Redeeming Heart (8 page)

If only the man knew the laundry list of sins
Landon carried and couldn’t dispose of. Still, he needed a
friend—someone like Rossi who didn’t make him feel like a charity
case, but Landon wouldn’t be a man if he didn’t hold on to some
pride. “As long as you don’t hound me about going to church, I
would like that.” Landon didn’t crack a smile. He was serious.

“Works for me.” Rossi extended his hand.
“C’mon. Let’s mingle and get you back on track.”

Why did that simple statement hint of a
double meaning? Maybe it was because a minister said it.
Regrouping, Landon got back into his comfort zone. Schmoozing was
second nature to him.

“Erica Monroe, it’s good to see you again,”
Rossi said to a middle-aged white woman whose eyes sparkled. “I
would like you to meet Landon Thomas. He has relocated to St.
Louis. He worked at Foster & Wake ad agency in Boston.”

The woman lifted a brow. “Is that so? I would
love to see your portfolio. I’ve seen their work on national
accounts—ingenious concepts. I have some small projects coming up,
and I would love to chat with you about ideas.” She pulled a
business card from her purse and handed it to him. “How can I reach
you?”

Landon swallowed. He didn’t have business
cards or a cell phone. “I—”

Rossi stepped in. “He doesn’t have all his
contact information situated yet, but give him until the end of the
week—until then, call my office.” He winked and the woman
blushed.

“Stop flirting with me,” she fussed. “I’m old
enough to be your mother.”

“I love my mother,” Rossi teased as Erica was
called away.

“Thanks for the rescue.” Landon slipped his
hands in his pocket. “That was smooth.”

“Brothers have to stick together.” They
bumped fists. “I’ll have my secretary order you some business
cards.”

When Landon convinced Rossi he could take it
from there, they split up. Casually, Landon snacked on the hors
d’oeuvres and used Rossi’s spiel about his business cards as he
introduced himself. A few minutes later, he spied Octavia looking
his way. Instead of acting embarrassed that she had been caught,
she smiled and gave him a thumb up.

He winked. Yes, it was a flirt, but it came
as second nature. In spite of Rossi singing her praises and Landon
thinking such, he wondered about Octavia as he worked the room. Was
she the real deal with the Lord or playing church and playing hard
to get? Despite his own antics feigning a Christian, Landon would
be crushed to find out that was the case with Octavia. There were
die-hard saints of God, but he couldn’t bring himself to be one of
them.

Yet, Octavia had sparked something within
him. For once in his life, he was conflicted whether to act on his
attraction—and there definitely was one—or to ignore whatever she
stirred in him (and it wasn’t all raw desire) and keep moving as
far as possible from the East Coast and with his history with
women, including one in the church.

“God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows,
he’ll reap,” his mother fussed after the ultimate scandal divided
the family. “People aren’t play toys, especially God’s chosen. Mark
my words, one day you’re going to want something so bad from God
and it’s going to cost you. I’m praying God spares your life.”
Lydia Miller Thomas threw up her arms and walked away. Judging from
the scowl on her face, she had cut the umbilical cord of mercy on
him, and Landon had felt the incision.

The flashback had come so swiftly that he had
forgotten he was in the midst of people. He had played church so
long with a recurring star role that he didn’t know how to be the
real deal. His heart had become stone.

Repent,
God whispered.

Landon shook himself. This definitely wasn’t
the place for a come-to-Jesus moment. This time when the server
strolled by with champagne, he lifted one off the platter. His hand
shook as he tried to take a sip. “Forget it.” He stopped after a
couple of attempts.

Rossi reappeared as the crowd thinned. “Ready
to head out?” Landon could only nod. “Let’s say goodbye to
Octavia.”

Still discombobulated, Landon held back as
Octavia smiled at them.

“How’d you do, sis?” Rossi smiled back.

“I’m glad I came. I handed out all my
business cards and received some in return. Hopefully, the Lord
will give me favor.”

“Do you want to join Landon and me for
dinner?”

She pouted. “Sorry. I already told Terri I’d
be the third wheel with her and Andre.” She rolled her eyes. “But
I’ll see you Saturday at the tent revival.”

“Unless the rapture comes,” Rossi
replied.

