E love series box set, p.19
E Love Series Box Set, page 19
“You already texted her without even asking me?”
“Well, I knew it was getting late, and I thought seriously about how I could keep you here tonight. I’m not being selfish, Jamecia. I thought it was thoughtful.”
“It is, and you are.”
“It is what?”
“It is very selfish of you to make plans for me without even asking me, but it is also thoughtful and considerate to be thinking of my safety. I thank you so much for your wonderful gesture, but I also think it’s best that I go home. I promise to be safe, and I will be here to pick you up in your car so you can take me to my car, first thing in the morning.”
“Alright, but I’m not happy about this.”
“You’ll get over it, and I so appreciate it,” Jamecia said, raising on the tip of her toes to plant a kiss on Jacob’s cheek. She pivoted quick, grabbed her bag, the keys to his car, and walked down the hall towards the front door. When she looked back, Jacob was standing in the hallway with a sad look on his face.
She almost wanted to turn around and just spend the night. Somehow, her desire to stay made her know she was doing the right thing by leaving. Jamecia learned a long time ago always do the opposite of what her flesh wanted to do. Mainly, because whenever she was too eager to do something, she always got into trouble.
She waved as she unlocked the door and walked outside to get into his Ferrari 488 GTB. If he thought she was not going to take the opportunity to drive that car home, he was crazy. If only for one night, she was going to pretend like all of her financial blessings had come full circle.
No one knew how she felt having to be given everything from Aunt Linda and Uncle Nathan. All her life, they made sure she had cheerleading outfits, money for camps, money for summer school, and now, they were even paying for her college education. Eight years of working so hard at all types of boutiques, and she was still broke and struggling.
Things had to change for her.
In fact, they already had. Aunt Linda came to town one day and walked into the boutique where she worked. On a mission to make life better, she ordered her to get her purse, keys, and all her belongings. Jamecia remembered it like it was yesterday.
“Get your stuff, little girl, because the next boutique you will work at will be owned by you. I’m taking you to Shreveport with me,” said Linda Stallone.
“Auntie. I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman. You just cannot demand me to go with you. What about my job? Where will I work?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes, Auntie and God-momma, I trust you with my life.”
“Well, the Lord told me to come to get you and that you have been praying to get into school. I know you’ve always wanted to be a nurse and selling clothing is not going to get you anyone’s nurse degree.”
“I know. I’m such a mess-up.”
“If you were a mess-up, the Lord would not have sent me here to get you. We are going to give you Lydia’s old car.”
“That white Mercedes?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Then we are going to put you up in my condominium. You are already registered for school at Southern University Shreveport. By the way, they have an awesome nursing program. Also, you are going to marry the perfect man, work at your dream job, and live the life God has ordained for you to live. The only things I want are for you to work part-time at La’Shelle’s and join the worship team at Greater Grace.”
“You serious?”
“Baby, how many times have your auntie told you anything and not been serious?”
“Never.”
“That has not changed. Now are you coming or are you going to stay here and keep wasting time?”
“Auntie, you’ve never failed me yet, so of course I’m coming with you.”
“Alrighty then. Get your purse, and your belongings and let's blow this joint. By the way, I’ve already called your boss and thanked her for her generosity towards you. I also told her that she will be able to visit your boutique in Shreveport in a couple of years. Don’t make me out of a liar.”
They both laughed.
“I promise I won’t.”
Now here she was in Shreveport. She could breathe. Monthly bills were not causing her to be stressed. Rent was already paid, but she pulled her weight. Jamecia worked hard at La’Shelle’s, and she also went above and beyond to show her appreciation to Aunt Linda.
Her dedication definitely paid off and rendered her the opportunity to bask in the glory of being a part of Marshall’s Mortgage. This step up proved to fit her well, opening the doors for exclusive shopping trips with Regina and boxes filled with all sorts of trendy shoes. Jamecia was in style heaven; all perks for working hard.
Jamecia drove down I-49 and then onto 31-32. The closer she got to Lakeshore Drive, the more her heart beat. She was driving the car of all cars. A vehicle she only dreamt about over a dozen times. To top that, the car was voice controlled. “Turn the radio to FM 99.7,” she commanded.
Jamecia bobbed her head to Ciara’s “Level Up,” which had become her new theme song. She was indeed winning and on another level. Although Aunt Linda played a huge role, it was God giving her a fair chance to level up in her work, prayer, and worship life.
Then the thought of whose car she drove fell on her like a shooting star dropping from the sky. Jamecia gasped. Jacob. No, this is only a friend helping a friend. Then the radio began to play Daniel Caesar and H.E.R. song “Best Part.”
She wanted to change the station, but she actually loved the song. She grinned thinking of how Regina and Nathan sang the song every morning when she stayed overnight with Regina.
She wanted someone in her life but would settle for nothing less than what Nathan and Regina, or even Steven and Priscilla had. A love with room for the mental lapse in judgment, but strong enough to rebound and stand against any storm. One God, Himself, rose from heaven’s throne, orchestrated with his finger as a sign in the earth that love still exists.
