Authors: Kendra Norman-Bellamy

When Solomon Sings (6 page)

BOOK: When Solomon Sings

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CJ leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. “Yes, I do know all of that, Neil. But I don't read into the same things that you do. You see all of those things as yellow caution lights and red stop signs; I see it as normal human behavior. Granted, her wearing the ring for seven years was excess, but people have different ways of dealing with certain issues. Just because I wouldn't do it doesn't make it wrong. How many times have I told you that?” CJ didn't wait for an answer. “Shaylynn may have needed to do that to get through that phase of her grieving process. The important thing shouldn't be what she
did
, but what she's doing now. She met you, she fell in love, and she removed the ring. Meeting you made her do something that she hadn't been able to do in seven years. That should mean something to you.”

Neil blew out a puff of air. “It does mean something, but that's just one piece of the puzzle. What about those dead flowers? What about how she talks about him all the time?”

“She was married to him, bruh. What do you expect?”

Neil wasn't buying that. “I was married before too. Do you hear me throwing Audrey's name up in everything? I wonder how she'd feel if I all of a sudden started saying stuff like, âAudrey would have enjoyed this movie,' or âThat's the perfume Audrey used to wear.'”

“In the first place, it's not the same thing, because Emmett died, whereas you divorced Audrey. Your termination of your marriage from Audrey was a choice that was ultimately made by both of you. In utter contrast, an assassin's bullet forced the dissolution of Shay's marriage. Emmett is no longer around and can't serve as a threat to your and Shaylynn's relationship. Audrey, on the other hand, is still alive and well, and as I understand it, she still makes guest appearances at Taylor family functions. There's a big difference in the situations, and if anybody has a right to be apprehensive, it should be Shaylynn.”

Neil rolled his eyes in silent protest, but he knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. How could he argue the point? The evidence had the scales tilting in CJ's favor. Less than six months ago, Audrey drove her signature pink Cadillac in the yard of Neil's childhood home in Mississippi. Her uninvited appearance was no real surprise to anyone. Audrey had shown up at eleven of the fifteen reunions Neil's family had had since the divorce. The most recent showing made it an even dozen. Knowing the likelihood was great, Neil thought it was best that he gave Shaylynn fair warning. He didn't know how she would receive the news that she would probably meet his ex-wife at the very same family gathering where he was taking her to meet his siblings and other family members, but Neil knew that it wouldn't be right to withhold the information. Shaylynn didn't even seem thwarted when he made the big reveal, and as they stood in the yard along with the other Taylor clan that day, Neil's sweetheart showed no signs of insecurity when Audrey stepped out of her car, looking like the Mary Kay professional that she was.

Ella Mae couldn't be convinced that Audrey didn't make it her business to look especially good when she knew Neil would be around. She had packed on a few pounds since their divorce, but she carried them rather well. Even still, she was no match for the much younger, much shapelier, much prettier new lady in Neil's life. Audrey must have heard the standing eight count very shortly after she set eyes on Shaylynn, because less than an hour after she arrived, she made a remark about having a meeting to attend, and then she was gone. Neil couldn't prove that she was lying, but if he were a gambling man, he'd put his money on it. It was too much of an irony that in all the years before, she'd been one of the very last to leave the reunions.

“You know I'm right,” CJ was saying. When Neil parted his lips to interrupt, CJ held up his hand to stop him. “And in the second place, I have to put myself in Shay's shoes. I love Theresa.” He pointed toward the door that his wife had exited through earlier. “I love that woman with all my heart. And, God forbid, if my phone rang right now and somebody on the other end said, âPastor Loather, your wife just got killed in an automobile accident,' I would be devastated. I'd be
more
than devastated.” A pained look that crossed his face made Neil wonder if he was imagining that it was all true. CJ seemed to snap out of it as he added, “I wouldn't get over that in a day, a week, a month, or even a year. Me and Resa have made a life together. We have hopes and plans and dreams for our family that a sudden death would snatch away.

