Page 16 of Evan

“It is a special service to honor our veterans and I told him his company could benefit from the added publicity. We will see if he turns up.”

Chapter 5

Evan could not recall the last time he had been to Sunday services. It might have been when he was a little boy, and his mother was still alive. Mary-Ann Davenport had been a proper Southern lady with all the mannerisms and characteristics of a genteel bred female.

He barely remembered what she looked like, except when he stared at the life size portrait that held such a prominent position over the top of his mantel. He had inherited her ink black hair, but not her gentle blue eyes.

He could recall nights when she tucked him into bed, her soft lilting voice singing him to sleep. He could also recall that was the last time he had been shown parental love and had been happy. After she died, his life had come to a complete stop. His father, Emannuel Davenport would not allow grieving.

Certainly, crying was not something he would dare do in front of the old man. It was too feminine. Only women cry. Public displays of attention were never sanctioned. Women and children were to be seen and not heard.

While his mother was alive, she could get around those rigid rules, because in his own selfish way, his father had loved her. When she was alive, he had been faithful. One would never believe it after the way he behaved after she died. He had taken countless women to his bed and coached his son to do the same.

He and his brother, Eric had been joined at the hips. They did things together. And had formed a bond that was not easily broken.

The two had continued to run the company the way their ancestors had done, with no apologies and no thought of the consequences of their actions.

Evan had been left out of the mix, something he was secretly happy about. When the old man had died of an aneurysm when he was in college, he had not wasted any time mourning him. The company had been passed down to his brother.

When he too had dropped dead of a heart attack while having an affair with his secretary, Evan had taken over and was determined to change things around.

As he made his way through the arched doorway of the building with the ‘greeter’ holding the door for him to enter, he felt the familiar sense of hopeless anger roaring through him.

Ignoring the curious stares and whispers, he selected the middle pew, telling himself that it was more convenient for him to make his exit whenever he decided it was time to go.

The seats were filled, and friendly smiles were offered by little old ladies with twinkles in their eyes and a word of welcome for him.

The announcements were followed by the introduction of the praise team. His body tensed automatically as he rose to the accompaniment of the musical instruments.

And he zeroed in on her. With the cadence of her voice when she spoke to him, he knew she was a singer. And she sang like an angel. The teleprompter, he supposed that’s what it was called – displayed the lyrics of the song. She took the lead, her face lifted slightly, the microphone held lightly between slender fingers.

Her dress was some sort of summery material, with big red and blue flowers all over the white background. A hammered gold belt cinched in her small waist, and she was wearing ankle boots. Her hair was styled in what he identified as intricate braids on both sides of her head.

Big gold hoops were at her lobes. When she sang the first high notes, he went still and everyone else in the sanctuary faded into nothingness. He was right about her voice. It was melodious and incredibly haunting. When she sang about the wonderful love of the God of creation, he could hear birds soaring, flowers blooming.

The tight fist that had been clamped around his heart, started to ease slightly. She was singing to him. He felt his heart shattering as she met his gaze, dark brown eyes connecting with his and holding them captive. He was several feet away from her, but he felt as if she was touching him.

She held him spellbound and very soon, he felt the sweat gathering in his armpits. They went into the second song without a break and still he stood there staring at her, allowing her liltingly lovely voice to wrap around him like a protective blanket.

The praise team sang three songs in all and afterwards, the pastor stepped forward, a benign smile on his face. Evan noticed the special attention he paid to the lead singer, the subtle touch of his hand on her arm and the smile he bent on her.

She was asked to pray and without the slightest self-consciousness or timidity, she stepped forward and prayed a blessing over the service.

*****

He did not disappear like he had planned. He had seen the various reporters snapping pics of him sitting in the congregation and clasping hands with the pastor. People eddied around him, thanking him for attending services and imploring him to come again.

He had to admit that he waited for her to become free from the children flocking around her, demanding her attention. She was very popular and had a word for anyone who approached her. Her smile could light up a very dark room and she wasn’t pretending to listen when someone spoke with her.

He frowned slightly and tucked away the nagging feeling of jealousy when several young men hung around. He was invited to the fellowship hall where a spread was laid out on trestle tables groaning with the weight of sandwiches and cakes.

Someone pressed a plate in his hand, and he listened politely to a group of men who had shaken off their shyness and come over to talk to him.

He was taking a cup of fruit punch when he felt her behind him. Even without turning around, he knew it was her. The scent of her perfume was unmistakable.

Steeling himself to remain neutral, he turned to face her and felt the familiar rush of excitement and warmth as his eyes connected with hers. As if by tacit agreement, the men drifted off, leaving them alone at the drinks table.

“You came!” Her head was tilted to one side and an impish smile was on her lips. Hastily averting his eyes from them, he focused on her gaze.

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