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 them—she, Neil, and Chase—were 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?”
“He done already told me that he wants chicken fingers from Zaxby’s,” she replied. Then she looked at Chase. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He bounced with excitement.
Shaylynn’s legs quickly found their strength and stability, and she rose to her feet, looking from one of them to the other. Ready? Ready for what? Where were they going? She was totally lost. Had she missed something? “Wait a minute. You’re leaving?” She reached for Chase’s arm.
“It’s okay, Shay.” Neil’s voice was soothing. “Please let him go with Ms. Ella Mae. I’m sorry I didn’t ask earlier, but my plans ... I mean, the dinner ... it’s just for the two of us. I’ll drive over to her house and get him and bring him back here to you once we’re done. It’ll only be a couple of hours. I promise.”
This would be groundbreaking in their relationship. If Ella and Chase left, it would leave only the two of them. Neil had to know that she wouldn’t have agreed to this had he mentioned it when he first asked her to come over for dinner. Of course he knew. That was probably why he didn’t mention it. Shaylynn didn’t like being put on the spot like this, but she liked the man who had put her on the spot far too much to deny him. Something in Neil’s voice and eyes was pleading, and Shaylynn couldn’t stop the nodding of her head that granted the permission that he requested. She could visibly see his body relax as he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” Neil said.
Shaylynn quietly hugged Chase and again kissed his forehead, all the while praying that God would help her to keep her vow and her virtue tonight. “You behave yourself, you hear me?” She knew Chase wouldn’t misbehave. That charge was more to herself than her son.
“Yes, ma‘am.” The glee could be heard in his voice when he turned to Ella and said, “Give me just a minute. I’ma be right back. I gotta go get my coat and my backpack.” Chase’s fast legs already had him at the top of the stairwell before he finished the last sentence.
“He’ll be fine, baby,” Ella said, giving Shaylynn’s arm a reassuring touch. “Chase don’t never give me no trouble. Don’t you worry your pretty head none.”
Shaylynn nodded again and watched in silence as Chase bounded back downstairs wearing the Falcons jacket that Neil had purchased for him. Her silence reigned as she watched Neil help his mother into her coat before walking them both outside. She heard the garage door open, heard Ella crank up her car, and heard the fading sound of the car’s motor as she drove away. Shaylynn hadn’t moved. Her feet remained planted in the exact same place when Neil returned, closing the door behind his reentrance. When he turned the deadbolt, the sound of it locking into place seemed to bounce off the walls of his home.
Neil turned to face her, and then cupped his hands to his mouth and blew several lungfuls of warm breath into them. Apparently satisfied, he took several steps that brought him within inches of Shaylynn. “It’s okay, suga,” he whispered. “I just feel very selfish tonight, and I need to have you all to myself so we can ... talk. You aren’t mad, are you?”
Like a deaf woman, Shaylynn watched the movement of his lips as he spoke. Then like a blind woman, she reached up with both hands and used her fingers to trace his face. His skin was always smooth and clean-cut, just the way she liked it. He closed his eyes momentarily, released a pleasurable moan, and then reopened them. How could she be mad at eyes like those? Like a mute woman, she finally answered his question with a slow shake of her head.
“Thank you.” He followed that with, “I love you,” and then brushed his lips softly against each of her cheeks before finding her lips and parting them for a deep kiss that seemed to last an eternity.
Lord, help me. Shaylynn hoped that God heard the prayers of blind deaf-mutes.