“Seven or eight years from now... ten or twelve years from now ... fifteen or twenty years from now, I'd still be talking about her. There would be sights, sounds, smells, music, television shows, even biblical passages that would remind me of her. And if ever God gave me the strength and courage to move on with my life, whatever woman would even have a remote possibility of sharing in it would have to be able to deal with that. You know why? Because Resa ain't going nowhere. Not when it comes to this right here.” CJ pressed his index finger into his chest several times using quick hand motions. “And if you're gonna be with Shaylynn, you're gonna have to get over it, bruh, 'cause Emmett Ford, as dead as he may be, will always, on some level, live in that sister's heart.”

FIVE

“Come on in, baby.” Ella's grin was wide as she stepped aside to allow the surprised dinner guest to enter Neil's bachelor pad. She practically had to pull Shaylynn inside before quickly closing the door, barricading them from being battered by any more of the outside frigid temperatures.

The shock of seeing her had slowed Shaylynn's movements, but she managed to return Ella's hospitable smile. That must have been why Neil's SUV was parked in the driveway instead of the garage. His mom's car must have been there. When Neil called and asked if she would allow him to take Chase to his house after school, and then she join them for dinner later, Shaylynn was under the impression that it would be just the three of them.

“Hi, Ms. Ella Mae.” Shaylynn loved Neil's mother; she just didn't expect to see her. It had taken her some time to get used to calling her Ms. Ella Mae. When Shaylynn first met Eloise Mae Flowers Taylor as a decorating client, she became accustomed to calling her Ms. Flowers while Chase called her Ms. Eloise. It wasn't until she began dating Neil that she tagged the name on his mother that the rest of the family used when addressing her.

Ella always offered the warmest greetings. “Give me a hug, baby. How you been?”

“Busy, but fine. It's so good to see you.” While she accepted the hug that Ella offered, Shaylynn's eyes scanned the space for any signs of her son.

“Good to see you too. It's nice and warm in here, so let me take that.” Ella reached for Shaylynn's full-length navy blue coat. When Shaylynn removed it and handed it to her, Ella stepped back in admiration. “You looking mighty, mighty pretty this evening, but then again, you always look pretty.”

“Thank you.” A timid smile stretched Shaylynn's lips, and she arbitrarily ran her fingers through her signature braids that cascaded over her shoulders.

“I don't know if I've ever seen you in all white before,” Ella remarked as she hung Shaylynn's coat on the rack near the door. “Is that new?”

Shaylynn reached up and touched the cowl neckline of the sweater dress that she wore, then gently fingered the silver chain of the necklace that was largely hidden by the thick fabric. Technically the dress wasn't white; the color was closer to cream. Shaylynn pondered for a moment, wondering what Neil's mother would think if she told her that she'd just bought it today ... just for Neil. Consciously, and sometimes subconsciously, Shaylynn found herself often wearing beige, ivory, taupe, and other neutral colors along that line when she was around Neil. Ever since she found out that they were among his favorites. Even the decor of his house reflected his choice colors. “I bought it not too long ago,” she finally answered, “but this is my first time wearing it.” Shaylynn released a soft sigh, relieved that she could tell the whole truth without telling the
whole
truth.

“Oooh,” Ella sang out. “And look at them shoes!”

Robotically, Shaylynn looked down at her three-inch-heeled Anne Klein boots. The stretch material hugged her legs all the way up to the calves, and their shade of cream matched the dress's to perfection. She'd complemented the entire ensemble with dangling pearl earrings and an oversized silver, flower-like ring with pearl accents that she wore on the middle finger of her left hand. Shaylynn had been pretty proud of herself when she gave her image a final once-over before leaving her home to head to Neil's, but now, as she looked at Ella's casual top and slacks, Shaylynn felt overdressed and suddenly self-conscious.

“You have a seat right over there, and make yourself comfy.” Ella pointed at Neil's tan leather couch.

Shaylynn smoothed the back of her dress as she sat down, but making herself comfortable wasn't as easy, and her self-consciousness wasn't the only reason. She was still getting accustomed to allowing her son to be in places that she wasn't. Where was Chase? “Is Solomon here?” Shaylynn figured she'd ask that question instead of the one that was really on her mind. She didn't need Neil's mother to think she didn't trust them with her son.

