Broken: The sequel to THE PREACHER'S SON Page 13

  It was a wonder that his brother hadn’t called and laid him out after what he’d done. Maybe Max hadn’t said anything to him or her sister. He had called Brittany and checked on her but did not bother to ask her out again. He decided that he needed to lay off dating for a while and concentrate on his business.

  He sat back in his chair and rubbed is eyes. He knew that he was wrestling with the fact that he really wanted to be with Max. He then made up his mind that he would go over there just to check on Eric and see how the babies were doing. After all, he was their uncle and should show some interest in them.

  He looked at his watch and knew that most likely Eric was at church. If he left now, he could catch the last half of the service. He hoped that Max was preparing another delicious dinner like the one he’d had before. Matthew knew that he always wanted a wife who could cook and Max’s cooking was the best he’d tasted next to his own mother’s.

  He groaned at the direction his mind was headed. Who was he fooling? He wanted to see Max again, and there was no use trying to lie to himself. He cursed under his breath. There had to be a way to get her out of his system. He just didn’t know what it would take for that to happen.

  David Daniel Ferguson looked out at the congregation as the Sunday service was about to begin.

  He knew that they were looking at the guest minister that he had invited to preach that Sunday. Arthur Fleming was a well-known black preacher from Atlanta, Georgia. He had never invited a black minister to his pulpit before. Well, there was a first time for everything.

  Now that Nadine and Eric had joined his church and he knew that Aura would attend when she and Jeremy were home, he wanted to reach out to the community, not just the white community. First Independent Baptist Church had been lily white for all of the thirty years he had been pastor, until now. His congregation was dying off, and he realized that changes had to be made. People weren’t automatically coming to church anymore. The church had to reach out to people of all races.

  He stood up and looked out at the congregation. “Church, we have a wonderful minister visiting with us today, a true man of God, Reverend Arthur Fleming. Some of you may have heard of him.”

  The congregation stared back at him with blank stares. He glanced over at his wife, who smiled back at him giving him encouragement, and then at Reverend Fleming.

  “As we prepare for our upcoming revival, I’ve asked Reverend Fleming here in hopes that we as a church will reach out to the entire community with the good news of Jesus Christ.”

  Max watched with some amusement as Reverend Ferguson talked. She wouldn’t be surprised if the deacons called a meeting at the end of the service and voted to expel the good reverend. She glanced over at Derika, who began to fidget on her father’s lap. She looked up in surprise to see Matthew slide into the pew next to his parents. They were on opposite end of Max’s pew, and she watched as he nodded his head in acknowledgment to his parents.

  She quickly looked away before he caught her staring. She had almost not attended church with Nadine and Eric because she had been planning to return to Antioch for a visit. However, when Nadine had told her Reverend Fleming was preaching, she didn’t want to pass it up.

  Reverend Fleming had preached at Antioch the previous year, and she thought that he was a dynamic man of God. She still remembered him praying for her and how good she felt afterwards. His prayer had really helped her.

  She glanced over at Matthew, who was dressed in a navy blue suit and baby blue shirt. He looked handsome, and she was glad that there was space between them.

  Max looked away and tried to focus on what Reverend Ferguson was saying. He introduced Reverend Fleming and gave all his educational background. She glanced around the church and saw mild interest.

  Reverend Fleming got up and preached on 1 Samuel 2 about Hannah’s prayer for a child. Max listened intently as he talked about all things being possible with God and how people had to believe. She noticed that Janice and Nathan were sitting on the pew across the aisle from them and she was dabbing her eyes.

  Reverend Fleming then encouraged the congregation to stand on God’s word and believe in what they had been praying about. He then said that there was someone specifically in the congregation that had been praying for a miracle, and they weren’t getting an answer because they were praying and doubting at the same time.

  Max heard a small cry and glanced over at Janice, who was crying while Nathan was trying to comfort her. Reverend Fleming stopped talking and looked at her.

  “Sister, I can see you are burdened just like Hannah. Will you come forward?” he asked as he walked off the pulpit with the microphone in his hand.

