Blowing air through her lips, she placed her car into reverse. “Bye, Nate.”
He waved as she drove away. Given Jennifer’s behavior that day, and Nate’s visit, she didn’t know when she’d be coming back to see her mother again.
Chapter 15
Misty placed the slice of cheese pizza onto Jennifer’s plate. Her child clapped her hands, excited to be in the restaurant, enjoying the treat. Sterling piled four pieces of pepperoni pizza onto his plate. Goodness, that man sure could eat! Misty enjoyed a slice of pepperoni pizza with a side salad. The noises of games and children’s voices rang throughout the air as they sat at Chuck E Cheese’s – Jennifer’s favorite place to play and eat. Machines and games dinged and lit up as children pulled tickets out of the slots when they scored points.
Jennifer’s pile of tickets remained by her plate. Misty had ordered their pizza as Sterling took Jennifer’s hand, showing her the different contraptions and assisted her in scoring tickets for her prize. Jennifer had giggled and laughed so much. Misty figured this was the happiest she’d seen Jennifer since they’d relocated to Miami.
She usually took Jennifer out to Chuck E Cheese when it was a special occasion, or, when she’d been invited to a birthday party. However, this week had proven to be cause for celebration. When Misty had returned from her mother’s house, she’d been afraid that Adrian had been proven right and that Jennifer would act worse after seeing her grandmother again. However, her behavior at the daycare had improved a great deal. During the week, she still spoke to her grandmother every night, and during the day, she no longer wet her pants when she was at the daycare. She used the potty and her improved behavior was an answer to Misty’s prayers.
She’d also received a confirmation email from Juliette’s, stating her application had been accepted. She’d been shocked when Juliette’s had called earlier that day. The advisor stated that they were having an open house for all of the applicants. It was strongly advised that she attend and that she bring Jennifer along. The director wanted to meet all of the prospective students. She’d taken a half day off from work, glad that Carmen didn’t object. She was still so new at this job that she didn’t want to make a bad impression by taking leave so soon after starting her new job.
Misty focused on Sterling while he gobbled his pizza and guzzled his cola. Adrian had insisted on her and Sterling going car shopping this weekend and Sterling had arranged for his assistants to run the bakery today so that they could visit used car dealerships. So far, the Saturday outing had been wonderful. It’d been a blessing for Sterling to assist with the selection. He knew which questions to ask the dealer and he’d even insisted on checking the engines himself. Misty had test-driven at least four vehicles that day, and as they’d discussed it, they’d felt they may have found a car that would suit Adrian’s needs. Sterling admitted that there were a few more places that they could look. The following day, after church, he’d agreed to take Misty to the few remaining dealerships. They needed to make a final decision soon since Adrian anxiously awaited her new car since she no longer wanted to pay for a rental.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Sterling gestured toward Misty’s slice of pizza. She chuckled, wondering if he were still hungry. She’d been covertly watching him eat for the past ten minutes and found that she liked hanging out with him. She glanced at Jennifer. She sat in her booster seat and her eyes were closed. Her deep breathing signaled she’d fallen asleep and she’d devoured her plate of pizza, too.
She bit into the cheesy pizza which was laced with garlic. The food tasted wonderful and she sipped her soda before responding. “Yes, I’m hungry. I was just sitting here daydreaming about Jennifer’s wonderful week.”
Sterling chuckled before finishing his soda. “Yeah, that is great that she’s acting more like herself. Are you still set on sending her to that school?”
Misty frowned. She didn’t want to share her news with Sterling. What if he started laughing again?
“What’s the matter?”
“The last time we talked about this, you laughed at me,” she reminded him.
He leaned toward her. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. I’m just not used to people talking about preschools the same way they talk about college.”
She told him about the open house. “I just hope Jennifer makes a good impression.”
He squeezed her hand. “Jennifer’s a bright kid. I’m sure she’ll do fine.” He gestured toward the fountain soda machine. “I’m going to get a refill.” Misty watched the strong plane of his back as he walked away. It was still kind of hard to accept Sterling’s help. Adrian kindly let both her and Jennifer stay at her place for a low rent, and Misty wanted to do all that she could to help Adrian. Initially, she’d wondered if she could purchase the car on her own without Sterling’s assistance. However, as she’d thought about it, she figured it was best that Adrian had asked Sterling to assist with the purchase. Misty knew absolutely nothing about used cars and having Sterling along to help had proven to be a blessing.
