When Solomon Sings (3 page)

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Authors: Kendra Norman-Bellamy

BOOK: When Solomon Sings
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“What's going on with you, Dr. Taylor?” As loveable as she was, Margaret's prying was rarely subtle. She stepped farther into the office space. “For the past few weeks I've noticed that you've had a lot on your mind. You sure that you and that li'l girl are okay? No matter how mature she might be, she's still her age and you're yours. Although the age gap might not seem like a problem going into a new relationship, it could develop into one the more you get to know a person.”
While Margaret's nosiness was obvious, her feelings about Shaylynn weren't. Whenever Shaylynn dropped by the office to see Neil, she and Margaret always exchanged pleasantries and got along well. But sometimes Neil wondered how genuine it was on the part of his executive assistant. When she spoke of Shaylynn in Shaylynn's absence, Margaret's tone sometimes carried an edge. Neil could detect that edge right now, and it caused him to clench and unclench his jaws. He and Margaret had worked together now for nearly seven years, and because they attended the same church, he'd known her even longer than that. By all accounts, Neil considered Margaret Dasher his friend more than his employee despite the fact that they never referenced each other by their first names. Margaret was fifteen years his senior, and for a while Neil had carried a secret schoolboy-like torch in his heart for the attractive, divorced mother of two. But all of that notwithstanding, if Margaret ever crossed the line and said anything disrespectful about the woman he loved, Neil would introduce her to a side of him that she'd never met.
“You mind closing the door on your way out?” He made the abrupt request while quickly typing in the password that would allow him access to his own cell phone. Neil was growing weary of the small talk and the needless insinuations. It was time to get back to business.
“Does that mean everything
isn't
okay?” Margaret could be relentless.
Neil wished he could say something that would convince Margaret that there was absolutely no need for concern, but first he had to convince himself. There was no real evidence of trouble in paradise, but his instinct detected something on the horizon. His hesitations about buying the ring ... the increase of Emmett's name creeping into his and Shaylynn's conversations. . . the knot that gradually tightened in the pit of his stomach ...
“Well, does it?” Margaret's voice snatched him from his thoughts.
An exaggerated inhale and exhale nonverbally accused his secretary of being a hopeless case. Neil pressed the code to listen to his messages, and then placed the phone to his ear. He shooed her away with his hand and forced his voice to be confident and unwavering when he replied with, “What it means, Ms. Dasher, is close the door on your way out.”
TWO
Life for Shaylynn Ford was one big hustle. It always had been. Nothing worth having had ever come easy for her, but when she decided to take her life's biggest faith leap and become her own employer, she had no idea the magnitude of the challenge that lay ahead. Shaylynn desperately needed to prove to herself that she wasn't the failure she'd been defined as for the majority of her life. Emmett's life insurance policy had left her with a nice nest egg, but if she lived off of that, it would validate what her former in-laws had always said about her—that she would be nothing if it weren't for their son.
Despite proving her genuine love for Emmett, his parents, both successful corporate attorneys, were determined to hold fast to the accusation that the Ford family fortune was what had most attracted her to him. As true as it was, they never believed her story that she didn't even know about their class and ranking prior to falling for Emmett. To solidify their “liar” status once and for all, Shaylynn had to make this business venture work. She had to show attorneys William and Melinda Ford that she had a net worth aside from the small fortune that Emmett had willed to her.
When she first metaphorically opened the doors of Shay Decor, Shaylynn spent the better part of her days praying for God to send business to her home-based interior decorating company, so that defeat wouldn't force her back into corporate America. That was over a year ago, and just as it is promised in scripture, God had done exceeding abundantly above all that she'd asked. These days, she sometimes found herself praying that He would allow her a breather between assignments. Shaylynn loved what she did, and she knew that a prosperous Shay Decor signified a blessed Shay Decor, but still ... she needed a break, or at least a good assistant. She would love for Saturday to be a day of relaxation for her, but it just wasn't possible with her workload. There never seemed to be enough time in the weekdays to get it all done.
“Mama, can we go to the park or something?”
And now, here was someone else who wanted to shorten her Saturday. Shaylynn stopped flipping through her design binder and looked up in time to see her son stomping his way down the stairs. Considering Chase's slim build and early growth spurt, most would probably think the boy would be interested in basketball, but that wasn't his sport of choice. Chase had a genuine leather regulation-sized football tucked under his right arm, and a helmet dangled in his left hand. Was he crazy? Saturday morning had greeted them with twenty-eight-degree temperatures. As the afternoon settled in, it had warmed to thirty-six, but that was still too cold for Shaylynn. Plus she had far too much to do to donate time to the park. She sighed. Moments like this one caused her to miss Emmett even more than normal. If he were still alive, regardless of the outside elements, she was sure that he would have no qualms with taking Chase to the park for some outside playtime.