  Reverend Ferguson stood up and followed closely behind Reverend Fleming as he walked over to Janice and Nathan.

  “You don’t have to tell me a thing. Church, stretch out your hands toward your sister and start praying for her!” he commanded the congregation.

  First Independent Baptist Church had never stretched out or lifted up their hands in prayer. They stared at him without responding.

  “Do as he asks!” Reverend Ferguson commanded. “Be obedient to the Man of God!”

  The congregation complied, and Reverend Ferguson noticed that several deacons began to whisper among themselves.

  Reverend Fleming then placed one hand on Janice’s head and one on Nathan’s. He began to pray for them. Janice began crying uncontrollably, and her body started to tremble. Suddenly both Nathan and Janice fell to the floor in a dead faint. The congregation gasped, not sure what was happening.

  Reverend Ferguson reached for his nephew, but Reverend Fleming stopped him. “Don’t touch them yet. God is working.” He looked out at the stunned congregation. “Continue to pray!”

  After a few moments, Janice was the first to get up, tears streaming down her face. “I’m going to have a baby! God told me I’m going to have a baby!”

  She then began running around the church waving her hands and shouting at the top of her lungs while the congregation watched her, totally speechless.

  Nathan got up and sat on the pew. He looked around for his wife, and his mouth fell open as he watched her running around the church saying that God had told her that she was going to have a baby.

  Reverend Fleming stopped her as she came by him. “All right, sister. Calm down. Tell the congregation what the Lord has done for you.”

  Janice was breathing hard and could hardly catch her breath. “I was like Hannah. I’ve wanted a baby for a while now, but I couldn’t get pregnant. I was mad at God and mad at my brother-in-law, Eric. I asked God how come he could allow him to get a girl pregnant outside of wedlock, and here I am married and I couldn’t have a baby. I was mad and jealous of Eric and Nadine. They have a beautiful set of twins. It just didn’t seem fair. It was eating me up inside.

  “When you were preaching, God convicted me on my attitude and told me to confess my sin and to seek forgiveness. Then you said that God said we don’t have what we ask for because we ask with the wrong motives, and I knew you were talking about me. I prayed and told God I was sorry, and then something came over me and I started crying, and then you called me and my husband up here. When you laid your hands on me, I heard God say my wish was granted.”

  Janice’s voice rose another octave, “He said, ‘Your wish is granted!’ Oh, God! He said, ‘Your wish is granted.’” She broke down crying again, and Nathan put his arm around her.

  “My daughter, God is not a liar,” Reverend Fleming said. “Go in peace.”

  “Well, today’s service will certainly go down in history!” Nadine said as they returned home.

  “That’s for sure.” Max said, laughing. “If it’s like that every Sunday, I’m sure that the church will be running over with folks in no time.”

  They put the girls in the playpen, and Max put the chicken in the oven to warm up.

  “What time did you tell Jeremiah to come over?” she asked Nadine.

  “Around three. He went w
ith Mom and Dad to church for old times’ sake,” Nadine said.

  Max was glad that they had already cooked the dinner and all she had to do was warm it up. It was good to see Jeremiah again. They had spent the evening at her parents’ house while she had given Nadine and Eric their little time together. They had reminisced about old times and all the trouble they’d caused when they were young. He still looked the same as he did when they were kids except for the dreads. She had to admit that they looked good on him.

  He was quite handsome, although she looked at him as a little brother. At first Jeremiah had been hesitant in hugging her. She knew he was thinking about her behavior after her attack. She had basically stopped talking to him, and his visits to her parents’ house had become less frequent. So much damage had occurred because of the trauma that had been inflicted upon her. Now she could tell that she was somewhat better. She was glad to see Jeremiah and talk to him.

  She had been the one who had run up to him and hugged him, and she could tell that he was surprised. She knew that she was getting better and told him as much. Jeremiah had avoided talking about that terrible time in her life, and instead they had laughed and talked about old times and the pranks they had pulled and how Nadine would follow him around like a lost puppy. It had been a wonderful evening, and for once she felt like her old self.

