ENOUGH GOOD NEWS

ENOUGH GOOD NEWS

AUDREY MCKAY

Copyright © 2009 by Audrey McKay

Smashwords Edition



Two Shoes Publishing House
Enough Good News
Copyright © 2009 by Audrey McKay
Smashwords License Statement 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction produced from the author’s imagination. Any similarities to living persons or actual incidents are coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.
ISBN 978-0-9842933-1-5

Cover art: modified from Original by Gary Hathaway © – License purchased at dreamstime.com

EXCERPT

He reached into the plastic bag that held his suit and wallet and pulled out his business card. He wrote something on the back and handed it to her. “Call me when you get home so I know you made it safely? My home number is on the back.”
Oh man, she thought, he's one of those. She always forgot to call, and most of her friends knew by now not to even say anything. She figured she would have to break him in too. “If I forget, just believe God that I got home safely, OK?”
He took a step closer before speaking quietly. “Sidra, I’m tired. Please don’t make me drive all the way home just to go back out to the office and pull your number from the HR records to make sure you’re safe.”

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I would not have been able to do this without them. I also want to dedicate this book to everyone who's realized that the blessings of God come in many forms. 

For we consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 
(Romans 8:18)

CHAPTER 1

*********

“Talk to me! You're the last caller in our all request hour on the way to work. What's your name and what do you want to hear?”
“...Umm yeah, this is Theresa, and I'd like to hear I'm A Stay Saved by Canton Jones.” 
The all gospel-music radio station was turned up loud, and the DJ's low laugh rumbled around the inside of the car as Sidra pulled it into the Metro parking lot. The music was always calming, and she enjoyed this part of her daily weekday routine. Her lips curved upward slightly as she thought about just what the caller must be going through to request such a song. Apparently she and the show's host were on the same wavelength.
“Girl, who is getting on your nerves this early in the morning?” He inquired with a teasing voice. 
The song started playing in the background as an unladylike snort filled the airwaves. “Who isn't? My husband, my kids and don't even get me started about this job. They fired ten people to work three of us like slaves, but I guess I shouldn't complain. At least I still have a job.”
"That's right sister keep it positive."
Sidra smiled as she reached to turn the radio off. The husband and kids weren't a problem for a single woman, but she could definitely identify with the job part. It seemed no company was immune to the recession, and she had lost several co-workers also. She shook her head as she grabbed her briefcase and thought it wasn't the extra work that was bothering her. Her new boss, on the other hand, was a different story. She sent up a silent prayer in hopes that she would be able to avoid Mr. West today.
Twenty minutes later the doors on the Metro train opened, and half of the occupants got out at Metro Center. It was one of the most popular stops during the DC rush hour. The train headed downtown was always packed in the morning. After standing through four stops, Sidra finally managed to slide into a seat for the rest of her ride into work. She had just pulled out her Washington Post newspaper when a guy in a blue service uniform approached her. 
“Sid? Sid is that you?”
Her answer was slow in coming as she searched his face for any recognizable feature. “Yes.”
She had to admit that he was attractive, and his smile seemed to grow wider as he spoke. “Wow, Sid! You really look great. You haven’t aged at all. What’s it been, like 15 years?”
She still had the look of a deer in headlights when she began speaking. “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to place your face. Where do I know you from?”
The man's friendly and welcoming face suddenly changed to one of cold, hard steel. She thought she saw a flicker of hurt as he started to back away. He looked down at his uniform and then back to her as if he were about to say something. When the driver called out the man’s station. He gave her a resigned smirk and turned to walk off the train. He spoke over his shoulder on his way out the door. 
“Not into blue collar guys these days, huh? You've changed Sid. I thought we had something special even if it was prom night all those years ago.”
Sidra blinked once then twice. WHAT? I didn’t even go to my prom. 
She watched the man walk off the train as her thoughts drifted back to her teenage years. She had gotten into trouble for protesting some crazy school mandate on the acceptable length of prom gowns. The rule was handed down only one week before the prom. Most of the girls at her all-girl high school had purchased their dresses long before then only to find out that the new rule would keep them out of their senior prom. 
When Sidra verbally attacked the school administrators on the local news they were embarrassed into letting the girls who had already bought their dresses attend the prom. But they banned her and several other protesting students for behavior unbecoming of young women attending St. Agatha's School for girls. 
Always a loud mouth when it came to voicing injustice Sidra often stayed in trouble during her youth. Now in her mid-thirties she could look back and acknowledge that her loud mouth, good grades, and passion for all things just and true enabled her to enroll into a good law school a few years later. After graduation, she parlayed her law degree into a very successful career with one of the most prominent law firms on the east coast.
Emerging from the subway’s darkness, the crisp September morning felt good on her face. She shielded her eyes and smiled as she walked by the vendors who were setting up shop on the bustling sidewalks. D.C. was waking up, and she loved it. There was a certain energy in the city that was unlike any other, and she couldn't imagine living or working anywhere except this area. The three block walk to the coffee shop was managed in padded two-inch heels without any problems. 
After a long line in the coffee shop, there were only a few minutes to spare before her meeting started, so she grabbed the steaming latte' and hurried into the office. She wasn't aware of it, but as she stepped off the elevator and worked her way around the maze of cubes, her best friend Liz got up and followed her as she walked by. Liz walked into the office behind Sidra and closed the door without making a sound. A loud shriek escaped from Sidra's mouth when she turned and finally spotted her friend. “You have got to stop sneaking up on people like that!”
Liz leveled her gaze and spoke deliberately. “Now you know I normally wouldn’t say anything, but you’re gonna have to do better about getting in here on time. This is the fourth time in two weeks you strolled in here after nine.”
Sidra sighed at the friend she had known since grade school. She loved Liz dearly, but she did have a bad habit of sounding parental. “Sorry Mother, but it’s also the fourth time in two weeks that I worked past 9:00 p.m.”
 “Okay. So I didn’t know you were working late, but you know you’ve got eyes watching you. And for more than one reason if my sensors are correct. And we both know they usually are. Sid? Sid are you listening to me?”
“No. Not really. Liz, the strangest thing just happened to me on the Metro coming in this morning.”
“Sure go ahead. Change the subject and pretend you’re not listening to me, but I’m serious about the eyes on you part.”
“I’m serious too Liz. Could you please stop running your mouth for a minute?”
Liz, pretending to be hurt, rolled her eyes and took a seat on the edge of the polished wood desk. “I’m listening.”
“This guy walked up to me on the train this morning and just started talking like we were old friends. He knew my name and everything, but when he brought up a supposed past encounter, none of it was familiar to me. Isn’t that the strangest thing you’ve ever heard?”
“Second strangest.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t remember that little incident in high school when we were both about to catch a beat down?”
“Vaguely...”
Liz was amazed. “Girl I’m gonna pick you up some ginseng for your memory when I go get mama’s.”
“Come on now, that was like 20 years ago. You can’t expect me to remember every single conversation from back then. I don’t transfer each little thing to long term memory like you do.”
“Each little thing? Honey, that was a major event. Any time my life gets that close to ending, I consider that a major event.”
Sidra shook her head and laughed. “You really should have gone into acting. Alright, refresh my memory.”
Liz blew her bangs out of her eyes. “I can’t believe you. Alright, it was the tenth grade, and we cut school early to come downtown and walk around. We ducked into a corner store to grab a snack. When we turned to leave there were three big, evil girls standing over us. Any of this coming back to you?”
Sidra's eyes lit up at the memory reforming in her mind. “Didn’t they pull out cigarettes to smoke while they threatened us?”
“Yep.”
“Yeah, I do remember not being able to breathe during most of that ordeal.”
“Then you should also remember one of those girls threatening your life for stealing her man.”
“That’s right! She told me that I had better keep my crusty hands off her man.”
Liz giggled. “I don’t believe that ‘crusty’ was the word she used.”
Sidra stifled her own giggle. “I was trying to clean it up a little.”
Liz was laughing loudly by this point. “Ha! The only things that saved us were those penny loafers and plaid skirts we hated so much. They finally figured out that you weren’t who they thought you were because 'that other heifer' went to a public school.”
A sudden knock at the office door brought them both back to the present. Without waiting for a response, the person on the other side pushed the door open and walked right in. Wouldn’t you know it had to be the new boss, the very egotistical and intolerant new boss. It seemed Mr. Jensen West had a good majority of the office personnel walking around on eggshells for the short time he’d been around. Sidra could have sworn that she’d seen him with a whip in his hand last week. 
He was brought in shortly after the massive layoffs. After losing so many managers, the law firm was in total chaos. He had straightened the place up alright, but everyone was extremely jumpy as a result. Any visitor walking in off the street would think they were a bunch of meth junkies just starting rehab. 
Sidra tried to control it, but her anger got the better of her, and before she knew it her mouth was in motion. “Most people around here wait for a reply before they enter a closed office.”
Jensen hesitated only a moment before he answered her. He really hadn't meant to walk right in, just poke his head in and remind her that the meeting would be starting soon but when the door opened it was like her eyes drew him in. It seemed that whenever he came within five feet of this woman he was thrown off his guard. If it wasn't her looks, it was some remark coming out of her mouth. He had been working in this new office only a few months but during that time he had gotten to know the employees under his care fairly well. It seemed that Sidra was a spitfire whose mouth often moved before her mind, which was remarkable considering she had proven herself to be one of the most intelligent and quick-witted people he knew. 
“Most people aren’t the boss. You’re due upstairs in two minutes, and you’re about to be late.” He tried to recover quickly and could tell he did a good job when it looked as if Sidra would jump up and slap his face at any moment. 
She glared at him as she spoke. “That makes two of us.”
The tension in the room grew palpable for several seconds with neither one backing down. Sidra inhaled deeply suddenly remembering she was supposed to be representing Jesus. Angry that she was being prompted to back down, but angrier still that she was so out of control, she steadied herself. “I’ll be there shortly.”
Noticing her change in demeanor he tried calming himself and took a step back. “I’m certain of that. And Liz, since you appear to be in such a good mood this morning, why don’t you pull the next ten cases on the docket. I’ll need them in two hours.” He turned and walked out closing the door behind him. Jensen drew in a ragged breath and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked down the corridor. What was wrong with him? He couldn't believe she could get a rise out of him that quickly. 
Ordinarily he was very even tempered but then he had to admit she wasn't an ordinary woman. Everything about her pulled at him in some way. Her intelligence, her poise and there was even something about her fiery temper that drew him like a moth to the flame. As he stepped into the elevator, Jensen felt himself being sucked into something that felt like danger. His thoughts turned to the last time he felt himself being sucked in by a pretty face. He tamped those thoughts down quickly as thoughts of Sidra filled his mind again. It went without saying that she was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid eyes on, but he knew deep down that it was more than her pretty face that had captured his attention. She may be gorgeous, but she needs help keeping that temper in check. The ring of the elevator door opening snapped him back to the present. Walking toward the conference room he wondered whether or not he was up to the challenge then quickly decided that yes, he was never one to back down from any challenge. He especially was not going to walk away from a challenge that had the potential for Sidra Lyons to be waiting at the finish line. This should be interesting.
Sidra was livid. “Ooooooohhhh! He just burns me up! He is so rude and arrogant, too arrogant for his own good.”
Liz was doubled over and laughing so hard that she grabbed her side in pain. When she finally straightened herself up, she started talking foolishness. “Girl, as fine as he is, he can burn me up any day. She laughed more when Sidra frowned. “Now you gotta admit he is fine.”
Sidra wrinkled her nose. “I couldn’t see past his ego. Anyway, let me head up to my meeting.”
Liz nodded. “Yeah and I’ve got plenty of work to do now thanks to your friend.” She reached the door and turned to wave. 
Sidra grabbed her notepad and latte' and prepared to head out when she remembered their unfinished conversation. “Liz why did you say what happened to me this morning was the second strangest thing you had ever heard?”
“Oh that’s right we didn’t get to the end of the story. Because, the last thing Evilene said before she left was ‘Tell your sister to watch her back.’ I remember getting chills when she said that.”
 Upstairs in the meeting, Sidra took the last available seat at the conference table, which just happened to be next to Mr. West. She made herself a promise that she wouldn’t be late next week. The weekly meeting was mandatory for all attorneys working on active cases. It was meant to keep everyone updated on the current status and condition of cases in the firm. That goal was always accomplished, but it took so long for everyone to get out their updates that Sidra felt it wasted more time than it was worth. 
A sigh escaped her lips as she settled into her seat. She just couldn’t seem to get her mind into gear this morning. It didn’t help that Mr. West’s cologne had invaded her air space and sent her on a trip down memory lane. The cologne he used was a classic that had been around for several years. It smelled like the scent her old English professor used to wear. She'd had a crush on that professor until graduation. It seemed such a shame to have the fragrance she identified with happy times associated with the man sitting next to her. She doodled on her notepad, absent mindedly, wondering if she’d be able to get away with buying him a new scent and passing it off as the office Christmas present. 
 For the next couple of hours she mentally faded in and out of the meeting thinking about everything on her plate that she had yet to complete. She checked back in when the person next to her was halfway through his update. The scent of Mr. West's cologne seemed to rise with her as she stood to inform the group that the case she was most heavily involved in, Altaverra versus Current Pharmaceuticals, should be wrapping up in the next six weeks or so. She would be making a trip to Philadelphia in several weeks to get some details worked out with the plaintiff and then would stay until the trial started. 
She could see the desperation in the eyes of her co-workers silently begging her to say she needed someone to accompany her. Two weeks out of the office was considered a huge bonus. Sidra ignored them because anyone she took would only want to talk about what a tyrant Mr. West turned out to be, and the last thing she wanted to talk about was Mr. West. She didn't feel too badly when she considered that most of them would be in and out of the office over the next couple of months anyway. 
To work in her law firm, a lawyer had to be licensed in at least two other states along with D.C, Maryland and Virginia. Almost everyone was jumping at cases outside of the D.C. Metro area since Mr. West had arrived, and Sidra couldn't blame them one bit.
Thankfully the next few hours flew by, and the end of the day was closing in, but she was still kicking herself about getting angry this morning. Sidra knew it wouldn’t be a huge deal to most people, but she had really been trying to work on her tongue because it seemed to have a mind of its own. She had even been practicing 'love speak’ as her pastor called it. She knew she was playing into the enemy’s trap by rehearsing what she couldn’t change and snapped out of it when Liz's words of wisdom spoken at lunch time came back to her. "It’s not like you surprised God. The journey is about progress Sid, not perfection." 
Liz poked her head in around 5:30 p.m. “Come on girl it’s time to go, end of the day, quitting time.”
Sidra stretched her neck muscles as she shook her head. “You go ahead. I’m gonna be a while with this one. This case is making me earn my paycheck.”
“Come on Sid, no one wins cases after 5:30 p.m.” 
“Now that’s where you’re wrong my friend. I win most of my cases after 5:30 P.M. when all y’all are gone home, and I can get some thinking done.”
Liz's maternal instincts kicked in, “Well alright, but don’t be too late. And make sure you take advantage of the taxi service they made available. No sense in fighting your way to the Metro station if you don’t have to.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t stay too late. Couldn’t if I wanted to. I have to talk to Amanda tonight about finalizing the reception plans.”
Liz put her hands on her hips and took the stance of a much older woman. “That’s right! I forgot our baby brother was getting married in a month.” She and Liz had known each other for so long that they had practically adopted each other's family members. They even addressed each other's mothers as ‘ma’. Liz came further into the room and made herself comfortable. “How’s Mikey holding up anyway?”
Sidra smiled at the old nickname they had given her younger brother decades earlier. “Mikey hasn’t let us call him Mikey for at least fifteen years, but he’s fine. He says he’s ready to take the plunge.”
A lazy smile touched Liz's lips as she leaned back in the office chair. “He better be because next month is right around the corner.”