This time, Landon was glad they hadn’t pulled
him into their conversation. Although Rossi hadn’t technically
invited him to dinner, Landon wasn’t going to turn it down. Mac’s
Place was one of the nicest shelters he had stayed, and meals had
been tasty, but he wasn’t ready to go back and be reminded that he
no longer had the privacy his condo once offered.

“Landon,” Octavia said in a tone that seemed
to drip with honey. “Please think about coming.”

“I’ll be there,” he said without thinking.
When Rossi gave him an odd expression, Landon knew he had just
eaten his words. Right now, his fight with God was gone. He was too
exhausted. When Octavia was out of ear shot, Rossi smirked and
nudged him.

“You’re so going down.”

“Yep,” Landon bobbed his head. “I’m thinking
the same thing.” As they walked out together, Landon wondered what
he was getting himself into.

Octavia beamed then turned around when a
woman called her name.

Octavia wasn’t the third wheel at dinner after all.
When she walked into Joe Buck’s restaurant with Terri and Andre, a
tall gentleman stood and waved them over to the table.

“That’s James. Isn’t he cute?” Terri
whispered into Octavia ear.

“Yes, very,” she mumbled. As a matter of
fact, he became better looking with every step she took.

He shook hands with Andre and kissed Terri on
the cheek while never taking his eyes off her. “I’m James.” He had
a nice smile. “Terri, you told me your friend was pretty, but that
was an understatement.” He took a deep breath and exhaled, then
patted his heart. “She’s breathtaking.”

Octavia thanked him as he pulled out her
chair.

Moments later, the hostess appeared and asked
for drink selections. “Sprite for me,” Octavia said as the others
requested something stronger.

As she hid behind the menu, she could feel
James’s eyes on her. She was at somewhat of a disadvantage. He knew
more about her than she did about him and he definitely had
expectations.

When their hostess returned, Octavia ordered
a baked chicken pasta dish and a side salad. Handing over the menu,
she had no choice but to meet James’s waiting gaze.

As long as he didn’t peruse her body parts,
she would hear him out. However, Terri didn’t give him space to say
much as she sang James’s praises as if the man wasn’t sitting there
and couldn’t speak for himself. He had an impressive résumé.

“Corporate law,” Octavia said to be polite
when Terri ran out of steam. “That must keep you busy.”

“Not too busy for a social life.” James’s
hints weren’t subtle. “Terri tells me you stay busy with church.”
She nodded. “I wouldn’t turn down an invitation, if you asked me.”
His eyes danced with merriment.

Octavia blushed. “Then I guess I’d better
ask. The biggest decision is once you’re there, will you accept
God’s invitation to salvation?”

Terri frowned and gave her the evil eye.

“What?” Octavia jutted her chin at her
friend. The few men she did give a chance to had come to church
only to impress her as their agenda. With no intention of anything
more, they lost interest in her and church.

“Maybe.” James didn’t commit, but he didn’t
back down either. She liked when a man had confidence…like Landon.
Landon hadn’t lost his dignity in his cast-down situation.

Terri quickly changed the subject and kept
changing it until their food arrived. James seemed content watching
Octavia’s every move.

After eating half of her cheesecake, Octavia
dabbed the corners of her mouth. “Well, I guess I’d better head
home. It’s been a long day. James, it was nice meeting you. Terri,
thanks for dinner.”

“James picked up the tab,” her friend
corrected.

Tilting her head, Octavia thanked him. When
she got to her feet, so did he.

“Let me walk you to your car.”

Octavia shrugged. “Oh, I’m in the parking lot
and it’s still light outside. I’ll be fine.”

“I insist.” He waited as she hugged Terri and
Andre, then he fell in step with her. “We’re downtown and you never
know what homeless guy may be hanging around.”

Octavia stopped in her tracks. Homeless?
Landon was homeless and she enjoyed his company. She held her
tongue as she continued walking, then allowed him to continue to
put his foot in his mouth. “Maybe you’ll consider volunteering at a
soup kitchen with me and see that homelessness could be a temporary
fate if we all help.”

“I’d rather donate,” he said, then in the
same breath asked for her number as she deactivated her car
alarm.

