youâ came rolling out instead. Dior raised the window and shrugged on her leathered sleeves, all the time watching the woman rushing back to Kevlin like she had done all the times before. âSo thatâs what a fool looks like from behind,â she said, thinking of herself.
Twenty blocks and a world away, the choir at Fellowship Union belted out a final number from behind the pulpit. Chandelle gazed at Marvin and squeezed his hand. She smiled thank you at him, then leaned against his broad shoulder as if she wasnât sitting close enough.
Chandelleâs immediate boss and mentor, Grace Peters, who was sitting with her husband in the next pew, caught a glimpse of their tender moment. She had a lot to be thankful for as well, a wonderful marriage to Wallace, a wardrobe of designer maternity clothes, and a baby growing inside of her. It was Chandelleâs brainchild that had inspired Grace to take stock in her life and envision it with a husband. Dating woes, menâs lies, and alibis plagued her throughout a tumultuous journey. However, she stumbled onto something great and subsequently has been enjoying it.
âI almost passed you a note suggesting that you two get a room,â Grace whispered in Chandelleâs ear, once the church services concluded. âIt was hard paying attention with all of that body checking going on.â
âI didnât know it was that obvious,â Chandelle said, her face all aglow. âMarvin and I met with the realtor yesterday. As soon as we find a house we like, weâll have plenty of rooms to choose from.â
âOoh, Chandelle, I should have known better than to bring up married folksâ business around you. Iâm surprised youâre not standing here with your belly stretching out like mine.â
âWeâve been practicing, thatâs for sure,â Chandelle chuckled. âBut we decided to wait so the baby would have a real nursery. Now it wonât be long,â she said, slightly envious of Graceâs good fortune. âItâll be nice for our kids to come up together. Youâd make a wonderful godmother, Grace. Thatâd make it harder for you to fire me, then.â
âJob security isnât a bad thing nowadays, is it?â
âNo, it isnât,â Chandelle agreed. âSpeaking of that, when is Wallace going back to teach?â
âHe decided to let it go for now. His fatherâs been leaning on him pretty heavy to join the family firm. Since Iâm not interested in moving to Austin, heâll probably run a satellite office here. Oh, there he is flagging me down from the back door. See you tomorrow.â
âSee you, Grace,â Chandelle hailed, very glad to have a friend whom she could look up to and receive a paycheck from at the same time. Marvin eased up behind her, slyly brushing his hand against the back of her dress. âOops,â she stammered. âBoy, donât be sneaking up on me in public like that. I didnât know who that was trying to cop a feel.â
âItâd better be only me, in public or otherwise,â Marvin said, with a raised brow. âI almost had to break down the water cooler in the pastorâs office. He didnât opt for the delivery service like I recommended. Now Iâm the one he expects to change out the bottles and keep it running.â
âSo, what did you do?â
âI changed out the bottles,â he admitted, laughing at his predicament. âAnd Iâm waiting on the call I know is coming to keep it running too. Letâs get out of here before something does go on the blink. Iâm picking up an extra shift today.â
Chandelle wrinkled her nose at Marvinâs latest news flash. âI thought you got Mr. Mercer straight last year about working on Sundays?â
âI did, but this was my idea,â he confessed, knowing that an argument was imminent. âWeâll talk about it on
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