  The doorbell rang, and Eric let Jeremiah in. The two men sat in the living room and talked as Max set the table and Nadine checked on the twins. Max walked into the living room to tell them that it was time to eat. They immediately stopped talking and looked up at her guiltily.

  “Are you two talking about me?” she asked.

  “Maybe,” Eric said.

  “Well, it’s dinner time, so talk about me to my face, please,” she said with a smile, turning and returning to the kitchen.

  They followed her and sat down to the table. Max said grace, and they began to eat. Nadine smiled as Eric and Jeremiah conversed like old friends. They seemed totally relaxed around each other, and she was glad to see it. An hour passed as they ate and enjoyed the conversation. Jeremiah told them that he had another appointment to keep and had to leave shortly. Before anyone could respond, they heard the doorbell ring.

  “Who could that be?” Eric wondered, wiping his mouth and standing up. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

  He opened the door was surprised to see his brother. Matthew was still dressed in his church clothes, though he had loosened his tie.

  “Matthew! What brings you by? I thought you’d be having dinner at Mom’s.”

  Matthew seemed a little uncomfortable. “Can’t I come over to see my brother and my nieces?”

  “You saw us at church,” Eric replied knowingly. “And, by the way, I was surprised you showed up at all. Coming to church is not your thing.”

  “Yeah, but we didn’t get to talk much in church. Church was sort of different today,” he said, looking away from his brother’s gaze.

  “Sure, come on in,” Eric said, walking into the kitchen. He looked at Nadine and Max and winked at the two sisters as they stared at Matthew.

  Max smirked as Matthew appeared surprised to see Jeremiah sitting in the spot he would have occupied at the dinner table if he hadn’t been avoiding her.

  “Matt, this is Jeremiah, a friend of Max’s,” Eric said before he could ask.

  Matthew stared at the young man, who gave him a wide grin. He then glanced at Nadine and Max and then back at Jeremiah.

  “Hello,” Matthew said a little slowly.

  Max felt Nadine kick her under the table and gave her an angry stare.

  “Yes, Jeremiah is an old friend. He made a special trip here just to see my sister,” Nadine lied, smiling sweetly at Matthew. “We were just getting reacquainted over dinner.”

  “Hello,” Jeremiah said. “So you are Eric’s brother. I can see the family resemblance.”

  He extended his hand, and Matthew stared at it a moment before shaking it. Max looked at Nadine, who was grinning from ear to ear and cleared her throat, but her sister refused to look at her.

  “Jeremiah is an old friend. It was so nice of him to come over for dinner. He couldn’t wait to see Max, you know,” Nadine said again.

  Max wanted to kick her sister back under the table again. She was really laying it on thick!

  Matthew glanced at Max. “Well, don’t let me interrupt. Perhaps I should come back another time.”

  “No way,” Eric said, enjoying himself. “Here, take my seat. I’m done anyway. I’ll get you a plate. You said that you haven’t eaten, and I know you want to taste Max’s delicious cooking.”

  He quickly stood and pushed Matt into the seat, grinning at Jeremiah and Max over Matthew’s head.

  Matthew looked around the table and never had he felt so out of place. He wondered who was this Jeremiah and what he was to Max. He looked up to find Jeremiah was watching him intently. Matthew wanted to ask him right out what his business was with Max, but he knew that he had no right to do so.

  “So what do you do for a living, Jeremiah?” Matthew asked instead as Eric sat a plate of food in front of him.

  “I sell real estate,” Jeremiah replied.

  “Business must be terrible right now,” Matt pointed out. “I know that Max and my brother are looking for another house to rent. I gather that’s why you’re here.”

  He gave Eric the evil eye as he heard him snicker at his poor attempt to find out what Jeremiah was to Max. He chose to ignore his brother and concentrate on what Jeremiah was saying.

  “No, Max hasn’t said anything to me about that,” Jeremiah said, smiling at Max and then returning his attention to Matthew. “We’ve been too busy talking about other things.”

