Love Don't Live Here Anymore (The Love Collection Book 3) (8 page)

“Hey, I got you some things. I hope you like them,” Summer said as she pulled out all the stuff and showed it to Ginger one by one. Ginger was overcome with joy. Here was this stranger, who did more for her than anyone she had known.

“Summer, I don’t know what to say. You’re the only person who seems to care about me. You do these things for me, knowing there is nothing I can do for you and I don’t have a way to repay you. Thank you so much!” Ginger expressed.

“Ginger, you don’t have to thank me. I know the feeling of seeming like you’re all alone and not having parents around to offer that love, guidance, and support. Thank God for my grandmother and my sister, because otherwise I may be a lost soul. And don’t ever feel like you need to repay me, ever. I do what I do because I want to.”

“But you have done so much for me already. The laptop, cell phone, weekly allowance, clothes, shoes. I mean that is beyond what I’ve ever expected.” Ginger began to cry.

“Ginger, I did those things because I care. I want you to have what you deserve. I don’t mind helping people out. If you want to repay me, do so by finishing school, going to your counseling sessions, and working on being a happier and healthier Ginger. That would be the best payback in the world. Don’t let them win, not your uncle, parents, or your brother. You are still here for a reason and I believe God will reveal that to you at some point. Hang in there, honey. The best is yet to come. I Love you, Ginger.”

Those three words seemed to cause Ginger to cry harder. After she cried long and hard, she looked up at Summer and wiped her eyes. “I promise I will do what I need to do to make you proud. Thanks for believing in me and helping me out. I won’t let you down; I promise.”

“Thank you and I’ll hold you to it,” Summer said and smiled. “But don’t let Ginger down either. She believes and relies on you.”

She helped Ginger pick out an outfit to wear out of the mall and then gave her some space to get dressed. Summer shed a few tears for all the little girls whose parents didn’t uphold their end of the bargain. She thought about Akia and her heart ached even more.
That little girl deserves a fair shake at life
, she thought. And she wondered if she had what it took to raise a child, a child that she didn’t bear.

By the time Summer made it home and undressed, it was nine-thirty at night. She put on her robe and poured herself a glass of red wine. The house phone rang right as she was taking her first sip.

She saw it was Autumn on the caller ID and was glad she had called. “Sissy!” Summer sang.

“Hi, Summy. I miss you!”

“I know. I miss you more. How was your day?”

“It was good. When I got back in from my outing with Chaianne, me and Abaki took the kids and dogs for a walk. Then we went to the market and came back home. By the time he cooked dinner and I got the kids settled down and ready for bed, it was nine o’clock. So Sorry I took so long to call you back.”

“It’s okay. I had quite the day as well.”

Summer filled her sister in on the day’s events and just as she was finishing up with dropping Ginger off, she heard her cell phone ring. “Aut, hold on a sec.” Summer placed Autumn on hold and answered her cell. “Hello? Hi, Vincent … Nothing much, was on the phone talking to my sister … Oh, it’s okay. I would love that … Okay. If it’s not too late when I’m done with her, I’ll call you back … All right, if you say so. Later.”

Summer was smiling broadly when she hung up with Vincent. “Sorry, Sunshine. That was Vincent.”

“Summer, darling, how many men are you fraternizing with?” Autumn asked.

“Shut up, Autumn. They are really nice guys, who are just interested in making sure that I’m okay.”

“It must be a little more than that because all you did was giggle like a giddy school girl. What’s Vincent’s deal?”

“He’s the lead prosecutor at the DA office here in Atlanta. Next year, he’s running for DA, so he’s been busy making a name for himself. I heard from some people that he is really hard on criminals and is a no nonsense kind of guy. His professional demeanor seems to be totally opposite of the one I’ve witnessed. He’s always so calm, down to earth, respectable, caring, understanding, supportive, and the list goes on. All three of the guys are so different, and I admire each one in different ways.”

“Wow! Okay, baby sis. You got it going on. Those southern boys all over you,” Autumn said and they both laughed.

“Yeah, and after the date with Eugene and my encounter with Braxdon, Vincent was calling to invite me to church tomorrow.”

“Oh, that was nice. Abaki and I are taking the kids to church tomorrow as well. He’s trying to encourage me to join the choir, but I don’t know. Overseeing the store and still teaching is taking up enough of my time. Thank God, I was able to secure two online courses this semester because I sure wasn’t ready to head back to campus.”

“That may be your thing now. If I were you, I would definitely try to secure as many of those as I could handle. It gives you the flexibility you need as a mom and wife. How are the girls working out at Mouth to Mouth?”

“Sis, I couldn’t ask for better employees. They’re awesome. So far so good. So what’s the plan for Thanksgiving? You’re still coming, right?”

