No Wasted Tears (10 page)

She was anxious to find out what happened after they left the church. “I hope we didn’t raise too many eyebrows this morning,” Destiny whispered to Adam while the others were placing their
orders.

“Nothing that I couldn’t handle. I’m so glad that all of you came. I was really anxious to see you
again.”

Picking up a menu, Destiny scanned it quickly. Everything looked good. She was thinking about ordering the fried
lobster.

“You sure can preach real good, Pastor Wheeler,” Jonathan said while coloring the picture of a boat on his
menu.

David looked up from his coloring and said, “Yeah, and we didn’t even go to sleep like we used to at our old church. We used to go to sleep right after Mommy finished singing. Right, Jonathan?”

Laughing, David said, “Jonathan, Mommy said not to tell anyone that we sleep in church. They may think she’s not a good mom and that we don’t sleep at home. But she’s the best mommy in the world, Pastor Wheeler. Honest.” They both looked at Adam with puppy-dog
eyes.

Adam nodded in agreement. “I know you both have a great mother. I knew your mom when she was in middle school and high school. She was a friend of my family. We spent a lot of time together.” Adam looked over at Cynthia and smiled. “Guess what, guys? She used to sing all the
time.”

“Shattering glasses and windows.” She chuckled. “But thank you for the compliment,” she said, looking back at the
menu.

Their waitress arrived. She rattled off the list of specials before pulling out her pad and
pen.

Everyone gave their order, but the twins took a few minutes because they didn’t want to eat Nemo. So they decided on grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and
applesauce.

“Adam,” Cynthia asked, “did your parents ask about me after the service was
over?”

“No,” Adam admitted. He draped an arm around the chair that Destiny was sitting in. “I’m not sure if they knew for sure that it was you. But if they listened closely to your voice, they had to know. I could recognize your voice anywhere. I’m really not sure if I should be the one to tell them about you being
back.”

Sara, who had been sitting silently listening to the conversation, said, “I know that God had a plan when he sent you back home. I’m not sure how he’s going to work it out, but he does have a plan for your life. Keep Jeremiah 29:11 in your spirit and be confident in God’s Word. He backs up what he said: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’ Everything is going to work out for you. I feel it in my spirit.” She patted the hand on Cynthia’s
lap.

“Cynthia,” Destiny said her name. Cynthia met her concerned gaze as she continued by saying, “the one thing I do know is that news travels fast. If anyone did recognize you this morning, then your parents will know you are back in
town.”

Destiny reached for her glass to take a sip of
water.

“I knew it was going to happen at some point, so I may as well get it over with as soon as possible. They probably won’t
want to see me now any more than they did after I left,” Cynthia
murmured.

“I hate that things turned out this way for you and your parents,” Adam said, reaching for his glass of tea. “If you and your parents could talk face-to-face, it probably would be better for everyone involved. Give it time. Now that you are back in the city, everyone involved in your life and the life of the twins will have to talk at some
point.”

Cynthia agreed. “Besides, this is not about me, it’s about the boys. I know the Lord loves us, and he’ll surely take care of this situation. He has a plan or he wouldn’t have told me to come
home.”

While eating his food, Adam looked at Cynthia. “Do you have any regrets?” It was a simple enough question. “What did you end up doing after you left here? One time you were talking about becoming a lawyer, but you could have made it in the music
industry.”

She shook her head and felt her body going rigid with remembered pain. “I can’t believe you still remember that. I love singing but it was not my career choice. I finished college and got my master’s through online and evening courses. I’m now a certified commercial real-estate specialist with a degree in real-estate management. It was a choice I’d make again without a second thought,” she said with a wistful look in her
eyes.

“I know what you mean. I feel the same way about my calling to be a pastor,” Adam
agreed.

She took a sip of tea before saying, “Marvin and I always knew there was something special you would do with your life. You becoming a pastor is such a wonderful thing, Adam. Your church is beautiful, and your message was powerful. I’m proud to know you.” Cynthia looked over to see the twins were struggling with their grilled cheese sandwiches. Reaching over to grab a knife, she began to cut their sandwiches in
fours.

“Mommy, I can do it,” Jonathon whined picking up his sandwich before she could cut
it.

Cynthia pulled her hands away and held them up. “Okay, you go for it then,” she
said.

“Thanks, Mom,” Jonathan said before biting into his
sandwich.

Both of them went back to eating their
sandwiches.

By the time everyone had finished a fantastic seafood meal and was waiting for their key lime pie to arrive, Adam and Sara were becoming instant friends. Their conversation started with his sermon and led to just about everything else. Cynthia and Destiny could barely get in on the conversation as the two new acquaintances talked nonstop. Of course, Adam was quite intrigued with Sara’s interest in Seattle and his work at Greater Community. Likewise, Sara was interested in the young man who had captured the attention of her
niece.