CHAPTER 2

******

Liz wasn’t kidding. Those four weeks flew by and here she was standing at her little brother’s wedding reception. Sidra couldn’t think of a time when she’d seen him happier, and she was genuinely happy for him. A little nagging voice, however, did nip at her heels about needing to get married soon. Truth be told though, at thirty-five she wasn’t doing badly. Most of the goals she had set for herself had been accomplished, and she knew that her life was better than anything she dreamt as a girl growing up in a small working-class neighborhood. She and her brother had been raised by a single mom, and they had all come a long way. She knew she had God and God only to thank for it. Still, events like this made her wonder if there was a guy out there for her. She shut that thought down quickly. For one thing, she really wasn’t all that eager to jump into marriage. Although, a dinner date at some point in time would be nice she mused. She was about to step out of her shoes to relieve her aching feet when she felt rather than heard someone hovering over her shoulder.
“That color suits you. I thought it was an unwritten rule that women weren’t supposed to show up at a wedding looking better than the bride.”
Sidra was so startled by the voice in her ear that she almost dropped the cup of punch she was holding. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t identify it until she matched it with a face. She almost dropped the cup again when she turned and came face to face with the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. The dark designer suit he wore molded to fit his frame perfectly, and she was convinced that an expert had tailored it. Everything about him screamed 'I am the man'. 
She wanted to agree verbally that he indeed was ‘the man’, but restrained herself lest he think her a crazy woman. Snap out of it girl, you don’t like him. 
“Mr. West?”
Jensen smiled his most disarming smile. “In the flesh and call me Jensen please, Ms. Lyons.”
“Jensen. Hi, and it’s Sidra.”
Finally, Jensen thought. I've got her out of that blasted law firm and onto more neutral ground. When he found out that Amanda, whom he and his family had known since childhood, was marrying Sidra's brother he couldn't contain himself. He'd been biding his time just waiting for this night to arrive. He made sure Amanda knew to hide anything with his name on it so he would have the element of surprise on his side. “Sidra. Hi yourself. So how are you?”
Sidra thought she might as well be standing in the middle of the twilight zone. Did the man she most detest on the planet just show up at her family function, pay her a compliment and then start a conversation like they didn’t regularly avoid each other at work? She was more than a little suspicious of his motives but decided to ride out the conversation to see where it would lead. “I’m fantastic.”
“Really?”
She nodded her assent. “Really. Actually, things haven’t been this good in a long time.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, just seems like everything’s in order, you know? Work, finances, family – everything is everything.”
Jensen was so caught up in the lilt of her voice that he wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. He hoped his response was appropriate. “Glad to hear it.”
He grew quiet, and suddenly it was her turn to lead the strange little dance. “So how about you?”
“How about me what?” Jensen pulled his eyes away from her mouth and cautioned himself to keep up with the conversation.
“How are things going with you?”
“I guess I’ve been focusing so hard on work the last few months that I haven’t paid much attention to anything else.”
Sidra's eyebrows rose at his candidness. “And how do you think work is going?”
“Better. I guess you could tell I was having a hard time trying to put the office in order the last few months.”
She inhaled deeply and thought she couldn’t have asked for a better opening. Well, here goes nothing. “I could tell you were a little uptight and not too friendly.”
Jensen cringed at her assessment. “Ouch. Are you always that direct?”
She shrugged “Yeah, sorry I’m trying to work on that.”
“It’s okay. You wouldn’t be as good a lawyer without that directness. And you are right. I just wanted to make sure things were right, you know? And that I was doing the best I could.”
Sidra felt compelled to look into his eyes after that answer. His seemed sincere, so she tried to put a good measure of compassion in her voice when she continued. “I understand that, but getting things in order doesn’t have to come at the expense of your co-workers’ peace of mind.”
“Wow. I would have put on stronger armor if I’d known I was going to get a lashing today.” 
“Sorry, again.” She had tried to say it as gently as possible, and it probably stung a bit, but she really wanted him to know that a change in tactics would get him a lot farther with the office staff. He seemed like a decent enough guy, but he was alienating everyone to get to the finish line and that just doesn’t work when you’re only one leg of the relay team. 
Jensen's mouth stretched itself into one straight line. This was not how he'd imagined his first conversation with Sidra going but never one to shy away from a challenge he pressed on. “I’ve been that bad huh?”
She was glad he was open to an honest assessment; it made humor possible. “Let’s just say your office nickname is not something you’d want to go around bragging about.”
Jensen bowed his head. “Aw man, I rated a nickname? I didn’t realize I was on that level. We used to call my old boss “Idi.”
“Mmmmm. Well it looks like you’re following in his footsteps.”
He shifted his eyes somewhere above her head. “I heard that they'd let a lot of managers go with the last round of cuts and I didn't want to end up in the same boat.”
Taking a step closer she drew his gaze down to her. “Trust me when I tell you that you are nothing like the managers who were let go, so...just relax a little.”
“Thanks, and I guess I didn’t realize I was that bad. I just wanted things to be right." 
Some feeling she couldn't describe tugged at her heartstrings. “Well now you know, and knowing is half the battle.”
“Old G.I. Joe fan I see.”
“Yo, Joe!”
Just then Sidra heard her Auntie Ella, with the help of Beyonce', make the call for all the single ladies to join her on the dance floor. It was time to catch the bouquet and she tried to mentally prepare herself, but as hard as she tried, it didn’t work. She thought about the last wedding ritual she had to participate in. Her cousin Maureen, Aunt Ella’s daughter had gotten married, and as usual the single women had all lined up to wait for the games to begin. 
Maureen and her new husband Chuck had an open bar at the wedding which most of the guests as well as Maureen and Chuck partook of freely. Several hours later a slightly inebriated Maureen had thrown the bouquet to the right of where everyone was standing which happened to be in the general area of where the wedding cake sat. The problem was that the five-layer cake hadn’t been cut yet. 
Uncle Thomas, Maureen’s father, who moves surprisingly well for a man in his late sixties started for the bouquet spewing a few expletives and mumbling something about paying too much for that $@%! cake to have some flowers land in it. Well, most of the girls didn’t realize the flowers were headed for the cake and everyone except Sidra, Liz and Cousin Trina leapt in the direction of the cake. Uncle Thomas did a little dance with one of the waiters but managed to reach the bouquet first. Had everyone stopped right where they were, everything would have been fine. But they didn’t stop, and fourteen single women tackled her uncle and pushed him back three yards into the cake table. 
The whole scene was pretty ugly, and she hated to admit it but also hilariously funny. Cake went flying everywhere, in hair, on shoes and on the walls and floor. Uncle Thomas got out from under the pile up with his whole backside covered in white buttercream icing. He cursed out everybody in his line of view and sent off more than one girl crying in hysterics. The rest of the evening was spent cleaning up the NCO club at the Air Force Base and doing the Electric Slide. 
Jensen gave a little chuckle and looked out the corner of his eye. “Looks like they’re calling for you.”
A shiver passed down her spine. “I think they can handle this one without me.”
Thick eyebrows shot up as hope stirred within him. “You enjoying the conversation that much or are you deathly afraid of flowers?”
Liz walked up just then, and Sidra would have paid money to have the wedding photographer snap the expression on her face. She approached slowly like she was seeing some type of new creature for the first time. If Jensen hadn’t been standing there Sidra probably would have laughed in her face. But Jensen was there, hence the odd looks she was receiving from her best friend. Liz cleared her throat and tried to sound normal when she spoke. “There you are. Come on girl it’s time to fight for the bouquet. And don’t worry, they’ve already instructed Amanda to stand on the opposite side of the room away from the cake table.”
Sidra took an unconscious step backward. “I don’t know Liz. I don’t think I’m up for a fight tonight.”
Jensen smiled “I tried to convince her.”
Liz had gotten herself together by this time. “Hi Mr. West, how are you?”
“It’s Jensen. And I’m fine Liz, thanks for asking.”
“I didn’t realize you knew Sidra’s family.”
Sidra smiled, leave it to Liz to zero right in. She was just as curious how he ended up at her family affair but was unsure how to ask without sounding obnoxious. “I don’t really, other than Sidra that is. I actually grew up with Amanda’s brothers. She’s like a little sister to me.”
“Ohhh.” She and Liz both expressed at the same time. 
Liz reached out for Sidra's arm “It’s a small world after all. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have business to attend to.” Liz just about yanked her arm out of the socket to get her moving. 
Sidra turned around to say what she thought was her final goodnight. “Excuse us. I guess I’ll see you on Monday morning.”
“Please, don’t let me hold you up. Handle your business and have a good night.” Jensen couldn't hide his disappointment as they walked away. He thought that he'd set up the perfect ambush to catch Sidra alone, and now she was walking away and they had only spoken for a few minutes. He stared after her wishing she would forego the flower toss to continue their conversation.
Liz and Sidra hadn't gone five paces before Liz started firing. “You two looked awfully cozy back there. And don’t look now but he hasn’t stopped looking. So what’s going on? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Sidra reviewed the last five minutes in her mind and tried to come up with a plausible answer for her friend but couldn't. “I’m not sure. He walked up behind me and said I looked better than the bride then he just sort of flowed into a conversation like we’ve been on friendly terms all along.”
“Wait a minute, he said you looked better than the bride?”
“Yeah, and I’m not so sure I needed to hear that from my boss. You know what I mean? He’s my boss and one I don’t like very well at that.”
Liz nodded her understanding. “But I guess if he looks at Amanda like a little sister then… I don't know Sid; I say give the man a break. I mean he’s your boss, but he’s also a man who’s attending a personal function outside of work. Besides, you do look nice tonight. Now if the comments continue unsolicited at work, then you might have an issue. But don’t jump the gun just yet.”
Sidra turned to look back at Jensen and gave a half smile. He looked so handsome in his tux leaning against the table. She was almost sure he wasn't the stalker type. She had dealt with one or two before and he didn't appear to be one, but you never know. “We’ll see.”
The ladies walked the few steps to the dance floor and waited for Amanda’s mom to get everything set up before everyone took their places far away from the cake. When everything was ready, Amanda threw the bouquet over her shoulder. Sidra shifted to her left slightly and just avoided being hit on the head by a wayward arm reaching out in excitement. Almost everyone leapt up to catch the ‘wedding trophy’ as her family called it, but it was Amanda’s friend Gabby that came down with the prize. She caught it by one of the periwinkle blue ribbons hanging from the handle. When everything had settled down, Sidra took stock of her surroundings. Everyone’s hair was in place. There were no injuries, and there was no mess to clean up. She breathed a sigh of relief and scored it a solid nine on a scale of ten. 
Everyone in the reception hall watched the happy couple dance to their song of choice for several moments before joining them on the dance floor. Amanda’s brother Matthew grabbed Sidra's hand and pulled her on the floor before she had a chance to walk off. Matt was the baby of the family, and he acted like it. He was a spoiled rotten twentysomething but a good guy just the same. 
He pulled her in close before he whispered in her ear. “I saw you talking to Jensen earlier. What do you think of him?”
She had gotten to know Amanda’s family pretty well over the last few months and noticed that Matt was quick to speak his mind, so his directness didn’t startle her as much as the subject matter. “We work together, and I think he’s great at his job, a little rough around the edges but very capable. Why do you ask?”
Matt gave her a quick spin and pulled her back in. “Because I saw the way he looked at you, and he didn’t have work on his mind, that’s all. Look Sid he’d probably kill me if he knew I was telling you this but he’s the sensitive artist type.”
Sidra quickly looked up. “Artist?”
Matt grinned. “Yeah, he plays a few different instruments and paints in his spare time. He's usually very focused and he doesn’t fall for a lot of women often, but when he does fall he falls hard and fast.” He looked down at his shoes as they danced. “It’s just that he’s been there for me over the years you know. He’s like a brother to me, and I just wanted to…” The words he was trying to say seemed to fail him as he went on.
Sidra, knowing that he was showing uncharacteristic emotion, filled in the words for him. “You just wanted to make sure your ‘brother’ was alright.”
He nodded and smiled “Yeah, something like that.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
“No problem. Take care of yourself.” He kissed her cheek and gave her quick squeeze.
“You too.”
Jensen stood across the room staring at Sidra and Matt asking himself again why he had such a hard time controlling himself where Sidra was concerned. He loved Matthew like a brother but right now he wanted to pound him into the ground. It was then that he knew he had to finish what he'd started earlier.
 When they ended their dance and headed their separate ways Sidra went to grab a glass of punch with Matt's words still on her mind. It was a short conversation, but it left her with a lot to think about. The man she had despised only hours ago was now starting to look like a decent guy not to mention a great catch. Lord knows he was easy enough on the eyes. One of her grandmother's favorite sayings came back to her then, you think you know the deal, but only time will tell if it's real.
After the food was cleared away, and everyone had spent themselves on the dance floor, the happy couple was sent off in a flurry of hugs and instant rice. Sidra's mother came and stood with her and the others in front of the white stone reception hall to wave goodbye to Michael and Amanda. Liz and Jensen walked up as the limo pulled off. It was such a beautiful night. The grounds of the hall were exceptionally manicured, and the strategically placed spotlights seemed to give the building an ethereal glow. Even the moon and stars seemed closer than usual.
Weather in the northeast had undergone some recent but inexplicable changes and even the weathermen seemed perplexed. There had been a sudden warming over the past week, and October boasted days near eighty degrees. Amanda knew she was taking a risk with an October wedding, but she insisted it was the perfect time. Sidra was dubious but pleasantly surprised when she arrived at the church earlier to a beautiful sky with warm weather. Amanda just winked and mouthed the words "Prayer works" on her way into the dressing room. 
 Sidra sighed. She hated to leave, but she still had more work to do. It was hard though to pull herself away from her mom and the rest of her family. The older woman wrapped an arm around her daughter. “Honey, why don’t you go get some rest? You’ve been up for three days straight.”
“I will mom. I just need to take the gifts back to Michael and Amanda’s place and then I’m going to crash.”
The deep, masculine voice appeared out of nowhere and caused her to jump for the second time that night. 
“You need any help?”
Sidra tried to steady her nerves as she turned around to face him. “Actually, Liz…”
Liz hardly let her get the second word out of her mouth before she spoke up. “Liz needs to go put a very sleepy four year old to bed. Mr. West, uhh, Jensen if you wouldn’t mind helping Sidra tonight I would really appreciate it.”
Sidra's face tightened at Liz's traitorous ways, but Jensen knew he had been granted a second chance. “Sure. No problem. Sidra, I’ll go pull my truck around while you figure out the logistics.” He paused then to look into the face that was a more mature version of the one he was so fascinated with. He reached for her hand as he spoke. “Mrs. Lyons, it was a pleasure meeting you.”
Eliza Manning-Lyons just cooed up into the handsome face before giving her single daughter the ‘we need to talk’ look and flashing her high wattage smile at Jensen. 
“You too Jensen, I hope I’ll see more of you.”
He answered her smile with his own lopsided grin. “Yes ma’am.” I hope so too.
Sidra could see the smoke rising out of her mother's ears. There she goes. She knew in her mother's eyes that Jensen was no longer her daughter's boss. The bronzed, 6’3”, muscular man who stood before her was now the new prime candidate for marrying her ‘too single for too long’ daughter and for providing grandchildren. Everything took a backseat to the prospect of grandchildren. 
Two hours later Jensen and Sidra carried the last arm load of gifts into Michael and Amanda’s dimly lit house. Jensen met her at the door and grabbed the boxes out of her hands. 
“Was that the last of them?”
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. “Yes, that was it.”
“So what’s on your agenda for the rest of the evening?”
“Well, I’m going to arrange the gifts so they look presentable and then head home I guess.”
Concern crossed his face. “Do you ever just relax or are you busy doing something all the time?”
Sidra's eyebrows rose higher. “Look who’s talking. If I’m not mistaken, this kettle saw your pot leaving the office after eight several times last week.”
“Touché'. It sounds like we could both use a break.”
“What do you have in mind Mr. Pot?” Sidra couldn't believe it, but she was actually enjoying this little banter.
“Well, to be honest with you Ms. Kettle, I’m a little hungry. You?”
“Famished.” Mike and Amanda had chosen a light reception, which left her stomach wanting more. 
They were standing in the doorway of her brother’s townhouse when she noticed a group of young people walking to their cars talking loudly about going to find something to eat. Jensen noticed them too. “We could probably be seated at the place down the street in about an hour and a half if I call now.”