He opened her door, and she faced him. “I’m
out of business cards, but I’ll take one of yours.”

Twisting his lips, James smirked. “I have a
better idea. Why don’t I program my number in your phone?”

Okay, it was time to stop this surprise
speed-dating dinner from going any faster. “James, I feel ambushed
here. Give me your card and I’ll call you.”

He squinted. “I get the feeling you might not
ever call.”

“Of course I will. I’m inviting you to
church, remember? This Sunday…”

James shook his head. “I already have a
commitment,” he said, then countered with a movie on Saturday.

“I have a street tent meeting.” Once she
explained what type of church ministry it was, he declined.

“Thursday.”

Since when did dating become a negotiation?
“I’m conducting a first-time home buyer’s seminar. Do you want to
tag along?”

“Can’t.” This time James didn’t offer any
reasons why, so Octavia accepted his card, got into her car and
drove off. “Lord, I’m not saying he’s not the one but I’m not
impressed.” She was looking beyond his good suit. What was in his
heart?
Many are called, but few are chosen.
God whispered
Matthew 22:14.

How many times had she heard that scripture?
“God, please chose for me a prayer partner for a mate—someone who
knows about Your goodness and mercy…Jesus, please open my eyes to
see the candidates You’ve set before me. Amen.”

***

“So what you think?” Terri asked when Octavia
arrived at the office for the weekly meeting.

“I think I should be mad at you for setting
me up without giving me a heads up,” Octavia feigned an attitude
before she laughed.

“But you’re not because James is handsome,
charming, he has a steady income…”

“I need more than that,” Octavia said softly.
“You know that. I don’t want my feelings to be so jumbled up in a
relationship that I compromise. Regret is a hard thing to live
with.”

Their chat was nipped when other agents filed
into the conference room for their Monday briefing.

As the broker, Terri kicked off the meeting
with praises before she tackled problems. Since her company was the
listing agent on the property Landon had gotten into, Terri
accepted the blame for not double checking after a contractor said
he had secured it. “Okay, here are our current listings. I want to
hear why we’re not selling them.”

Octavia chimed in, “I am going to re-evaluate
how I have those two houses in Olivette staged. They’re both listed
online. I have that seminar on Thursday, so I plan to showcase
them.”

Terri nodded and faced another agent whose
buyer’s offer fell through. She brainstormed strategies how to
regroup, and before long, the meeting was over and everyone was out
the door. Octavia made sure she was the first in order to escape
any further discussions about James without knowing where he stood
with the Lord.

The next couple of days whizzed by, but when
there was a pocket of free time, her mind detoured to Landon. She
bit her lip from smiling.

On Thursday afternoon, Terri was just
finishing up a call when Octavia stopped by the office to grab
brochures and supplies for the seminar.

“One of my hardest working Realtors.
Tsk,
tsk.
Tavie, you could be a broker by now if you’d focus on
different clientele.”

“I gave up that notion after working here the
first year. Besides, the extra fees and license and the liability
to be responsible for other agents’ mistakes is scary.”

“I know your heart is in the right place with
these community workshops, but you need to focus on those contacts
you made over the weekend and make some real money,” Terri
said.

Octavia knew Terri was looking out for her
well-being and wanted to groom her to be a broker and to open her
other agency office one day, but Octavia wasn’t driven by money
alone. She wanted to show Christ in her life, and helping others
was part of it. “I will…I will, but we know first-time home buyers
move within five to seven years to bigger homes. The initial step
is to be informed.”

Having a place to call home was personal for
Octavia. She was a product of a loving Christian home in a
distressed area in East St. Louis. The home values were low and
businesses scarce, but the minute she and Olivia walked through the
door from school, she felt loved, protected and happy. Why couldn’t
everyone experience the same thing whether it was a two bedroom
house or a six?

Call her an old soul or a practicing
Christian, but it was her responsibility to serve the under-served
communities and to help them go from renters to buyers, which was
the main reason she joined the National Association of Real Estate
Brokers. As long as racism denied a group of people equal
opportunities, whether it was in housing, employment or legal
representation, there would always be a minority organization that
would fight for access. NAREB groomed the underserved on how to
qualify for home ownership and stay in possession of their
houses.