On the Way to Heaven (BWWM Romance) (4 page)

CHAPTER
SEVEN

   
“You think she has a point?” Neil sat at
the end of the bar with Skip, watching his friends play a game of pool. “Have I
been neglecting my girls?” He slurped beer from the glass mug.

    
“Ah.” Skip belched and licked fuzz off his
thick mustache. “What the hell does this Trina person know, anyway? She just
met you.” He scooted back on the stool. “I hate people who think they can give
advice like they know everything.”

    
“She was trying to help.”

    
“But did you ask for her help?” Skip set
his mug on the bar. “You hired this chick to clean, not be your psychiatrist.”

    
 
“I
just don’t know what to do, man.” Neil swung his leg. “I try to move on, but I
can’t. I see Charlotte all over the house.” He looked at his wedding band. “I
hear her voice. I smell her on the sheets. I can’t get past it.”

    
“Ever thought of counseling?”

    
 
“You
know I’m not into that stuff.” Neil sipped beer. “What good would it do?”

    
“You’ll be able to talk to someone besides
me about it.” Skip leaned up and looked toward the entrance. “Whoa.”

    
“What?” Neil followed Skip’s gaze.

    
A shapely, pale redhead pranced into the
bar in tight, denim shorts and a tank top with no bra.

    
“Jeez.” Neil turned around to face the bar.
“Turn around, man. I don’t want her to see me.”

    
“Why not?” Skip stared at her. “Marisa has
been wet for you for years, and now you got your chance.”

    
“My chance? My wife just died last May,
Skip. The last thing on my mind is being with another woman. Especially my
wife’s friend.”

    
“I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.” Skip
patted Neil’s shoulder. “But it’s almost been a year. You gotta start living
your life, some time.”

    
“How would it look for me to hook up with
Marisa when everyone in this town knows how I felt about Charlotte?”

    
“Who cares?” Skip lifted his mug. “Maybe
you need to focus more on your life and less on what others think. Marisa has
wanted you since high school. Even Charlotte knew it.”

    
“No.” Neil shook his head. “I’m not into
Marisa. She’s a friend, that’s all.”

    
Skip smirked. “I wish I had friends who
looked like that.”

    
Marisa sauntered up to them. “Hello, Neil.”
She smiled. “Will you buy me a drink?”

    
He coughed into his hand. “Sure.” He told
the bartender to get her a beer. “You doing okay?”

    
“Yeah.” She waved at Skip and focused back
on Neil. “How are you?”

    
“Fine.” Neil forced an uncomfortable smile.

    
Something about Marisa made his anxiety
soar.

    
“I called you earlier.”

    
“Oh yeah?” He tapped the bar. “I was
working.”

    
“I left a voicemail.”

    
“Here you go, Marisa.” The bartender set
her beer on the bar.

    
“Thanks.” She took a sip. “I called you
last night, and the night before, too.”

    
“Been busy.” Neil slurped beer.

    
“I worry about you.” She sat on the stool
next to him. “I know it’s still hard without Charlotte. I told you I wanna help
all I can. If you need me to come over and clean or cook—”

    
“He’s got that handled.” Skip winked. “He’s
got a maid now.” He shifted on the stool. “Yeah, some young, hot looking
thing.”

    
“Skip.” Neil groaned.

    
“I heard you were looking for a
housekeeper.” Marisa sipped from her glass. “What’s her name?”

    
“Trina Mosley.”

    
“She’s a black chick.” Skip licked his
lips.

    
“Ah.” Marisa set her glass down. “And she’s
going to be staying with you?”

    
“Yeah, in the guest bedroom.” Neil avoided
looking at her. “I needed help with the house and the girls. You’ve seen the
place. I couldn’t do it alone.”

    
“I offered to help you.”

    
“It’s not your responsibility, but I
appreciate the offer.”

    
“I promised Charlotte I’d be there for you
and the girls.” Marisa rubbed his arm. “I meant every word of that. I care
about you a lot.”

    
“Marisa…” Neil tried to pull his arm away.

    
“It’s not just because of Charlotte.” She moved
closer to him. “You gotta know that.”

    
“Marisa.” He removed her hand from his arm.
“Like I said, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I can take care
of myself.”

    
“This maid…how do you know you can trust
her around the kids? She’s a stranger.”

    
“I saw her references. She comes from a
good agency.”

    
Marisa squinted. “How can you be sure?”

    
“Everything’s fine.” Neil got off the
stool. “Trust me.”

* * * *

    
Someone tapped on Trina’s door in the
middle of the night.

    
“Trina?” Neil called out from the other
side. “Are you awake? I’d like to speak to you.”

    
She sat up in bed and turned the lamp on.
“I’m awake.”

    
“May I come in?”

    
“It’s your house, isn’t it?” She pulled the
sheet over her thin nightgown.

    
He walked in. “Hey.” He closed the door behind
him. “Did I wake you?”

