about me?”
“Huh, oh. Stoney,” Mike said as he pointed in her direction. Just as Mike looked up toward the front and laid eyes on her, Stoney was giving him the evil eye. “Oh snap, let me get back up there.” Just as he was about to get up, Mike made sure Keithe would be staying with him. “You know I got you, right?”
“You know it,” Keithe agreed as he slammed his knuckles toward his friend’s awaiting fist.
Scooting back in his original spot, Keithe closed his Bible, and his eyes roamed toward the front of the church once more. Bypassing the pastor, who had been in full swing, Keithe’s gaze landed right back at the lady he had been mesmerized with since service first started.
“Stoney,” Keithe barely mumbled as he intertwined his fingers and placed them in his lap.
CHAPTER 5
Stoney
It took everything within Stoney to stay on beat at the beginning of service. While leading praise and worship, it wasn’t until she was halfway through giving God praise that her eyes landed on him, far off in the back of the church. It was an unmistakable gut feeling that told Stoney what her mind wondered. Is that him? it was the raw realization that the photo she had become acquainted with at Brother Mike’s home had become her reality. Nudging her sister in Christ, who was a part of praise and worship also, Stoney had her take over with the rest of the songs.
She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t know if God was working on her behalf or if it was a trick of the enemy. What Stoney did know was that she dared not give the enemy any victory. It had only been two days prior when her eyes had landed on him at Brother Mike’s home. The face she had seen then had stayed in her mind the entire time they were at choir practice, and she had even dreamed about him that night. And the next night, for that matter. And, low and behold, here he was in Sunday morning’s worship. Keithe, whatever his last name was, was at her church.
For a split second she almost forgot that his picture wasn’t the only one that was in the photo. Halfheartedly wanting to see the wife in the physical as well, to get a closer look at the possible competition, Stoney didn’t bother making her request for her presence known to the Lord. Sitting in the bleachers, Stoney twisted and turned and even stretched her neck to see if he had been accompanied by her, his wife. When there was no sight of Keithe’s spouse, Stoney knew she had to pray extra hard.
Lord, you are going to have to help me through this. If this is a trick from the enemy, keep me, dear Lord, from his presence, Stoney prayed silently as she walked from the choir’s stand after service. After service, Stoney thought it was best for her to get as far away from the church as possible. Rounding the banister, she headed toward the exit.
“Stoney, don’t even try it,” Brother Mike called out to her.
Jumping from her name being called, Stoney stopped in her tracks.
Turning as slowly as possible, she put in a quick extra plea to the Lord for help. “Please, Lord, please, Lord, plea…” Opening her eyes and pushing her glasses back in place, Stoney held her lips closed tight.
“Girl, where are you running off to?” Brother Mike asked as he stepped closer to the shy twenty-one-year-old, leaving his guest behind. “I thought we were going to do brunch, lunch, or just eat a bunch of food?” Laughing at his own corny remark, Mike bypassed anything Stoney was thinking to come up with to say. “Anyway, girl, come on. Leave your car here and ride with me.” he turned, almost bumping into Keithe.
“Oh. Keithe, I almost forgot you. This is Stoney, my assistant, more like a little sister. Stoney, this is Keithe, more like a brother…a long-lost brother who only comes to town when something is going wrong.” Mike crunched his eyebrows toward Keithe, who was shyly scratching at his eyebrow. “Anyway, y’all come on.”
“Nice to meet you, Stoney.” Keithe spoke in a confident tone.
“Hi,” was all Stoney could mutter as she found the floor with her pupils. The butterflies in her stomach must have launched toward her eyes. Batting her eyes as if she were taking advantage of a flirtatious moment, Stoney, in her pointy Nicole pumps, led the way.
When she took off behind Mike, and bypassed Keithe, Stoney’s eyes landed on Keithe holding out his hand. Figuring him to be the gentleman he seemed to be, Stoney thought she would just scream. When she felt his hand on the small of her back, she thought she’d just die.
Stopping in her tracks, Stoney held tight to her new international Version Bible and made her plea, which she knew wouldn’t be easy to pull off with Mike. He never let her down on any level, and she hated to disappoint him, but today she had no choice.
“You know what? I think I’m going to pass. Really.” Stoney took a step to the side in order for Keithe to make his way closer to her and Mike.
“What? Oh goodness. What is it? Because of Keithe?” Mike asked as if Keithe hadn’t been standing there. “Girl, you better come on now. Keithe ain’t nobody.” he made a crazed “You know what I mean” face toward his friend, who just shook his head.
Halfway humiliated, and hoping her lighter-than-caramel complexion didn’t give her away by turning a shade of red, Stoney squinted and looked over her glasses. Fumbling with the belt on the front of her wrap dress, Stoney thought of something to come up with.
“No. Not at all. I’m just going to go ahead and head home and study some more. I still need to digest…I mean, yeah, um. I had plans to study in order to be ready for my test this week. Finals are coming up.” Staring down at her path to walk away, Stoney knew that Mike would lay into her thick later on, but for the time being, she didn’t care. She just needed to get as far away from Keithe as she knew how to.
When no one moved, said a word, or even acted as though they would budge, Stoney took that as a sign to get moving.
“Uh-uh. You are for real, aren’t you?” Brother Mike called out with one hand on his muscled hip. “Stoney, why would you break our routine? You know we do brunch every Sunday.” he crossed his arms in front of his heaving chest hidden behind his off-white summer blazer.
Taking a step closer to the two, Keithe felt out of place. He even wondered if he should have kept his hotel room for his brief stay. “Look, if it’s me, if I’ve intruded, please forgive me.” he then turned his attention to Mike. “If you give me your key, I’ll go ahead and head to your house so you guys can do your thing. I don’t mean any harm, Stoney.” Keithe turned back to Stoney with a weak, but bright, smile.
“You drove?” Mike broke the monotony with a worried question. When Keithe nodded, Mike said, “What’s up with that? It better be on doctor’s orders, too, man.” Keeping in contact mainly through e-mails and text messages, Mike knew all too well Keithe’s prescription for driving: don’t.
He said my name. Stoney bit her bottom lip, still stuck on the fact that Keithe acknowledged her by name. Not wanting the visitor to feel inadequate, or as though she was Miss Prude of the Year, Stoney rethought her entire approach.
Stoney thought going to brunch with the two could actually be beneficial for her, especially when she really wanted—no, needed—to know more about Keithe. But she couldn’t go. He was her first crush ever and she had no clue how to act in front of him.
“Oh. No, please.” She paused. “It’s fine. You’re fine,” she addressed a ready-to-depart Keithe. “I’d just