  Matthew felt his teeth grind together. He watched as Jeremiah draped his arm around the back of Max’s chair. He tore his eyes away and began devouring his food. He was angry and tried not to show it. Max wasn’t his! He had no claim on her! Hadn’t he told her that he didn’t want to be involved with her? He wondered if Jeremiah kissed her and if she responded to him like she did when they’d kissed. What was wrong with him? Why did he even care?

  “Well, I have to run,” Jeremiah said as he stood up. “It was a lovely meal. Max, you outdid yourself. You were always a good cook,”

  “I hope I’ll see you again soon, Jeremiah,” she said, standing and walking over to him. Matthew watched as he pulled her to him and kissed her cheek.

  Matthew held his napkin in a lethal grip and felt his face flush. He picked up the glass of lemonade to drink and noticed Eric watching him. He glared angrily at his brother’s mocking grin and then looked down at his plate.

  “You’ll see me again, that’s for sure,” Jeremiah was saying to Max. He looked around the table. “Goodbye, everyone. It was nice meeting you, Matthew,”

  Matthew stared at him, barely able to keep his temper in check. “Goodbye,” he mumbled under his breath. He quickly sat down his fork. Maybe he should just leave too.

  “God, you catch on quick!” Max giggled as she walked Jeremiah to his car. “I thought Matthew was going to blow a gasket any minute!”

  “I gather that he’s the brother Eric told me about that likes you but doesn’t want to date you because you’re black. I think he’s a little hot and bothered right now,” Jeremiah replied with a laugh.

  “Eric told you that,” Max said in disbelief. “Remind me to smack him!”

  “He was only concerned about you. Believe me, he gave me the third degree, and when I told him that I appreciated the fact that he was looking out for my big sis, well we sort of bonded from that point.”

  “I bet,” Max said, rolling her eyes. “So what made him tell you about Matthew?”

  “I asked him if anyone were sniffing around my big sister because I’d want to check them out. Then he told me about his brother.”

  “Unbelievable!”

  “Oh, he was pretty pissed about the way his brother was treating you,” Jeremiah explained. “He was tel
ling me all about it when you came and called us to dinner earlier.”

  “Both of you need to chill,” Max said. “I am not a baby that needs protection. I don’t know why Matthew is so mad about your coming over here when he doesn’t want a relationship.”

  “Well, I hope you know what you’re doing,” Jeremiah said, starting the engine. “Call me if you need little brother to come over and handle some business!”

  Max laughed as he began to back out. “Oh, I think I got this under control. You two dogs need to stay on your leash!”

  “Woof! Woof!” Jeremiah said, wiggling his eyebrows.

  She watched as he pulled off and then turned to walk back into the house. She found Matthew still sitting at the table, and she could tell that he was still pissed.

  “Care for a piece of lemon chess pie?” she asked, giving him her most innocent look along with a syrupy grin.

  Matthew paused a moment and pushed the plate back. He wondered why she was looking so smug. Were his feelings that obvious to everyone? He tried to keep a level head.

  “Not right now,” he replied coolly. “I think I’ve had enough!”

  “Come on, Bro,” Eric said, causing him to look up. “You said you want to talk and see your nieces. Let’s retire to the living room.”

  Matt was not in a good mood. He followed Eric into the living room as he reached in the playpen and picked up a baby and put her in his lap.

  “Hold up! I don’t know anything about holding babies,” Matthew protested, trying not to panic.

  “Be a good uncle! You’ve got to learn sometimes. That’s why you came over here, right?” Eric’s voice was mocking as he arranged Erika’s bib. Matthew glared at his brother over the baby’s head. He looked down at the baby as she blew bubbles at him.

  How did he end up in this predicament? He didn’t come over here for this. Well, why was he over here? Should he ask Eric about Jeremiah? He decided to ask what was on his mind, not that he cared if Max were dating Jeremiah or not.

  “So, who is this Jeremiah?” he asked very calmly. “What’s he to Max?”