Her eyes wandered toward her brother’s green retro kitchen. Since dating Amanda, he had gotten into gourmet cooking via the Food Network. Two pot racks hung invitingly over the vintage tiled island. Sidra looked up into warm whiskey colored eyes and tried to focus on what she was saying. “Or…. we could go raid the kitchen right here and be eating in 10 minutes.”
Jensen’s eyes followed hers and a slow grin crept across his face. “Kettle, I like the way you think.”
“That’s Ms. Kettle to you, and you can thank me by getting into the kitchen. My kettle is growling.”
“My, my. Aren’t we bossy?”
She laughed at his feigned offense. “Now see, I call that good delegating.”
Jensen smiled back. Now this is more like it. “If it were truly delegating, you would be doing something also.”
“Well, if you had listened to the whole plan before commenting, you would have heard me say that I’m going to look for some clean sweats for both of us to change in to.”
While she was rummaging through her brothers drawers upstairs, Jensen was down stairs throwing together a makeshift meal from what remained in the fridge and cupboards of a vacationing couple. Usually, she didn’t leave her stomach in the hands of what was essentially a complete stranger; but she hadn’t really eaten all day, so she was pretty much up for anything. She just hoped it was decent. 
As she walked over to the sock drawer, a piece of paper with her name and a phone number she didn't recognize caught her eye. The area code was obviously from Georgia, and she wondered whether Mike had found the old scrap of paper from her law school days. She could barely remember her current phone number much less the one from several years ago. Still, being the neat freak he was, it was unusual for him to leave a stray piece of paper lying around. 
Oh well, maybe it was the pressure of the wedding she thought. She wasn’t sure where he had gotten the number, but she made a mental note to herself to let him know his house keeping skills were slipping. 
Downstairs a sizzling frying pan and a smell that could only be described as yummy beckoned to her. Sidra always marveled at how smells could transport you back in time so easily. Right now she felt as if she were in her childhood home where her mom cooked dinner and she and Mikey did their homework at the kitchen table. As she neared the bottom of the steps she noticed cheese and crackers for an appetizer and some concoction with meatballs, grape jelly and chile sauce near the stove. Caesar salad and sparkling water garnished with lime rounded out the menu.
Jensen brought two plates with him as he met her in front of the fireplace. He left to change clothes as she set up a picnic type spread on the floor with blankets and pillows. Mike’s fake bear rug was the prevailed upon host. She also took time to start a fire hoping to fight the cool air that was settling in the house.
After everything was spread out, they stole glances but pretended to be more interested in the food than each other. Jensen was the one to break the ice. “Michael looked as if he were on top of the world tonight.”
She leaned against the base of the sofa as she thought about her only sibling. “He is. Ever since meeting back up with Amanda, he's been walking on air, real fool in love.”
“That's probably the only reason he got past her brothers. I'm surprised anyone broke through the barrier they put up around her.”
Sidra laughed knowingly. “She told me about them and how protective they could be. It must have been tough being the only girl with four brothers.”
He smiled as he recalled his interactions with Amanda's family. “Yeah and I'm sure my brother and I didn't help things. One of our missions, while we were in school, was to make sure she remained untouched. We did pretty well until she chose to go to UCLA for college. We couldn't get to her out there.”
Sidra laughed. “Smart girl. I was surprised when Mike chose UCLA too, but I thought it was even funnier that he didn't start thinking about Amanda as more than a friend until they both moved back here.”
“I guess when it's meant to be, it's meant to be.”
She looked away after seeing a glimmer of what she wasn't certain in his eyes. “I guess. So tell me about your brother.”
Jensen recognized the look of uncertainty that flashed across her face and chose to let it slide for the moment. “Well, his name is Justice, but I call him Just. He's almost two years younger than me, and he lives in Texas. He's a bit of a rebel, and although he's gainfully employed, he likes to live life on the edge, which irks my parents to no end. He's never been one to live by the rules.”
“And I guess that fact has manifested itself in some interesting ways?”
He grabbed a napkin and wiped his chin as he talked. “That would be putting it mildly. I found myself fighting on his behalf more than once while we were growing up. Now he's channeled all that energy into a career in law enforcement. He wasn't able to make it tonight due to some case he's working on, but Amanda said he sent her a big box postmarked from Mexico with a note of congratulations.”
Sidra listened while they ate their makeshift supper.
He watched her as she ate taking in everything about her. “So how is it?”
She looked up with a shy grin. “Everything is really good. So lets see... you practice law, a little birdie told me tonight that you like to paint in your spare time. You also play more than one instrument, and this meal is excellent. I'm half expecting you to duck into a closet and come back with a big "S" on your chest.”
He gave a bashful smile. “Aw shucks, t’wasn’t nothing.”
She was beginning to fall for his smile along with a few other attributes. “I’m serious Jensen, this meal is excellent.” His smile got broader, and Sidra took a deep breath when she felt herself swooning. 
“Thanks but cooking didn't come naturally. Living alone kind of forced me to learn how to fend for myself in the kitchen.”
She tried to regain her sanity and focus on something other than his smile as she continued the conversation. “You’re smiling way too much for someone who I’m sure gets compliments all the time.”
“I was actually smiling at the way you said my name.”
A small frown marred her forehead, and she leaned in closer. “Oh, did I say it wrong?”
“Nope, just right.”
“Oh.” She found herself slipping all over again. Breathe. “So where in the world did you get the idea to mix chile sauce with grape jelly?”
He looked wistfully into the fireplace. “My grandmother, her base for the family's specialty meatballs. She used to prop me up to the counter when I was around four or five to help prepare meals for her church functions. Since grape jelly was my favorite food at the time, the recipe sort of stuck with me.”
“Well tell her I'm impressed.”
A sadness crept into his eyes as he looked over at her. “She passed away a few years ago. My grandfather followed a couple of years later.”
Sidra instinctively reached out for his arm to comfort him. She tried to ignore the electric tingle she felt on impact. “Oh, I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose a grandparent.”
He nodded. “Which grandparent was it?”
She released his arm and settled back. “My father's mother, Mike and I called her MeeMaw. We were very close, and I wasn't ready for her to go.”
“So her passing was unexpected then?”
“Yes, she started complaining that she wasn't feeling well on a Sunday. We had her in the hospital on Tuesday morning. She was gone by Friday night. She'd had a heart attack, and then they discovered stage four cancer after she was admitted.”
The sadness in her voice disturbed him more than he cared to admit. “I'm sorry. Are your other grandparents alive?”
“Just one." Her eyes danced just thinking about him. "MeeMaw's husband, Poppy, who I just adore. Both of my mother's parents died before I was born, which kind of makes me sad that I never got the chance to meet them. I understand that I have my grandmother's temperament.”
Jensen released a low whistle. “Wow, I bet she was something.”
Sidra tried to contain a smile. “What exactly are you implying?”
He cleared his throat. “I mean, I'm just saying you are not someone whose bad side I would want to be on. And for the record I'm no longer on your bad side right?”
Soft curls fanned and moved across her face as she shook her head. “No, you are no longer on the bad list. In fact, you have redeemed yourself completely.”
“Glad to hear it.” He stopped himself from reaching out to touch her. Even in sweats she was stunning.
She gave him a playful smile. “But it's not like you have room to talk. I'm sure we have some ancestor of yours to thank for that sparkling personality.”
He chuckled as he drained his glass. “Well, my predecessor is still alive, and yes, we are just alike now that you mention it.”
“Your father?”
“No, my mother's father. He was a trip back in the day, and I can't say he was one of my favorite people growing up.”
“You don't say.”
He shook his head. “Alright, I get it. I'll take a more mellow approach in the office from now on.”
A huge smile lit her face and Jensen thought it was the most beautiful sight he'd seen in a long time. He admitted to himself then that he was completely taken with her. 
The attention she was receiving caused her to look away. Sidra swirled her slice of lime around in the liquid that was left in the glass before looking up. “Good, I'm sure you'll find that it will serve you much better. Now tell me about the rest of your family. Are both of your other grandparents alive?”
“Yes, both my mother's parents are still alive. And both my parents are too.”
“Were your parents there tonight?”
“Yes but they left right after the ceremony. They're headed out on a two month cruise to the Caribbean and Africa.”
“Oh that sounds like a wonderful trip. I'm sorry I missed them, but I guess I would have been anxious to start a trip like that too."
“Yeah, I want to be like them when I grow up. All they do is travel now and who knows maybe you will get to meet them one day.”
“Maybe.” With a full stomach and a sleepy head, she found herself relaxing and imagining what it would be like being introduced to his family. Finishing the last of her salad, she leaned back and studied her dinner companion wondering whether he favored his father or mother or if he was a good amalgamation of the two. What would it be like at his family gatherings, sitting at the dinner table, hearing stories about his childhood, playing games and being a part of them?  His silky voice pulled her out of her reverie. 
“If one of Amanda's brothers get married any time soon, they'll be there. You've gotten to know them pretty well right?”
She nodded as she thought about the four men who made up Amanda's sibling set. Douglas, Leo, Stuart and Matt. “Yes, but I didn't think any of them were serious about anyone, or are they?”
Jensen looked her over slowly before he spoke. Seeing Sidra dance with Matt at the reception earlier opened a dam and doubt flooded his mind. He needed to test the waters before he went on. If she and Matt were truly interested in each other, he wouldn't stand in their way. “I almost thought for a minute that Matt was eying you for a potential match.”
A surprised chuckle reached her eyes as she turned her head in his direction. “Not hardly. In fact, you were the main topic of conversation.”
Jensen released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. “Good, for a while there I was worried. I'll have to remember to get him a bigger Christmas present than I originally planned.”
Sidra glanced up from the glass she was holding to consider his comment. Deciding she wasn't ready to go there, she deftly changed the subject to something much safer. They ate and talked and ‘visited for a while’ as her MeeMaw used to say. They discussed several other topics like travel and career goals and discovered that they had a lot in common. 
The meal and the evening were over too quickly but Mr. Jensen West had made quite an impression in a few short hours. He was definitely a standout and on top of everything else the man could cook. The evening had turned into quite a lovely surprise.
Jensen sensing her shift in mood misinterpreted it as fatigue. “Listen, I better get out of here and let you get some rest.”
She tried to hide her disappointment when she stood and stretched. “I guess I am a little tired.”
“So are you going to be in bed all day tomorrow?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll get myself together long enough to attend a church service.”
“You’re religious?”
She did one final stretch before she turned to face him. “No. I’m saved.”
He smiled again, and she admitted to herself that he was killing her; albeit softly, but still killing her with his smile. 
“Nice, I thought so, but I wasn't sure. I am too.” He jumped up on his feet with dishes in hand and started for the kitchen.
“Really?” It was her eyebrows that rose in surprise then.
He gave her a sideways glance. “You don’t have to look so surprised.”
“Sorry, it was the whole G.I. Joe thing,” she giggled. 
“Right, so what church do you attend?”
“Tabernacle of Faith.”
Jensen nodded. “That’s a pretty big church. I attended a couple of times a few years ago when I first started getting serious about my walk.”
“Yeah it is a big church. But I grew up there so even though it’s grown over the last fifteen years it still seems like the same old church to me.”
“I guess I needed a little more hand holding a few years ago and the size of that church was a little daunting.”
Sidra nodded. She knew that everyone wasn't cut out for a large church. “I hear you. So where did you end up worshiping?”
“At Word of Life Christian Center. It’s in Maryland and about an eighth of the size of The Tabernacle.”
Sidra tried to cover a yawn. “Whatever works for you. The important thing is that you are getting what you need.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely the place for me. I’ve grown so much while I’ve been there.”
After loading the dishwasher, he came back and picked up the rest of the dishes off the floor. She spread out the ashes from what remained in the fireplace. 
She turned around to see him picking up condiments off the floor. 
 “Oh, Let me get those.”
He winked at her. “I’ve already got them. You’re going to be out of town for a bit aren’t you?”
“Yes, the Altaverra case. I leave tomorrow and barring any unforeseen circumstances I should be back in two weeks. Why? What’s up?”
He didn't answer right away and chose his words carefully. She had dodged the topic earlier in the evening, but he wasn't going to let it happen again. He was more determined than ever to get to know her outside of work. “I don’t know, I was thinking maybe dinner when you get back.”
When she didn’t say anything he tried to feel her out. “That is, unless I’m not your type?”
She shook her head and felt the fatigue she had tried to push back all night creep up on her. “No, it’s not that. When you let your guard from work drop, you are actually a really nice guy. It’s just…”
Knowing they had both enjoyed each other's company, he pushed ahead patiently. “Either, you’re seeing someone or you don’t date anyone you work with.”
“Right.”
His heart stopped. “Right, which?” Please say the latter.
“The latter.”
They were cleaning off counters and tying up the trash by then, so the look of relief on his face wasn't easily seen. She did, however, hear the sigh that escaped from his lips but Sidra had an unwritten rule about no dating in the work place. A well-meaning mentor had given her that sage advice after college graduation. But she could be wrong couldn’t she? 
She tried to take a deep breath, which ended up in another big yawn. Maybe she just needed to clear her head. She was sure all she needed was a good night’s sleep and things would look much different in the morning. Although… 
Jensen refused to give up. He couldn't explain it, but he was sure now more than ever that they were meant to be together, and he would convince her of that eventually... but he had to get a first date to do that. He gathered up all the charm he could muster and put it into one single smile. “Well then how about dinner as two friends getting to know each other?”
“What’s the difference between that and a date?” Sidra turned away from his probing gaze afraid she wouldn't survive the answer. If he smiled just one more time she knew she would surely pass out. 
He stopped what he was doing and turned to give her his full attention. “Sidra, listen, I’m attracted to you. I have been since the moment we met, and now that I’ve gotten to know you a little better and find out that you’re saved as well, that attraction has only gotten stronger.”
“Jensen, I really like you too. It’s just that I’m really hesitant to mix business with pleasure.”
He studied her silently. “You should know that I’m a very patient man. I’m not going to push you, but I’m not going anywhere either. You let me know when you’ve made your final decision.”
Her face registered surprise. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Giving me time.”
“You’re welcome, and just know that I’ll be fine with whatever you decide. You’re not staying here tonight are you?”
She tried to figure out how the conversation had shifted so quickly but stopped when her head started aching. She shook her head slightly to clear it. “No. I was just going to go scribble a note upstairs and then go.”
He took a seat on the sofa and looked up at her. “I’ll wait.”
She came downstairs a few moments later. “Alright, I’m ready”
He reached for his suit on the sofa before walking with her to the door. “Were you welcoming the honeymooners back?”
“That too, but I was really getting on Mike about leaving old scraps of paper lying around. He had my name scribbled next to a number with an area code from Georgia. I think he found it from years ago, but since he always feels free to comment on how I keep house, I just returned the favor.”
"Nothing like the love between siblings."
"Exactly."
They set the house alarm and headed out to what was still a beautifully starry night although it had gotten much cooler. They were both moving a little slower than usual partly due to the meal they had consumed but also because they wanted to stretch a moment in time that was swiftly coming to an end. He reached into the plastic bag that held his suit and wallet and pulled out his business card. He wrote something on the back and handed it to her.
“Call me when you get home so I know you made it safely? My home number is on the back.”
Oh, man, she thought, he's one of those. She always forgot to call, and most of her friends knew by now not to even say anything. She figured she would have to break him in too. “If I forget, just believe God that I got home safely?”
He took a step closer before speaking quietly. “Sidra, I’m tired. Please don’t make me drive all the way home just to go back out to the office and pull your number from the HR records to make sure you’re safe.”
That did it; she was officially impressed. “No need.” Pulling a piece of paper out of her purse, she wrote her home number on it before handing it to him. He took the paper and pulled her toward him in one move. He gave her a ‘church hug’ and then whispered in her ear. “Drive safe. You live in Virginia, right? How long does it take you to get home from here?
She almost collapsed. Being that close to him and feeling his warm breath in her ear sent her senses reeling but she managed to answer him. “Should be about 20 minutes this time of night.”
He held her for a moment longer before letting go. “Alright, expect your phone to ring in about 30 minutes.”

