Can I Get an Amen

by Janice Sims

  Mother Maybelle had come in on the tail end of Freda’s statement. She went straight to Alex and hugged her. “Hello, sugar!”

  Alex squeezed her and kissed her cheek. Smiling down at her, for she was a couple inches taller than Mother Maybelle, she said, “Mother Maybelle, how do you do it? You get more lovely every day. You look marvelous!”

  Indeed, for a woman in her seventies, Mother Maybelle still made a striking figure. She was invariably dressed to the nines, from the top of her beautifully styled head to her expensively shod feet. She always said that she might live in a small town in Georgia, but there was no reason why she shouldn’t look like she was from “Gay Paree!”

  “You oughta quit, child,” she said now, her warm brown eyes sparkling in her pecan-tan face. She rubbed her cheek against Alex’s and released her. “I have no illusions about beauty, Alex. My time is past, whereas you are in the full bloom of your attractiveness. Isn’t that right, young fella?” She put this last query to Jared, who beamed at her, grateful for the interruption and the chance to pry Freda’s hands from his arm. Jared looked at Alex appreciatively. “I most definitely agree.”

  Freda let go of his arm and stood aside. She forced a smile as she listened.

  Alex happily made the introductions. There was no one she was prouder to know than Mother Maybelle. When she was done, it was Mother Maybelle who had hold of Jared. “Well, now,” she said, smiling up at him. “I hear you’re in construction. What a coincidence! We’re looking for someone to volunteer for the home-repair ministry. Alex and a couple of others have been taking care of it, but they could always use more help.” She held his big hand between her two.

  Alex laughed softly. “Mother Maybelle, this is Jared’s first visit. Let him come again before we put him to work.”

  “Nonsense,” Mother Maybelle said, smiling up at Jared. “Strike while the iron is hot. If Jared’s new in town, there’s no better way to get to know his neighbors than to go to church with them and volunteer to help them in some way. Besides, God will bless him, and, as an added bonus, Alex, he gets to spend more time with you, since you’re in charge of the ministry.”

  Alex knew Mother Maybelle meant well whenever she interfered in the personal lives of various members of the congregation, but Jared didn’t, and she feared he might be offended. After all, there was nothing written in stone that said he would ever want to see her again after today, let alone want to see her on a regular basis.

  Jared, however, only smiled at Mother Maybelle. She reminded him of Momma Sook, his maternal grandmother. If God had created a pushier woman, he’d never met her! Momma Sook thought that by virtue of her advanced age, she could say or do anything she pleased. Apparently, so did Mother Maybelle.

  He glanced at Alex. From the mortified expression on her face, she’d been surprised by the good lady’s comments. “Sure, I’d love to work with Alex on the project,” he said, to which Alex smiled.

  Jared felt that smile was worth whatever hassles he’d invited upon himself.

  Four

  “Thanks for inviting me, I had a good time,” Jared said, as he, Alex, and Sam walked down the front steps of the church after the services had ended.

  “What’s the rush?” Sam asked. He and Jared were about the same height, but Sam had the long, lanky build of a basketball player. Whereas Jared was built like a line-backer on a football team. “It’s still early. Why don’t you two go to lunch somewhere?”

  “Sam!” Alex protested. She smiled at Jared. “Forgive him. I’m afraid the thought of getting rid of me for the afternoon so he can hang out with his friends was too much to resist.” She regarded Sam. “Vicky’s coming today, or have you forgotten?”

  Sam shrugged. “Well, Vicky isn’t going to get here until late. Four or five, at the earliest. You know she had to work this morning. Then she’ll probably take her sweet time driving, the slowpoke.”

  Alex knew that was probably true. Vicky, twenty-two, was a very cautious driver. However, she and Jared hadn’t made plans beyond attending church together and she wasn’t about to force herself on him. Although Macon was only fifty miles away, he could have very important business to attend to once he got there.

