“What a day.” Octavia exhaled as she waited for a red light to change. Why do I feel like I dropped off a stray pet at an animal shelter?
He needed rescuing, the Lord answered her.
She wished Jesus would have let her in on His plan before Landon scared her half to death. After God told her not to be afraid and she finally relaxed, Octavia enjoyed Landon’s company.
She smiled. If he was shaved and cleaned up, Landon would be handsome she supposed. It wasn’t the striking color of his eyes that caught her attention—it was the depth of turmoil that filled them, but with one blink, she erased the haunting from her sight.
Octavia admired Landon for not having a blame-other-people attitude about himself. Despite his plight, he possessed confidence when he spoke and walked, yet the moment he stepped inside church, his demeanor changed drastically. Clearly, he didn’t want to be there.
Landon continued to invade her thoughts until Terri’s ring tone played on her phone. Taking a deep breath, she tapped her ear piece and prepared for a tongue lashing. “Hey, girl.”
“This is not a ‘hey girl’ moment,” Terri warned. “It’s an ‘are you out of your mind?’ followed by ‘are you okay?’ moment after that stunt you pulled today. Please tell me that homeless guy didn’t hold you at gunpoint—or rather fork point since you fed him.” Terri didn’t give Octavia space to explain, ranting on and on. “And let me go on record and say, you’ve lost your mind!”
Yeah, well, Octavia thought so too—at first. She could have been raped as some female real estate agents had been in the past because the listing agent didn’t make sure the house was secured. It had truly been a “but God” moment. She lifted one hand in silent praise before turning into the driveway of her beige brick ranch house. The stone-covered double pillars and the arch entryway created a stately welcome home after a long day. The foreclosure home had been a good investment.
As Octavia parked in her garage, Terri gasped for air. She smirked, hoping her friend used her inhaler before she upset herself. “Listen, granted I was afraid…” She paused.
Despite how many testimonies she had shared with Terri, her friend couldn’t believe God would waste His time talking to ordinary people like them. Terri labeled herself a Christian as if it were a multiple-choice answer on a quiz. Her faith walk was questionable. That was reason enough for Octavia to hold her tongue about what God had told her about Landon. Lowering her garage door, Octavia got her things and crossed the threshold into the kitchen. She deactivated her home security alarm, then rested her keys and purse on the counter. “He was harmless. Plus, the police were going to arrest him.”
“And you stopped them? He probably would have appreciated a bed and three meals a day!” Terri raised her voice. “Besides, that’s police protocol for someone who breaks and enters into a property without their name on the deed.”
Octavia rubbed her feet as she kicked off her shoes before making her way to her bedroom. The only thing she wanted was a cool shower to wash away the perspiration from the day’s humidity. “I’m fine, really,’ she tried to reassure her so they could end the call.
“Hmm, well, the next time you send me an S.O.S. text that someone is in one of our unoccupied properties, you’d better let the police do their job! Then when I call back, you’re calm and casually give me some man’s name whom I’ve never heard you mention before—I can count your male friends on one hand—riding shotgun in your car. Of course, if you let Andre and me introduce you to some of his friends…”
Not this same argument again? Octavia groaned. Whether they were in a Wendy’s drive-thru line or shopping for pantyhose in Target, Terri would bring up her matchmaking services. “What does another man have to do with any of this?” Her friend’s reasoning never made sense, so why did Octavia even bait her? “Thanks, Terri. I appreciate you and your hubby looking out for me. God knows who I need in my life and He knows what type of man I want. The Lord is my matchmaker.”
Terri huffed. “Right. Now, back to the Mr. Wrong you let in your car today; it’s a good thing you didn’t offer him room and board. Tavie, sometimes, I think you’re too generous.”
“I did.”
“You what?” Terri shrieked in her ear. “Your mind is gone. Are you sure he didn’t hit you over the head with an empty beer bottle or something?”
Fits of laughter exploded from Octavia’s lips until tears streaked her cheeks. “Girl, Landon is at Mac’s Place, not mine—you know Brother McCoy’s mission shelter to help men get back on their feet.”
Terri didn’t muffle her sigh of relief. “You had me going. Now I can enjoy my dinner, but this conversation isn’t over. At least he doesn’t know where you live.”
“Girl, I forgot to tell you—”
“Don’t even say it, Octavia. You may have acted crazy today but I know you ain’t stupid. Bye,” Terri ended their call.
Once Octavia had showered and slipped into something comfortable, she grabbed the phone to call her younger sister, Olivia, who was attending law school in DC. She wanted to get her take on the day’s events. Octavia wasn’t surprised, but definitely disappointed when she got Olivia’s voice mail. “Call me when you get a chance—it’s not an emergency,” she said, then disconnected.
Five years younger, Olivia shared the same mannerisms as Octavia. They were the same height with the same light brown skin. Only Octavia inherited the blondish-brown hair that easily identified her. Olivia’s hair was jet black like their father’s and longer.
Octavia smirked when she thought about Landon again. She might not have a crisis to tell her sister about, but today was definitely not the norm in her life as a realtor. The first thing Olivia would want to know is if Landon was cute. “Definitely!” She blushed for noticing.