The Devil Is a Lie (21 page)

M
oonlight danced across the crashing waves as a soft breeze sent ripples across the water. Nina leaned back in the beach chair, savoring the salty tang of the ocean.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey yourself,” Nina replied as she took the strawberry daiquiri out of Todd’s hand.

“Where is everybody?”

She ticked off her fingers as she answered. “Shari, Michelle, Rene, and Shavonne went to the club. Your mom, Yvonne, and Grandma are at the casino.”

Todd laughed as he sat down on the beach chair next to Nina.

“You didn’t want to go with any of them?”

“Nope. I’m right where I want to be.” She gazed at him and smiled. She couldn’t believe her life. She was actually vacationing in the Bahamas with Todd. A year ago, if anyone had even dared to suggest such a thing, she would’ve told them they were crazy.

This past year since Nina had decided to give Todd a second chance had proven that was the best decision she had ever made.

“Come here,” Todd said, gently pulling her chin toward him. “Did I tell you how much I love you today?”

“You did, but I’d love to hear it again.”

“I love you with all of my heart.”

“I love you more,” she said as their lips met.

“Awww, isn’t that sweet?” Yvonne said, interrupting their kiss.

Nina looked up at her sister and grandmother standing over them, grinning like Cheshire cats.

“What are you guys doing?” Nina asked. “I thought you went to the casino.”

“We left Miss Gloria in there gambling. We had to go up to the room because Grandma wanted to change her shoes,” Yvonne said.

“Yeah, I had to change into my house shoes,” she said, holding up a foot to reveal a pink fuzzy slipper.

“Grandma!” Nina exclaimed. “You can’t walk around here in house shoes.”

Her grandmother lowered her foot. “Chile, please. I ain’t
studying these people. I don’t know them and will never see them again. Plus, I’m on the first real vacation of my seventy-five years. I’m gonna be comfortable.”

Todd laughed. “Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Odessa?”

“It’s Grandma Odessa,” she replied lovingly.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Grandma Odessa?”

“I sure am, baby. I still can’t believe I’m in the Bahamas. I can’t wait to get back and tell the ladies from the auxiliary about this.”

“I still can’t believe Todd got you to come,” Nina said. “Especially considering you had to fly.”

This whole trip had been a surprise. First she was stunned when he whisked her away for a weekend trip to the Bahamas, and she almost fell over backward when she arrived and saw first Michelle, Rene, and Shavonne, and then Shari, Yvonne, Gloria, and her grandmother.

“That had to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Todd quipped. “Your grandmother wasn’t trying to hear anything about a plane.”

“Well, Hattie urged me to come so I could tell her what it was like.” Todd smiled at the mention of his grandmother. Having fully recovered, she was living in another, smaller assisted-living center. But her doctors had nixed the idea of her traveling.

“Besides,” Odessa continued, “I figured I would try something new before I left this earth. And I wanted to watch you two renew your vows. I wanted to see firsthand the magnitude of what God can do.” She flashed a smile.

“Not to mention, brother-in-law was paying,” Yvonne sang.

Nina shook her head at her sister. If not for Todd, she didn’t know what she would’ve done. He had put his four million dollars into a special account, and then he’d invested some of the money and within one year had already made another 1.3 million dollars.

She still hadn’t heard from Rick, although Todd had offered to hire the best private investigator in the country to track him down. But Nina had finally decided there was no point. If and when they ever did find him, he wouldn’t exactly be carrying the money on him.

“I told you, God knows what He’s doing,” her grandmother said, interrupting her thoughts. “That divorce wasn’t finalized because God didn’t want it to be finalized. He used that crazy girl to keep y’all together. You two are soul mates, and you both had to go spend a little time with the devil before you realized just how important each other was.”

Todd squeezed Nina’s hand. “I’m just grateful she gave me another chance. She’ll never have to worry about me hurting her again.”

“You betta not,” Yvonne said. “Because if you do, I’m gon’ make sure she takes all your money.”

Todd didn’t take his eyes off Nina.

“If I hurt her again, she can have it all,” he said seriously.

Nina smiled as she gently rubbed his cheek. “I never stopped loving you,” she said. “Even when I wanted to, I couldn’t.”

“And I never stopped loving you. Even when I thought I did, I didn’t.”

“And I can’t stop thinking about those slot machines. Even
when I try, I can’t,” Nina’s grandmother said, causing them all to burst into laughter. “So you two lovebirds continue on with this lovefest, but me, my left hand is itching. I’m about to hit it big, I can feel it. Plus, I already asked Pastor to pray that I hit on the slots, so it’s gonna happen.”