  She looked up at Jared. Every time she looked at him, she felt a tumult in her stomach. A pleasant, expectant twinge that made her smile inside, even when she was able to control her facial muscles. If she smiled every time she felt like smiling around him he’d probably think she was an idiot. “I’ll walk you to your car,” she said.

  Jared was, frankly, lost in her eyes. He reached down and clasped her hand in his. “If you don’t need to get home right away, I’d love to take you to lunch. That is what I originally wanted us to do, remember?”

  “Then it’s settled,” Sam said, holding his hand out for Alex’s car keys. “I’ll drive the SUV home and put it in the garage, and Jared can bring you home after lunch.”

  Alex reluctantly surrendered her car keys. She knew Sam wasn’t going straight home. He’d only said it to appease her. She looked her little brother in the eyes. “Don’t write a check your behind can’t cash, now,” she warned with a grin.

  “I’ll be careful,” he assured her, smiling roguishly. He wasted no time leaving.

  Jared laughed. “That’s one happy kid.”

  “He always is when he’s got plans to have some fun.”

  She and Jared continued down the steps. At the bottom, he put his hand beneath her elbow and directed her toward his black Acura. Once they were within a few feet of the car, he pointed his key ring at it and pressed a button. The car’s doors automatically unlocked. He helped Alex in, then jogged around and got behind the wheel.

  He smiled at her before turning the key in the ignition. “Alone, finally!”

  Alex laughed softly. “Too many people for you, huh?”

  “The last time I was in a room with that many people, I was at a conference in Atlanta.”

  “You’re more of a solitary man?”

  “I do like my solitude, yes.” He turned the key and low strains of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” filled the air.

  He reached over to eject the CD.

  Alex placed her hand over his. “Don’t. I like John Coltrane.”

  Jared raised his gaze to hers. A woman who liked John Coltrane? Could this be another sign that he should not get any more involved with her? The longer he was around her, the more he liked her. One minute, he was convinced that he should simply be honest with her, tell her she wasn’t his type and say good-bye forever, and the next he was making plans to join her home-repair team. Why was he being so indecisive? She was just a woman. A woman he didn’t know very well at all. It should be easy to say good-bye to her and get on with his life.

  “Buckle up,” he said, as he put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space. He didn’t want to express surprise that she enjoyed improvisational jazz. That conversation would probably lead to something else they had in common, and he didn’t want to find out that she also, for example, loved Kung Fu movies and got a kick out of watching football on Sunday afternoon.

  He frowned. In the close confines of the car, she smelled wonderful. Her cologne was a soft flowery fragrance with a spicy oriental after-note and was very provocative. He breathed deeply. Nervous tension worked its way up his spine.

  “What’s wrong?” Alex asked.

  Jared had been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed she’d been observing him the whole time. “You’ve got me questioning my ethics,” he said simply.

  “Why?”

  Jared thought for a moment as he drove the Acura slowly through the crowded parking lot, looking for an opportunity to get on the main road. “I’m not the marrying kind, Alexandra.”

  Alex turned in her seat to stare at him. “We’ve just met, Jared. And you’re already talking about marriage? Believe me, I don’t want to marry you, either.”

  “Not yet, but the point is, you will eventually want to get married one d
ay and have children. I don’t. Therefore, we’re probably wasting each other’s time.”

  Alex laughed. “Couldn’t you tell me this before I got in the car with you? I could have gone home with Sam.”

  “No, I don’t think I could have,” Jared told her. He looked at her with such longing that Alex felt compelled to remove her seatbelt, lean close to him and kiss him on the mouth. She was grateful for the tinted windows, because if the other parishioners had seen her lay one on him like she was doing, they would have been scandalized.

  Jared pressed down on the brake pedal and put his arms around her. The first kiss was tentative at best. She was testing whether or not he would kiss her back. He was caught off guard by her decision to go in for the kill. But the second time their mouths came together, there was no holding back. Tongue tasted tongue, and liked the flavor. Her mouth was as sweet as he’d imagined it would be. His was, too. She moaned with pleasure. He cursed the day he’d met her.

  When they parted, they looked into each other’s eyes for a solid minute. A car horn blared behind them.