Her plan now was to focus on her goals to level up, prosper financially, and be in good health. Even though, something about Jacob made her heart skip a beat. She realized she left without exchanging numbers, so she drove past her exit and went to the restaurant to check on things and to get his number.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Matthew 5:27-28
Chapter Seven
Jacob showered thinking about an accurate description of Jamecia to best define the thoughts of her in his mind. He surmised she was much more than her attitude. In fact, perfect. Long natural curly hair, brown eyes, perfect figure with a flat tummy and an apple bottom. A few attributes that plagued his mind. He wanted to call Nathan to quiz him about all –-things-- Jamecia but decided it could all wait until morning.
He wanted to remember her from tonight. The way she ate with small bites and chewed her food so long it made him envision making love to her. The way she bit her bottom lip when she was about to say something obtrusive or direct. Even the way she smiled or how she threw her head back when she laughed. All of this rapidly ran through his thoughts.
She was even becoming a nurse, and God knows his greatest desire was to run a family practice with his wife as the head nurse. He figured if they could work together, they could live together, hence why he’d dated so many nurses who had become mean or hard-hearted, and he couldn’t stand either.
“Lord, please if I’m lusting, take the spirit of lust away. I don’t want to lust after Jamecia, I just want to love her.”
The revelation shocked Jacob.
He finally admitted wanting to love a woman, and it frightened him.
Jacob got out of the shower and pulled the towel from the towel rack. He dried his hair, then his body. He quickly pulled on the flannel pajamas and snickered at himself in the mirror. He still wore flannel, and they were the pajamas his momma bought him.
Jacob figured he’d wear them until he got a wife to oppose his choice of nightwear. As a matter of fact, his dad still wore his flannels, and his mom absolutely adored him. So maybe the woman who would be his wife would accept all of him, if he felt like wool at night.
After brushing his teeth and hair, Jacob peered at himself one last time in the mirror. Lord, could I be into Jamecia? Could I be the man You created to cover her? Jacob smiled. “I sure would have to learn how to deal with her directness, but one thing is for sure, I could trust her for the truth.”
He turned off the bathroom light and closed the door.
As he knelt beside his bed, the events of the night raced through his head. “Okay, Lord, I felt you in ways today that I have never felt you. For all the times I laughed and mimicked those who cried during worship, I repent. For all the times I just knew people were faking, I repent. Your presence caused me to feel so many emotions that I cannot even explain, but I know You were there. I heard You calling my name. Lord, I surrender. I cannot tell a lie, I’m afraid because I don’t want to disappoint You. I want to be the man You are calling in the hour, and I want to do whatever You want me to do, but I must be honest, I don’t know how. Then there’s this Jamecia thing. Is she the woman for me? Lord, if she is, cause me to dream of her. Give me some kind of sign. I know You have said some won’t believe if they don’t see signs and wonders, well I do believe even if You don’t send a sign that my steps are ordered by You. I believe that my future lies securely in Your hands. Nevertheless, You told me to acknowledge You in all of my ways. Can You accept this prayer as me acknowledging whether this is Your desire for me? I will not move until You show me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Jacob lay in his bed, too wired to sleep. As tears streamed down the sides of his face, he realized God was doing something in him. He’d prayed to feel God in a more personal way, but he would have never in a million years believed it would happen outside of the church. But it had.
Now, he realized God didn’t need a church building to move. All He needed was a willing heart and a made--up mind.
He looked over at his clock and realized Jamecia had been gone an hour and still hadn’t called. Jacob realized they spoke about everything except her phone number. It was too late to call Nathan, so he decided to pray about her and trust God to guide her safely.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he heard his phone beep. He picked up his cell phone and realized the text was coming from an unknown number. He slid the message to the left and selected the VIEW button.
“Hello, Jacob. Just wanted to let you know I made it home safely. I got your number from the rolodex at La’Shelle’s. I hope you don’t mind. That’s what took me so long. I decided to go by and make sure all was well there. If you are still awake, you can call me. If not, I will see you in the morning.”
It took everything in Jacob not to call Jamecia, but his mom had always told him to never call a lady too late. Emily felt like men who called women in the wee hours of the night only wanted one thing, a sexual experience. His mind immediately went to all the women he’d summoned after hours for just that.
Some he persuaded to come over while others already had it on their minds as soon as their phone rang. He decided instead to text her back.
“Thanks for letting me know you made it J. I look forward to seeing you in the morning. Don’t wreck my car and come ready to eat breakfast. Goodnight.”
It took him forever to text, and before he could place the phone down, she sent a smiling emoji with tears. Go figure. She never said yea or nay to the wrecked car message, and he knew she omitted an answer on purpose.
Either way, he’d demand Nathan buy him another one because after all, it was his bright idea to make her drive him home--and in his car. But then again, it was the best idea
Jamecia laid her phone on the nightstand next to her bed as she laughed so hard that tears fell from her eyes. She knew Jacob was probably thinking hard about his car, exactly how she wanted.