“Oh yeah, he's here.” Ella laughed and reached for her cane that was leaning against the loveseat. “That young'un of mine and that li'l linebacker of yours were outside playing football a little earlier. They're upstairs getting cleaned up and changed. They ought to be down any minute. I hollered up there and told Sol that you were here when I saw you through the window as you pulled up in the driveway.”

Shaylynn leaned against the back of the seat and tried to relax. If Neil and Chase came down in jeans and T-shirts, she would just die. Why did she get all dressed up? It was Tuesday, for goodness sake! Why didn't she just assume that it would be a casual affair?

The delicious smells floating from the kitchen area were starting to intoxicate her and free her mind from the bondage of worry. She smelled collard greens, some type of fish, and something sweet. On cue, Shaylynn's stomach released a soft rumble. She had no idea that Neil could cook like that; though it should not have shocked her with Ella Mae Taylor for his mother. “Did he cook seafood?” It was Shaylynn's favorite, and she hoped the answer was yes.

Ella laughed out loud. “Chile,
he
didn't cook a thing. I baked stuffed salmon and prepared some long-grain wild rice, and collards. For dessert, y'all got some homemade peach cobbler.” She began walking toward the kitchen. Her cane helped her to move a little faster.

“You did the cooking?” Shaylynn was surprised, but she had eaten Ella's award-worthy food too many times to be the least bit disappointed.

The woman flashed a grin and said, “What you think I'm over here for?” before disappearing in the kitchen.

Did that mean she wasn't staying for dinner? Shaylynn inhaled deeply and became too hypnotized by the aromas to care one way or the other. Oddly enough, in all the months that she and Neil had been dating, he had never invited her to his home for dinner; they always ate out. As a matter of fact, their time alone at his condo had been very limited. Usually if they were there longer than an hour, it was because the three of themâshe, Neil, and Chaseâwere all there together playing board games or watching movies. That was another one of her rules to which Neil had grudgingly agreed, but for once, Shaylynn wanted to do it God's way. She'd grown up with such little self-worth and so deprived of love and affection that every boyfriend she'd had since the age of seventeen had been able to talk her out of her clothes without much effort. Even Emmett had done it, but unlike the three before him, he really did love her, and he'd proven it during their brief life together.

This time, though, Shaylynn would do it right. Not that she thought Neil would try anything; he had been nothing but respectful and honorable. If the harsh truth be told, he probably wasn't the one she didn't trust. Shaylynn's emotions had the tendency to run amok when she was with Neil, and that was especially true when they were alone. The thought of it all sometimes still boggled her mind. Shaylynn had never thought she could love again, let alone
desire
at a level like this. After Emmett's death, the thick body of ice that she had built around her heart was soundproof, yet somehow, when Neil talked, she could hear him. And though the glacier was guaranteed unbreakable, Neil managed to shatter it to smithereens.

Theirs was a relationship that never should have developed, but it had, and when she was with him, she found herself letting her guard down more and more and allowing Neil greater entrance into her heart. But Shaylynn was determined that despite her past record, her heart was all that she'd allow him to enter. This time, she knew she could abstain in spite of her fleshly desires. Not because she had found some great secret to celibacy between the time she dated Emmett and now, but because between then and now, she had found Christ. She had to believe that the Holy Spirit would be her keeper and would bring her flesh under subjection, but there was no mistaking that the Holy Spirit had His work cut out for Him.

Neil was handsome, and his sexiness wasn't limited to his physical makeup. Even the way he walked, talked, ate, and breathed were sexy. He had a level of coolness that probably only came with age and experience. Shaylynn had never even considered dating an older man prior to him. A man in his mid-forties could never have gotten her attention a couple of years ago, but now she wondered, if things didn't work out between her and Neil, if a man without graying temples would even get the courtesy of a second look from her. There was something about the way Neil talked to her ... and looked at her ... and treated her. No man her age had ever compared. Emmett loved her, no doubt about it, but chivalry wasn't a subject in which he excelled. Neil, on the other hand, majored in it. If that PhD he held didn't license him to teach a class on it, it should. Opening doors for her, helping her put on and remove her coat in the colder months, draping his suit jacket across her shoulders if she caught a draft inside a restaurant or movie theatre in the warmer months, pulling out her chair for her whenever they dined together, even standing up whenever she had to leave the table to visit the ladies' room.