“Of course. I took off that Wednesday and Monday. I’ll be there Tuesday evening, so please be at the airport by eight o’clock. My flight lands at seven-thirty, so I should have my bags by then.”

“Yay! I can’t wait to see you, sis. It’s been what, almost three months?”

“Yeah, it’s been about that,” Summer confirmed.

“Did you get the results back yet?”

“Nah, they wouldn’t come to me. I believe they’ll send them to AJ’s mother’s house. I called her a few days ago to see if they came, but they hadn’t.”

“I think I’m just as anxious as you are,” Autumn said.

One of the babies started crying; Summer could hear it in the background. Autumn asked Abaki who was crying and he said that it was Ahmed. As if on cue, Ahmad and Angelica started crying too. “Sis, let me go and help that husband of mine. Poor Abaki only has two arms and all three of the babies are in an uproar.”

“Okay, sis. Kiss my niece and nephews for me and I’ll see you next week. Love you!”

“Love you too, Summy. Later.” 

Summer hung up with her sister and called Vincent back. She enjoyed their conversations. Vincent was the kind of man who knew a little about everything. They could talk about the solar system or the earth’s crust and make it all seem interesting. His dialogue was so meaningful and broad, so when talking to him there was never a dull moment. Whenever she needed to have an adult conversation, she would call Vincent. He was good at listening and was even greater at giving solid advice.