“Grandma,” Nina said, shocked, “you asked the preacher to pray for your gambling?”

“Shoot, don’t tell nobody,” she said, lowering her voice. She looked around as if someone on the beach actually cared about her preacher, “but Pastor likes a little blackjack himself.”

“All y’all going to hell,” Yvonne said, pulling her grandmother’s arm. “Come on, Grandma. It was a cute man in there looking at me.”

“Gotta go,” her grandmother said, waving. “Your sister wants to go hoing.” She popped Yvonne on the back of the head as they walked off. “And who you talking ’bout going to hell. My name is at the top of God’s roster. You, on the other hand…” Her voice trailed off as they walked down the beach.

Nina was about to say something to Todd when her hand accidentally knocked over her strawberry daiquiri.

“Dang it,” Nina said, jumping up.

“Oh, wow. Let me go get some paper towels before that stains your sundress.”

“No.” Nina stood up. “Let me go to the bathroom before it sets in.”

“You sure you don’t need some help?”

She grinned. “No, I think I can make it to the bathroom alone.”

Nina walked over to the nearby cabana, went in the restroom, and cleaned herself up. On the way out, she decided to stop by the bar and pick up another drink.

“Excuse me,” she called out to the dreadlock-wearing bartender standing at the other end of the bar with his back to her. “May I have a strawberry daiquiri, please?”

“Coming right up,” he said as he turned around.

Nina peered down to check her dress and make sure all of the red was out. The sound of a glass crashing made her look up.

“Wha—?” She stopped short at the sight of the bartender. He was standing there, his mouth gaping wide open. “Rick?”

“N-Nina?”

“I don’t believe this,” Nina said.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

Nina debated cursing him out, but the dreads, the scraggly beard, the bags under his eyes, and worst of all, the flab where his muscles used to be, stopped her in her tracks.

“I’m vacationing,” she finally said. “So this is where you’ve been hiding out?” She had dreamed of the day she would see Rick again. She’d imagined all the ways she’d go off on him, maybe even claw out his eyes. But now that he had appeared out of nowhere, she didn’t feel a single thing.

“I’ve been here a minute,” he said cautiously, like he was expecting her to jump over the bar at him.

“Working as a bartender?”

“You gotta do what you gotta do.” He looked around nervously.

“Looking for the police?” Nina said. She wondered if he knew that even if she did call the police, there was nothing they could do, since technically he didn’t steal the money. “Should I be calling them?” she asked when he didn’t respond. She just liked seeing him squirm.

“It won’t do you any good,” he said.

“Let me guess,” Nina said. “All the money is gone?”

He glanced down in despair, letting her know the answer.

“Can you just answer me one question?” she asked. “Why? I mean, I didn’t really have anything when we met, and you acted like you loved me. Was it all just an act?” Rick’s betrayal no longer hurt, but that one question had been eating at her for the past year. Nina just needed to know if she’d been that naive.

He sighed. “No, it wasn’t an act. I did love you. I wish you’d never won the lottery.” He paused and waved his head in regret. “Maybe things would be different.”

“So the lottery changed everything?”

He nodded. “Yeah, the lure of the money. The temptation was too great.”

“I was going to split it with you.”

“I know.” He hesitated. “It just wasn’t enough. Especially considering…”

“Considering what?”

“I owed a lot of people.”

“What does that mean?”

“I made some deals with the wrong people,” he admitted.

Did she even know him at all? Nina wondered. “So you were a gambler? I was with you for a year and you were a gambler?”

“Not a gambler. A big risk taker,” he clarified. “I invested in some shady deals, trying to get my gym off the ground, and it just escalated out of control. By the time all was said and done, and once the interest was tacked on, I owed close to a million dollars.”

Nina felt sick to her stomach.
Who is this man?

“I wanted to call you so bad. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was, but I knew you’d never forgive me. I didn’t want to take your money, but I was scared they were gonna kill me.”

That didn’t make what he did any better. “If you had just told me that, I would’ve given you the money.”

“If it’s any consolation, I’ve been in my own private hell—running, looking over my shoulder, being broke.”

Her eyes made their way up and down his body. She took in the flab around his midsection again. He had definitely let himself go.

He patted his stomach. “Pretty bad, huh? I don’t have the heart to work out anymore. I thought the money would solve all my problems. Instead, it created more. I paid off my debts, lost more money gambling, then when I got to the Bahamas I was dang near killed by someone who stole the suitcase full of money I brought here. Yeah, it’s been pure hell.”

He had the nerve to be teary eyed. Surely he wasn’t expecting any sympathy from her.

