Page 20 of A Taste of Grace

When she sat on the floor with my kids like she was their peer, I smiled hard. They climbed on her and touched her hair and body, violating normal boundaries, yet Grace didn’t flinch. She listened to them and made them feel as if their words mattered. The quiet attention she gave them opened them up to her so quickly that I was shocked. Aunt Nita was right. I had no reason to worry about my girls’ well-being around her.

Was she from the South? Her faint accent hinted at a polish I hadn’t heard since my graduate school days at Emory. A woman that educated stuck out like a sore thumb in Farmerton. Why was she babysitting my kids?

I didn’t see a wedding ring, so I assumed she wasn’t married. If she did have a man, he was stupid to let her stay at my house on a Friday night. Maybe I should have thought about that before I nearly undressed her with my eyes.

I’d heard of love at first sight, but I had never experienced it. The second I opened the door, I was mesmerized, stuck, yet I didn’t dare show it. I was on a tight schedule and didn’t have time to process all that. What I knew was Grace’s intense stares and probing eyes had me feeling like a horny teenager.

I could tell she was aroused too. Sweet Lord, her aroma was sweet and spicy. Even now, my mouth watered as I imagined what it would be like to kiss her shiny lips and bring her to a place of ecstasy she probably only dreamed about.

Calm down, playboy. Does she even know the Lord? You can’t be in these streets pursuing a woman who isn’t of the faith.

I gripped my steering wheel for another couple of minutes before starting the ignition. In a semi-haze, I turned on my lights and pulled away. As was my habit when I was alone, I talked to God out loud.

“She does kind of look like their terrible drawing, though.” I chuckled. “And the girls adored her.”

My girls could be little monsters with people they didn’t like. Grace came in like a magician and calmed them all the way down.

At times, I was too soft with them, so it was different being on the other end of their admiration. Grace was definitely their favorite tonight, and I was what? Jealous? I didn’t know. I shrugged and continued my conversation with my Creator.

“Thanks for looking out for my heartbeats and for me. You showed out big today.” I raised one hand in praise and tapped the steering wheel hard, pleased that my God brought little pockets of joy my way in unexpected ways.

“She’s exquisite, Heavenly Father. I know you hate lust, but could I be honest?” I shook my head and smacked my lips as I made a right turn at a stop sign and picked up speed on the four-lane highway.

“Her body, Lord, that body that You created…Sir…her hips and behind were so…” I thought back to the dark denim culottes Grace wore. “And them doggone titties…full and round how I like them. I bet her nipples taste like honey too.” I shook my head and screamed like my favorite team made a winning touchdown.

“Hol’ up, hol’ up.” I shook my head and tapped the steering wheel again. “You know how disciplined I’ve been, so please give me grace. Amazing Grace, that is.” I laughed at my joke.

One thing I believed in was keeping it real with God. Once I got serious about my faith, I talked to Him like he was my big brother. It may not have been conventional, but it kept me real. That was why the young people could relate to me, even calling me Pastor C.

My mind wandered about Grace. One of my prayer requests was to find a woman who cherished my daughters. She already passed the first test, so I needed to learn more.

Since I was still twenty minutes from my destination, I called Aunt Nita through my car’s Bluetooth. She answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Auntie.”

“Hey, baby. Is everything okay with Grace and the girls?”

“Yes, she’s great. But I’ve got some questions for you.”

“Shoot.”

“About Grace…” My voice trailed off as I searched for the right words. “Is she married?”

Aunt Nita laughed.

“Has she opened your nose already, sweetheart?”

I sucked in a quick breath, knowing Aunt Nita had a special gift of seeing through any bull I threw her way. I sometimes hated that she knew me so well.

“Well…”

“I told you I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

“So is she married?”

“No.”

“Does she have children?”

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