By the time they hung up, it was close to midnight. They fared one another well, with promises of meeting up at church the next day.

~~~

Summer met Vincent at First Christ Metropolitan Church. She sent him a text and told him she was outside. He met her in the front. He led the way, showing her to the aisle where he was sitting. Summer smiled as she made eye contact with some of the women in the congregation, but quickly straightened her lips when she saw that they weren’t smiling back. During the whole service, she peeped how several of the women stole glances at her but none of them appeared to be welcoming.

At the end of the service, Vincent introduced Summer to his parents and some of the elders. The men smiled and nodded in approval. A couple of the female elders welcomed her. One in particular seemed quite fond of Summer.

“Summer, let me introduce you to Ms. Davis. She has been a member of my father’s church for as long as I can remember. Ms. Davis, please meet my friend, Summer Hughes,” Vincent said.

“Hi, Ms. Davis. Pleased to meet you.”

“Oh, no handshakes. Give me a hug. A friend of Vinny’s is a friend of mine,” she said warmly.

Vincent excused himself to go speak to one of the deacons.

“You know Vinny is a bachelor. We’re all rooting for him to get married. There’s so many single women in the church. I think he’s been set up with almost all of them,” Ms. Davis said. She leaned into Summer and whispered, “I know you noticed some of them giving you the glare. That’s because they’re jealous.”

Summer snickered. She didn’t know what to say and was glad Vincent showed up right on time.

“Ms. Davis, I hope you don’t mind. I want to introduce Summer to Reverend and my mom.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. Of course. Summer, honey, it was nice meeting you and I hope to see you again.”

“Yes, I would like that very much. Nice meeting you too. Take care,” Summer said. She followed Vincent to the front of the church and waited patiently beside him until his parents greeted every member of the church before turning their attention to their son and his guest.

“Hello, darling,” Mrs. Stokes said to her son as she gave him a long hug, while looking at Summer over his shoulder.

“Mom, Dad, I want to introduce you guys to my friend, Summer Hughes. Summer, these are my parents, Reverend and Mrs. Stokes.”

“Hi, Summer. Nice to meet you. Please call me Bryan. And my wife is Clara.”

“Mrs. Stokes is fine,” Vincent’s mother said with a bit of a snotty attitude.

“Well then, Mrs. Stokes it is.” Summer smiled.

“Summer, I was about to invite you to brunch, but my dad suggested I bring you over for Sunday dinner,” Vincent started before Mrs. Stokes intervened.

“Oh son, I’m sure Summer has other things to do, like tend to her family,” Clara said, glancing at Summer’s ring finger. Summer hadn’t noticed it and thought the lady was just assuming.

“Oh no, I have no family. It’s just me. I would love to join you guys for dinner,” Summer stated.

“Really?” Vincent asked. He gave Summer the address to his parents’ home and told her that she should be there no later than three. Summer promised to be there on time and went home to change and freshen up. Knowing enough not to show up anywhere empty handed, Summer stopped by a liquor store and purchased a bottle of wine and then went to the grocery store next door and purchased a pie.

By two-forty-five p.m. Summer was ringing the bell. She heard some kids on the other side of the door, arguing about who was going to answer.

“You guys, go back in the front room. I’ve got the door. You know better than to be answering it anyway,” she heard Vincent say.

He opened the door and was happy to see Summer. He acted as if she hadn’t promised to come by. “Hey, beautiful. Glad you came.”

“Hi, Vincent. I told you I would.”

He walked her into the living room and made introductions. “Summer, this is my sister, Dana, her husband, Michael, their two children, Makayla and Diana. And you’ve met my parents earlier. Everyone, this is my friend, Summer.”

They all said hello in unison.

Summer handed the wine to Vincent and gave the pie to Mrs. Stokes. “Thanks,” his mother said with a tight-lipped smile. “I take it women don’t bake anymore. Stores making it too easy,” she said.

Summer heard the remark, but chose to ignore it. After they ate dinner, the men quickly filed out of the dining room and went straight into the living room to catch the Giants vs. Cowboys game. Summer stayed behind to help Mrs. Stokes and Dana straighten up. After about twenty minutes, they joined the guys. Summer started to sit on a hassett-style footstool close to the couch, but Vincent slid over on the love seat and asked her to sit next to him. For some reason, Summer stole a glance at Mrs. Stokes and could have sworn she caught a glimpse of a snarl on her face.

“So Summer, are you seeing someone other than my son or have you neglected to tell me something?” Mrs. Stokes hissed, glaring at Vincent.

At first, Summer crinkled her face in confusion, but then remembered that she had on her engagement ring. After a failed attempt to cover the eye-catching stone, Summer spoke up in her own defense, saving Vincent the trouble.

“Actually, Mrs. Stokes, I’m very much single. My fiancé passed away last year.”

“So not only are you still wearing the ring, but you’ve started dating someone already. That someone being my son? Don’t you think it’s a little too soon to be frolicking around?”

Vincent spoke up. “Ma, enough!”

“I’ll grab some wine. Michael, will you help me get the goblets?” Dana said more as a demand than a request. Michael looked as if what was transpiring in front of him was much more entertaining than catering, but Dana felt otherwise. “Let’s go, Michael,” she said and he reluctantly got up and followed his wife.

Vincent spoke up again. “First of all, Summer and I are not dating. She’s gone through a very tough time in her life and all I’m trying to do is be a friend. She’s new to Atlanta and her only living relative is her sister, who lives in another state. Is it too much for me to have asked her to join us for dinner so she didn’t have to go home to spend another night alone? For Christ’s sake, Ma, can’t you just chill out?”

“Hey son, watch your mouth,” Reverend Stokes said. “I know you’re upset but we will not use the Lord’s name in vein here.”

“Its okay, Vincent. I think it’s time for me to go anyway. I have to work tomorrow. Nice meeting everyone and thanks for dinner.” Summer managed to get out before the tears escaped her eyes. She retrieved her coat and headed toward the front door. Vincent followed her.

“Wait, Summer. Let me walk you out,” he offered, not waiting for her to accept or decline. He helped her put her coat on and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

Once at Summer’s car, he said, “Please accept my apology on behalf of my mother. She sometimes doesn’t utilize her filter when she should.”

“It’s okay. I guess she had a legitimate point.”

“Still, it’s not what we say, it’s how we say it and she doesn’t know your struggle. She assumed. I’ll be sure to talk to her about that.”

“Please, Vincent, just leave it alone. I don’t want to be the cause of a rift between you and your mom. Thanks for always being such a good friend and thanks for inviting me,” Summer stated sincerely.

Vincent wiped the tears off her cheek. He waited until she drove off before going back into his parents’ home.

Summer drove home a sobbing mess. As soon as she got to the first intersection, she cried hard. Her tears came so fast and so heavy that she had to pull over before she crashed. “Dammit, AJ! I wouldn’t have to endure this bullshit if you were here. I miss you, baby. I miss you so much. I just wish you could come back to me.”

After the heaving ceased and her tears subsided, she drove home. During the ride, she turned on the radio and Boyz II Men’s, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye
,
” started playing, only adding to the intensity of her sadness; so she turned the radio off. Over and over, she kept telling herself that things would get better, that eventually she would be okay but something inside was telling her otherwise. Summer was exhausted. Just when she thought she was starting to feel a little better, something had brought her back into the darkness. Tonight was one of those nights. She didn’t want to go home, so she drove to the Marriott in Downtown Atlanta and checked in. Home, although it was supposed to be her most sacred place, was beginning to be a major factor in her depression.

After retrieving her room key, she went straight to the room and undressed. She turned off her cell phone and cried herself to sleep.

“Summer, baby, wake up!”

When Summer opened her eyes, she was sitting on a park bench. Although there was a chill in the air, she felt comfortable. The sun was shining brightly. The grass was green and colored leaves adorned it, creating a beautiful scene before her. She looked left, then right, but saw nothing. Just as she got ready to stand, a figure approached her slowly. Surrounding it was a white glow and as the image got closer, she saw that it was Ajamaal. He looked good. He had all his weight back. His face looked fuller and brighter. His hair was neatly groomed, as was the hair on his face.