CHAPTER 3

*********

 The combination of sunlight and a shrill phone ring was enough to jump-start her morning. Sidra flung her arm out from under the covers and managed to swat the speakerphone button. She still felt out of it but thinking about last night brought a smile to her face. Trying to answer in her most alert voice, she propped herself up on her elbows and leaned toward the edge of the bed. She could tell when the froggy gurgle erupted that her efforts had failed. “Hello?”
“Well, well. What time did you get home?”
“Liz? Hey. 3:30 this morning and then we got off the phone at 5:00.”
“Mmmmmmmmmm!”
“I know, I know.” Sidra lifted a hand to her forehead to see if she was still warm from being so close to him last night.
Pleased with herself and happy her desertion plan worked out so well, Liz sighed. “Just be careful those chicks in the office don’t find out. I would hate for the two of you to become water cooler talk.”
“I know, but technically, nothing is going on. We’re taking it easy and moving slowly. He pretty much dropped the ball in my court. I’m just praying about exactly where this is supposed to be going.”
Liz grinned. “Good. I’ll be praying with you. What service are you going to?”
Sidra hadn’t even had time to look at the clock. “What time is it?”
“Quarter to Twelve.”
“Well, I guess that means I’ll be going to the 1:00 service”
Liz was always teasing her about the size of her church. “You all are so ridiculous with your six services.”
She stretched and threw the covers back. “Yes, but it keeps a sister’s options open.”
“How come you’re not going to the evening service like you usually do?”
“I have to head to Philly this evening.”
“Oh that’s right. Altaverra, I forgot.”
“Yeah. Anyway, let me get up and going so I can go pack before I head out to service. Kiss the baby for me.”
“Okay honey, I’ll talk to you later… Oh, I almost forgot, you haven’t turned on the news yet have you?”
Sidra sat straight up hoping no earth-shattering catastrophe had occurred during the night. “No, why what happened?”
“My boyfriend is in the hospital.”
“Are you serious?” Liz’s 'boyfriend', Mocha Lover, was a music producer and artist living in Atlanta whom she had never met. He had swept Liz and several million other young women off their feet years earlier when he released his Mocha Grande´ hit album. While Sidra didn’t share her friend's enthusiasm for him, she could definitely see why her attraction was so strong. He was drop-dead gorgeous with a killer voice. Over the past few years, his music had definitely evolved into a more adult sound; adult in the NC-17 sense. The illicit lyrics label on his last two CD’s, prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 from buying without parental consent, was proof of that. 
Then suddenly last year out of the blue the music mogul did a complete turn around. A press conference around Thanksgiving had the grateful star singing praise to God and promising a Gospel album in the works. He never did elaborate on what caused his repentance but seemed sincere in his profession. Sidra along with several others around the world prayed that everything would work out for him during that time. The Gospel album never made it to the stores.
“Girl yes, he and one of his little hoochies got into it last night.”
Saddened by the news, Sidra shook her head then remembering her friend's crush said with a smile “Dang, are you ok?”
Liz laughed and faked some sniffles. “I guess I’ll be okay with time. I just can’t believe he stepped out on me like that.”
Sidra gave her best consolatory tone. “Well, I’m sure it was hard for him, searching for the soul mate he would never find in Atlanta because she’s been here in D.C. all along.”
Liz laughed heartily. “Girl you are crazy. I know, I know. I started it. Anyway, have a good trip. Call me if you need anything from the office; otherwise I’ll talk to you when you get back. 
“’Kay, Thanks. Bye.”
Sidra jumped up, ran through the shower and then scrambled to get packed before leaving for church. Packing would give her a few more minutes after the service before having to head to the train station. Being located near D.C. certainly made travel to Philly and New York easy. They were short enough commutes if you had to travel often, which she did. After slipping on the pretty mauve dress her mother had given her for her last birthday, she headed for the car. 
She arrived at the church parking lot just in time since the previous service was letting out. The chaos of several thousand people coming and going had her anxious to reach the sanctuary. Once inside, the atmosphere shifted to one of calm and peace. Pastor Johnson informed the congregation that the message this morning would be the first in a series on ‘Relating to God and Others’. 
This morning’s sermon on “Trusting God Enough to Trust Others” was exactly what Sidra needed to hear. There was a decision to be made about Jensen and it all boiled down to trust or her lack of it. After growing up in a single-family household, there was an underlying current in her psyche that cautioned against serious involvement of any kind. As much as she said she wanted someone in her life, when that reality was staring her in the face she wasn’t singing the same tune quite as loudly. 
If nothing else, the sermon made her think. The one point that stuck out most was that your expectation should be in God alone. She had heard the elderly pastor say that before but it always stood out, probably because in her mind and in the mind of most people she knew, if someone were capable of doing the right thing it was expected that they would. But as Pastor Johnson so nicely pointed out once everything is broken down to the cellular level, almost everybody has a different idea of what ‘right’ means exactly. He hammered home his main point and sent them on their way. Sidra heard it loud and clear. Trust God. 
She hugged a few saints on her way out the door promising Brother Jackson that she would do what she could to help coordinate the single’s ministry winter ball. After spending so much time at church she had only about an hour to get home, grab something to eat and get to the train station. 
She had been in her house about 10 minutes when the phone rang. She willed her heart to beat slower when she recognized the name on her caller ID. Secretly she was hoping for the same butterflies she'd felt the night before and when she picked up the receiver she wasn't disappointed. He sounded wonderful with sleep in his voice. 
Jensen stretched his body the length of the bed before he spoke with a deep rasp. “Good morning.”
The grin that spontaneously broke out on her face couldn't be helped. “Good afternoon sleepy head. I take it you didn’t make it to service?”
“Actually, I did. We only have two morning services, so I didn’t go to sleep last night. After we got off the phone, I hopped in the shower and headed straight to the church house.”
She didn't try to hide her surprise. “Wow, you’re good.”
He chuckled “Yeah, good and tired. I came home and crashed and just rolled out of bed, what time is it?”
Staring at the clock in front of her, she eased onto her own bed “About 3:30.”
“Man, it's late. You hungry? We could go grab a bite to eat.”
She smiled into the phone. “I’m starving, again, but I only have time for a quick bite before my train leaves.”
“Oh, that’s right, you're headed to Philly. What time are you scheduled to leave?”
“I’ll be leaving in about an hour. But I can give you a call around 8:00 or so.”
He cleared his throat trying to remove the last vestiges of sleep and to give himself a moment to work up his nerve. “What if you leave later than you planned and get there earlier than scheduled?”
A finely shaped eyebrow rose in confusion. “Earlier than scheduled huh? How is that supposed to happen?”
“I’ll be your chauffeur for the day, and we can do an early dinner on the way up. It’ll be a friendly meal and scenic drive. I promise I won’t hassle you about making a decision about us.”
Her head spun as she tried to adjust to her quickly changing life. What's a girl to do when her boss/potential new significant other just offered to drive her two hours to Philadelphia, never mind the two hours he had to drive by himself on the return trip. She coaxed her brain into catching up with what was going on. Quickly scanning her place to make sure it was company-ready, she agreed. “Sounds like a plan to me. What time do you want to leave?”
“I live in Maryland, so I have a little bit of a drive to get to you. I’ll pick you up in about an hour. I just need directions to your place.”
“Sure, just take the beltway to…oh, hold on, I’ve got another call coming through. Hello? Daddy? Hi, how are you? I’m fine but headed out on travel for a couple of weeks. Ummm, yeah, sure. We can get together when I get back. Alright, I love you too.”
She clicked back over and was almost too stunned to say anything. In almost 35 years, she could count on one hand the number of times her father had ever picked up the phone to call her. Her wheels were spinning, but she wasn’t sure where they were going. She returned her attention back to the handsome man on the other line “Hey, sorry. I’m back.”
Jensen laughed softly. “It’s fine as long as it wasn’t another man.”
He said it flippantly but when she didn’t say anything he wondered if she were still on the phone or worse if he had some unknown competition. “Sidra?”
She exhaled. “It was, but you don’t have to worry about him.” Now it was her turn to wonder if he had gotten off the phone when there was no response. “Jensen? You still there?”
“Yeah, so who was it?” He wasn't sure he had a right to ask, but in his mind he was already invested, so he did anyway.
“My father.”
“Oh” He felt like an idiot. “Is everything okay?”
“Yep, fine." She finished giving directions then said, "Just wave at the security guards when you drive through the gate and they won’t bother you.”
“Alright I’ll see you in a few. I just need to take care of some things here first.”
Jensen showed up some time later. When she opened the door, he was leaning leisurely against the doorpost dressed in black jeans and a turtleneck underneath a leather jacket. She couldn't recall a time in her history when she'd actually thought of a man as beautiful until now. Trying not to ogle him, Sidra went to grab her bags from her bedroom. It seemed nothing had changed since last night. She was still in wonderland and didn't know if she wanted to come back to reality.
*******
Sidra returned from Philadelphia at the end of the two weeks without much fanfare. She talked to Jensen every day while she was gone. When they talked during the day it was about the case, but later at the hotel the conversations took a decidedly softer turn. They established a cozy friendship, but he was true to his word. He made it clear that he was attracted but didn’t push the issue. 
Her mom hemmed her up the second she got back in town. She asked everything about Jensen she could think of except maybe where he bought his groceries. Sidra tried to explain that they were both praying about the relationship and taking it easy, but all Eliza could see was grandchildren. Between her mom and Liz she was starting to feel somewhat cornered. But she had to hand it to Liz, she gave Sidra a minute to wind down and catch her breath before the inquisition started. 
“Congratulations on winning the case. So you two are………?”
“Thank you and we are just friends.”
“Mmhhmmm”
“Good friends.” Sidra leaned back into her chaise lounge with a cup of tea and a good book.
“Well, on behalf of the rest of the office staff I would like to personally thank you for your new found friendship with our beloved despot.”
Sidra sat straight up. “What do you mean? Does everyone know?”
Liz laughed. “All we know is that the once evil tyrant has been transformed and is now our gracious and benevolent benefactor. He has done a complete 180 since you left two weeks ago. And don't worry nobody has connected your name to the transformation, although most people are guessing that a woman had something to do with it. I for one would love to know how you managed it from another state.”
Sidra smiled and relaxed back into the chaise. “We actually had a talk about his bedside manner before I left. I'm glad to see he took what I said to heart.”
“He sure did. Now what are you waiting for, an invitation or an instruction pamphlet to move beyond 'just friends'?”
“What do you mean? Liz it’s only been a couple of weeks.”
“You know exactly what I mean. You have a gorgeous, intelligent, job-holding and saved brother after you and you’re sitting here like nothing’s going on.”
Sidra almost whined into the phone. “I’m supposed to be praying about it remember? I just don’t want to jump too fast.”
She heard Liz running bath water in the background and marveled at how she was able to handle her full time job and single motherhood with such ease. “Sid, sweetie, I’m all for praying, and I have been praying for you both, but the fact is you never jump at all. And I’m beginning to think it’s because you’re scared. Don’t be scurred Sid.”
Sidra laughed. “That’s not true!”
Liz tsked. “It most certainly is. Tre, Chris, Drew, Keith and now Jensen. Like I said, I’m all about praying for this, but I really think you need to do a self-examination and see if there’s any truth to what I’m saying.”
Still huffy, Sidra answered her friend with a pout that easily made its way through the phone line. “They just weren’t right for me.”
Liz's motherly concern rose to the surface. “That may be true dear, but I can’t fully agree with you because you cut every single one of them off before you hit the six month mark. Face it love, you have commitment issues. Sid, every man on the planet is not like your father.”
“Or your ex-husband? Liz, I know it sounds ridiculous, but every time I think about settling down, I think about mama and daddy or you and Robert or Chelsea and Bert. And I’m just not sure it’s worth getting into.”
“Sidra, life happens to everybody who takes a chance on living. So I didn’t pick a prince and even though I wasn’t saved at the time, I went with my heart.”
Sidra took a swig of tea and nodded as she shifted the phone on her shoulder. “And it left you with a divorce decree, bad credit and a lot of bills.”
“It also left me with a beautiful baby boy, and if I had to go through the pain for that little bundle of joy then it was all worth it. You know what your problem is, don't you? You're a control freak, and while that may work in the courtroom it certainly does not work in real life. You can’t control the world Sid, even your little corner of it so go ahead and live a little.”
Sidra mumbled goodbye as she hung up the phone. She spoke quietly into her empty mug "I want to live, I just don't want to get hurt in the process." Liz was right of course; she was scared. Was she so afraid that she was going to end up with someone so much like her father that she would give up the potential love of a lifetime? She didn't want to think about it right then and tried to block it out, but MeeMaw’s voice was steady ringing in her ears. God loves you too much to leave you the way you are baby. 

