Read Online The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stacy Hawkins Adams
Tags: Contemporary
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you invite him?"
Aunt Irene averted her eyes. She wet a dishtowel and concentrated on wiping the island countertop. "He was invited, along
with a few other folks from church. But he came up to me after
service this afternoon and told me that he and Chaundra were
having dinner with Pastor and First Lady Taylor and might not
have time to stop by."
Rachelle fiddled with the paper napkins she had folded into
triangles. "Did he ... ask about me?"
"He saw you, Rachelle," Aunt Irene said. "I saw him looking at
you. But he didn't say a word to me about you:'
Ouch. Why did that sting? Hadn't they both moved on? She had
fled church to avoid him, so her disappointment surprised her.
She was curious about what he'd been doing all these years since
they split and how he had wound up back in Jubilant. Aunt Irene
probably knew everything, but Rachelle decided not to ask.
An awkward silence filled the kitchen and Rachelle took that
as her cue. She grabbed a serving spoon and an aluminum pan
filled with potato salad and headed for the door.
She crossed the expansive lawn and placed the food on a clothcovered table under one of the tents. A couple Rachelle didn't
know sat nearby under a tree, chatting. The woman leaned into
the man and he bent down to kiss her nose.
"No newlywed hanky panky. Y'all got little eyes watching ya!"
Uncle Charles yelled from across the patio, where he was basting
ribs on the grill. The couple laughed and put up their hands in
an admission of guilt.
Rachelle smiled at them and turned back toward the house.
She froze in her tracks when Pastor and First Lady Taylor opened
the gate of the tall wooden fence and entered with their adolescent son.
Please, God, let them be alone.
Did arrow prayers really work? Maybe so, but Rachelle decided
hers must be so rusty that an instant answer wasn't guaranteed.
Troy and Chaundra stepped inside the backyard and closed
the fence behind them. The girl spotted Indigo and her friends
and trotted over to join them. Troy zeroed in on Rachelle and
paused.
Her cell phone rang before either of them could react. Thankful for the distraction, she pulled it from the clip attached to her
buckle loop and answered without screening the call. It had to
be Alanna.
"You won't believe who just showed up;' Rachelle said, with
her eyes fixed on Troy.
"Really," said a deep voice on the other end that didn't belong
to her sister. "Just where are you, anyway?"
Gabe had picked a fine time to call.
11
He wanted to tell her that, but since she was the one with the
attitude problem, she should be calling to set things straight. He
didn't have time to be tracking her down. Time was money.
But today he couldn't help it. He had to know whether she'd
gone back home after she snuck out of the house Wednesday afternoon. He had smashed a glass against a kitchen cabinet when
he picked up her voice mail message. If Rachelle hadn't returned
and fixed the mess, Helen would wonder what had happened
when she arrived to clean the house this week.
Surely, though, Rachelle wasn't going to be stupid. She couldn't
be planning to leave for good and give up her lifestyle.
But her complaint about "things" not being enough troubled
him. He worked hard, provided well for her and the kids, afforded
her nice vacations and entree into circles of influence most women
only fantasized about joining. His work was demanding and some times inconvenient, but he made it home for dinner often enough.
What else did he have to give? Women could be so needy.
Gabe hadn't called the house all day, assuming he would reach
Rachelle on her cell. But maybe she had come to her senses. He
tried their home number, and that call went straight to voice
mail.
"I know Rachelle is not still at some hotel;' he said under his
breath and glanced at his watch. He had another session in an
hour and would be flying home later that afternoon. Dinner and
a massage would be the perfect way to make
Aunt Irene averted her eyes. She wet a dishtowel and concentrated on wiping the island countertop. "He was invited, along
with a few other folks from church. But he came up to me after
service this afternoon and told me that he and Chaundra were
having dinner with Pastor and First Lady Taylor and might not
have time to stop by."
Rachelle fiddled with the paper napkins she had folded into
triangles. "Did he ... ask about me?"
"He saw you, Rachelle," Aunt Irene said. "I saw him looking at
you. But he didn't say a word to me about you:'
Ouch. Why did that sting? Hadn't they both moved on? She had
fled church to avoid him, so her disappointment surprised her.
She was curious about what he'd been doing all these years since
they split and how he had wound up back in Jubilant. Aunt Irene
probably knew everything, but Rachelle decided not to ask.
An awkward silence filled the kitchen and Rachelle took that
as her cue. She grabbed a serving spoon and an aluminum pan
filled with potato salad and headed for the door.
She crossed the expansive lawn and placed the food on a clothcovered table under one of the tents. A couple Rachelle didn't
know sat nearby under a tree, chatting. The woman leaned into
the man and he bent down to kiss her nose.
"No newlywed hanky panky. Y'all got little eyes watching ya!"
Uncle Charles yelled from across the patio, where he was basting
ribs on the grill. The couple laughed and put up their hands in
an admission of guilt.
Rachelle smiled at them and turned back toward the house.
She froze in her tracks when Pastor and First Lady Taylor opened
the gate of the tall wooden fence and entered with their adolescent son.
Please, God, let them be alone.
Did arrow prayers really work? Maybe so, but Rachelle decided
hers must be so rusty that an instant answer wasn't guaranteed.
Troy and Chaundra stepped inside the backyard and closed
the fence behind them. The girl spotted Indigo and her friends
and trotted over to join them. Troy zeroed in on Rachelle and
paused.
Her cell phone rang before either of them could react. Thankful for the distraction, she pulled it from the clip attached to her
buckle loop and answered without screening the call. It had to
be Alanna.
"You won't believe who just showed up;' Rachelle said, with
her eyes fixed on Troy.
"Really," said a deep voice on the other end that didn't belong
to her sister. "Just where are you, anyway?"
Gabe had picked a fine time to call.
11
He wanted to tell her that, but since she was the one with the
attitude problem, she should be calling to set things straight. He
didn't have time to be tracking her down. Time was money.
But today he couldn't help it. He had to know whether she'd
gone back home after she snuck out of the house Wednesday afternoon. He had smashed a glass against a kitchen cabinet when
he picked up her voice mail message. If Rachelle hadn't returned
and fixed the mess, Helen would wonder what had happened
when she arrived to clean the house this week.
Surely, though, Rachelle wasn't going to be stupid. She couldn't
be planning to leave for good and give up her lifestyle.
But her complaint about "things" not being enough troubled
him. He worked hard, provided well for her and the kids, afforded
her nice vacations and entree into circles of influence most women
only fantasized about joining. His work was demanding and some times inconvenient, but he made it home for dinner often enough.
What else did he have to give? Women could be so needy.
Gabe hadn't called the house all day, assuming he would reach
Rachelle on her cell. But maybe she had come to her senses. He
tried their home number, and that call went straight to voice
mail.
"I know Rachelle is not still at some hotel;' he said under his
breath and glanced at his watch. He had another session in an
hour and would be flying home later that afternoon. Dinner and
a massage would be the perfect way to make
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