“Knock, knock,” Raquel said, peeking her head in his office. As usual, she looked lovely in a long, flowing, black skirt. Her hair was pulled up in a cascade of curls, which sat on top of her head. “Just letting you know I’m leaving for the day.”
Terrance broke out in a big smile. Raquel had been quiet pretty much all day. He’d wanted to ask her if everything was all right, but he’d had to rush into a meeting, and after that Savannah had shown up to bring him lunch, which she’d started doing regularly, even though he’d told her not to.
“Hey, before you go, I just wanted to ask how things were going. How are you doing?”
Raquel looked down at the floor, then back up at him. “I’m fine.”
Terrance looked at her knowingly. “How long have we been friends?”
Raquel tried to smile. “I don’t know about friends, but I’ve been working for you for three years.”
“And you’ve been my friend for all three of those years, would you say that’s correct?”
She nodded.
“And you know I can tell when you’re not being straightforward with me. So I’ll ask again, and you know it’s against God’s law to lie in church,” he playfully warned.
She chuckled. “Yeah, right. If that were the case, then half the people in this church are in trouble.”
He smiled.
“No, I’m okay, really. Just more problems with Dolan, but nothing I can’t work through.” She tried to shoot him a reassuring look. He definitely wasn’t convinced.
“What happened to you leaving?”
“I’m working on it.” She looked away. “But honestly, we had a long talk. He’s agreed to take anger-management classes and, well, we’ll just see…”
Terrance couldn’t believe she was even contemplating staying with that fool.
“I have to ask this, has he hurt you again?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s just that I’m torn. I was very much in love with Dolan. But I just don’t know anymore. And even though he’s really trying, with each day that passes, I’m wondering more and more what I ever saw in him.”
Terrance was silent a few minutes before saying, “Well, you know if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“What about you?” she asked, obviously trying to change the subject. “You and Savannah seem to be spending more time together.”
“It’s okay. She’s not as bad as people think, but I don’t know if it’s anything serious.”
“Umph, you know your aunts try to pump me for information almost daily.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Terrance was grateful that, if nothing else, Raquel was loyal, and he didn’t have to worry about her telling any of his business.
“So you think you’ll propose to her in time for the Christmas celebration?”
Terrance’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa, don’t even go there.”
Raquel leaned against his doorway. “You know that’s what people around here are talking about.”
“Well, seeing as how the celebration is only two months away, I doubt very seriously that I’ll be giving them what they want.”
“They’ll have to settle for you just having a girlfriend, huh?” She seemed to be waiting on him to confirm that Savannah was indeed his girlfriend.
Instead, Terrance just laughed and said, “We’ll have to see what happens.”
chapter 25
Was that really his phone ringing at this ungodly hour? Terrance fumbled for the phone on the nightstand next to his bed. He managed to open his eyes, and all he saw was the red digital alarm clock blaring 3:15 a.m.
“Hello,” he mumbled, hoping nobody had died, since those were the only kinds of calls he ever got this time of morning.
“Hello?” he repeated when the caller didn’t respond. He heard whimpering.
“Terrance? I mean, Pastor Ellis?”
“Raquel?” he asked, sitting up in his bed.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she said, sniffing.
“What’s wrong?” He felt his heart speed up.
“I’m so sorry to call you this late, but…”
“Don’t apologize. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…I left. I left Dolan.”
Terrance was fully awake now. For Raquel to be calling him this time of morning meant something was seriously wrong. “What did he do?”
“He hit me again and I’m not living like that. When I told him that, he…he got even more violent, so I left,” she softly cried.
“Where are you? Are you in your car?”
“He hid my keys, and the spare. So, I left on foot. I just wanted to get out of there. I’ve never seen him like that.”
“Oh, Raquel, where are you?” Terrance asked, throwing back the covers on his bed. “I’m on my way.”
“I’m at the IHOP restaurant near Meyerland.” He could feel the relief in her voice. “I just walked to the first open restaurant I could find.”
“Well, go inside and wait. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Terrance?”
“Yeah?” He was already slipping into his jogging pants.
“Thank you.”
“I told you, anything for a friend. I’m on my way.” He hung up the phone, grabbed his keys, and darted out.
Twenty minutes later Terrance was sitting in a booth across from Raquel.
“So, are you sure it’s over?” he asked. When he’d shown up, Raquel had hugged him so tightly, it made his heart hurt. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was disheveled, and she looked like she’d been to hell and back.
“I’m positive. I’ve been trying to hang in there, but I just can’t do it anymore.” She sounded like a wounded animal, and he wanted more than anything to take her in his arms and ease her pain. The way he was feeling actually shocked him. He’d always cared for Raquel, but this felt different. Seeing her so unhappy touched him deeper than he thought it would.
“I hate to have to call you like this, but I tried to call the police on Dolan and he just went ballistic,” Raquel said, her voice full of sadness.
“That’s insane. What did he expect you to do? Just sit there and let him beat you?” Terrance huffed.