“Rick, you are a lying, conniving thief, and anything you get, you deserve,” Nina finally said. “Now may I please have my daiquiri?”

He slowly made her drink. “Are you gonna call the cops?” he asked as he set it down in front of her.

She shrugged, hearing her grandmother’s words.
Don’t worry about Rick. God will take care of him
. “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.” She pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her wristlet and placed it on the counter.

That’s when he noticed her ring. “What’s that?” Rick asked.

“Oh, this?” she asked, proudly flashing the platinum-set five-carat marquis. “Todd bought it as a symbol of his love.”

Rick’s mouth gaped open. “You’re with Todd?”

“Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” She picked up her drink and sipped it. “As my grandmother said, God doesn’t make any mistakes. He has a master plan. And as I say, karma ain’t no joke.” She winked. “Keep the change.” Then she walked back to join her husband on the beach.

D
ESCRIPTION

When Nina Lawson wins the lottery it seems like all her dreams are coming true. A year earlier her marriage had ended when she discovered her husband, Todd, was cheating on her, but now she and her new fiancé, Rick, are about to be married
and
she’s a millionaire.

But soon Nina’s dream-come-true turns into a nightmare. Relatives she hasn’t seen in months are knocking on her door, looking for their piece of her pie. And they’re not alone. Her ex-husband, Todd, and his scheming girlfriend, Pam—the woman for whom he left her—reveal that the paperwork for his and Nina’s divorce was never finalized. He’s still her husband, and he wants to claim half of the lottery winnings.

Nina is forced to put her plans for the future on hold as her family’s demands escalate, Rick’s demands escalate, and Todd’s return to her life rekindles old feelings. Ultimately, she must choose between forgiveness and revenge in order to discover where her true happiness lies.

Q
UESTIONS FOR
D
ISCUSSION

1. Winning the lottery seems like a dream come true, but it becomes a nightmare for Nina. What is your opinion of the old adage “money can’t buy happiness”? Did the novel change your point of view about the advantages of wealth?
   
2. Money has a powerful effect on Nina’s family, bringing out the worst in many of them. Why do they each feel they deserve a piece of Nina’s winnings? Why do you think money drives people to such great lengths?
   
3. Did you agree with Todd’s decision to go after Nina’s money? How much of his decision is based on helping his grandmother and how much is based on Pam’s influence?
   
4. What reasons does Todd give for staying with Pam? Why does he feel breaking up with her would make him a failure?
   
5. Nina’s friends and family urge her to stop hating Todd and give up her need for revenge because “hate is wasted energy.” Does Nina follow that advice? If so, how?
   
6. How do Pam’s money-grubbing ways set her up for a fall? If she hadn’t pushed Todd too far, do you think he might have stayed with her?
   
7. Nina’s grandmother offers her important guidance. How do her wise words about Nina’s mother and Todd change Nina’s course?
   
8. Pam’s actions are directly responsible for bringing Nina and Todd back together. Does that make those actions in some way forgivable? Could they have gotten back together without her interference?
   
9. Throughout the book, Nina gives Rick the benefit of the doubt even as his attitude and behavior change. Was she right to ignore her misgivings? What might you have done differently in her place?
   
10. Discuss the role of trust in the novel. Nina trusted Todd and Rick, and both men let her down, but eventually she begins to trust Todd again. Does he deserve to regain her trust, or do you agree with Yvonne that no man can be trusted?
    
11. Grandma Odessa tells Todd and Nina, “You both had to go spend a little time with the devil before you realized just how important each other was.” Do you agree? In what ways did Todd and Nina take each other for granted before they split up? What do their experiences apart teach them about each other and about themselves?
    
12. How did you feel about Nina’s choice to rekindle her relationship with Todd? Did your opinion of him change over the course of the book? Why or why not?
    
13. Todd’s grandmother says that God will find a way to get Nina and Todd back together. Does the novel bear that out? If so, what were His signs that they should be together?
    

A
CTIVITIES TO
E
NHANCE
Y
OUR
B
OOK
C
LUB

1. The book begins with Nina’s winning lottery ticket. See if anyone in your group shares Nina’s luck. Have every member bring a scratch-off lottery ticket and begin your book group by seeing who’s a winner.
   
2. Share with your book group what you would do with the money if you came into a windfall like Nina’s. How would you share with your family and friends? What would be your biggest fear about winning the lottery? Discuss whether any of the motives behind your ideas for sharing the money can be accomplished without money.
   
3. Compare your own experiences to Nina’s. Have you forgiven a breach of trust as she did Todd’s? Have you believed the best of someone only to be let down, as Rick let her down?