Sterling returned to the table, guzzling his soda. Misty again wondered about his life. There was so much she didn’t know about him, and she again recalled when she’d asked about his twin brothers a few weeks ago, how he’d avoided the subject. She finished her slice of pizza and he looked up and caught her staring. He grinned. “What?” Removing a napkin from the dispenser, he wiped his mouth. “Do I have pizza sauce on my face?”
Shaking her head, she pushed her paper plate away, leaned back into the booth. Relief flowed through her like warm honey since Jennifer continued to sleep, allowing her to speak to Sterling without any interruptions. “I was wondering about something.”
He took another drink of soda, glancing at Jennifer before focusing on her again. “Really? What were you wondering about?”
She gave him a frank, honest answer. “You and your life.”
“Huh?”
“Weeks ago, when we were coming back from my mom’s house, I asked about you about your brothers and you changed the subject. How come?”
His voice hardened. “Misty, I don’t like talking about my brothers.” He looked away for a few seconds. “Not with the way things are going.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t get along with one of my brothers. I get along with Louis, but not Leon.”
Now they were getting somewhere. Maybe she could find out more about him and his family after all. “Louis and Leon? That’s the names of your twin brothers?”
He nodded. “Leon has…issues. He’s got a lot of problems and he won’t get any help.”
“What kind of problems?”
He glanced around the crowded play area. “You know, we were having such a good time earlier. I hate to ruin a perfect Saturday by talking about my hard-headed brother.”
Misty’s heart skipped. Although the Saturday had been perfect, she still craved to know more about his life. She swallowed, choosing her words carefully. “Well, I just wanted you to know that if you ever wanted to talk about anything, just let me know.” Goodness knows he’d helped her out enough times that it was the least she could do.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, but, she sensed he wasn’t too crazy about telling her about his life.
Once they were ready to leave, he lifted snoozing Jennifer and carried her to the car. After he’d strapped her into her car seat, they got into the vehicle and he started the ignition and pulled onto the road. The drive home was silent, and Misty wondered if she’d upset him by asking her nosy questions. Once they arrived at Adrian’s, Sterling unbuckled Jennifer and Misty unlocked the front door. Sterling followed her into the house, placing Jennifer on her bed. Adrian wasn’t around, so Misty assumed she was in her bedroom or out with some friends from church. She escorted Sterling back to the front door, and her heart thudded when he leaned toward her, his full, beautiful lips coming closer to hers.
She stepped back, sensing he was about to kiss her. With her recent move to Miami, Jennifer’s see-s
awing behavior, and Nate’s erratic attitude, the last thing she needed was to become emotionally involved with Sterling Richards. She enjoyed his company, but, she wasn’t sure if their friendship could turn into something more serious.
He frowned, looked away, and she wondered if she’d hurt his feelings. “I’m sorry.” The apology rushed to her lips before she could stop it.
He shook his head. “Don’t apologize.”
He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. “You know you were asking me about my brothers earlier?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t like talking about Leon because, well, it’s hard to talk about my brother because he hates me.”
Misty gasped. That couldn’t be true. Could it? “Why?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it another time. But, I didn’t want you to think I was just being stubborn about not answering your question. I want things to work out with my brother, but, I don’t know if we’ll ever reconcile.”
“Don’t say that. Siblings argue sometimes.”
He shook his head. “This is worse.” Heat rushed to her face when he touched her cheek with his finger. “Good night.”
“Good night.” She watched him while he walked to his house. She shut the door, leaning against the closed portal. Why in the world would Leon hate Sterling? He was one of the kindest men she’d ever met. She continued to lament about his situation as she got ready for bed later that night.
Chapter 16
Sterling and Rachel, one of the soup kitchen volunteers, lugged the dirty serving pans to the sink full of hot dish water. All of the guests were gone from the soup kitchen and washing dishes was the last chore to be done. Dunking the pans into the soapy water, Sterling glanced at his friend. “So, what’s been going on with you, lately?”