“No, son, we can't do that today.” Shaylynn watched him stop midway down the stairwell. His shoulders slumped and his face fell. The sight of it sank her heart. She never took pleasure in disappointing her only child, but ... “Mama has a lot of work to do, Chase. Besides, it's just too cold outside. The park is really for spring and summer, maybe early fall. But in the winter it's too frigid for playing outdoors. Nobody plays outdoors in this kind of cold unless they're playing in the snow.”
“Ah-huh.” Chase bobbed his head up and down as he challenged her declaration. “We still go outside and play at school. When you run around, it gets your blood pumping and warms you up. It helps you to think better too. That's what Dr. Taylor says when he runs around with us on the playground.”
Shaylynn placed her design binder on the coffee table and gave Chase her full attention. “Dr. Taylor goes outside and plays with the kids during recess?”
With one elbow propped on the banister of the staircase, Chase looked at her with a know-it-all expression. “Yes, ma'am. Not every day, but sometimes.”
Shaylynn cocked her head and eyed her child. His story wasn't believable; it didn't make sense. “Dr. Taylor wears a suit to work. Are you trying to tell me that he goes outside and plays in his dress clothes?”
Chase's laugh made Shaylynn feel like she was on the verge of crossing into idiot territory. “Of course not, Mama. He couldn't run around with us in a suit. He changes clothes when he plays with us, and then he goes back inside, takes a shower in the bathroom that's in the back of his office, and puts his good clothes back on. He says that getting our blood pumping helps us to get our work done better and faster.”
“He would say something like that.” Shaylynn mumbled the words to herself.
“Hey.” Chase said the single word as though a light switch in his head had just been flipped into the on position. “Maybe if you go outside and play with me, you can get your work done faster too.”
Shaylynn couldn't help but smile at both Chase's rationale and at the mental picture she had of Neil on the playground running after children or having them pursue him. The newsflash shouldn't have taken her by surprise. Neil's energy level had reaped the benefits of his new, healthier lifestyle. He'd been carrying on a love affair with the treadmill for more than a year now. His body was cashing in too. Shaylynn liked that best of all, but that was a secret she kept to herself.
Neil was becoming quite the sportsman. He'd participated in the six-mile Peachtree Road Race last July, and though he didn't even come close to winning it, for a middle-aged rookie, he had a very impressive fifty-eight-minute finish. And Neil had always taken special interest in the children at his school, so it only made sense that he'd take his interaction with them to such a level. At first, Shaylynn thought it was just a “Chase thing.” In the early days of their courtship, Shaylynn figured that Neil was trying to impress her by being so actively involved with Chase. But the more she got to know him, the clearer it became to her that he wasn't being biased. He genuinely loved children. Still, she had no idea that he took it as far as roughhousing with the students on the playground. Neil had never told her that. Shaylynn's chest warmed at the realization of it all. The longer she knew Neil, the more reasons she found to love him. He would make a good dad one day. Maybe even to Chase... .
“So can we go to the park?”
“I really can't.” Shaylynn blinked rapidly as her trance broke. That last thought had entered her head without warning, but it wasn't the first time. As she continued speaking, she reclaimed her binder for visual effect. “I have to put together some ideas to show a client by Monday morning, and I'm doubtful that I'll have time to do much tomorrow with church and all. Plus, I'm not going to be running around like Dr. Taylor does, so I'll be freezing if I went out there. If you want to go out into the backyard and play, you can. You'll just need to stay in the area where I can watch you from the bay windows.” She pointed toward the kitchen, which was set in the rear of their split-level townhouse.
“By myself?” Now Chase was whining, and Shaylynn didn't like that. Little boys shouldn't whine. Emmett used to say that repeatedly, and he was cringing right now if he could somehow hear his son. “It's no fun if I have to play by myself.”
“Well, we'll have to consider it for another day then,” Shaylynn said. “Why don't you go play video games, or what about watching that karate movie that stars Will Smith's son, who you love so much?”
Chase's top lip curled upward. “I've seen that a hundred times already. Plus he ain't all that. I mean, he's a good actor and stuff, but Willow is the one who's hot. I just give him points 'cause he's her brother.”
Shaylynn's eyes widened. Wasn't it about five years too early for her son to be noticing girls? And had he just used the adjective “
hot
” to describe one? Shaylynn didn't know whether to laugh at Chase or scold him, so she decided to do neither. “Go read a book, then. You can't convince me that you've read all the books on the list that your teacher gave you at the beginning of the school year. Remember what I told you before. It's better to be ahead than to fall behind.”