With his pride, if she had wrecked his car, he probably had already plotted how Nathan would buy him a new one.
Jamecia had to admit, she felt like she already knew him. Not so sure how or even why, but everything about him came naturally for her. As a matter of fact, too predictable.
She gathered her nightgown and toiletries, then laid everything on her bed while she bundled her hair under a shower cap. Afterwards, she grabbed the items off the bed and walked into the bedroom bath.
Aunt Linda designed the condominium’s bathroom with a girl in mind. Her daughter, Lydia, always chose to stay there whenever her family came home, and it was where all the girls’ slumber parties took place.
The bathroom was fit for a princess as the mirrors enticed you to take a peek.
There were large vases in the sitting area on each side of a vanity full of perfumes, lotions, and body sprays. The rose pink decorations and hints of silver gave the space a rich tone that screamed, “I’m extravagant.”
Jamecia laughed as she looked at her nightgown.
“This is definitely not what anyone coming out of this bathroom should be wearing.”
“Oh well, until God sends me a husband, it is what it is,” she thought.
Jamecia started the shower, undressed, got in, and allowed the hot water to saturate her tired body. She’d been packing since early morning, and her arms and legs were now feeling the day’s activities.
Jamecia turned the dial to lessen the cold water. She needed more hot water to hit the aches. As she stretched under the water and rolled her shoulders, her mind drifted to Jacob.
“No, no, no,” she warned herself. “I can’t even let him visit me in my thoughts in here.”
“Okay, Lord, I don’t know what You are up to, but You have to please set a guard over my mind. I am a twenty-eight-year-old virgin, and I plan to stay a virgin until You send me a husband. How can I lust after what I’ve never had? Please don’t allow my flesh to rise up, and please don’t allow Jacob to approach me unless he is ready for a wife. Lord, I need you to protect me as the Dad You are, in Jesus name. Amen.”
Jamecia finished showering, got out of the shower, lotioned her body, then slipped on the gown she felt not fit for even the bathroom.
Who cared? She was comfortable and going to bed alone. She was not going to change one thing about herself until God told her to do differently.
Any man who wanted her would know from the start that she was not perfect and she liked to wear t-shirts with huge holes in them and flannel gowns to bed. He would love either all of her, flaws and all, or none of her at all.
She would never forget when she attended a women’s conference and the speaker was talking about how men wanted their wives to go to bed pretty.
Jamecia thought she’d better get a definition of what was meant by pretty because if she had to wear make-up to bed to keep the man that chose her, both he and she would be out of luck. And definitely if she had to wear one of those uncomfortable lace nighties, they both would stay up all night because there was no way she was going to torture herself like that for eight hours.
She knelt beside her bed, clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and started to pray.
Jamecia made sure to thank God in advance for a husband who did not care what she wore to bed as long as she was next to him. She even giggled as soon as the words left her lips, then assured herself God had humor. Then she asked the Lord to make sure she was ready for a man, especially if they would endure the world’s adversities.
After she finished praying, she leaped into the bed, giggled as she remembered breakfast in the morning made by a man. Hot dog. God is up to something, and I’m getting benefits without being a beneficiary.
Closing her eyes, she bit her bottom lip as pictures of Jacob flashed across her mind.
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
Romans 8:37
Chapter Eight
Steven took a hot shower and awaited Priscilla in the kitchen where he made a breakfast buffet of delicious foods. She loved all things breakfast, and today he wanted to express his love and at the same time cause her eyes to light up. He made souffléd spinach omelets, southwestern Eggs Benedict, broccoli, mushroom and cheese strata, French toast with caramel and crème fraiche, maple bacon, a tropical fruit bowl, and a virgin pomegranate-cranberry Bellini.
It was all the things she favored, and he made enough for a morning brunch with friends. He called Regina and asked her to come by, leaving instructions for her to invite Nathan. Nathan lived closest, and he beat Regina, who had to wait until the movers left to come. It was still before seven a.m., so Priscilla, who typically left the house by nine was still piddling upstairs by the time Nathan arrived.
Steven snatched open the door before Nathan could ring the doorbell.
“Man, you scared the crap out of me.”
“I heard your car, and I’m trying to surprise Priscilla, so I didn’t want her to hear the doorbell ringing.”
“Tell me something. Heck, I almost put my set up when that door swung open so fast.” They both laughed because Nathan was serious and playing no games.
“Well, dude, I’m glad you didn’t swing because I would have had to swing back, and we’d be two fighting fools in my front yard.”
Regina pulled up just as they were about to enter and Nathan waited on her.
“Well hello there, my morning sunshine.” He leaned forward, kissing her gently on the lips.
She adjusted her walking cane and grabbed him around the waist. “Hey, my love. The movers just left with the last box, and I guess it’s safe to say the house is no longer mine.”
“It will always be yours, or at least until you decide to sell it, but as of now you can call it a rental property.”
“That’s right. Where’s Priscilla?” she asked, walking past the foyer into the kitchen.
