he’s not lying about the ribs. I just had them for lunch and they are bangin’!”
“Then ribs it is!”
“The James Brown Baby Back Big Snack or a whole slab?”
“Um, I think I’ll take a whole one.”
“And your sides? You get three.”
Alexis reopened the menu. “Let’s see … I’ll have the barbe-qued beans, the collard greens, and the mac and cheese.”
“You chose exactly right, sistah. Anything to drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“For here or to go?”
“To go.”
Bobby, who’d been standing by Chardonnay this entire time, took the printout from her hand. “Just sit and relax, pretty lady. I’m going to handle this order personally.”
“Thank you, Bobby.” Alexis couldn’t help but smile as he spun on his heels and marched into the kitchen. She knew he was teasing, but the attention felt good, as did the camaraderie. Good food wasn’t the only thing behind Taste’s success. It was the people too.
Alexis took a seat and looked around the dining room. It was less crowded than usual, but several tables were occupied. Alexis’s eye fell on the last booth on the far wall. Instantly, she remembered her encounter with Shyla, the person she’d thought was Toussaint’s woman before he informed her that she was “merely a colleague.”
Maybe he asked her to join him today, since I turned him down
. A sudden wave of loneliness washed over her, and Alexis sprang from the chair and walked to the jukebox, just for something to do.
Who Toussaint Livingston dates is none of my business
, she firmly told herself. Just then the songs changed. The Whispers crooned about saying yes, and Alexis wished she’d given Toussaint a different answer.
“Have you ever been kissed from head to toe?”
Alexis listened as Walter and Scotty sang a question straight through her heart and imagined that if she’d said yes, her evening would have entailed a very different type of fireworks than the ones she’d later watch from a promenade near her home.
He’s trouble, Alexis, and you won’t go out with him!
But her heart wasn’t listening. Her heart was beating to a totally different drum. Her heart was saying yes.
9
A ll hail the power of Jesus’ name, let angels prostrate fall Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all
…
Victoria sat in the sanctity of her quiet master suite. Malcolm was at work, Justin and Brittany were at school, and the twins were at preschool. Their cook wasn’t coming until later in the afternoon, and she’d given the chauffeur the morning off. She was blessedly alone in the house.
Victoria leaned her head back against the velvety fabric that covered the chaise. Tears ran down her face as she raised her hands in supplication, proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of her life. As the last note of the classically arranged piece played, Victoria bowed her head, tears running down her cheeks.
Yes, you are Lord of all. You are all that matters
. She squeezed her eyes tight to stop the flow of tears and waited for the next song on the CD to begin, the next praise to the Most High that would block out her thoughts.
“Holy, holy, holy,” Victoria whispered, drying her cheeks with the lacy handkerchief that had rested atop her Bible. “Lord God Almighty. Early in the morning our songs shall rise to thee.”
Victoria stayed seated for the next fifteen minutes, bathing herself in the worship CD that her spiritual mentor had givenher. Her mentor was an older woman at the church she’d joined less than three months ago, shortly after visiting the doctor and hearing the news. The beep of her cell phone jarred her out of her devotion. She looked at the ID and frowned.
“What’s wrong, Malcolm?” Victoria’s carefully crafted peace was immediately shattered. “Why are you calling in the middle of the day?”
Malcolm’s thought to remain calm throughout this phone call flew out the window. He’d received great news, which is why he’d called his wife. It was time to share
“Then ribs it is!”
“The James Brown Baby Back Big Snack or a whole slab?”
“Um, I think I’ll take a whole one.”
“And your sides? You get three.”
Alexis reopened the menu. “Let’s see … I’ll have the barbe-qued beans, the collard greens, and the mac and cheese.”
“You chose exactly right, sistah. Anything to drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“For here or to go?”
“To go.”
Bobby, who’d been standing by Chardonnay this entire time, took the printout from her hand. “Just sit and relax, pretty lady. I’m going to handle this order personally.”
“Thank you, Bobby.” Alexis couldn’t help but smile as he spun on his heels and marched into the kitchen. She knew he was teasing, but the attention felt good, as did the camaraderie. Good food wasn’t the only thing behind Taste’s success. It was the people too.
Alexis took a seat and looked around the dining room. It was less crowded than usual, but several tables were occupied. Alexis’s eye fell on the last booth on the far wall. Instantly, she remembered her encounter with Shyla, the person she’d thought was Toussaint’s woman before he informed her that she was “merely a colleague.”
Maybe he asked her to join him today, since I turned him down
. A sudden wave of loneliness washed over her, and Alexis sprang from the chair and walked to the jukebox, just for something to do.
Who Toussaint Livingston dates is none of my business
, she firmly told herself. Just then the songs changed. The Whispers crooned about saying yes, and Alexis wished she’d given Toussaint a different answer.
“Have you ever been kissed from head to toe?”
Alexis listened as Walter and Scotty sang a question straight through her heart and imagined that if she’d said yes, her evening would have entailed a very different type of fireworks than the ones she’d later watch from a promenade near her home.
He’s trouble, Alexis, and you won’t go out with him!
But her heart wasn’t listening. Her heart was beating to a totally different drum. Her heart was saying yes.
9
A ll hail the power of Jesus’ name, let angels prostrate fall Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all
…
Victoria sat in the sanctity of her quiet master suite. Malcolm was at work, Justin and Brittany were at school, and the twins were at preschool. Their cook wasn’t coming until later in the afternoon, and she’d given the chauffeur the morning off. She was blessedly alone in the house.
Victoria leaned her head back against the velvety fabric that covered the chaise. Tears ran down her face as she raised her hands in supplication, proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of her life. As the last note of the classically arranged piece played, Victoria bowed her head, tears running down her cheeks.
Yes, you are Lord of all. You are all that matters
. She squeezed her eyes tight to stop the flow of tears and waited for the next song on the CD to begin, the next praise to the Most High that would block out her thoughts.
“Holy, holy, holy,” Victoria whispered, drying her cheeks with the lacy handkerchief that had rested atop her Bible. “Lord God Almighty. Early in the morning our songs shall rise to thee.”
Victoria stayed seated for the next fifteen minutes, bathing herself in the worship CD that her spiritual mentor had givenher. Her mentor was an older woman at the church she’d joined less than three months ago, shortly after visiting the doctor and hearing the news. The beep of her cell phone jarred her out of her devotion. She looked at the ID and frowned.
“What’s wrong, Malcolm?” Victoria’s carefully crafted peace was immediately shattered. “Why are you calling in the middle of the day?”
Malcolm’s thought to remain calm throughout this phone call flew out the window. He’d received great news, which is why he’d called his wife. It was time to share
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