On Friday Jensen and Sidra left the office to meet for an early dinner. They left separately to circumvent any office gossip. He picked a cute little Italian restaurant in a small out of the way suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. It was so cozy in their little booth with the soft music playing that Sidra lost herself in the ambience. She thought he looked so handsome with the candlelight flickering on his face. 
He looked over the dancing flame at her. “Good dinner.”
She was a thousand miles away. “Mmmhhmm.”
“Sidra, forgive me if I don’t seem very appreciative of your company, but you seem a little distant tonight.”
She pulled herself back to the present. “Sorry, I guess I was.”
He reached across the table and tucked some wayward strands of hair behind her ear. “Penny for your thoughts.”
Alright girl just do it, just jump in. “Is your offer still open?”
“My offer?”
She looked down into the candle and hesitated a moment “About us.”
“You’re serious?”
She nodded slowly, ready to take the leap. 
He smiled but refrained from jumping up on the table and pumping his fist into the air like he wanted. “Absolutely, may I ask what changed your mind?”
She shrugged. “I just decided to live a little.”
Jensen flashed his million-dollar smile and raised his water glass. “To us!”
She raised her glass and smiled back not quite sure what she was getting herself into but for the first time in a long time willing to take a chance. “To us.”
He reached across the table to caress her hand “How about you come back to my place so we can celebrate?”
“Celebrate, huh?”
The smile she was growing used to appeared on his face as he spoke “Yeah, I’ll whip up one of my specialty desserts. And, I kind of want to talk to you about some things.”
“As intriguing as that sounds, I have to go meet my father.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes, that was the reason for our early dinner.”
A flash of disappointment crossed his face followed by a dazzling smile. He wasn't going to let anything ruin this night, not after this unexpected coup. “Alright, I understand. As much as I want to keep you to myself, I know meeting with your father is very important." After the bill was paid he kissed her lightly and saw her to her car. "Have a good visit and call me later." 
She fought traffic every inch of the way from Alexandria to D.C. Her father decided to stay at a humble little hotel in northwest D.C. She had to admit that she was curious about this little meeting he’d called. For two people who had behaved more like distant neighbors than father and daughter over the last few decades calling a meeting like this was remarkable, to say the least. 
She told herself that maybe Sidero was just reaching out in his old age. She found the room number he had given her and stopped for a moment to get herself together. Let's see what's going on. She knocked and a few seconds later the door swung open. 
The first thing she noted was the increase in gray hairs on his head since she'd seen him last. He also seemed a tad bit thinner but other than that everything else was the same. He was still one of the most handsome older men she knew. 
“Baby girl!”
“Hi daddy, how are you?”
 “Great! Come on in here and give me a hug.”
“Sorry I’m late, but traffic was a little crazy through town.”
“No problem doll. I was just sitting here watching the news and catching up on the happenings in D.C.”
She took a few steps into the room and dropped her purse on the bed he wasn’t using then sank down next to it. “It’s good to see you. I was expecting to see you at the wedding.”
“Oh yeah. Well I got the invitation, but some things came up and I couldn’t make it.”
There was no point in pressing any further. She’d heard explanations like that for most of her life and pushing harder rarely yielded extra information. “So, how are things in North Carolina?”
He sat across from her on the opposite bed. “Just fine sweetie. You know nothing ever changes in that small town.”
“And how’s my Grandpop doing?”
“He’s doing well, still crabby in the mornings. He sends his love, by the way. You know you’ve still got that old man wrapped around your finger.”
She smiled at the thought of her grandfather. “It’s mutual.”
He piddled around a little bit with the tourist magazines on the small cherry wood table before turning to look at her. “Well, I know you’re wondering why I’m here and I won’t waste any more of your time. Let me first say baby that I love you very much, and you are very special to me. And even though I didn’t show it well, I was and still am very proud to have you as my daughter.”
Her mind was all over the place by this time. Is he dying? Homeless? Registered for the space shuttle program?
He continued. “It’s just that I sort of grew up while you were growing up, you know what I mean? And I did some things along the way that I’m not proud of.”
“Like what?”
He laughed nervously. “You always were one to get straight to the point. Well... I had an affair while I was married to your mother.”
That’s it? She spoke deliberately just in case she was missing something. “I’m not trying to be funny daddy, but that’s not new information. And if my sources are correct, you had several affairs while you were married to mama.”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well the new part of the story is that you and Mike aren’t my only children.”
She half stood then thought better of it and sat back down. “What? Wait, what did you say?”
“You have a sister.”
Her legal mind shifted into gear as if she were in the courtroom preparing a case. “So… why bring this up now. I’m assuming you’ve known this for some time now?”
“Yes I did, but well, she just recently found out about you two, and she wants to meet you.”
“How recently?”
“She contacted me a couple of weeks before Mike’s wedding. I mentioned you two, so she took it upon herself to do some research. She actually found Mike on the internet and contacted him first.”
Shock registered on her face. “Mike knew about this?”
“Yes but I think only about a day before he left for the honeymoon.”
“How old is she?”
“About 5 ½ months younger than you.”
“What’s her name?”
“Sidney. And I think it’d be nice if you all met.”
Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding. And the clouds shall be rolled back like a scroll. On a clear day I can see forever. She had a strange mix of Gospel music and sixties tunes running through her head. Isn't this how nervous breakdowns get started? Come on girl, get it together. But it was all starting to make sense now. The number on Mike’s dresser, dude on the subway, the girls in tenth grade. Sid, Sidra, Sidney. Wow. 
She stood up. “Umm, so is that it?”
“Uhhh, yeah. I thought you would have had more to say than that. Are you OK?”
She shrugged. "You aren’t around for most of the last thirty-five years and when you do decide to spend some quality time you tell me that I have a half-sister that I’m just supposed to get together with.” Sidra stood and grabbed her bag. “Listen, It’s getting late, and I have to go. Have a safe trip home, and tell Poppy I’ll call him later.”
“Yeah, will do.”
She drove around for the next hour not really going anywhere but giving herself time to sort it all out. Not that she was so bothered about the news of another child by her father, she and Mike often suspected as much. It was the fact that she was expected to welcome this person into her life with open arms, or at least an open mind. I’m now supposed to change my world to accommodate his indiscretions? 
Would she be like those girls on reality talk shows or one of the girls she hangs out with at the gym? Would she have a real job or be expecting a hand out just because of a new found blood-tie? Sidra knew that she shouldn’t be concerned by any of this, but she couldn’t get it out of her head. It was like a scratched CD that wouldn’t stop playing.
After an hour of aimless wandering, Sidra took a deep breath and decided to go home. She acknowledged that no matter whom this person turned out to be, God loved this newly discovered half-sister as much as He loved her, and no good was going to come out of worrying. Besides the gas tank was on empty but the conversation with her father was still playing in her head as she turned toward home. 
It played the next day when she got up to clean the house and when she went to the gym and the grocery store. It played while she was at church for the singles ministry meeting. It was incessant all weekend. It was still playing when she woke up Sunday morning. Since she couldn’t sleep she decided to go to an early church service. 
Sidra grunted when she heard the sermon title “Accepting Others as God Accepts You.” It seemed that Pastor Johnson went on for hours espousing the dangers of prejudgement and missing vital experiences based on fear of the unknown. Finally, she was able to hear something other than what had been running through her head all weekend, but it didn’t last long. It was like magic, as soon as she stepped outside the church the same track started over again. It consumed her to the point that she had gone through almost the whole weekend without realizing that she hadn’t spoken to Jensen since Friday evening. 
Her doorbell rang around 7:00 P.M. on Sunday. She was doing laundry with a tattered pink rag on her head when she opened the door to find Jensen standing there with a single yellow tulip in his hand. 
Seeing him was a nice surprise but she wondered why he had shown up unannounced. “Hi.”
He stood on the porch staring at her as if she had just committed a crime. "Hi? I was ready to report you to missing persons, but then I figured that you were having so much fun with your father that you forgot about everything else." He stepped in and gave her a hug after he closed and locked the door behind him. "It’s good to see you. So what’s going on?"
“It’s good to see you too and thanks for the tulip. They’re my favorite kind of flowers.”
“I figured as much when I saw your screen saver at work." He watched her walk away from him and when she didn't say anything else he started to worry. "So where have you been the last couple of days Sidra?”
Suddenly feeling ashamed that she had allowed herself to block out everyone and everything over news that she couldn't change she wrung her hands and looked down. “Just busy I guess.”
“Too busy to check your voice mail and return my calls?”
 “Sorry.” She headed for the kitchen and filled a glass with tap water. The scratchy track was starting to fade, but it left a not so favorable impression. A major headache was developing, and she knew she needed to catch it before it got out of hand. A minute later she was searching the top cabinets for over the counter drugs. 
Jensen stepped closer with concern etched in his features. “Sidra what is going on with you? You’re not acting like yourself.”
She found the bottle and proceeded to pour out several into her hand. Jensen took two pills out of her left hand and the bottle out of her right hand. When she looked up at him with a question in her eyes he simply said, “That requires a prescription that you don’t have. Come on baby, talk to me. It can’t be that bad.”
Sidra leaned against the counter. “No. No, it’s not that bad. My father informed me on Friday night that I have a sister the same age as me. A little something he hasn’t felt the need to bring up for the last 35 years.”
“Whoa!”
“Yeah, see my family operates on a need to know basis, and apparently Mike and I didn’t need to know that.”
“Does Mike know yet?”
“He knew before he left for the islands. She contacted him the day before the wedding. You remember me saying that Mike had a scrap of paper with my old number on it?”
“Yes, but if I remember correctly, you also said he had your name written next to it. Don’t tell me that you and your sister share the same name as well as age.”
“Half-sister and her name is Sidney. Mike had just written ‘Sid’ next to the number.”
"Wow!"
Sidra couldn't understand his excitement.
“So did you get her number? Where is she living? When are you going to call her?”
“No, I don’t know, and I’m not.”
He looked confused. “Why not?”
“Jensen I don’t know this woman. She could be a loon, or worse a leech.”
“Sidra!”
“What?”
“She’s your sister. Don’t you think you should meet her before you write her off as crazy?”
“Jensen, I’m still trying to get over the fact that I have a half-sister, emphasis on half. That she’s here now and wants to be a part of our lives is neither my fault nor my problem.”
"The fact that she’s here is not her fault. And it doesn’t have to be anybody’s problem.” He reached for her hand. "Has it occurred to you that her showing up at this juncture in your lives could benefit both of you?”
“No, I can’t say that it had.”
He pulled her into his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. At 5’8, she wasn’t what you would call petite, but his 6’3 frame sized up well next to hers. His fingers interlocked with hers, and they just melted into each other for a moment. 
Sidra sighed internally and had to admit to herself that she was enjoying the benefits of being in a relationship ...at the moment. When she prayed a week ago she couldn’t actually say she heard a definite “Yes” from God, but it definitely wasn’t a “No” either. She usually got a very strong warning bell when there was something she wasn't supposed to get into, and there was none of that. She supposed that she would have to walk a little longer before getting the answer she wanted. It wouldn't be the first time that God answered her outside of her time schedule.
Jensen’s voice was very soothing. “Cut her some slack. She just found a big part of her life that’s been missing for several years. Maybe she’s just looking for some answers.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Of course I’m right. Now can we eat? All that worrying made me hungry.”
She laughed then spruced herself up, plugged the phones back in and whipped up a late dinner. Life was looking better already. Jensen was probably right. Sidney found herself mixed up in this situation just like she did. Neither one had asked for it. But as Liz always said, it is what it is; and she might as well deal with it. 
Halfway through supper the phone rang. Sidra got up from the table and reached across the sofa to hit the speaker button. 
“Hello?”
“Hey baby.”
The deep masculine voice said baby with a familiarity that was unmistakable. She felt rather than saw Jensen bristle. Guys. 
“Hey Hon! Welcome back to the main land. How was the honeymoon?”
“Great!”
“Glad to hear it. Didn’t you just get back this morning?”
“Our flight was delayed. We got in about 5:30 this evening after a 13 hour travel day.”
“Ouch. Well at least you had three weeks in paradise. I’m glad you made it back safely.”
“Thanks, me too. You busy?”
“Just sitting here talking to Jensen about your sister. I think you met him at the wedding?”
“Oh yeah, Amanda’s friend. Am I on speaker?”
Sidra grinned knowing why her brother asked the question. “Yep.”
“Alright, then we’ll finish that part of the conversation later.”
“Appreciate that Mike!” Jensen hollered from across the room. 
“Only because my wife gave you the thumbs up man!” Mike roared with laughter and Jensen laughed back. 
Sidra breathed in deeply like she was trying to inhale the atmosphere in the room. She was glad Jensen was there with her and couldn't have asked for a better ending to this weekend.
“So Sid, he got to you already huh? Man, I wanted to catch you before we left, but I couldn’t get five minutes to myself at the reception. Every time I started toward you, someone grabbed me to take a picture. So what did he say?”
“Not a whole lot. Just that her name is Sidney and that she’s a few months younger than me.”
“Yeah that’s our pops, just the facts and then only when he has to.”
“Yeah. So did you talk to her long?”
“Almost an hour, She wanted to come to the wedding but didn't have time to get things together."
Sidra smiled knowingly. "So that's why dear old dad didn't come. Where is she?"
"She’s currently living in Atlanta but plans to relocate up here in a month or so.”
“For what?”
“Her job, she’s in public relations and moved down there to take that job around five years ago. When she found out about an opening in her company’s D.C. office, she jumped at the chance to come home to be closer to her family.”
Sidra, tired of the backache that bending over the sofa had created decided to sit down while she continued the conversation. “And who does that consist of?”
“A couple of aunties and a handful of cousins.” He paused before he said the next line “And now us. In fact, it was her Aunt Alex who remembered Sidero’s name and gave it to her.”
“How did she get your number?”
She could hear Mike tussling with something in the background and guessed that it was Amanda. “Off of the internet, that’s how she found both Pop and I really. But since she didn’t get a lot of info from him, she tried the only other Sidero Lyons that popped up on her list.”
“You know, we’ve been calling you Mike for so long I almost forgot your full name was Sidero Michael.”
“Yeah. Even though I was never crazy about my first name, it served me well in this case. Apparently we are the only two Sidero Lyons east of the Mississippi.”
“So she didn’t get anything out of him, but she didn’t have any information about him from her family either?”
“No. It sounds like he jetted a few weeks after her mother gave birth.”
Sidra leaned her head back against the sofa as she absently fingered a tassel on one of the throw pillows. She was slowly starting to understand what would make a person decide to just look up a bunch of strangers and call them family. “So she never knew about him or us.” It was more a statement of realization than a question, but Mike answered anyway. 
“No. Sidney says her mother was the type of woman who’d just as soon cut you off than deal with any craziness. Naming her Sidney was the only nod she gave to Sidero. When he kept disappearing for weeks at a time around the time Sidney was born, she decided not to even put his name on her birth certificate.”
“Wait, you said her mother was the type of woman. What happened?”
Her mother died a couple of months ago which is why she really needs to be closer to her family now.”
“Wow." Sidra was just about to wind down when she remembered one more thing she wanted to know. "Is she married or single?”
“She’s presently single with no kids, but she’s been married twice.”
Trying to cram all of this information about her new relative into her mind, she started forming a picture of this woman who had everything and nothing in common with her. Sidra wasn’t at all sure what she was going to do with all of this new information, but she felt better at least knowing what she was dealing with. “So when does she want to meet you?”
Mike hesitated like he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. “She wants to meet us next weekend. I told her all about you and she seemed really excited to learn that she has a sister. She said she's always wanted one. She’ll be scouting apartments when she comes, but said she would love to just have some time to sit and talk with us.”
Alright, that doesn’t sound too bad. She let out a breath it seemed she’d been holding since Friday night. She could deal with this. "So the truth finally comes out, huh?" 
Mike shook his head. "Yeah, I guess it's true what mama always said. What's done in the dark will be brought out in the light. You want her number so you can talk to her before she gets here?" 
Let's not get carried away. "Uhhhh, no." She stuck her tongue out at Jensen's raised eyebrow. "I'll just wait until she gets here. You know work and all that." 
"Okay then, I'll let you know what day and place we pick later." 
"Thanks." 
"You're welcome. You know Sid, you're taking this a lot better than I thought you would." 
Jensen, trying to be funny, cleared his throat and she sent a fringed throw pillow in his direction before answering Mike. "Yeah well, life happens. What are ya gonna do? Listen sweetie, I'm gonna get out of here and go do some running around. Tell Amanda I'll call her later." 
"Alright sis, love you." 
"Love you too. Bye." 
She hung up the phone and turned toward the eyes that were boring a hole in the back of her head. “What?”
Jensen shook his head as he stood. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Your mouth didn’t.” She sensed more than a little bit of exasperation coming from him which she thought was ironic because he chose that exact moment for their first real kiss. 
He pulled away from the kiss slowly. “I’ve got errands to run myself. I’ll call you later.”
She was walking him to the door when she remembered something he'd said Friday. “Didn’t you say the other day that you wanted to talk to me about some things?”
He leaned down and brushed his lips against her temple. "Yes, but I think I’m going to need you in a different state of mind for that conversation.”
“Why? You might as well let me deal with everything at the same time.”
“Later.”
“When, later?”
He kissed her again. “Tomorrow, bye.”
“Bye.”

CHAPTER 4

*********

The cozy kitchen was warm and inviting, and Sidra's eyes were big as saucers. “Mama, you knew?”
“Of course I did girl.” Eliza was unfazed as she stirred her tea.
“For how long?”
“Oh, I guess you were about two and a half when the rumors started because I remember Mike being very young. I confronted him one night when he'd had too much to drink, and he confirmed it.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Sidra sipped the tea from the mug in front of her, but she didn't taste anything that went down. “Why didn’t you ever say something?”
“Well to be honest with you honey I’d forgotten about it. He moved out and we divorced shortly after that. I never heard anything more about it.”
Sidra nodded. “Is that why you left him, because of Sidney?”
“Child, Sidney didn’t have any part in my mess of a marriage. Now her mother is a different story but even she can’t take all the blame. And then of course Sidero and I had our part in it also. No honey, there were a whole lot more reasons than just Sidney to break up.”
Sidra had a good long soak in her whirlpool tub that evening. She tried to stop thinking about herself for a moment and started thinking about Sidney and even Sidero. Sidney had just lost her mother and was probably just searching for a friendly face. And Sidero was in the winter of his life, or at least the late autumn without great relationships with his adult children. That couldn't be easy. She sank down deeper into the warm water thinking we all have secrets, and we’ve all made questionable decisions in life. He wasn't alone in that. 
She decided to hear what Sidney had to say with open arms and ears. Jensen could be right, a new friend might just come out of the deal. The ring of the phone pulled her out of her thoughts. She confirmed dinner plans with Jensen before crawling into bed. She recognized that she was at a crossroads in her life and decided that which ever way the road turned she was going to stay on high ground and go with the flow.
*******
Seated comfortably on Jensen’s couch the next evening, Sidra accepted the wine glass from his hand when he came out of the kitchen. The glasses contained sparkling water, but he handed one to her and set the other on the carved wood coaster above his granite-topped coffee table like they were the most precious liquid on the planet. He insisted they clear their palates between the main course and dessert. The dinner he'd prepared was restaurant quality, and Sidra thought she could quickly get used to this sort of treatment.
He stood in front of her and took the glass from her hand after she'd taken a few sips. “Dessert is almost ready but I wanted to talk first, and since we need to give dinner a chance to digest I figured now would be a good time.”
“Alright, what’s the big secret?”
“No secret dearest, I just think you need to know what you’re getting yourself into.”
Sidra frowned. “That sounds a little cryptic.”
“Sorry, that was supposed to be straight forward.”
“Alright then out with it.”
“I have a daughter from a previous relationship.”
Sidra didn't move, nor did she blink for several seconds. Did he just say... “Hmm, didn’t see that one coming.”
He placed his hands in his pockets praying that any anxiety on her part would be squelched quickly. “Well I figured it would be better to tell you now than a year from now.”
She reached for his hand so he could join her on the couch. “You assumed correctly. What’s her name?”
“Kyra. She just turned six and is adorable if I say so myself.”
Take the high road. Go with the flow. “Pictures?”
“Of course.” He walked over to the mantle and pulled off a framed photo that she hadn’t noticed earlier. Sidra smiled at the photo when he handed it to her. It was of the most cherubic face she had ever seen. Her pigtails were punctuated by yellow bows. She had fat, rosy cheeks and a gap where her two front teeth should have been. 
“Oh! Jensen she’s beautiful!”
“She is, isn’t she?”
“How much time do you get to spend with her?”
He placed the picture back on the mantle and settled next to Sidra again. “Well it had been every other weekend, and pretty much whenever she wanted between those weekends, but since she’s started school her schedule almost rivals mine.”
“Oh good, I thought you were going to say baby’s mama drama.”
“No. Leslie and I get along surprisingly well, but only because we’ve made up our minds to do so.”
“Were you married to her?”
“No, we talked about it before Ky was born and then decided we were better off as friends.” He let that last part settle in before he spoke again. “I told Leslie about you. She wants to meet you.”
“Wow, I guess you two do have a good relationship.”
He smiled as he pulled her toward him. “Any and every thing is possible if you pray and expect God to work it out.”

