LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

I were going to set up some bogus meeting with you, Miss Lewis, trust me, it wouldn’t have been at the Family Café. It would have more like…” He looked around, impressed by his own handiwork. “Something more like this.”

      She’d known from the first time she met him that Mr. Lynox Chase was persistent, but she was certain she’d seen the last of him that day in Family Café when she’d spit her lemon water all over him. Not only that, but she’d snapped at him and practically threw his manuscript he’d wanted her to shop as his agent back at him. What man in his right mind would still want to deal with a woman capable of all that?

      That’s it! Deborah had figured it out. This man standing before her had to be out of his mind.

      “You’re out of your mind, Mr. Chase, to think that I would fall for this…this…this whatever it is you’re trying to do,” she told him. “I am a child of the Most High. God is not going to allow me to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices.”

      “Good, because I’m not the enemy. If I were, then why would God have allowed you to even come here in the first place, let alone come inside? I mean, what woman besides those crazies in those horror movies would have actually come into a stranger’s dark house? Are you kidding me?”

      Deborah had to admit that he had a point, a good one. Why had God allowed her to come here? If it was a trick of the enemy, why had she fallen for it? Why hadn’t she gotten one single suspicion about the entire Mr. Born thing? She didn’t have the answers, but for now she had the solution, and that was to get out of there.

      “Whatever, Mr. Chase. If I’ve told you once, I’m telling you again, I don’t have time for games. I hope you enjoy your evening.” On that note, Deborah turned on her heels and headed back toward the front door.

      “But wait!” Lynox called out. Deborah stopped, but didn’t turn back around to face him, to face the brown-skinned, medium height, sculptured figure. He took a couple of steps in her direction and turned on the light.

      “I didn’t know what else to do. You wouldn’t take my phone calls, you blocked my e-mail address.” He paused before continuing. “I had gone to eat at Family Café at least a dozen times before God showed me favor and you finally showed up.” He took another step toward her. “And I promise you on everything, before I’d walked into that restaurant, I’d said a prayer to God. I had told him, ‘Lord, if this is meant to be, then let it be, because this is my last time coming here.’ And I’d meant it. If you didn’t show up, I was going to let things go…let you go. But you did show up, and now I can’t… I can’t let you go.”

      Deborah’s heart almost melted like the candle wax. She slowly turned to face him. She noticed his fresh haircut, a nice, tight fade. She blushed within at the thought he’d gotten a fresh cut just for her.

      “I’d heard Family Café was the town restaurant that everyone went to, so I knew sooner or later you would too.” He grabbed his stomach. “I only wish it had been sooner. You have no idea what those twelve bowls of chili did to my digestive system.”

      Deborah chuckled.

      “Ah ha! The lady laughs.” Lynox pointed at Deborah, happy to finally see some emotion other than anger displayed. “Anyway, I’m sorry…about everything. Will you forgive me?” Once again, Lynox extended the rose to Deborah that he still held in his hand.

      And once again, she stared down at the rose. After a few seconds of contemplation, she accepted it. “Because I am a woman of God, I must obey Jesus and forgive you.”

      Lynox cheered up. “Great.” He rubbed his hands together. “Does that mean you’ll stay? I made a wonderful chicken parmesan dinner.”

      Deborah looked around at the romantic surroundings. Not even recalling the last time she’d had an evening appetizer with a man, let alone a romantic dinner, she knew if she stayed, there was a chance she’d end up being dessert—or the brown-skinned hunk of a man standing before her would be hers. That was a chance she didn’t want to take. Well, she wanted to—her flesh did, anyway—but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. For His name’s sake.

      “Sorry, Mr. Chase, but it’s a no.” She turned around and walked away before she could even consider changing her mind. She swooped a couple of her sister-locks out of her face before exiting his front door.

      “You haven’t seen the last of me, Miss Lewis,” Lynox said with a smile as he watched her walk to her car.

      Deborah got into her car and started it up, thinking, I hope not, Mr. Chase. I hope not. After inhaling the sweet fragrance of the rose, she pulled away from Lynox’s home, but not his heart.

      Chapter Five

      “I cannot believe what a wonderful time I had,” Paige told Norman as they exited the fondue restaurant. “And you know you a fool, right?” Paige laughed. “Sitting up in there with a bib on like you’re a toddler or something.” She looked him up and down. “With your big ol’, grown self.”

      “Laugh all you want.” Norman popped the collar of his multi-colored, expensive dress shirt as he walked Paige to her car. “But it’s not like I can afford another Versace shirt on my salary. I wasn’t about to drip any of that fondue stuff on me, especially the chocolate from the dipped strawberries.” Norman closed his eyes and licked his lips in remembrance. He opened them again and looked down at his shirt, double checking that he hadn’t spilled any chocolate on it. “I wouldn’t even have this one if what’s-her-name hadn’t bought it for me while we were in Vegas.”

      “Who’s what’s-her-name?”

      Norman thought for a minute. “Hmm… I don’t recall. I guess it’s really true what they say: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

      “Yeah, Norman, but I don’t think they meant the names of people you go with, especially people who buy you expensive gifts.” Paige stopped and rubbed the soft fabric of Norman’s shirt. “Hmm, nice.” She made the final few steps to her car.

      “Well, you know how I do it.” He smiled and ran his hands down his gelled, dirty blonde hair.

      With a grin on her face, Paige asked, “What is it with all the white guys wearing their hair like that boy in Twilight? To me it looks like he has a Something About Mary thing going on.” She quickly looked to Norman, hoping she hadn’t offended him. “But not you, of course. Yours looks good on you.” She patted his hair playfully. “Oh, wow, and it’s soft.” She looked down at her hand. “I expected it to cut me. Seems like it would be hard and spiky.”

      “Where have you been? The days of Dippity-do hair gel and Aqua Net spray are long gone. There is stuff on the market now to make it stiff but keep it soft.”

      There was awkward silence. Paige cleared her throat. “I’ll leave that one alone.”

      “As you should, you being a Christian and all. But I really wasn’t trying to be funny or—” Norman seriously began apologizing before Paige cut him off.

      “I know, I know.” She put her hands up to let him know it was okay.

      Back before she got saved, Norman would have deliberately made a comment like that to Paige. She and Norman would have taken the comment and run a mile with it, as most of their conversations had involved the adventures of singlehood, dating, and mating. But not now that Paige had been saved for well over two years.

      Only a few months ago Norman would have those same conversations with Paige, but they would be one-sided. Eventually, Paige got frustrated that Norman wouldn’t respect the fact that she was a Christian and continued to talk to her as if she were still in the world. That all changed a few months ago when she invited him to a church service at New Day. He got to experience firsthand a move of the God Paige now served. After that, not only did he respect God, but he respected Paige’s walk with God.

      “Anyway, I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to dinner with you tonight. Blake is going to be sorry he missed

Скачать книгу