It had been three days since Charlotte had plastered copies of that e-mail all over the kitchen, but Curtis still couldn’t stop thinking about it. He’d known it was probably only a matter of time before she found out where he’d been going, but what he’d wanted was to tell her himself. He’d wanted to tell her from the very beginning, but his hesitation in doing so had stemmed from his assumption that she would never understand. He’d worried that her reaction would be way over the top, and he hadn’t wanted to deal with yet another confrontation between them.
Now, though, he wished he’d handled this head on because there was no telling what Charlotte was planning to do to get back at him. Especially since she was the type of woman who felt a strong need to hurt those who’d hurt her and who felt a strong obligation to protect what was rightfully hers. Sadly, he knew he was at the center of every ounce of revenge she was probably considering. He knew this because she still wasn’t speaking to him, and just this morning she’d looked at him in a way that screamed pain and hatred. He’d wanted to say something to her, anything, but he hadn’t found the right words and had ultimately left the house as soon as he could.
“Yes,” Curtis said to Lana when she called into his office.
“Pastor, Elder Jamison is on the line for you.”
“Thanks. Put him through.”
“So I know you’re calling with good news,” Curtis said to him.
“I wish I was. But unfortunately, Reverend Tolson finally called and said he’s not signing any agreement and he’s not accepting two years of pay. He wants four years or else.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I just don’t get why he’s doing this.”
“I do. Tolson is consumed with greed and all he’s trying to do is manipulate us.”
“Well, if that’s the case, he should be ashamed of himself.”
“He should be but I doubt that he is.”
“So what do you want to do now?”
“At this point, I think we should let him know that if he doesn’t take the deal, we’ll be rescinding our offer and that he can forget about any future job recommendations.”
“Sounds good to me and maybe once he realizes we’re finished with this, he’ll come to his senses.”
“We can only hope.”
“On a different note, have you heard anything else from that Tabitha woman?”
“I won’t go into details, but let’s just say, I think I have everything under control.”
“Look, Pastor, I know I’m one of the elders of this church but I’m also your friend. And as your friend, I have to say I still think you should tell the board and the congregation. I know it may seem like you have everything under control, but you and I both know that secrets always have a way of getting out. No matter how well we try to hide them.”
“I hear you, and to be honest, I know you’re right. But the thing is, I’m just not ready to face everyone yet. I’ll do it soon, but I need time to prepare myself first.”
“That’s all well and good, but I just hope you don’t take too long.”
“I won’t. And I want you to know I appreciate your friendship. It means a lot, man.”
“Same here.”
Curtis heard his cell phone ringing and saw that the call was restricted.
“Hey, I need to take this, but let me know if you hear from Tolson again.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Curtis hung up his office phone and picked up his cell.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Tabitha said. “I was just checking to make sure you were still coming.”
“You don’t have to be at the salon until two, right?”
“Yes, but it’ll take me about thirty minutes to get there.”
“Then I’ll be at your place around one fifteen.”
“That’ll be fine. And thanks so much for watching Curtina. Her babysitter is out of town this week, and you know my two best friends work until five.”
“It’s no problem.”
“Okay, then I’ll see you in about an hour.”
Curtis was truly looking forward to spending time alone with his daughter but the idea that he was going to be babysitting for Tabitha while she got her hair done made him feel guilty. Visiting Curtina was one thing, but if Charlotte ever found out he was helping Tabitha out personally, he couldn’t imagine what might happen. Of course, he didn’t see anything wrong with watching his own child while her mother did something she needed to do, but given the circumstances, he knew Charlotte would never see it that way. She would jump to conclusions and decide hands down that he was doing favors for his ex-mistress and that this also meant he was now sleeping with her again. Something that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Curtis finished working on a few more items and left his office.
“Lana, I’m leaving for the day but if you need to reach me, just call my cell.”
“That’s fine, Pastor. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Curtis said good-bye to Lana’s two assistants and headed out to the parking lot. He grunted when he saw Leroy standing near his vehicle.
“Hey, Pastor, gotta few dollars you can spare?”
“It depends on what you need it for.”
“Food. What else?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. Because the last time I gave you money, one of my members told me they saw you going into that liquor store down the street.”
Leroy smiled, gritty teeth and all, and said, “You talkin’ about your member that drives that black Lexus? Howard?”
“I’d rather not say who.”
“Hmmph. I know it was him. And while he all up in my business, did he tell you he was in there, too? Shoot, that fool bought enough liquor to make every drunk in town jealous.”
Curtis wanted to laugh out loud but he didn’t.
“That’s beside the point, Leroy, because what I want you to do is clean yourself up and get off the bottle. And it would be nice if you started coming to service on Sundays.”
“Aw, Pastor, you know I’m here every week.”
“Yeah, out here harassing my female members.”
Leroy chuckled. “Okay, you got me there. But I don’t come in because I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Really? Well, what happened to all those clothes we gave you not too long ago?”
“I got ’em.”
Curtis shook his head and pulled out his wallet. “I pray for you, Leroy.”
“I pray for you, too, Pastor. All the time. Every single day.”
Curtis couldn’t help smiling and then passed Leroy ten dollars.