She heard Liz literally fall to the floor when they were on the phone later that night. Liz got up laughing. “So wait, you picked up a sister and a daughter all in one weekend? That’s a hoot!”
“It’s not funny Liz.”
“Baby doll, I know you can’t see it right now, but it’s hilarious.”
“Anyway she’s a half-sister, and nobody said Jensen and I were headed for the altar.”
“You can try to fool yourself if you want, but I haven’t seen you this content in years, no make that decades with a guy. And it’s only been a few weeks! You two are definitely headed somewhere. And as far as your sister....”
“Half-sister.”
“What does that mean? Does that make her half a person? Is she only worth half your love?”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly well. Rachel is my half-sister.”
“What? Our Rachel? I didn’t know that.”
“That’s because it wasn’t a big deal. We have different fathers, but it doesn’t matter. She’s my half-sister, but I still love her completely.”
“You also grew up with her. I’m sure that’s made a difference in your attitude.”
“So you didn’t grow up with the girl. You have the rest of your lives to get to know each other. All I’m saying is, why not give it a try. If she turns out to be crazy, then you can turn tail and run. But until then why not give her at the very least, the same courtesy you give to the people you meet on the street.”
Sidra groaned. “I guess you’re right.”
Liz grunted back. “You know I’m right.”
“Thanks for telling me the truth, even when I don’t want to hear it.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
Sidra laughed into the phone. "Please don't start singing."
Liz giggled. "Good night crazy."
“Night.”
*******

The next morning Sidra's cell phone rang about 6:30 A.M. She had just closed and locked her front door behind her. Mike was on the other end, and he sounded frazzled. “Hey Sid, you on your way to work?”
“Yep, what’s up?”
“Well, I called Sidney back last night to check on her schedule, and she won’t be able to meet with us as planned.”
“Okay…?”
*******
Sidra walked into the office with her head spinning for the third time in as many days. Take the high road, go with the flow. She gave Liz’s cubicle rim two quick taps on the way to her office without stopping. Liz was on the phone but joined Sidra in her office a minute later. Sidra was sitting in front of her computer typing away furiously with her back to the door. She was so engrossed in what she was typing, she didn't hear Liz close the door and walk up behind her. 
Liz bent over to get a better look at the computer screen. “Why are you filling out a leave slip?”
Sidra completed the last check box and hit print as she was turning to answer the question. “Mike called this morning to say that Sidney couldn’t meet us here next week like she planned because she’s involved in a domestic violence case that will be going to trial soon. She can’t leave town.”
Liz gasped “Oh God help her. Is she going to be alright? That makes me so angry to hear stuff like that. When are men going to learn to get control of themselves? What makes them think that slapping a woman around proves their manhood? It doesn’t count when you’re bigger and stronger than your opponent. Is she gonna be alright? She wasn’t hurt was she?”
Sidra absorbed everything Liz was saying and expected no less since Liz herself had experienced violence in her previous but now defunct marriage. She leveled her gaze and wondered how Liz would react to the next part of the tale. “She’s the defendant.”
Liz leaned back against the desk as she stared at her friend. “Oh? Well now, there’s a flip of the script for you.”
Sidra continued. “Mmmm, and you haven’t heard the best part yet.”
“Do tell.”
“The plaintiff is your boyfriend.”
“Noooooooooooooo!”
“Oh, yes.”
“Your sister is the hoochie that cut my man?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“So wait where are you going?”
“To Atlanta. When Sidney learned that I was a lawyer she asked Mike if we could both come down. She’s afraid that Mocha’s influence in the city has tainted some of the higher-ups in the court system, and she’s not sure who to trust.”
“Are you still licensed to practice law in Georgia? I know you were when you left law school, but that was ages ago.”
“Thanks for the gentle reminder that I’m getting older.”
“Oh, whatever, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Sorry, I think I’m hormonal. Anyway to answer your question, I’m on their inactive list. It’s just a matter of paying some dues, and I’ll be good to go. I already met their continuing educational requirements. But this is supposed to be a sisterly visit, not legal counsel. Though, I am more than a little curious to know the details of the case.”
“Oh, I hope you get to participate in the trial so you can tear him up on the stand.”
Sidra's eyebrows went up in surprise, but Liz just waved it off. “Sid, stop playing modest. You know that you’re one of the best trial lawyers out there. Until Jensen joined the company, you had the bosses jumping to make sure you didn’t go anywhere. Sometimes I think they brought Jensen on board just to ensure you had the backup you needed. They wanted a win at every trial and with you two working together they're pretty much assured of it.”
“Thank you for the compliment but that's not why I reacted the way I did. I was just shocked that you of all people were turning on your man?”
Liz blushed. “Oh…well, I hate to jump to conclusions, and this is a generalization, but I read the news account and usually women don’t pull a knife or any other weapon unless there’s a reason for it. Speaking from experience and from what I heard in my counseling group for battered women, of the women who did fight back, if a weapon was used it wasn’t the first time they were attacked. It was used because they knew what they were going up against. Usually, you’re so shocked during the first attack that you just kind of get through it. If your sister came out swinging, and I’m proud of her for doing it, it was because she knew she needed to.”
Sidra sat quietly and took in everything Liz had to say before rising from her desk. “Hmmm, I’m going to go hand this in to Jensen and go home. Mike and I are leaving tomorrow, and I want to get some things done before I leave. We should be back early next week.”
Liz nodded and gave her friend a quick hug on her way out the door. "I'll be praying for you."
Sidra gave a grateful glance to her friend before she headed down the hall. "Thanks, I've got a feeling we're going to need it."
Jensen was more stunned than anything when he read over the slip of paper that had just been placed in his hands. Sidra had accumulated about two months of vacation time she needed to use or lose before the end of the year and had just wrapped up her most pressing case with a decisive win last week, so work really wasn't the issue. The look of hurt she saw hastily covered up on his face was in direct response to the fact that his most recently formed relationship was quickly turning into a long distance romance. She couldn’t say goodbye like she wanted or even give him details of why she was leaving because he worked in the ‘fishbowl’. His office, located in the center of the floor, was encased by four glass walls that didn't quite reach the ceiling. Anything above a whisper was easily carried over into the common areas, so they made plans to meet later that night. She ran some errands before she headed home to ensure that her utilities wouldn’t be cut off before she returned next week. 
Later, with packing and a tidy house crossed off her to-do list she headed straight for her computer to research as much information as she could about 'The Mocha Lover'. 
After a couple of hours on a general search engine, she discovered some very interesting facts about Mr. Herschel Thaddeus Mochan. He dropped the “n” from his last name some years ago but was the namesake of both his grandfathers. He’d grown up with a violent family background in the projects of New Jersey. He started singing at the age of three in his grandmother’s church where he honed his gift until his teen years. After a short stint in the army, he was discharged for conduct unbecoming. 
Mocha started touring hole in the wall joints with a band he put together until they were discovered in the late eighties. He definitely had his share of rock star drama but his critics were a little more forgiving because ultimately his genius outshined his character or lack thereof. Always admired for his ability to reinvent himself, he had been a staple on the top of the charts since he had started in the industry. His personal life had been written about almost as much as his music career. He’d had three paternity suits against him in the last six years. Two of the three women had restraining orders against him. The other had logged two emergency calls where officers were dispatched to the residence. The rest of the articles seemed to portray a party boy who was never without a pretty woman on his arm. A typical rock star, Sidra thought. 
It was early evening when she finished surfing the web. Jensen rang her doorbell about forty minutes later. She opened the door in a Caribbean inspired emerald green lounge dress that apparently did a lot for her judging by Jensen’s expression. She never tired of seeing his reaction to her. “Hiya soldier.”
“Hi. You look nice.”
“Thanks, come on in. You’re not looking too shabby yourself.” She had just seen him a few hours ago, but if she were honest she would admit to missing him during that short period of time. Walking into it, she didn’t know how they would handle being around each other all day, but she felt strangely comforted knowing he was right there. Not that she could do anything about it because they barely glanced at each other unless it was an absolute necessity, but it did make her feel better all the same. 
He shut the door behind him and hung his coat on the rack next to the door. “So please tell me why I have to get through another week without seeing you.” He nuzzled into her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder. He smelled so good, and she was happy that they had gotten close before she had to offer to switch his cologne out for a different brand. She encircled his waist and fit her body to his before she answered.
“Well, the sister you thought I should get closer to has requested my help.”
“How so?”
“You heard that Mocha Lover was recently hospitalized?”
“Yes but..., don’t tell me, it was Sidney that put him there?”
Her lips pressed into a rueful line. “It was.”
His reaction was a surprise that she didn’t expect. He started chuckling, and that small laugh turned into a belly laugh. He was laughing so hard that he had to grab his stomach. This went on for several minutes before he finally wiped the tears out the corners of his eyes. “You know when I heard the report on the radio I thought, Good! He finally ran into the wrong hood rat.”
“Did you just call my sister a hood rat?”
“Aww, come on Sweetie. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. And when did you turn into the great protectress for someone you weren’t all that eager to meet a few days ago?”
She smiled shyly. “I don't know, I guess my need to see justice served got in the way of everything else.”
He gently pulled a lock of her hair before grabbing her hand and leading her further into the room. “Good, I’m glad. And I’m glad he finally got what he deserved. I knew it was just a matter of time. Now hopefully that will be a catalyst for real change.”
“Don’t tell me, you know him?” Jensen nodded slowly. “Well now, you’re full of surprises aren’t you. How long have you known him?”
“We met almost twenty years ago. We hung out during our early college years, but we lost contact about ten years ago.”
“You spent time in Atlanta?”
“Girl half the black people in this country have ties to Atlanta.”
She smiled slowly “That’s the truth. So what are yours?”
He thrust his shoulders back ever so slightly. “I’m a Morehouse Man.”
This week was just full of revelation. “I knew it! I knew that level of arrogance couldn’t have been acquired naturally.”
He looked hurt. “Hey watch it.”
Sidra laughed. “You know I’m telling the truth. I don’t know what they did to you all down there, but most of you walk out of that school thinking you’re supposed to be running things.”
He struck a pose on the arm of the sofa and flashed a smile with a wink that she would have found infuriating just weeks before. “We are running things. We turn out the most African-American male college graduates in the country.” He grabbed her finger and pulled her toward the sofa. 
“Humph. Well, seeing as how it’s the only all black male college in the country that would only make sense.” 
 He tweaked her cheek, and she swatted his hand away. He laughed. “Oh, don't be upset. Besides, we like to think of it as self assuredness that they instill in us.”
“Mmm... Next time save some for later, but back to Mocha. He didn’t attend school there did he?”
“Oh yeah, well for one semester anyway. He ran out of money, so he started concentrating on his music. When the rest of us started getting more serious about our schoolwork he just partied harder. We tried to talk him into getting a job and a more stable life, but he wasn’t hearing us. He finally did some time in the service. When he came out he started working on his music even harder. He always said he was going to make it, and he was right. 
Anyway things were cool until I went to one of his record label parties. A friend of ours, Tim and I walked into his dressing area, and he had this girl jacked up in the corner. We were like ‘Mocha, man what are you thinking? Let her go.’ There was coke on the table and he was flying higher than a kite. I think he seriously would have hurt her if we hadn’t been there. Tim and I stopped hanging out with him shortly after that. I always thought he was a victim of Peter Pan syndrome.”
“The boy who never grew up.”
“Exactly.”
“You said you hope it’s a catalyst for real change. Why don’t you think his profession of Christ last year was real?”
“I believe he was sincere when he made that confession, but I have very reliable sources that say his lifestyle wasn’t truly altered afterward. It’s one thing to make the confession and fall down on the way to where you’re going. It’s another thing to have an experience, say the words and then never make a move toward anything. So what I’ve been praying for is that God grab his attention and put him on the right track by any means necessary.”
“I see. That's a serious prayer.” She reached for the remote to the gas fireplace and turned it on. “Small world, I didn’t realize you had spent time in Atlanta also. I wonder if we were there at the same time?”
“No, we just missed each other. When they gave me everyone’s files to review after I got the job I noticed that you started Emory the year after I left 'The House'.”
“Oh. So where did you go after that?”
“California, Stanford specifically. You’re still licensed in Georgia aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I’m on their inactive list, but a few dollars should take care of that. Did I tell you that Sidney was the defendant?”
“What! You mean he attacked her and is suing her for defending herself? That has got to be the craziest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
“You sound pretty sure that he jumped first.”
“I know him, and I know what the drugs have done to him. Let me know if you get involved in the case. Tim is still there and has access to some key people, and you’re going to need it because Mocha has a couple of his own key people in his back pocket.”
“So Sidney was right. That’s why she wanted me to come down. She was concerned that everyone may not be on the up and up.”
“She has good reason to be concerned. Mocha’s been in and out of trouble for the last ten years or more. The last time I talked to Tim, he mentioned that for the past few years Mocha’s gotten off easier and quicker than he should have. Nothing was ever proven, but Tim is still sure something went down. I could probably even make a case to upper management to do some probono work if you wanted to stick it out through the end. It’s something for you to think about anyway.”
She snuggled closer to him. “And if I need the help of one of the best defense lawyers in the country?”
“You’ve got it, but I have no doubt that you could handle this without me. I'd just be here for moral support and to make sure the big bosses understand that you should have their full backing.”
“Wow, thanks. It really does pay to date the boss.”
They ate dinner and cozied up in front of the TV for a couple of hours before she sent him home. He hated to leave, and she hated to see him go, but she had to get up early. Hopefully the next week would fly by so she could be near him again. 
*******
The next morning was a complete disaster. Sidra over slept, and Mike was running behind schedule. There was a major accident on the way to the airport, so they spent thirty minutes more than they had planned to on the road. Fifteen minutes after circling the parking garage to find a space they were running past the steel yellow beams in Reagan National Airport at breakneck speed. Forty yards from the gate Mike started hollering and begging the agent not to shut the door. She was an older lady and gave them both a stern look before taking their boarding passes and allowing them to walk down the jet way. They fell all over each other laughing and slapping hands on the way to their seats.
After arriving in Atlanta, they headed straight to the hotel they'd booked for the week. It was located in the heart of downtown and Sidra recognized that some major construction had taken place in the area since she'd been gone. When they were settled, they went out and found the closest Waffle House they could find. Mike called Sidney on the phone while they were waiting for their order to be filled. 
“Hello? Sidney? Hi it’s Mike and Sidra. We just arrived in town and thought we’d give you a call.” Mike and Sidney spoke for a few minutes, and they agreed to meet as soon as he and Sidra finished their meal. He wrote down the directions on his napkin as Sidney rattled them off and told her to expect them within the hour. “OK, we’ll see you soon.” He hung up the phone just as their food was coming out. 
Sidra reached for the warm syrup. “How’d she sound?”
“Kind of out of it, but I guess I would be too if I were put on house arrest.”
Sidra shook her head as she ate. “I still can’t believe he pressed charges.”
“I know, real prince of a guy. When I spoke to her last time, she said he attempted to hit her once before this incident also.”
“So Liz was right.”
“What?”
“Nothing, let’s just eat and get over there.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. I’m starving.”
Sidney’s condominium building looked brand new. It had been built recently, so the copper roof was still sparkling. They worked their way from the parking lot to the inside of an expansive foyer. Marble floors and water slowly trickling down a rough granite wall were the first things to catch the eye. Sidra glanced around and noticed that the atrium in the center of the floor contained 40-foot palm trees, birds of paradise and several variations of hostas. She recognized them only because of her mother's influence. “Impressive.”
Mike had to agree. “Yeah she said that she got in on the ground floor when the building was just in the planning stages. She just moved in after the new year.”
“And she’s ready to leave this to come back to D.C.? She does know that we have nothing newly constructed or otherwise that will compare to this right?”
“Well Sid you know what they say, there’s no place like home.”
The look on Sidra's face was doubtful. “I guess.”
The ride up to the sixteenth floor in the copper lined elevator with muted carpet gave them both a chance to gather their thoughts before one of the most important meetings in their lives. Both were quiet and reflective and didn't make a sound until they reached Sidney's unit. After a quick knock on the door, Mike took a step backward and joined Sidra in waiting to get the first peek at their long lost sibling. It seemed those few seconds stretched into hours. Locks were heard turning and then the door swung open. 
Sidra was almost a little disappointed as she had envisioned in the back of her mind a thick fog descending while a magnificent aria played with beams of warm light surrounding them all. But it was just a girl standing behind a door. Sidra thought that Sidney looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place from where and wondered whether they had actually bumped into each other on the streets of D.C. as children. They were about the same height and almost the same complexion but other than that she couldn’t find any similarities. 
“Oh my!...”Mike looked as if he were about to pass out. 
Both women reached for him at the same time. They also said the same thing at the same time. “What’s wrong?”
He looked back and forth between the two for a few seconds while he caught his breath. “You two look like you could be identical twins.”
Sidney and Sidra looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing. Sidra was the first to speak. “Ignore him girl, he is trippin’.” Sidney nodded in agreement and reached out for Sidra at the same time. She gave a short squeeze as she spoke “I think so too, come on in.” She reached for Mike next who still had a look of disbelief on his face. “I don’t see it myself, but if that’s what you see, I’ll respect that.” She and Sidra both snickered before stepping inside. 
Mike was still incredulous. “You mean you two don’t see anything in each other that reminds you of you?”
Sidney looked over at Sidra and frowned. “Not so much.”
Sidra glanced over at Sidney. “No, not really.”
In a move that Sidra recognized from his old baseball days, Mike threw his hands up in frustration and followed Sidney inside.
Her condo was even more impressive on the inside. Every room was done in designer fabrics and expensive looking furniture. She had definitely paid a small fortune to have the place decorated. After a tour Sidney fixed a pot of coffee and pulled out some shortbread crackers, which just happened to be one of Sidra's favorites. She also pulled out a thin scrapbook with pictures and press clippings of Mocha and herself. One picture in particular caught Sidra's attention. The photo showed Sidney and Mocha seated in some type of high leather covered booth. The reason it caught her eye was that at first glance, Sidra thought it was a picture of herself. She did see what Mike saw but wouldn’t let him know it because she would have heard about it for the rest of the trip. 
After filling three mugs with coffee, Sidney sat opposite her siblings on a jewel colored chaise. “Thank you both so much for coming down here. I was really starting to feel like I was about to lose it. It seems like the whole city has turned against me.”
Mike patted her hand and tried to comfort her. “Now you know that’s not true.”
“I know. It just feels like that, but I really do appreciate you two coming. Now at least it doesn’t feel like I’m standing alone in all this.”
Poor girl. Sidra felt sorry for her new sister. People did have a way of latching on to their idols, and Mocha was no exception. Most of the city knew he was the resident bad boy, and if he were just another thug on the street he would have been under the jail by now but he wasn’t. He was their gifted bad boy and musician in residence. It’s amazing what people will put up with when it makes them feel good. “So when did you two meet?”
Sidney took a sip of coffee before she began. “He hired our firm to throw his birthday bash last year. I work with the events planning department of my company, and I got assigned to his gig. I had to have several meetings with him to finalize the details. He used our firm for his next two events and requested me as the lead planner both times. He finally asked me out for drinks at the third party. That was April of this year. I thought I had finally arrived. My life was absolutely perfect for three months. Then his social drinking gradually increased until I didn't recognize him by late September. He is one dirty bastard when he's drinking.”
Sidra’s eyebrows went up, and Mike tried to hide his surprise. Sidney noticed their reaction and couldn’t think of anything she had just said that might have caused it. “What’s wrong?”
Mike spoke up. “Sorry Sidney, we didn’t mean to freeze up on you. It’s just that Sid and I got saved several years ago and…”
Sadness crept over her features, and she set her mug down. "Oh. Say no more." Sidney's eyes bounced between Mike and Sidra and finally came to rest on her hands. "Look maybe this was a mistake." That got both Mike and Sidra's attention. They could tell by her reaction that she had some not so positive experiences with ‘saved’ people. 
Sidra reached for Sidney's hand. “Sid look, this is your house, and you can talk however you want. We can accept it as long as you accept that we're a little different.” Mike nodded his head vigorously in agreement. 
Sidney looked surprised for a second. “Thanks and I will also try to respect your beliefs.”
Mike smiled, “We appreciate that, really.”
Sidney breathed a sigh of relief. “No problem. You already seem a lot more open minded than what I’m used to.”
“We like to think of ourselves as open minded, right Mike?”
“Absolutely, our job is to live so that something in us makes you want to look deeper, not bash a Bible over your head every time you step out of bounds.”
Sidney visibly relaxed. “Glad to hear that because I’ve had enough Bible talk from Mocha.”
Two sets of eyebrows shot up. Sidra put down the cracker she was holding to focus on Sidney. “Really? That’s not what I expected to hear. Tell me when the relationship started to turn sour.”
“Like I said, the first three months were incredible, even before we got together when it was strictly a business relationship he was a complete gentleman. He had just had some life changing experience and was really trying to get close to God. That was part of my attraction to him. I’ve never been with a church guy and didn’t grow up in church, so it was something different for me. For the first few months he had to pray about everything concerning us; then as his drinking increased, things sort of shifted into me not being good enough." Mike handed her a tissue when he saw the tears run down her face. "I wouldn’t commit to Christ by the deadline he set and we were, how did he phrase it, unevenly yoked. I was never really sure what that meant exactly.”
Mike and Sidra smiled. “Unequally yoked, it basically means that you weren’t on the same page spiritually.”
Sidney dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose. “That’s what I thought. But if we were doing the same things how could he say that?”
Mike's heart poured out for the sister he'd just met. “What do you mean sweetie?”
“I mean he was giving the yoke speech as he’s rolling out of my bed.”
Mike had to shake his head. “Alrighty then. Sid listen, don’t let one experience with…”
Sidney stood and walked toward the small designer trashcan in the corner. “No, please. I’m okay. I respect the path you’ve chosen for your life, and I’m hoping you’ll respect mine, but I’ve had enough of the Gospel to last a lifetime.”
Sidra held up both hands in surrender. “Understood, we won’t bring it up if you don’t.”
“Good, then it shouldn’t come up again.” Sidney had made herself very clear. They couldn’t blame her, especially Sidra having been through the same thing herself. She had grown up in church but didn’t get saved until she was an adult. Before coming to Christ, she got involved with a guy who went to church every Sunday and read the Bible every day. He was quick to point out all her sins and faults but somehow couldn’t see his own. He couldn’t keep his hands off of Sidra but blamed her for their trysts. She remembered that time in her life and how she was angry at everyone, especially God, for letting it happen. If Sidney was anything like her sister, she wouldn’t want to hear anything about God anytime soon. Sidra sent up a silent prayer because she knew if God could break through the wall that she erected that He could do the same for Sidney.
“So tell me where you are with the case and what exactly happened that Mocha ended up pressing charges against you?” Sidra still hadn’t decided whether or not to take the case, but she would give all the legal counsel she could for the time she was here. She wanted to help her sister but was resisting full-blown involvement. After all, she had a new relationship to think about.
Sidney's soft voice pulled her away from thoughts of Jensen. “I was just assigned a defense lawyer who has never tried a case in his life after the experienced public defender I had was mysteriously reassigned.”
“Interesting, and forgive me for prying but you don’t appear to be in dire straits. Why go with a public defendant? Why not hire your own attorney.”
Sidney sat back, dejected. “I tried, but I have a bottom to my bank account. I just received notice that my services would no longer be needed at my company. That means I'm working off my savings account until God knows when. Every lawyer I contacted from here to Birmingham wouldn’t even look at the case once they find out the names of the lawyers on Herschel’s dream team. The few attorneys that would take the case required more up-front money than I‘ve got to spend.”
Sidra felt herself weakening and definitely leaning toward taking the case, but she still wasn’t all that excited about spending more time down here without Jensen. “What happened that night?”
While Sidney recounted the story Sidra pulled a small notepad out of her purse and started jotting notes. Sidney gave her the details just like she'd done for the police and her defense lawyers. “Well, we had decided to do dinner at his place. I almost backed out of the invitation because his behavior had been so erratic the week before. But he kept sending dozens of these beautiful tulips, and I caved in.”
Mike shot a smile in Sidney's direction. “It appears you have more in common with your sister than just looks.”
Sidra rolled her eyes in his direction. How’d she know that he was going to bring up their similarities again. It's going to be a long week. “I favor tulips too. But back to the story, you agreed to meet for dinner…?”
“Yes and the evening started out really well. He put a couple of steaks on the grill, and I was chopping up tomatoes for the salad. I hadn’t realized it before hand, but he had started drinking earlier in the day, prior to me getting there.”
Sidra looked up from her pad. “What makes you say that?”
“I smelled it on him later that evening when he got too close. And there were several coke cans and a bottle of Bacardi that was almost gone. Rum and Coke is his drug of choice.”
“Did you ever see him do drugs while you were with him?”
“No, after his big life changing experience he said he swore off illegal drugs but he drank enough alcohol on most days to get himself past the state of coherency. He was already a little cranky when I got there. We got into a discussion about religion, and I made a comment about his excessive drinking and sexing before marriage and wondered how God would look at it from His point of view." Sidney's tears started flowing again, and she reached for another tissue. "The funny thing is I was really curious. He had gotten to me with all that religious talk and I really wanted to know more. He flew off the handle and started cursing at me saying it didn’t matter because I was going to hell anyway. I realized at that moment that there was no use reasoning with him. He was three sheets to the wind as my mother used to say. I started thinking I would just excuse myself early and get the hell out of there. Oh, sorry.”
Mike smiled at her. “No worries, Sidra says it all the time.”
Mike received a hard fast punch on the arm and winced. “Ouch! What happened then?”
“He started walking closer to me and screaming louder. I looked at him and knew he was about to swing.”
Although Sidra knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, she asked anyway. “Had he hit you previously?”
“Tried to once right before this date, but he was ridiculously drunk and I tripped him before he got to me. He was drunk, but he got the message that I didn’t want to see him again, and I left.”
Mike was riveted “So what made you see him again?”
Sidra responded for her sister when it looked like Sidney couldn't. “Mike, man tulips will make a girl do crazy things.”
Sidney nodded her confirmation. “Plus, I had never been in an abusive relationship before, so I didn’t know any better. He'd never done it before, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I honestly didn’t think he would be stupid enough to try it again. But there he was coming toward me, and his footing was sure so I couldn’t have tripped him again. I said ‘please don’t’. He said ‘please don’t what..." Sidney stopped midsentence and looked up at her siblings, "Well you get the idea." Sidra could tell the moment Mike's mind had filled in the blank by the way his jugular vein popped out. 
"Yeah, we got it." 
Sidney went on. "I said ‘Herschel I don’t think this is a good idea’. He got worse screaming that his name was Mocha not Herschel, and he had sluts all over the city willing to sleep with him. I said ‘fine then I’ll just go’. He has a good pair of lungs on him, I’ll give him that because his voice was deafening and he just kept getting closer. I turned around still with the knife in my hand, and I tried one more time. I said 'I don’t want to hurt you, but I will defend myself.’”
Trying to bring a little levity to the situation Mike interjected “He didn’t know you were from D.C. did he?” His sisters laughed just as he'd hoped. “I’m just saying…”
The laughter helped Sidney get through the rest of the story. “It’s crazy I know, but he swung and I held up the knife.”
Sidra tried to get clarification. “You mean you swung back?”
“No, I just held it up between his hand and my face and he swung hard enough to sever three of his fingers completely off.”
“Whoa!” Sidra and Mike’s faces tightened up just thinking about the pain that would have caused. “That was some kind of knife. How come we haven’t heard about any of this in the press?”
Sidney shrugged. “It was a new ceramic blade, and you didn’t hear about it because his camp tried covering it up quickly and quietly. If the music industry found out that three fingers were missing off ‘the golden one’, he would stand to lose a lot of business. He wouldn’t be able to play the piano, guitar or drums. He couldn't run the production board like everyone was used to. From what I heard they were trying to get the fingers surgically reattached. I never found out if they were successful.”
“So did you call the ambulance from his place?”
“I did not. I left his crusty... behind right there. He had seven perfectly good digits left to work with.”
There was a long silent pause, and Sidra tried clearing her throat but couldn’t get her voice above a whisper, so she decided to work with what she had. She whispered and prayed at the same time “Jesus help us!”

