just needed to remind everyone that there was only one who walked this earth perfectly. And anyway, all those things they said, I think, were good. Everything that anyone had on us is on the table; there’s nothing left to throw in our faces.”
Jasmine took a second before she said, “Babe, I’ve been thinking…maybe I should take a leave of absence. Malik can handle things at Rio for a little while, and this way none of those—”
“Be careful!” he warned playfully.
“—Saints…on the board will be able to say anything about where I work.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to, but it takes away every piece of ammunition from those holy rollers, and the best thing is that I’d be there for you whenever you needed me. You’re going to have your hands full.”
He nodded slowly, as if giving thought to her words. “But you just got back from a leave. If you keep doing that, Malik is going to have to replace you.”
“So what?” And then she spoke the words that she’d been thinking ever since she learned that she would be the first lady. “Maybe it’s time for me to leave the club for good.”
“To do what?”
“To stand by your side. To really be your helpmate.”
“Helpmate?” He chuckled. “You have been reading the Bible.”
“I should be at your side; that’s what a wife’s supposed to do. And it’s not like we need the money.”
“Whoa. I never thought I’d ever hear you say that. So you’re willing to give up your six figures so that you can stand next to me?”
“Yup.” She snuggled closer to him. “And like I said, it’s not like we need my income. With your show and what you’ll be getting from the church…”
“I’m not taking a salary.”
It took a moment for her to make sense out of his words. “What?” She pushed herself away from him.
“I’m not taking any money,” he said, as if he needed to repeat it a different way. “First of all, my prayer is that I won’t be doing this for more than a few weeks.”
“But you don’t know that. Doctor Lewis said—”
“You know my faith is not in the doctors,” he interrupted her. “I trust that they’ll take care of my father, but my faith is with—”
“I know, I know.” Jasmine waved her hands like what he wasabout to say about God wasn’t important. “But not even God can tell us when your father will wake up.” She didn’t add the one word that Dr. Lewis had used— if —the word that changed this whole equation.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “The point is, for however long Pops is down, it’s temporary.”
She shook her head, wishing he’d stopped talking about interim and temporary. No one knew if Reverend Bush would ever return to his position. And whether he did or not, they needed to be compensated for their work now.
“So how are we supposed to live?” she asked. And what about my summer place in the Hamptons?
“There’s nothing wrong with the way we’re living, Jasmine. So if you want to leave Rio, that’s fine.”
“But then, we’ll just have your income from Bring It On. ” And how are we going to get two chauffeurs on that?
He said, “My check is more than sufficient. And we have plenty saved. We might have to ease up on a few things, ’cause I know you’re not thinking about moving away from here…”
You got that right!
He said, “But we’ll be all right. So give Malik your notice, if that’s what you want.”
And how will I get a new wardrobe if I do that? “I’ll think about it,” she said, not planning to think about it at all. She was going to leave Rio, and he was going to get paid.
He rubbed his eyes, suddenly weary. “I need to check on Pops.” He reached for the phone and looked up as she paced. “Whatever you decide, I’m fine,” he assured her again.
She nodded, but her thoughts were on how she was going to get a check for Hosea into their bank account. She picked up her Bible and flipped it open,
Jasmine took a second before she said, “Babe, I’ve been thinking…maybe I should take a leave of absence. Malik can handle things at Rio for a little while, and this way none of those—”
“Be careful!” he warned playfully.
“—Saints…on the board will be able to say anything about where I work.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to, but it takes away every piece of ammunition from those holy rollers, and the best thing is that I’d be there for you whenever you needed me. You’re going to have your hands full.”
He nodded slowly, as if giving thought to her words. “But you just got back from a leave. If you keep doing that, Malik is going to have to replace you.”
“So what?” And then she spoke the words that she’d been thinking ever since she learned that she would be the first lady. “Maybe it’s time for me to leave the club for good.”
“To do what?”
“To stand by your side. To really be your helpmate.”
“Helpmate?” He chuckled. “You have been reading the Bible.”
“I should be at your side; that’s what a wife’s supposed to do. And it’s not like we need the money.”
“Whoa. I never thought I’d ever hear you say that. So you’re willing to give up your six figures so that you can stand next to me?”
“Yup.” She snuggled closer to him. “And like I said, it’s not like we need my income. With your show and what you’ll be getting from the church…”
“I’m not taking a salary.”
It took a moment for her to make sense out of his words. “What?” She pushed herself away from him.
“I’m not taking any money,” he said, as if he needed to repeat it a different way. “First of all, my prayer is that I won’t be doing this for more than a few weeks.”
“But you don’t know that. Doctor Lewis said—”
“You know my faith is not in the doctors,” he interrupted her. “I trust that they’ll take care of my father, but my faith is with—”
“I know, I know.” Jasmine waved her hands like what he wasabout to say about God wasn’t important. “But not even God can tell us when your father will wake up.” She didn’t add the one word that Dr. Lewis had used— if —the word that changed this whole equation.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “The point is, for however long Pops is down, it’s temporary.”
She shook her head, wishing he’d stopped talking about interim and temporary. No one knew if Reverend Bush would ever return to his position. And whether he did or not, they needed to be compensated for their work now.
“So how are we supposed to live?” she asked. And what about my summer place in the Hamptons?
“There’s nothing wrong with the way we’re living, Jasmine. So if you want to leave Rio, that’s fine.”
“But then, we’ll just have your income from Bring It On. ” And how are we going to get two chauffeurs on that?
He said, “My check is more than sufficient. And we have plenty saved. We might have to ease up on a few things, ’cause I know you’re not thinking about moving away from here…”
You got that right!
He said, “But we’ll be all right. So give Malik your notice, if that’s what you want.”
And how will I get a new wardrobe if I do that? “I’ll think about it,” she said, not planning to think about it at all. She was going to leave Rio, and he was going to get paid.
He rubbed his eyes, suddenly weary. “I need to check on Pops.” He reached for the phone and looked up as she paced. “Whatever you decide, I’m fine,” he assured her again.
She nodded, but her thoughts were on how she was going to get a check for Hosea into their bank account. She picked up her Bible and flipped it open,
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