring up at Rayne that made her heart turn to mush.
A smile tugged up the corners of Rayne’s lips. This little person who depended on her for everything was the reason she kept going and refused to give up. No matter how dismal life seemed at times, her daughter had a way of brightening the cloudiest day. Instead of naming her Stormy, a more appropriate name would’ve been Sunshine.
“How about we go to the library instead?” Rayne finally said.
Just finishing up in pre-k, Stormy was reading at a first-grade level and Rayne wanted to continue feeding both of their love for books and reading. She had hoped to have a little extra money from her check to buy them each a new book. That wasn’t going to happen. Now she was glad she hadn’t made any promises.
“And then can we get some ice cream?”
“Stormy, it’s nine o’clock in the morning, way too early for ice cream.”
“Oh. Can we go later then?”
“We’ll see.”
At least she hadn’t asked about getting new shoes. Rayne had enrolled her into an all-day summer program at a nearby daycare center and the first day was in three weeks. That meant she had a little time before she had to buy her baby new gym shoes since kids weren’t allowed to wear sandals to the center.
All wasn’t bad, though. Rayne had found out a week earlier that the state would pay the majority of the child care fee for the summer.
Now I just have to scrape up enough cash for shoes and these other bills.
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