All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [7]
She offered him a genuine smile. “There’s no need to thank me. I’m glad that I was able to help. Really.”
“I see that you brought Mr. Hughes with you again,” he said, referring to little Jimmy. “You know our church is always happy to see more young black men enter the Lord’s house.”
Jimmy grinned broadly, displaying the gap in his front teeth.
Kennedy had discovered long ago that he loved it when he was referred to as Mr. Hughes. Especially since his mother always called him “the man of the house.” She placed a comforting arm around Jimmy’s shoulders, as well as Tommy’s.
“Well, we all enjoyed your sermon this morning.”
“Good. Does that mean you’ll be returning this evening for the six-o’clock revival?”
“I wish we could, but—”
He held up his hand to cut her off. “Don’t worry, I understand.” His smile widened to reflect his sincerity. “You know, you’ve been a member of this church since—what, you were three?”
She nodded.
“I know that you’ve traveled a hard road. And you may have even harder times ahead of you. I just want you to know that I think you’re doing a wonderful job, caring for Tommy and putting yourself through school. I know both of your parents are proud and smiling down at you right now.”
Tears welled in Kennedy’s eyes. “Thank you,” she managed to say, but her voice cracked under the emotional strain. In truth, she often wondered if she’d still be a great disappointment to her parents. Her highly educated parents had certainly been quite vocal about how she was throwing her life away when they’d heard that she was pregnant.
Somehow, she succeeded in saying her goodbyes while her mind whirled over her pastor’s praises. She’d give anything to hear her father say that she was doing a good job, or even have her mother around to give her advice on pediatric care. Lord knew she could have used some when Tommy was a baby.
She smiled at the memories those thoughts evoked. As a teenager, Kennedy hadn’t been a rebel, nor was she “the girl next door” type. She’d considered herself to be in the middle. Ordinary. Which was exactly what she hadn’t wanted to be. The funny thing was that she couldn’t see how to change that, until she ran into Lee Carsey. Her smile widened.
Lee was an ordinary girl’s dream. He was the captain of the football, basketball and swim teams. Kennedy had often thought that when Lee smiled, he could light up the darkest room, no matter how cliché that sounded. The mere fact that he’d even noticed her proved that God indeed answered prayers.
When she was on Lee’s arm, suddenly, the other students had taken notice. She hadn’t been so ordinary anymore.
She’d thought it was the romance of the century—a love of a lifetime. They’d done everything and gone everywhere together. There were times where she hadn’t been sure where he began and she ended. She’d been engaged and four months pregnant when she lost her lover in a horrible motorcycle accident. She missed and longed for him.
Kennedy withdrew from her private thoughts long enough to take the boys to Piccadilly’s Cafeteria. The restaurant had long been a part of their Sunday ritual. It was also a place where she could continue to mingle with the church crowd, though her heart wasn’t in such socializing today. She’d rather spend the rest of the day watching Tommy and Jimmy tell jokes over flavored Jell-O.
As the boys played, she reveled in their youth and carefree ways. Soon, she jumped into their joke-telling, and even made fun of the latest street slang terms. Why couldn’t every day be Sunday? she wondered.
By three o’clock, the threesome piled back on MARTA and headed home. For Kennedy, the day’s nostalgic peace had ended and her fears returned. No matter how hard she tried to act normally, she couldn’t help casting worried glances over her shoulders.
Max felt the stirrings of a migraine. Nothing about this scene made any sense. That wasn’t exactly unusual for a murder case, but he’d hoped for a nice simple scenario and a quick resolution