  “I guess we’re holding up traffic,” Jared said hoarsely.

  Alex calmly moved over and refastened her seatbelt. She was quivering on the inside. What had possessed her to kiss him? She really didn’t care. Maybe she’d kissed him out of curiosity, or perhaps desperation, because she feared this might be her last opportunity to do so. It didn’t matter. He was right. They weren’t suited for each other. She was an independent woman, but she did eventually want to get married and have children. If he didn’t, there was no future for them.

  As Jared inched the Acura forward, she said, “What makes you think you’re not the marrying kind?”

  Jared glanced at her before returning his attention to his driving. “From the time I was fifteen, I knew my father was cheating on my mother. I would try to help him hide it from her. Not because I condoned what he was doing, but because I didn’t want to witness my mother’s pain if she found out. As I grew older and started dating, I found myself behaving just like my father. Something always goes wrong in my relationships, Alexandra.”

  “Something?” Alex asked skeptically. “Can’t you identify what always goes wrong in your relationships?”

  “In the past, I would always find a reason to break it off before it got too serious. Then I started being honest with the women from the beginning. I told them I wasn’t interested in a serious relationship, just a good time. Some agreed to that, even though there was still drama whenever I’d break up with them. Others chose to walk away before anything could get started.”

  “Which is what you’re hoping I’ll do?” Alex guessed.

  “I’m being honest with you, Alexandra. I’m drawn to you. I don’t know why. Sure, you’re a beautiful woman, but I’ve known lots of beautiful women I had no trouble resisting. I wanted to kiss you the moment our eyes met.”

  Alex watched him as he spoke. Was she being played? She’d heard of playboys who put the burden of the relationship on the woman so that they wouldn’t have to take responsibility for any part of it. If the woman got hurt, then so be it! It wasn’t his fault. He’d been up front with her from the get-go.

  Jared appeared sincere to her. But wasn’t that the hallmark of a good con man, his sincerity? Well, she was going to call his bluff!

  “Then it’s up to me? Is that what you’re saying? I can choose to see you with the knowledge that getting serious is out of the question, or I can tell you good-bye right now?”

  “I’m hoping you’ll decide to see me.”

  “I’m tempted, Jared. I’m very attracted to you, too. As you could tell from that kiss. But you’re right about me: I do want a husband and a family one day. So I think you should take me straight home, please.”

  A few minutes later, Jared pulled the Acura into the driveway of Alex’s Southern-style home with its wraparound porch. Alex turned to him. “Then I suppose your promise to Mother Maybelle about the home-repair ministry is null and void?”

  “No, I never lie to women like Mother Maybelle. I don’t want her to put a hex on me or something.” He was trying to keep it light, but he certainly didn’t feel like laughing. He felt saddened at the prospect of never tasting Alex’s lips again or holding her voluptuous body in his arms. Their eyes met and held. He respected her decision, though.

  Alex went into her purse and produced one of her business cards. “We meet at the church, at noon, every third Saturday of the month. From the church, we go to the home that needs repairs. There will be six of us. Gayle and Ruben, two other gentlemen and myself, and now, you.” She forced a smile. “Call me if you forget what I’ve just said.”

  Taking the card, Jared said, “May I kiss you goodbye?” His eyes caressed her face. He wanted to commit every inch of it to memory. Silly of him, really. He was going to see her again on the third Saturday of May. That wasn’t so far away.

  Alex lowered her gaze to his sensually curved mouth. She wanted to kiss him again. But why get used to something when you were to be denied it from then on? It was better to go cold turkey.

  “Sorry, Jared,” she said softly. She quickly got out of the car and closed the door behind her. “So long.”

  She didn’t look back as she strode away.

  Vicky arrived at around four that afternoon. Alex and Sam were in the kitchen preparing Sunday dinner when they heard her old Toyota pull into the driveway. There was no mistaking the chug-chug of the motor nor the ever-present backfire of the exhaust pipe once she turned the engine off.