 Sidra knew she was wrong, but she couldn’t help laughing at Sidney’s words replaying in her mind the next day. Jensen called earlier to say that his friend Tim, also a lawyer, would meet with her to go over some documents she might find useful in helping to advise Sidney. When she arrived at the designated spot just outside the courthouse, there was a very smooth looking gentleman in a navy suit perusing a manila folder. Since he was the only guy around, she assumed he was Tim and walked right up to him with her hand extended. “Hi, Tim?”
“Yes, Sidra? Hi it’s good to meet you.”
“You too and thanks again for doing this. I really appreciate it.”
Tim flashed an earnest smile at her. “Oh, it’s no problem at all and don’t tell Jensen this, but he’d pretty much have my right arm if he asked for it.”
Hmm, loyal and cute. I wonder if he and Liz... She smiled back at him and tried to get her mind on track. “He told me that you two go way back.”
Tim gave a mellow laugh. “I hope he didn’t tell you everything.”
Sidra grinned at the thought of Jensen revealing too much information. She would never see the day. “And tell on himself in the process? I don’t think so. Are those the files you were telling me about?”
“Oh, yeah sorry, they’re all public records but I thought you could use them for background so you’d know what you’re working with, that is if you decide to take the case.”
There was a questioning tone in his voice that she left unanswered. She decided to shift gears instead. “That’s a pretty thick file to be just public records.”
Tim, recognizing when he was being put off responded appropriately. “Well our boy has been very busy. Since you’re a lawyer most of this will be self explanatory, but I wanted to point out a couple of things.”
“Sure, I’ll take all the help I can get while I'm here.”
“Good. Come on over here and we can spread out on this ledge.” They walked over to a tiled concrete wall encasing a large tree. The wall stood almost five feet so they wouldn’t have to strain their necks trying to read the small print. Tim had just pulled a few pieces of paper out of the folder when a loud commotion erupted at the other end of the courtyard. The noise grew louder as it moved closer. One voice in particular stood out above the crowd. 
“I know I don’t see what I think I see!”
Tim raised his right hand to his face and cupped his chin as if he were pondering some deep thought. There was something about his expression that froze Sidra in her place. She tried to decipher the look on his face, but she couldn’t read it. He actually distracted her from turning around. The noise was practically on top of them when Tim reached out for her hand, after securing it firmly he simply said “Sidra trust me. I’m right here, and I’ve got your back.”
The next thing she knew she was being spun around to face a frenzied mob of paparazzi with a very angry Mocha leading the group. The crooner had his right arm completely covered in a cast from longest fingertip to elbow. He looked Sidra dead in the eyes and still thought she was Sidney, although Sidra mused, that probably had something to do with the alcohol she smelled on his breath. He ranted and raved for several minutes with cameras capturing the whole tirade. He was screaming loud enough for the world to hear literally because at least two of the cameras were from international sources. Sidra had to agree with her sister on one point, the man definitely had a strong set of lungs. 
“What is this skank whore doing here? She’s supposed to be on house arrest with an ankle bracelet strapped to her leg.” He turned around to face the cameras. “Guys are you getting all this evidence on film so we can send her skeezy behind to jail where she belongs.”
MeeMaw's voice popped into her head right then 'This one's elevator doesn’t quite reach the top floor does it?' and she tried to suppress a grin. Mocha saw this and it only made him angrier. After another round of insults, Sidra decided that she'd had enough. She put on the most professional voice she could muster. “Excuse me but exactly who do you think you’re talking to?” Just as she expected he thought she was getting smart with him. Of course she was pushing his buttons, but the more the cameras could capture the rage he was capable of on tape, the less work would have to be done in the courtroom. 
He looked absolutely crazed as he drew a deep breath and screamed at the top of his voice range “I know who I’m talking to …”
Tim stepped up beside Sidra and cut him off right before he stuck his foot completely in his mouth but not before the cameras recorded what was needed. “Mr. Mocha, I’d like to introduce you to Sidra Lyons. She probably looks familiar to you because she is the sister of the defendant in your upcoming trial.”
Sidra knew this clip would be played all over the news and nightly entertainment shows for at least the next week. Hopefully it would remain in the public consciousness until the trial, which was scheduled to start before Christmas. 
Sidra jumped in while he was still stunned “Sister and lead attorney for the defense.” Mocha helped her make up her mind about taking on the case. In a way, it felt like she was protecting her sister from the playground bully except that she had big resources to back her up, at least she hoped she would. 
She felt like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and knew she was grinning like one. 
 All of a sudden Mocha didn’t look so grande´. In fact if she didn’t know any better Sidra would say that he was shrinking before her eyes. She knew his agents and managers were watching the broadcast wishing that they had accompanied him to the courthouse. He got very quiet and started looking at the ground like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. 
He had nothing left to say, but he didn’t have to say a word because the news reporters and paparazzi took over from there. “Ms. Lyons, Ms. Lyons can we get a statement from you regarding the upcoming trial?”
Sidra turned to the crowd and spoke confidently. “I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen, but I’m not prepared to give a statement at this time. My client and I will hopefully be able to address you together after the trial." She turned back around to the flashing lights with her Cheshire grin still in place and leveled her gaze on the man who had caused her sister so much trouble. “Mr. Mocha it was nice meeting you. I guess the next time we see each other we'll be in court." She paused before adding the last statement. "God bless you.” When he looked up he saw only sincerity in her eyes. She was very sincere about wanting God to bless him because she sensed he was going to need it. Sometimes God will break us in order to make us over, and that’s what she felt was in store for Herschel T. Mocha. 
Back in Tim’s office they finished going over the paperwork that they didn’t get to downstairs. She was thinking about what had just happened when she looked over at her new friend. "Tim? Why did you do what you did down there?"
He smiled. "Jensen."
"Excuse me?"
"Jensen. He told me that you were quick on your feet. I've learned to trust his judgment over the years, so I figured I'd put you in the spotlight."
Sidra shook her head. "You mean put me on the spot."
Tim grinned. "Sorry about that but you shined like the star he told me you were.” After she smiled he handed her every trial transcript, court decision and emergency domestic call Mocha had ever been a part of. She saw that there had been a significant increase in the number of incidents recently. Most of the incidents were related to disorderly conduct and driving under the influence, but he seemed to be covered in oil. None of the charges stuck over the last few years. Sidra was pondering this fact when Tim pulled her out of those thoughts. “I don’t think you could have asked for a better set up before the trial.”
Sidra nodded and smiled as she looked up from the folder she had just closed. “I know. I almost felt sorry for him down there. He did a great job of making himself look bad. The media sharks are going to have a field day showing that clip over and over.”
Tim took a seat behind his desk. “Yeah, I guess that old saying is correct, you should be careful what you pray for.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know if Jensen told you, but we’ve been praying for Hersch for quite a while now and I think we are just starting to see the manifestation to our prayers.”
“Ah yes, the 'by any means necessary prayer'. He’d probably be upset to know you were praying for him.”
“Yeah but he’ll be better for it in the long run. I’d rather see him embarrassed now than burning in hell for the rest of eternity.”
“True." Sidra gathered up any stray pieces of paper she saw and stuffed them into the folder. "Well, I better get out of here and get back to my siblings. Thanks again for all of your help.”
Tim reached inside his jacket as he walked her to the door. “My pleasure and here’s my card, feel free to call on me if you need anything while you’re here.”
“Thanks, I will.”
"And Sidra, for what it's worth, I think you made the right decision."
Sidra smiled over her shoulder. "I'm glad you think so because I'll be calling with your assignments very soon." Tim's laughter was the last thing she heard before the elevator doors closed.
When she arrived back at Sidney’s place the door swung open before her knuckles hit the wood. Sidney yanked her inside and held on for dear life. “Thank you Sidra, thank you, thank you. I promise I will try to pay you back.”
When she hugged her back Sidra noticed that her younger sister was shaking slightly. She hadn’t fully realized how much stress Sidney was under and was glad she could lift some of the burden off her shoulders. 
“No need. I’m going to try and get my company to do this case probono, meaning that you won’t have to come out of your pocket.”
Mike came up and hugged her next. “You handled yourself magnificently as usual. What made you change your mind about the trial?”
“He was getting on my nerves.”
Mike grinned. “Are you serious?”
“Yes that and he almost went too far with his language." 
“We saw that and then the dude behind you cut him off.”
“That was Tim, a college friend of Jensen’s. What’s funny is that Tim said he believes all of this is now coming about because the answer to their prayers is being manifested.”
Mike nodded with understanding, Sidney looked lost but interested. “Okay, this technically isn’t me asking about the Gospel, but you all have some terms I just don’t get. What does ‘being manifested’ mean?”
Sidra placed the overflowing folder with Mocha's information on top of Sidney's coffee table before she sat down. “Oh, sorry. The guy I’m seeing, Jensen and his friend Tim knew Mocha back in the day. Jensen and Tim have since given their lives to Christ, and they’ve been praying for your ex-. Now, God has been known to answer prayers immediately but usually it’s a process of prayers being answered over time. Even when God sends the answer we may not see it for a while depending on the circumstances. When we say ‘manifested’ it just means that the answer has crossed over into our realm from heaven and become something we can see or feel.”
Sidney shook her head right before she plopped down into her lush patterned occasional chair. The red and gold diamond patterned fabric looked as if it cost a fortune.
“So why would Herschel making a fool of himself on national TV be a manifestation of an answer to prayer?”
Sidra removed her shoes and slid back into her own chair. “Well according to the guys they asked God to get him on the right track ‘by any means necessary’, Sometimes God will allow bad things in our lives in order to steer us in the right direction.”
Sidney looked at Mike then Sidra. “That doesn’t sound like a very good God.”
Mike tried to break it down for her “Sid, say you had a toddler and you told him the stove was hot, and he would hurt himself if he touched it. You know he understands you but every time you put him down he heads for the stove. What would you do?”
“Everything possible to keep him safe.”
“Right, but he’s too heavy to carry around all day and he keeps climbing out of the playpen and after the forty-ninth time of putting him down you realize that he is hell bent on touching that stove. What do you do?”
“Something stronger than talking I guess.”
“That seems harsh.”
“Alright, I got you.”
“Yeah, either way he’s going to have to learn how to control himself. Whether you strap him to his high chair for a while or you make him stay in his room, he'll scream bloody murder. But the idea is if the lesson is repeated often enough and under the right conditions, it is very likely that he won’t try to touch the stove again.”
Sidney gave a half smile “Well, the toddler in this tale has already been burned. I sure hope the light bulb comes on for him before anything worse happens.”