She shrugged. “Not much, mostly working and spending free time in this soup kitchen.” They scrubbed the pans until they were squeaky clean.
“How have you been doing?” she asked.
He blinked, placing the clean serving tray onto the dish rack. Whenever he was in the bakery, making desserts, thoughts of his father would slam into his brain so hard that it almost made him dizzy. He no longer cried very much, which was a good thing. He grabbed another serving tray to wash. “I’ve been okay. I still think about my dad a lot so, it’s been hard. But I’m getting through it.”
They finished their dishwashing chore. Sterling wiped his hands on a towel. “I’m glad that’s done. I’m ready to get out of here.”
“Yeah, me too.”
He glanced around the soup kitchen, re-checking to make sure all of the chores had been done by the volunteer staff who had already taken their exit. The white-tiled floor gleamed, and the cafeteria-styled tables were cleaned of crumbs and debris. All of the cleaning utensils had been put away into the utility closet and one volunteer had even wiped the windows, causing them to sparkle. Darkness had settled into the area, and Sterling yawned, glancing at his watch. It was ten o’clock and it was time for him to go to bed. On soup kitchen dinner night, he could sometimes make it home earlier, but, they were a little short on volunteers that night.
Rachel grabbed her purse. “I’m so tired.”
He nodded, fishing the keys from his pocket. Since he was one of the senior-ranking members of the soup kitchen, he’d been given a set of keys to lock up on the nights he volunteered. “Yeah, me too.” He glanced at Rachel. “But, it’s a good kind of tired, you know what I mean? It makes me feel glad that I’m tired because I helped somebody hungry.”
“Amen to that,” Rachel mumbled, placing her hand over her mouth, yawning. “What’s up with Latisha? That girl’s been after you for weeks. Sometimes I wonder if she volunteered to work in the soup kitchen just so that she can find a man.”
Sterling shook his head, not wanting to ruin the rest of his evening talking about Latisha. “I don’t know what her problem is.” He again recalled Misty’s question about Latisha having any friends. The woman had shown up at the soup kitchen with a heavily made-up face. She’d finagled into a position to work beside him. As they’d served food, she touched or stroked his arm whenever she could. And she talked…a lot! She talked so much that he wished he’d had a pair of ear plugs to stop her incessant chatter. “Do you know her very well? Do you know if she’s always lived in Miami?”
Rachel shook her head, her dreadlocks swaying. “No, I don’t know her at all. Now that I think about it, I don’t really know who her friends are. People seem to avoid her. You know what I mean?”
He nodded. “Let’s get out of here. I’m ready to go home and go to bed.” They opened the door and stepped outside. He then turned and locked the door. The Miami heat sweltered and sweat formed on his brow. “Where’d you park?”
“Down the street.” She gestured to the left, indicating where she’d left her vehicle.
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.” The rancid odor of an overflowing trashcan filled the air, and he spotted a rat scampering across the sidewalk. Wrinkling his nose, he wondered if they’d ever clean up this disastrous section of Miami.
“It sure does stink around here,” said Rachel.
“Tell me about it.”
The sound of heavy footsteps pounded the pavement behind them. A large man sporting dark clothes slammed into Rachel, pushing her into the glass front of a building. Her head cracked against the glass and Rachel screamed. Sterling’s heart slammed into his chest as he punched the man’s face. In seconds, the man grabbed Rachel’s purse, pulled a knife and he sliced Sterling’s arm. Red hot pain shuttered his arm as Rachel screamed again. The man took off down the street, and Sterling was about to go after him, when Rachel whimpered. The thief had slammed her into the glass so hard that the window had cracked and blood ran down her face. Lifting his phone from his pocket, he dialed 911. Cradling Rachel’s head, he told the authorities about the crime, hoping they could catch the man who’d stolen Rachel’s purse.
*
Misty, Adrian and Jennifer sat at the kitchen table the following Sunday morning, enjoying their breakfast. Adrian had made eggs and sausage and Jennifer enjoyed a bowl of cereal. After they’d eaten, she dressed Jennifer in her favorite pink dress. She took a deep breath, anticipating their visit to church that morning. Since Misty had returned from her visit to Lehigh Acres a few weeks ago, Jennifer had gotten used to the volunteers at the church daycare. Misty had left Jennifer there last Sunday without any drama, and, for that, she was thankful.