  Alex put down the tomato she’d been slicing and looked over at Sam, who was putting a pan of homemade dinner rolls, his specialty, into the oven.

  “That’s our girl,” she said, a broad smile on her face. She hastily wiped her hands on a dish towel, hung it on the peg next to the stove, and hurried out the back door, with Sam close behind.

  Sam knew to stand back if he didn’t want his ears assaulted by shrill screams of delight or to be caught up in a group hug. He didn’t mind the hugs so much, but his sisters’ screams sometimes left his ears ringing.

  Sure enough, the moment Vicky and Alex saw one another, Vicky let out a yell that could probably be heard all over the neighborhood, and Alex let out one of equal volume. Sam just stood back and shook his head.

  Then they were hugging and jumping up and down simultaneously.

  At five-seven, Vicky was not quite as tall as her big sister, but she was shaped similarly, with long legs and a curvaceous figure. She had a head full of hair, too, but she cut it so often you could never know for certain how long it would be from month to month. Apparently she was letting it grow out, because it was nearly to her shoulders and colored a rich auburn. Her natural hair color was black.

  “Girl, you look good!”

  “No, you look good!”

  “We both look good!”

  “You’re both nuts!” This from Sam, who had come forward to join in the group hug. After the embrace, Vicky stood back and gave him the once-over. “Boy, when are you going to gain some weight? Ain’t they feeding you at UF?”

  “You look like you’re eating enough for both of us,” Sam said, looking down at Vicky’s ample hips. She wasn’t fat. She was just well-endowed when it came to her gluteus maximus.

  “This here is a Georgia butt,” she joked. “Fed on grits and catfish.” To which her brother and sister burst out laughing.

  “And undoubtedly anything else you can get your hands on,” Sam quipped.

  He and Vicky were always ragging on one another.

  Later, as they sat around the table in the dining room, Sam confided to Vicky, “Our big sister met a man.”

  Sam hadn’t been at home when Jared had dropped Alex off, so he didn’t know her lunch date with Jared had never gotten off the ground.

  Vicky’s light brown eyes sparkled with excitement. “Really? Tell me all about him, Alex.”

  Alex smiled. “There’s really nothing to tell, Vicky. We’ve just met.”
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br />   “He owns a construction company,” Sam volunteered. “He’s new in town, and Alex landscaped his yard. That’s how they met. And they look at each other like no one else exists.”

  Alex’s eyes stretched at Sam’s revelation. If Sam had noticed, no doubt others had, too. She wished she’d been more circumspect about her attraction to Jared. She’d apparently worn her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see. “Now, Sam,” she said gently. “Don’t exaggerate.”

  “If I’m lyin’, I’m flyin’,” Sam said emphatically.

  “And you ain’t flyin’,” Vicky said. She regarded Alex with clear eyes. “Is it true, Dearest?” She and Alex shared a fondness for the Emma Thompson film, Sense and Sensibility. They identified closely with the sisters in the film, who often referred to each other by the endearment “Dearest.”

  Alex met her sister’s eyes across the table. “I’m afraid so.”

  Vicky screamed her pleasure and stood up to go around the table and hug her sister. “Thank the Lord! At least one woman in this family is on the right track when it comes to the male sex. I’m so happy for you, sis.”

  “There’s just one problem,” Alex said when her sister let go of her.

  Vicky’s smile faded. “What is it?”

  “Jared told me that he’s a confirmed bachelor, and, well, I told him I didn’t want to see him again.”

  Vicky pursed her lips, thinking. After a moment or two, she said, “Is that all? A confirmed bachelor, huh? That was before he met you. And it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. Give him a second chance!”

  That night, just before she turned in, Alex walked past Vicky’s bedroom door and heard sniffling on the other side. She grabbed the doorknob, was about to open it without knocking, thought better of it, and knocked.

  “Just a minute!” Vicky called.

  Alex could hear her walking in the room and closing a dresser drawer. Then Vicky swung the door open. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she held a wadded up tissue in her palm. She smiled wanly as her eyes met Alex’s.