Apparently none of Shaylynn's options appealed to Chase. “Can I call Dr. Taylor? Maybe if he's not doing nothing, he'll come and play with me. He likes playing with me.”
Shaylynn often wondered just how much Chase understood about her relationship with Neil. She'd never told him how she felt about the director of his school, never figured that he'd understand anyway. But now, with him using words like “
hot
” to describe the opposite sex ... maybe he would. Neil visited her home often, and the three of them spent time together nearly every weekend, but Chase probably thought he visited all the kids' homes just as regularly. Both Shaylynn and Neil were conscious of the boy's presence whenever the three of them were in the same place. They never kissed, hugged, or even held hands if there was a chance that Chase might see them. It wasn't a mutual agreement. Neil totally opposed her insistence to conceal the relationship from her son, but Shaylynn was adamant. As strongly as she felt about Neil, she wasn't yet fully convinced of how their relationship would pan out.
The handsome, talented educator, who also served on the deacon board of Kingdom Builders Christian Center, was one of the kindest, most loving men Shaylynn had ever known. But he was also older and, undoubtedly, far more experienced than she. Plus, she wasn't blind. Shaylynn knew that she wasn't the only woman who liked what she saw when she looked at Dr. Neil Taylor. He was admired by several of his female business and church associates, many of whom were closer to his age. What if one of those smart, educated women he worked with wormed her way into his heart? Add to that the fact that Neil already had one failed marriage to his credit, and Shaylynn had even more reasons to be cautious. And she didn't even have to put a “what if” in the equation where
that one
was concerned. If Shaylynn had ever wondered if Audrey Taylor was still interested in Neil, that question was answered when Ms. Thing and her Mary Kay Career Car made their grand appearance at the Taylor family reunion back in July.
Shaylynn had heard the stories, and she knew Audrey was probably going to show up, but that didn't stop her from feeling uneasy. Audrey was pretty fabulous for a woman her age. Shaylynn hadn't expected her to be so attractive. She found herself struggling to hold together her mask of security and self-confidence. When Audrey had to leave suddenly, it was an answer to a prayer that Shaylynn had begun praying the moment the woman stepped out of her car. Neil promised that he had absolutely no interest in his ex-wife, and from what Shaylynn could see he wasn't being untruthful about that, but what if Audrey's persistence eventually paid off? During their marriage, they'd separated and reunited two or three times. What if, somewhere down the line, Neil decided to give it one last try? Shaylynn was still very protective of her son. Chase had already lost one dad. Granted, Emmett was a father her son had never known, but he was his father still. And the last thing Shaylynn wanted was for Chase to get too accustomed or attached to Neil, and then be left with a broken heart if it didn't work out.
“Today is Saturday, Chase. Dr. Taylor spends five days a week with children. It's not fair to ask him to come here and spend his weekend with children too.” The explanation she offered didn't nearly address Shaylynn's real concerns.
Chase shrugged his shoulders. “What's the big deal? He's over here all the time anyway.”
The kid had definitely inherited his father's gift for gab and flair for quick comebacks. But the traits that Shaylynn had found appealing in her late husband she sometimes found annoying in her son. It was at that moment that she decided she had allowed the debate to go on long enough. “How 'bout you go back upstairs and take off those cleats? You want to move around and get your blood pumping? Fine. While you're upstairs, clean up your room. That ought to do the trick.”
“But, Ma—”
Shaylynn held up her hand to stop any further deliberation. “And stop whining,” she ordered. Chase said nothing more, but remained standing in place looking down at his mother with those big brown eyes that usually got him his way. He'd inherited those from his father too. Shaylynn fought the urge to give in. The image of her shivering in the near-freezing temperatures helped her find the strength to stand her ground. Her tone thickened when she added her single order and pointed a stiff finger toward the top of the staircase. “Go.”
While he obeyed her command, Shaylynn basked in the relief of her victory as she began flipping through her book once again. She had never been one of those mothers who spanked her child as a first-string disciplinary action. In Chase's lifetime, he'd only endured corporal punishment four or five times, and even then she'd used nothing harder or heavier than her open hand. She had endured so many unmerited beatings as a little girl that she found it hard to pass along the tradition, even when one would be justified. Overall, Chase was a well-mannered and obedient child. Today he was just antsy. He got that way periodically. Shaylynn remembered being that way as a kid too. She surmised that it was one of those things that came along with being an only child. There were no built-in playmates to pal around with, and sometimes that became a problem ... for both the parent and the child.

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