Church Folk - Michele Andrea Bowen [25]
"Reverend, what a nice surprise. Didn't expect to see you this evening. Thought you'd be out at the Harolds' 'bout now, trying to get some rest."
"That was the original plan, Sister Lane. But I wanted to come by here and thank you in person for all of your hospitality. Didn't seem right to me, to leave Charleston without stopping by and thanking you in person."
Even though Theophilus was talking to Lee Allie, his eyes were on Essie. And like Lee Allie had once said, he almost forgot his home training when she stretched out one leg to reveal bare feet and dainty, peach-painted toes. It took him a few seconds to stop his eyes from traveling up her leg to the edge of the same baby blue Bermuda shorts she was wearing when he met her at Pompey's Rib Joint. He forced his eyes away from her legs and smiled at her.
"Good evening, Miss Essie. That tea sure does look refreshing."
She rattled the ice around in her glass as if to say, "It is," adding out loud, "If you want some tea, go get yourself some. Those glasses on the dish rack are clean."
Theophilus looked down at Essie still smiling that smile and watched her as she tried to stare him right back in the eyes without flinching.
"Essie Lee, where is your manners? Get up out of that chair and get this man a glass of tea."
"Oh that's all right, Sister Lane. I don't mind getting it myself," Theophilus said, still smiling at Essie, holding her eyes to his and making her flush from the intensity of the look on his face.
Sensing the electricity flowing between Theophilus and Essie, Lee Allie decided that they needed some time alone. "Theophilus, grab a seat and make yourself comfortable," she said, walking to the kitchen door. "I need to work on my report for Missions Day. Essie Lee good company when she wants to be."
He started to pour himself some tea but changed his mind and reached for a kitchen chair and sat it right next to Essie. "I feel kind of bad about the dinner," he said.
Essie moved her chair away from him a bit. "Why? Didn't you enjoy your dinner?"
"Yes, I did. But not as much as I would have if I could have spent more time with you."
She started smiling at him, then stopped when she remembered that he had spent most of the dinner talking to Saphronia McComb.
He picked up on her change of mood. "Did I say something wrong?"
"What you did was laugh and talk with Saphronia McComb almost the entire time we were at dinner."
"Essie, I'm a preacher. You and I both know that I can't be rude to folks at church, even Saphronia McComb. Comes with the job. Just like being put up for the night at Mother Harold's is part of my job, too. I'd much rather stay at Mrs. Neese's. Believe me, it's a lot of fun over there—can't imagine Mother Harold's house being anything like that."
"Yeah, being at their house will be as bad as you think it will be. I only hope you can handle Miss Saphronia Anne being all over you when you get to her house."
He got up, poured himself some tea and leaned against the refrigerator. "Essie, are you trying to tell me that Saphronia will come on to me when I'm at her house?" He shook his head at the thought of it. "Girl, I don't think she has it in her. Her butter barely melted in her mouth at church, and it came off of a hot roll."
Essie cut her eyes at him. "You can laugh if you want to. But Miss Saphronia can be something else when she wants to be."
He started laughing, trying to imagine Saphronia McComb being "something else." "What in the world can that stuck-up Miss It possibly do to me? Look at me. I'm a big man, baby."
Essie shivered. It was the second time he had called her "baby," and the feeling she got when he said that was nothing short of delicious. She said, "Delilah got Sampson