“I know, but Dolan isn’t exactly a rational thinker.”
Terrance fought back the urge to hunt Dolan down and show him what it felt like to get beat. “Did the cops ever come?”
Raquel fought back tears as she seemed to replay the last few hours in her mind. “He yanked the phone out of the wall before I could even connect the call.”
Terrance reached out and covered her hands with his. “Raquel, I’m so sorry. You are a wonderful woman. You don’t deserve that.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “I know I don’t. I just hate that it took me so long to realize that.”
He didn’t know what to say, so he said, “Remember Second Corinthians, twelve and ten, ‘When I am weak, then He is strong.’”
She smiled. “Always the pastor, huh?”
He shrugged and returned her smile. “Can’t help it.”
They continued talking, and before Terrance knew it, the sun was coming up. “Wow, look at the time. I know you’ve got to be tired.”
She yawned. “Actually, I am worn-out.” She reached for her purse. “If you can just drop me off at the nearest hotel, I’ll be fine.”
“Hotel?” He looked at her like she was crazy. “You are not going to a hotel.”
“And where else would I go?”
“You’re going to my place until you get back on your feet,” he replied, like it was the only viable option.
“Oh, Terrance, I can’t do that. I’ll figure something out.”
“It’s already figured out.” He stood and extended his hand. “I have a three-bedroom townhome. I’m hardly ever there. I will be highly insulted if you don’t let me utilize those paisley sheets Aunt Eva bought for my guest room.” He plastered a fake offended look across his face. “And do you know how much a hotel bill
will run you?” Terrance added, trying to convince her.
“But what about Savannah?” Raquel finally said.
Honestly, Terrance hadn’t even thought about Savannah. She definitely wouldn’t like Raquel staying at his place, but it was his place. “You let me worry about Savannah, okay?”
She gently smiled as she stood and took his hand. “Okay.”
“Now let’s go home.” He led her out of the restaurant.
chapter 26
Count to ten. Do not go off. Savannah had to repeat the mantra over and over in her head. She wanted to lose it after hearing Terrance tell her Raquel would be staying with him for a little while.
Technically, she couldn’t really say anything because they hadn’t formally committed. Shoot, besides the one time they’d made love, they hadn’t really done anything but hung out, having a good time. But she hadn’t been patient for nothing. She’d been trying to show Terrance she could be his friend as well as his woman. Raquel moving in would definitely throw a monkey wrench in her plan.
“Hello, Savannah, are you still there?” Terrance said into the phone.
Savannah took a deep breath and snapped back to her phone conversation. “Yeah, I’m still here. I just don’t understand why she has to stay with you,” she whined.
“Well, I’ve already explained. She’s a friend, number one. Number two, she has nowhere else to go.”
Think, think, think, Savannah tried to tell herself.
“I understand that this may be difficult for you, but you have to know I’d be this way with anyone in need,” Terrance continued.
Yeah, but Raquel ain’t just anyone, Savannah wanted to scream. She’s the type of woman everyone wanted him with. Savannah finally deduced that she would just have to step up her game. If she went off, it would only turn Terrance off, and since she wasn’t officially his girlfriend, she couldn’t risk that.
She softened her tone. “I understand that. That’s the type of man you are. And that’s what I love about you.” Terrance was silent, like her profession of love had thrown him off. But she had purposefully said that, throwing it in to solidify her position. “And, no, I don’t like the idea of another woman laying up in your house—”
Terrance cut her off. “She’ll be in the guest room.”
“But,” Savannah continued before he could cut her off again, “you are her friend, and if a person can’t count on their friends, who can they count on?” Savannah wanted to play the sensitive, understanding role and show him what a good sport she was.
Terrance hesitated again before saying, “Wow, Savannah. You took this a lot better than I thought you would.”
“Terrance, I know people have said all these horrible things about me, but I really am a good person,” she sweetly replied.
He hesitated. “I know you are, Savannah. That’s why I care about you so much.”
It was her turn to pause. It wasn’t quite what she wanted to hear; after all, she had just told him she loved him. The night they’d made love, he’d told her he loved her. But it was in the heat of the moment when he’d said it. And after she’d asked him three times to tell her he loved her. She’d been hoping he’d repeat it over the last three weeks, but so far, not a word.
“Well, Terrance, you let me know if I can help in any way. If she needs someone to talk to, you know, another female perspective, I’d love to come to talk to her. Lord knows I’ve had my share of no-good men.” Savannah immediately grimaced. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. It would only remind Terrance that she’d been around.
Terrance didn’t pay her comment any attention, because he quickly bid her good-bye and made his way downstairs into the living room. Raquel was sitting on the sofa, already engrossed in a movie on the Lifetime Movie Network.
“Oh, no,” Terrance said, sitting down in the oversize chair across from her. “Didn’t you get the memo? There is a no-Lifetime rule in this house.”
“Then I’d better leave right now.” She laughed.