Once Adrian was ready, Misty placed Jennifer into her car seat and drove them to church. When they arrived, she spotted Sterling in the church’s parking lot. He was getting out of his car, and she longed to call out to him. Jennifer spotted Sterling and clapped her hands, smiling brightly, pointing at him with her chubby finger. “Mommy, look!”
Grinning, Misty was again amazed how Jennifer had taken a liking to Sterling.
“What’s Jennifer so excited about?”
Misty gestured toward Sterling. “She saw Sterling in the parking lot.”
Adrian chuckled. “I’m not surprised. She’s really taken a liking to him.”
Sterling spotted them and approached their parked vehicle. After Misty had unsnapped Jennifer from her car seat, she ran over to Sterling. “Hi!”
“Hey, you!” He swung the child up into his strong arms, and Jennifer’s laughter rang throughout the parking lot. As he cooed to Jennifer, Misty noticed the long red gash on Sterling’s hand.
She touched his hand. “What happened?”
His grin faded as he set Jennifer back onto the ground. “I’ll tell you about it after we take Jennifer to the nursery.” He looked toward Adrian. “Hey, Adrian.”
Adrian returned his greeting. “Hi, Sterling.”
They entered the building and Misty dropped Jennifer off at the nursery with no fuss. Misty, Sterling and Adrian then made their way into the sanctuary. After they sat, Misty again asked Sterling about his arm. “What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, he told Misty and Adrian about Rachel’s mugging. Misty gasped. “Is Rachel okay?” Both Adrian and Misty knew Rachel since she was a member of the church.
He nodded. “I went to visit her yesterday. She has a huge bump on her head and she was too shaken up to go to work for a few days. Anyway, she told me she’s quitting.”
Adrian gasped. “You mean she’s not going to work in the soup kitchen anymore?”
Sterling nodded. “She said she’s too scared, and I can understand why she wants to quit.”
“Did they catch the mugger?” asked Misty.
He shook his head. “No, they didn’t catch the mugger but they found her purse about a mile away from the soup kitchen. Her credit cards and cash were gone, but I’m just glad she’s okay.”
Misty shook her head, saddened about the news. “That’s such a shame. You and Rachel were only trying to help feed hungry people and both of you got hurt.”
Sterling shook his head. “I didn’t really get hurt. I’m just worried about Rachel. I’ve never seen her so down.”
The piano music sounded from the pulpit, bringing an end to their conversation. The choir, sporting their red, swaying robes, entered the pulpit from the side doors, clapping their hands, their melodious voices raised in song as they began the praise and worship service. Misty stood, swaying her arms, closing her eyes, focusing on the music and feeling the presence of God in His house. She glanced at Adrian and her sightless eyes were closed as she swayed to the rhythm of the music. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Sterling and noticed him looking directly at her. He offered her a tentative smile and she smiled back.
Once the pastor came to the podium, he made an announcement as the music faded. “We need to say a special prayer for our sister, Rachel Hawkins.” He made the announcement about the mugging and several parishioners gasped. He continued, “A lot of people in the congregation have already heard about Rachel’s mugging and since the community soup kitchen is located in such a bad area, there are several volunteers that have quit. The soup kitchen is reaching out to all the area churches, trying to muster up volunteers.” A lot of murmuring rumbled through the church like wildfire, and Misty glanced around the congregation, noting everybody’s reaction. “We need to pray for the community food ministry. They really need more volunteers or they might end up having to close their soup kitchen.” More rumbling spread throughout the church and the pastor clapped his hands, desperately trying to silence the congregation. “I wanted to remind the congregation about all of the good we’ve done with the soup kitchen.” The lights dimmed and a montage of soup kitchen pictures displayed on the screen. Misty recognized Sterling in several of the shots and when photos of families, eating together at the soup kitchen, filled the screen, strong vivid memories rushed through her mind. Blinking, she fought to control her tears. “Let’s pray.”
Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) Page 11