Since she couldn’t talk to Adam with her aunt pressing him with questions, Destiny turned to Cynthia. “You’ve got to tell me what it was like raising two twin boys,” she urged, knowing Cynthia had to have some fascinating stories about her
sons.

“Let’s see.”
Cynthia sighed, leaning back and looking at the two pair of eyes that were suddenly upon her. She leaned back in her
leather chair. “If you’d like me to give you the short version, they were a handful. It was hard at first learning how to balance taking care of two at once. When I finally got the hang of it, I was a force to be reckoned with. But it was all-good or should I say all God, because he alone brought me through that season. The long nights and long days were sometimes challenging, and a few times I thought I would lose my mind.” She laughed, joining Jonathan and David laughing, as if they knew everything that she had to
endure.

Destiny looked at the boys. They were adorable and had the best manners, but she could tell they were getting a little restless. It would soon be time to take them home so that they could run around outside and
play.

Destiny turned back to look at Cynthia. “I can only imagine them being a handful, and it’s amazing we were at the same college but never
met.”

Cynthia nodded
her head. “Yeah, that was amazing, but I’m glad we know each other now. Growing up, I was an only child. So having the boys brought me so much joy. I didn’t have any help. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I had to drop out of college.” Cynthia looked out the window as if she was seeing a movie of her life. She squeezed her eyes shut as if looking in instead of
out.

“I met a young lady at Clemson whose parents had a rental property that they gave to her. She allowed me to live there for as long as I needed it. When I think about it now, it was really just the size of my parents’ guesthouse, but it was enough for us. Then I met Miss Sara, and my whole life changed. I was able to work and finish my classes at night. Miss Sara was a godsend to me and the twins.” Cynthia reached for Sara’s hand squeezing it gently as a reminder of the love she felt for
her.

Marvin was at the hostess’s podium scanning the restaurant for his brother. Earlier he’d talked to his mother. She had been ecstatic about this morning’s worship service. Her conversation had been non-stop, all centering around a young woman who had the voice of an angel. Before ending their call she’d told him that they were going to meet for dinner, so he decided in haste that he’d join them. Now two hours later he found himself at the restaurant with a female
companion.

It was the sound of a familiar voice that sent Marvin’s heart into an uncontrolled spin. He shifted his gaze from his date, colliding with the woman who’d haunted his memory for several years. She was still breathtaking. For a fraction of a second, time stopped, and he and Cynthia were back in high
school.

If possible, she was more beautiful than he’d remembered. The years had lent her an appealing air of maturity and confidence. Her hair was braided now, but it was still beautiful, and his hands trembled with the memory of sliding his fingers through the silky strands. Her incredible, dark eyes, wiser with age, pulled him in as they had when they were
teenagers.

Even from where she was sitting he could tell that at six three he still towered over Cynthia’s five-foot-six-inch frame, making him feel the urge to protect and shelter her. It was a ridiculous notion, considering he had not seen her in
years.

Laughter erupted from their table. Destiny, Cynthia, and Sara were sharing stories with each other but quickly silenced when they noticed Cynthia’s eyes travel across the
room.

“What is he…?” Adam breathed, catching sight of his brother moving their way from across the dining
room.

Cynthia shook her head as if she was in a daze. She knew it had to be Marvin. Obviously he had decided on the Lighthouse as his restaurant of choice for dinner as well. Unfortunately, he didn’t come alone. Cynthia returned her gaze to Marvin and then wished she hadn’t. But seeing him reminded her of all of the reasons she’d fallen head over heels for him back in high school. He’d been the guy all the girls had
wanted.

She also noticed Marvin’s date, who looked a lot like Kristen Milton, a girl she knew from his old high school. At that time, she was very promiscuous. If memory served her right, she had a baby before she got out of high school. Even then she was always in Marvin’s face. She had a thing for athletes then, maybe because she played basketball. Cynthia didn’t know what kind of men she was chasing now. She prayed she’d pull off a convincing job of looking cool and unfazed seeing him for the first time in years. Though they were quite a distance from one another, Cynthia knew that he was looking directly at
her.

“God, this would be a good time for you to intervene,” Adam muttered, standing as Marvin and his companion headed toward the
table.

“I’ll take the boys out for some fresh air.” Sara spoke to no one in particular because everyone’s eyes were glued on
Marvin.

“What’s she doing here?” Marvin’s first words were snarled in his brother’s ear once the distance closed between
them.