He loved her laugh. It was infectious and could brighten up the darkest of rooms. He marveled at how comfortable she looked curled up on the sofa. She looked like she belonged there. Like she was right at home. Terrance shook his head, trying to get rid of the strange feelings that were starting to creep up on him whenever he was around Raquel.
“How long you been up?” he asked.
“A couple of hours.” She pulled a burgundy afghan throw up to her chest. “I couldn’t really sleep.”
The smile left Terrance’s face. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”
She nodded, then turned to him, her eyes filling with tears again. “It’s just sad to see your dreams go up in smoke. But I know God doesn’t make mistakes, and He revealed to me that Dolan was not the man for me.” She let out a long sigh. “Even still, I hate that I’ve wasted six years of my life. I mean, I’m not getting any younger you know. And who the heck wants to start over in this dating game?”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Terrance thought back to his last few disastrous dates. “I think that’s why I kinda settled with Savannah. The whole dating thing is not for me.”
Raquel looked uneasily at him.
“What?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Honestly, I really didn’t see Savannah as being for you either,” Raquel softly replied. “It kind of surprised me that you were with her.”
“You and everybody else. But she’s a lot better than people give her credit for. In fact, she was even okay with you staying here, offering help if you needed it.”
“Did she really?”
Terrance nodded. “That’s the sweet side of her that no one ever sees.”
“Well, I hope she makes you happy.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, with Terrance even finding himself drawn into the Lifetime movie.
“You’d better not ever tell anyone that I spent the morning watching Lifetime,” he playfully threatened after the movie went off.
She laughed. “Scout’s honor.”
They spent the rest of the day just lounging around the house, talking, dozing off and on, and scrounging around for something to eat. It was the first time since Terrance could remember that he just spent a leisurely day doing nothing.
Finally, as the sun began to set, Terrance told her, “I’d better go call Savannah back and then work on my sermon for tomorrow.” Savannah had called seven times throughout the day, each time with a different excuse about what she wanted. He eventually told her he’d just call her back when he got a chance.
“How about I whip up some chicken Alfredo while you work?” Raquel suggested. “Provided you have all of the ingredients.”
“Well, I know I have chicken and even the pasta, but I don’t know about the Alfredo sauce.”
“Oh, I make my own Alfredo sauce.” She stood, then leaned over and gently kissed him on the head. “Thanks for everything, Terrance. I’ll have dinner ready in about an hour.”
Terrance smiled up at her. “Hmmm, beautiful, smart, nice, and you make Alfredo sauce from scratch? Where have you been all my life?” he said jokingly. But as she playfully waved him off and walked into the kitchen, he felt a small twinge in his heart that had him really wishing that he wasn’t joking.
chapter 27
Terrance stared at the light fixture as it hung loosely by its cord from the ceiling.
“Do I need to make a run for it?” Raquel asked as she leaned against the doorframe.
“Look, don’t you know that I’m a jack-of-all-trades?” He held up the screwdriver and playfully shook it at her. “I told you I’d get this ceiling fan installed, and doggone it, I’m going to get it installed.”
She shrugged. “Sorry, I just thought you meant you’d get it installed today.”
“Oh, you got jokes.” Terrance cocked his head and studied the many wires hanging out of the ceiling. The guest room where Raquel was staying sat on the west side of the townhome, and the sun made it hot in ther
e, so Terrance had told Raquel he’d install her a ceiling fan.
Raquel laughed as she shook her head. “Terrance, why is it so difficult for you to admit that you don’t know what in the world you’re doing?”
“Why don’t you have any faith in me?” He pulled on one of the wires. “I told you that all you had to do was—” He jumped back. “Ouch!” he screamed after several sparks shot from the wires. He jerked his hand back and quickly stuck his fingers in his mouth. “Man, that hurt,” he mumbled.
“Are you trying to kill yourself?” Raquel sighed as she walked over and extended her hand toward Terrance. “Get down off the ladder. I told you, it’s no big deal. I will buy a little portable fan for the room until you can get a professional to come in and install the ceiling fan the right way.”
“I told you I could do it,” he said as he eased off the ladder.
“Obviously, you can’t.” She took his hand. “Look, you’ve burned yourself. Come on, let me find something to put on that.”
Raquel led Terrance back to the bathroom. “Where’s your first-aid kit?”
Terrance, who had gone back to sucking on his fingers, used his elbow to point toward the sink. Raquel opened the cabinet doors and began sifting through all of the junk under the bathroom sink. She found the first-aid kit, pulled it out, opened it, then removed some burn cream. “Come here,” she said.
Terrance knew he was probably acting like a baby right now, but truthfully, it felt wonderful to have someone take care of him. Granted, Raquel always watched out for him and had his back, but this time, things seemed different.
“Let me see your hand.” Raquel inspected his hand. Small blisters had begun to form on the tips of three of his fingers. “Dang, you got burned pretty bad.”
Terrance watched as she went to work. She eased his hand under the faucet, running some cool water over it. Then she pulled it back, dried it off, and began applying burn cream to his fingers.
“There, is that better?” she asked after she had gently massaged the cream into his fingers.
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