    
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes.

    
 
“I’m
sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier. I had no right.”

    
She crossed her arms over her bosom.

    
“I know you were just concerned.” He sat on
the foot of the bed. “I appreciate that you care about my girls that much.”

    
“It’s just sad, to me. This is the time
they need you the most, and you’re not there.”

    
“I try to be.” He ran his fingers through
his hair.

    
“You need to try harder. They won’t be
little girls forever. One day you’ll wake up, and they’ll be grown and they’ll
hate you for not being there for them.”

    
“Do you hate your parents for not being
there for you?”

    
She lay back on the headboard. “We’re not
talking about me.”

    
“Oh yes, we are.” He tapped his foot. “You
seem to be taking it personal, how I am with my girls. Is that because of your
parents?”

    
“I wouldn’t know.” The beginning of a tear
stung her eye. “I didn’t know my parents. I’m an orphan.”

    
“An orphan?” His thick eyebrows furrowed.

    
“When I was a baby, I was left on the stoop
of this woman’s apartment.”

    
“What?”

    
“No one knew who I was or who left me
there. The lady took me to the hospital, and from there, my journey in the
system started.”

    
“My God.” He stared into space. “That
must’ve been terrible, to not know your parents. You know nothing about your
family?”

    
She shook her head.

    
“Trina.” He took her hand. “I’m sorry. No
wonder you were angry with me earlier.”

    
“I wasn’t angry.” She let go of his hand.
“I just feel so bad for your little girls. Kids need to be protected and loved,
above all else. That’s when they learn how to trust people and if you—the man
who is supposed to be there for them no matter what—are not there, it could
destroy their lives, Neil. You have no idea how it’s been, not knowing my
family or history. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

    
“I won’t pretend to understand what that’s
like. I had a great childhood. Born and raised in Allocco.” He smiled. “Where
are you from, because I know you’re not originally from here?”

    
“How do you know that?”

    
“This is a very small town, and I know all
the black people in it.” He grinned. “Besides, a woman as pretty as you…I’d
remember.”

    
She grew warm all over. “I’m from New York
City.”

    
“New York City?” He scratched his head.
“What the hell are you doing in Allocco, Nebraska?”

    
“Your guess is as good as mine.” She
laughed. “I needed a change. I was sick of big city life, and wanted something
more leisurely.”

    
“Allocco is definitely that.” He snickered.
“I could tell you were from the city. Just had that way about you. You also
seem very educated.”

    
“You say that like you’re surprised.”

    
“It’s just that most of the folks around
here barely finished high school, and you sound like you went to Harvard or
something.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m the same as anyone around here. I barely
graduated, and didn’t have a drop of college. I’ve been doing carpentry all my
life.”

    
“I’m not surprised.” Trina wiggled her feet
under the sheet. “Building things seem to be second nature to you. Paige was
telling me how talented you are. She said carpenters run in your family for
generations back, and your family’s built a lot of things around here.”

    
“Yeah.” He blushed. “My granddaddy redid
the church about sixty years ago, all by himself.”

    
“Really?”

    
“Yeah, and my dad built that library down
from the market area. I redid some things in the park.”

    
“I haven’t had a chance to see Allocco yet,
so maybe you can show me around.”

    
 
“That would be nice.”

    
She trembled, and looked away from his
gaze.

    
“I’m sorry I’m staring.” Yet he didn’t turn
away. “But you sure are pretty.”

    
She lowered her head. “Prettier than
Marisa?”

    
“What?” He cleared his throat.

    
“Your girlfriend.” She raised her head.

    
“Marisa’s not my girlfriend, Trina.”

    
“She isn’t?”

    
“Hell, no.” He grimaced. “I don’t have a
girlfriend. Who told you that?”

    
“Your baby girl.”

    
“Jeez.” He shook his head. “Violet’s
confused. She might think Marisa’s my girlfriend, but she’s not. She’s a girl
and a friend, but that’s it.”

    
“For real?”

    
“Yes.” He scoffed. “I can barely stop
thinking about Charlotte. The last thing on my mind is another woman.”

    
He
is
a good guy.

    
“Besides, I’m too busy to date.” He
chuckled. “Where would I find the time, when I can barely clean my house?”

    
“Amen.” Trina laughed.

    
“Speaking of cleaning the house, you’ve
done a great job so far.”

    
“It still looks like World War Three in
some of the rooms, but I should be done with those in a week or two.” She
glanced around the room. “This house is huge. I’m gonna need your help, and the
girls’ too, to keep things manageable.”

    
 
“I do
appreciate everything you’ve done so far.” He stood and fixed the sheet. “I
guess I’ll let you get some rest.”

    
“That’ll be good, because your house has
got a
sista
tired.”

    
 
“I’m
glad you’re here, Trina.” He went to the door. “It’s gonna be nice having a
woman around here again.”

    
He left.