At first, Shaylynn thought it was a regional thing since she'd never seen it before moving to the South and meeting Neil. But now, after living in Atlanta for nearly three years, she realized that it wasn't
where
he was raised, but rather
when
he was raised. Shaylynn had yet to see even one guy in her generation do all of those things.
How
he was raised probably had a lot to do with it too. At Neil's family reunion, she noted that all of his brothers did the same with the women in their lives. It made Shaylynn sad that she'd never gotten to meet the man Neil fondly called Pop. She felt like she owed him a thank you, a hug,
and
a box of chocolates. He had trained his sons well.

“Hey, Ma!”

Speaking of sons, Shaylynn's wrenched her from her thoughts as he ran down the steps and into her awaiting arms. She barely had time to stand up before he reached her. “Hi, Chase.” She kissed his forehead and detected the scent of Irish Spring soap. “How was school? Did you have homework? Did you get a chance to do it?”

He loosed his arms from her waist and said, “Yes, ma'am. I'm all done, and Dr. Taylor checked over it.”

“Good. That's good.” Shaylynn smiled and sat, pulling him onto the space beside her. She noticed his casual outfit: jeans and a pullover hoodie with the Kingdom Builders Academy emblem on the front. Her self-consciousness returned, and she wished she could go home, change clothes, and be back before Neil came down to join them. “What else did you do today?” She figured the small talk might help take her mind off her inappropriate attire ... at least for a while.

“Me and Dr. Taylor played football while Ms. Ella Mae was cooking.”

“You did?” Shaylynn widened her eyes like she didn't already know. She plucked a particle of lint from the front of his hoodie. “Who won?”

“He let me win.” Chase grinned wide. “He always lets me win.”

“I did not
let
you win. You won fair and square.”

Shaylynn looked up at the sound of Neil's voice, and for a moment, she felt suffocated by her own breath. Her earlier concerns disappeared in midair at the sight of him. Using calculated steps, he descended the stairwell dressed in a chocolate brown suit accented by a dress shirt and shoes that matched the tan of his living room furniture. He wore no tie. Instead, the first two buttons of his shirt were undone, giving him a casual yet dressy appearance. This man was just too debonair for words. He came to a stop on the other side of the coffee table, appearing to be careful not to stand too close in the presence of Chase. Shaylynn's mind told her to follow her son's lead and stand up to greet Neil, but her legs wouldn't cooperate.

“Na-ah.” Chase shook his head and grinned up at Neil, seeming clueless to how thick the air in the room had grown. “You let me win, and you know it.”

“What I know is that you're a whole lot better than you think you are,” Neil replied. “You're gonna be a heck of a quarterback one of these days.” Then he turned his eyes to the place where Shaylynn continued to sit. “Good evening, Shay. You look ... lovely, as usual. How are you?”

She swallowed. Hard. It had been over a year now. How was he still able to do this to her? There was just something about those eyes ... and that voice. She swallowed again. Harder. “Thank you, Solomon. I'm fine.”

“Yes. Yes, you are.” His eyes seemed to reach into her soul.

Shaylynn blinked. She couldn't believe he'd said that. Her eyes darted to Chase, and then back at Neil. With her eyes, she tried to tell him to cut it out. In return, his eyes seemed to be daring her to try to make him. Shaylynn hoped Chase couldn't read morse code.

“I hope you're hungry,” Neil said.

Shaylynn released a nervous laugh. “Why? Could you hear my stomach growl from upstairs?”

Neil laughed too. “No. But I'll take that as a yes.”

“Right on time,” Ella said, emerging from the kitchen. “Food is all ready, and the table is all set.”

“Thanks, Ms. Ella Mae.” Neil kissed his mother's cheek and pressed a few folded bills in her hand. “Let him eat whatever he wants, okay?”

BOOK: When Solomon Sings

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