“God bless you, Pastor. This’ll get a nice bottle of…I mean a nice dinner at that restaurant a few blocks down the way.”
“Bye, Leroy.”
“See you tomorrow, Pastor.”
Curtis sat in his vehicle and wondered why Leroy didn’t see a reason to change. Because it wasn’t like he couldn’t do better. He was able-bodied and he’d told Curtis about a year ago that he’d graduated from high school and had one semester of college. Not to mention, the church had tried to help him get on his feet more than once. All Curtis could hope was that one day Leroy would listen to his advice and would realize how much better his life could actually be if he made more of an effort.
Curtis snapped his seat belt and turned on the ignition, but he rolled the window down when Leroy approached him again.
“Don’t tell me that ten isn’t enough.”
“No, Pastor, it’s fine. But since you’ve always been so generous with me, I figure the least I could do is tell you something you might need to know.”
“What’s that?”
“You know that preacher who takes your place when you’re gone sometimes?”
“Reverend Tolson?”
“Yeah, that’s him. And his first name is John, right?”
Curtis nodded yes.
“Well, a buddy of mine told me that the reverend sleeps with prostitutes just like they’re going out of style.”
Curtis raised his eyebrows. “Leroy, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“No foolin’, Pastor. I wouldn’t lie to you. And I also hear he sleeps with hookers so much that they’ve had to give him a nickname.”
Curtis pursed his lips.
“I’m serious. They call him Johnny the John.”
“That’s too bad.”
“I think it is, too. Sad. A man of God out here sleeping with women, left and right. Just pitiful if you ask me.”
“Pitiful it is, Leroy. And thanks for the information.”
“No problem. Glad I could be of service.”
When Curtis pulled into Tabitha’s driveway he got out and walked up the sidewalk. He still couldn’t believe what Leroy had told him, but he knew it was definitely possible. When Curtis had first hired Tolson, he never would have believed Leroy or anyone else who might’ve had something negative to say about Tolson, but with the way Tolson was acting now, totally indignant, Curtis knew he was probably capable of anything.
Curtis rang the bell and Tabitha opened the door within a couple of seconds.
“Hey,” she said.
Tabitha was wearing an expensive, pure white silk robe but Curtis ignored it. “How’s it going?”
“Good.”
“Where’s the little one?”
“Asleep. Just dropped off about twenty minutes ago.”
“Oh. Well, then, I guess I’ll just watch some television.”
Curtis wasn’t sure why Tabitha was just standing there, staring at him, so he started toward the family room.
But Tabitha grabbed his arm. “Baby, I know this is a touchy subject, but the truth is, I want you so badly I don’t know what to do.”
“What?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you and no matter how hard I try not to, I can’t help myself.”
“Tabitha, please. We’ve already discussed this. What you and I had is no more and the only connection we have is Curtina.”
“I know you keep saying that, but if you would just let me show you how much I still love you, I know we can make things right again. Baby, please,” she said, untying her robe and slipping it away from her shoulders.
Curtis watched it drop to the floor and couldn’t resist staring at Tabitha’s body a second longer than he should have. She didn’t have a stitch of clothing on and though she’d recently had a baby, her body was practically rock-solid again.
But then he came to his senses.
“Tabitha, please put your robe back on. And if you think I came over here to have sex with you, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be. And you know what, I shouldn’t even be here.”
“No, please don’t leave,” she said, grabbing him when he turned toward the door, but Curtis snatched away from her.
“I’m out of here.”
“Baby, please. I’m sorry. I was wrong for doing this, and I promise it won’t happen again.”
Curtis opened the door. “You’re right. It won’t ever happen again.”
Tabitha begged and pleaded until Curtis was in his car and could no longer hear her, and he could kick himself for being so thick-headed about all of this and for trying to make himself believe Tabitha truly only wanted him there to see Curtina. He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but now he knew Charlotte had been right about Tabitha all along and that he never should have gone behind her back to see Curtina. And while Tabitha had totally denied it on Saturday evening when he’d asked her about it, he couldn’t help but believe she was in fact the person who’d sent that convicting e-mail message. He wasn’t sure how she would have gotten Charlotte’s address, but after today, her motives were crystal clear.
Actually, they’d been clear since day one, but he’d been so caught up with Curtina that he’d chosen to overlook the excitement that seemed to overcome Tabitha every time he came for a visit. She’d never given up on having a relationship with him again and Charlotte had a right not to want him around her. The only thing was, he didn’t know how to not be around Tabitha and yet still be able to see Curtina. She was only six months old and it wasn’t like Charlotte would ever allow him to bring her to their home.
So, bottom line, he was at a crossroads and didn’t know which direction to proceed in.
He drove away from Tabitha’s subdivision and called home.
“Hey, Tracy. Is Charlotte around?”
“No, Mr. Curtis. She has her weekly hair appointment and some other errands she needed to run.”
“Okay, then I’ll try to catch her on her cell.”
“Bye-bye.”
“See you, Tracy.”
Curtis dialed Charlotte’s number but it rang four times and went to voice mail. He debated whether he should leave a message and then decided he would.
He decided any apology, recorded or otherwise, was the very least he could offer her.
The very least he could do after witnessing the crazy stunt Tabitha had just tried pulling.