CHAPTER 5

*********

 God I’m really hoping that this decision goes in our favor, but I want Your will to prevail In Jesus’ name I ask. Amen. Sidra stood up before the presiding judge and waited to hear his verdict on whether Sidney and Mocha’s case could be moved outside of Atlanta. This was her third trip here in almost six weeks. She was sick of commuting and desperately missing Jensen. Technically out of the almost six weeks she had only stayed 3 ¾ weeks in Atlanta, but it seemed like forever. Jensen had been very accommodating but was voicing his displeasure more frequently. 
It was a week and a half before Christmas and she didn’t relish the thought of spending the holiday down here. Thanksgiving had already turned into a whirlwind nightmare that she did not want to see repeated. She had flown home the night before. She hated to leave Sidney alone, but Sidney told her that she was expecting a couple of family members to fly in and celebrate with her. Sidra was home long enough to hit the spreads at her mama’s house, Amanda’s family and Jensen’s place. Jensen also took her to meet his daughter Kyra and Kyra's mother Leslie. She had only a few hours to herself the next morning before she had to head back to the airport. 
After the last trip, a huge mountain of a problem appeared. Tim had gotten word that the judge assigned to the case was rumored to be one of the officials on Mocha’s hidden payroll. The judge was a local hero and was as well known throughout the city as the mayor. With  nowhere else to turn, she and Mike called a prayer meeting via teleconference that lasted a little over an hour and stretched across five states and the District. 
A few days later the trial was pushed back a couple of weeks. A week after that, the judge was mysteriously reassigned. Sidra never did get all the details but heard something later about the powers that be not wanting a citywide scandal over Mocha buying favors in the system. 
The new judge turned out to be a man she recognized as an assistant professor from her first year in law school. She had only worked with him for a short time back then, but she remembered him to be uncompromising in his fairness. He had moved up the ranks over the last fifteen years and now stood ready to give his decision. He agreed with the argument that Sidney would not likely get a fair trial in or around Atlanta. He did not, however, agree that Washington D.C. was the best place to move it. He ordered Richmond, Virginia as the new venue. Thank you Jesus! 
It wasn't what they asked for, but Sidra felt good about the decision. From where she lived, Richmond was a little over an hour by car. That certainly beat flights between Hartsfield and National airports any day. At least she would be in her own bed every night and more importantly she and Jensen could get back on track. 
The judge also turned Sidney over to Sidra's care until the trial began. Sidney would still have to be on house arrest and wear the ankle bracelet, but she would be allowed to move in with Sidra until the trial was over which likely wouldn’t be for a few weeks. By the time the trial was over Sidra would have used all of her vacation time and then some but Jensen had talked the big wigs at the company into taking the case probono reminding them that Mocha was known all over the world and taking this case could only have a positive effect on the firms’ reputation as well as a major impact on the firm's bottom line if played correctly. They agreed, thankfully. 
Pulling up to her development, Sidra was glad now that she had picked a house in a gated community. She was able to call the housing association and forewarn them to expect a media frenzy in the coming weeks. She also asked them to alert the security guards on duty to ensure that the “Residents and guests only” policy should be in full effect until the trial was over. No media were to come past the gate. She also spoke to the guards at the gate and told them that she would leave a short list of people who could come see her without a phone call. If they weren’t on that list, she expected to get a ring alerting her that she had company. 
Usually the guards were pretty slack with this rule, but she couldn’t afford that now especially with Sidney moving in. Who knew what craziness Mocha might inspire. She shuttered when she thought about all the hair weaves she would have to clean off of the front lawn should Mocha’s fan club learn her address. 
*******
The next evening Sidra quickly got Sidney settled and shamelessly left her with Mike and Amanda while she drove to Jensen’s house. Kyra was there with front teeth almost grown in. The little girl was so excited about all of the presents under the tree that she barely sat down the whole night. 
While they were waiting for Jensen to finish dinner, Kyra tiptoed toward Sidra. With eyes the size of half-dollars, and a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Miss Sidra?” She ran both words together so that it sounded like one word ‘Misidra’. “Did you see all the gifts under my Daddy’s Christmas tree?”
Sidra had to laugh at the amount of reverence the little one exhibited. “I sure did, and I suspect that they’re all for you.”
Kyra flashed a snaggle-toothed grin and nodded vehemently. “Most of them, but I saw one with your name on it.”
Sidra didn't hide her surprise. “You did?” She had been so wrapped up in trial preparations that she had completely forgotten to do any Christmas shopping. She would need to take care of that soon.
Kyra took one step forward and placed a small, plump hand on Sidra's knee before breaking the news “Yes, but it was very small.”
Sidra couldn’t help herself. She laughed and scooped Kyra up in a big bear hug. “It’s okay Ky. Big girls like tiny gifts.”
Kyra looked baffled. “But why? You won’t be able to play with it very long.”
Jensen came in and led her away toward the dining table. “That’s enough pumpkin. You’re going to ruin the surprise.”
She climbed up into her chair and traced the maze on her placemat while Jensen fixed her plate. “But I didn’t tell her what was in the box. I didn’t say…”
Jensen spun around and with one raised eyebrow dared her to say anything more. She froze in the middle of her sentence and by the time he reached her with her dinner plate she was humming quietly to herself. Sidra joined them at the table and thought that she had entered heaven on earth. A peaceful dinner was followed by a chatty Kyra describing in detail the fax she sent to Santa. Sidra glanced sideways at Jensen who tried to hide a smile. Later Jensen would explain "One day she’s going to learn that Santa and her daddy have the same fax number. Until then, I’ll just sit back and enjoy her at this age for as long as I can." 
Sidra nodded thinking she would do the same and found herself wondering how old Kyra would actually be when they would eventually have to break the news. Startled by her own thoughts she walked toward the kitchen to clear her mind. She didn't know when she started seeing herself with Jensen for the long term, but some time during the last few weeks it had definitely happened. Over the past two months they hadn't been able to spend a lot of time together, but the nightly three and four hour phone conversations helped her feel like they really knew each. She briefly wondered if he felt the same way but had little time to dwell on it since she was being asked to read a bedtime story.
After making sure Kyra was asleep she joined Jensen on the sofa. They were wrapped around each other a few moments later. He felt so good. She nuzzled his neck, and her mouth was so close to his skin that he almost didn’t understand what she was saying. “I missed you soooo much.”
He smiled down at her. “I missed you more. I was going through withdrawal while you were away.”
“Yeah, right.”
He moved a wisp of hair out of her eyes before propping himself up on one elbow. “I’m serious. Last week, I was about five minutes away from chartering a plane just so I could see you that night.”
Sidra could feel herself radiating pure light. “Were you now? Well what happened? Because I don’t remember seeing you last week.”
He shifted on the pillow under him so that he could bring her closer. His fingers danced across her cheek then slid down to her chin. “Well, the phone rang and I found myself so wrapped up in the conversation that I hadn’t noticed three hours whizzing by. It was much too late to contact a pilot at that time of night, so I just closed my eyes while you were talking and imagined that you were here next to me.”
Sidra inhaled the words that flowed over her. "Well, I'm here now so feel free to pick up where you left off last week."
Jensen sat up slowly and reached for her hand "Well then, as I was saying last week since we haven't spent a whole lot of time together, I think we should look at going away for a few days. You know somewhere we can have some actual alone time together so I can get to know you even better. I know we've talked about almost everything under the sun, but there are some questions I still don't know the answer to.”
"Like what?"
"I wanted to have this conversation in a more romantic setting."
Sidra pushed him back and grazed her hand over his eyelids ever so lightly. "Sweetie, the romance is right here. Now close your eyes and imagine a beautiful hotel suite."
Jensen lifted his head off the pillow and opened one eye to look at Sidra before he felt the pop of her hand on the side of his head. "Ouch!"
"That's what you get and don't act like that hurt. Now focus, I'm trying to set the mood here." She continued after he closed his eyes and leaned back. "That's better, now are we on the beach, in the mountains or the desert?"
"The beach."
She spoke slowly and kept her fingers busy near his eyes so he wouldn't open them so readily. "Okay, so I'm in my bathing suit." The silly grin on his face made her giggle before she could continue. "The water is lapping up on the shore, and there are a few sea gulls overhead. The sun is out but starting to set, so it's not too hot. We're relaxing on the softest Egyptian cotton towels ever made. The sky is painted with the most beautiful colors you've ever seen, and we've just finished a delicious dinner of the freshest seafood available delivered by room service. So, what do you want to know?"
Without opening his eyes, he reached out and pulled her closer. "Well first, how long is it going to take me to convince you that we belong together permanently?" He ignored Sidra's sharp intake of breath and continued. "Secondly, I adore my daughter with all my heart, but I would love more children. How about you? Do you want kids and if so, how many do you want?" He kept his eyes closed, but he felt her sit up before he said, "finally and maybe most importantly, do you think you could live with a Cowboys fan because the Redskins don't do anything for me." After a full minute of silence, he started waving his arms above his head. "Hello? Anybody there? Did we get kicked off the island? What happened?"
When he sat up and opened his eyes he saw that Sidra was in a full-blown cry. "Ahh, geesh" He quickly pulled some tissues out of the rest room on the main floor and handed them to her. "Come on baby I don't take tears well. You okay?"
Sidra laughed and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind for the future."
He smiled and reached for her face rubbing a tear away with the pad of his thumb. "The future huh? When the tears were dry, he sat down next to her.. "I can see I caught you off guard so if you want to wait and give me an answer later I understand."
She shook her head. "No, I think I can manage now." She turned to face him. "So in answer to your first question, I won't need much convincing because I think I'm right there with you. Secondly, two sounds about right and as for your last question, I think I'll be able to get over it."
"Good answers counselor."
There was nothing left to say, so she just kissed him and sighed out of sheer bliss. 

CHAPTER 6

*********

The next morning didn’t start so wonderfully. Sidra woke up to sobs coming from the other end of her hallway. She thought she was dreaming for a moment forgetting that she had company. She quickly came to and grabbed her robe before she rushed to Sidney's room. "What’s wrong?”
Sidney looked up surprised. “Yes I’m fine and I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She was sitting at the small oak desk tucked into the corner. Her laptop was open, and it looked as if she had been checking her email. Sidra took a few steps into the room not wanting to invade her private space. Sidney gave a tired laugh through her tears. “I guess it all just hit me. I signed on to AOL this morning, and I see a split screen with you, me and Mocha in the middle.”
Sidra sat on the edge of the bed closer to the desk. “I wish I could say that I was surprised but from now on we are all a part of the circus known as celebrity life."
Sidney nodded dabbing at her tears. "I guess so."
"But look on the bright side, you’ll probably get to be on a reality TV show when this is all over.” The small attempt at humor lightened the air somewhat. Sidney clucked before Sidra went on. “Well since you’re going to be here for a while you might as well get comfortable. I know my place isn’t as nice as yours, but everything is at your disposal.”
“Sidra you have a nice place, it’s just that the walls are all white and everything is sort of monotone. No one can pick up on your style with that sort of color scheme.”
Sidra frowned. “I don’t even know what my style is. Your place is beautiful, and if I had your designer I might be able to figure out what I like.”
Sidney visibly perked up. “You’ve got her.”
Sidra stopped short to process what she had just heard. “You designed your condo? I would’ve sworn that you paid someone a mint to do that, along with another mint for the fabrics and furnishings. You are one talented lady.”
Sidney smiled and pretended to brush a fleck of dust off her shoulder. “Yeah well, I do what I can. And since I’m on lock down here for a while, I’d be more than happy to do your house. In fact it would make me feel better. I would feel like I’m giving you something back for what you’re doing for me. It would also keep me from going out of my mind.” Sensing Sidra's hesitation, she kept talking. "I found a great website where I can get quality furniture and fabric for a percentage of what you'd pay in a retail setting. Please let me do this for you."
Sidra leaned back slightly on the bed. “Alright, let's do it. Just let me know what you need to get started.”
Sidney released a huge sigh of relief. “I only need to know if you prefer a certain style, what colors you want to stick with and of course what your budget is.”
“I think earth tones with punches of color are beautiful. I love the art deco period and is thirty thousand enough to take care of everything?”
Sidney clapped her hands in glee. “Oh good, I love art deco too and that should be more than enough money for the whole house. I spent less than a third of that in my place.”
Sidra's mouth dropped open in awe. 
Sidney nodded “Yep, you just have to know where to shop.”
“Great, have at it. By the way, how do we look?” 
Sidney looked perplexed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean on AOL.”
“Oh you look great, nice suit and a good hair day. Of course my mug shot was the only picture they could find of me.”
“Well, if it’ll make you feel better, it’s the best mug shot I’ve ever seen. And all I can say is get ready. I think we are both in for the ride of our lives. And don't worry, by the end of the week they will have probably dug up almost every photo since kindergarten along with the fact that we just met. “ 
Sidney took a deep breath and Sidra knew what she was about to say wasn't good. “Yeah, about that…I took some pictures several years ago that may come up during the trial.”
Oh, here we go. Sidra shook her head. This is why she hated trials involving domestic issues. Every scandalous and sordid detail of both parties lives was eventually displayed for everyone to see. "How bad?"
“Let’s just say racy would be putting it mildly.”
“Oh boy. Alright we can deal with it. I’m glad you told me early enough. Since this is Friday, we can get a little work done before the weekend. Do you remember the name of the company you took those pictures for?”
Sidney nodded. “It wasn’t a real company. It was a sleaze bag photographer named Adam Hill. I met him before I started college. He walked up to me and my friends at Underground Atlanta when we were there touring colleges saying we should all be models. A couple of us snuck out of our hotel to meet up with my cousin and her friends who were in school there at the time. We got together that night and met up with Adam to take the photos. He paid us each twenty bucks but looking back I think he was paying for his own pleasure more than anything. We were young, intoxicated and stupid. We didn’t know any better.”
“How old were you?”
“I think I was just about to turn eighteen and my friend was sixteen, but my cousin and her friends were like twenty-one and twenty-two. Adam and I even hooked up a couple of times when I moved down for school. But his true colors started showing after a few months, so I made myself scare.”
Sidra got up to go back to her bedroom “Hmm, I think we can handle that. Let me get into the office and get to work. And while I’m thinking about it, there’s a credit card downstairs in the drawer next to the kitchen sink. I was about to cancel it, but you can use that to make your purchases.”
“Okie Doke.”
On the way to work Sidra called Jensen. “Mr. West, how are you?” They were formal because they had promised each other early on that their behavior at work would be professional. They were also pretty sure that upper management was recording all phone calls going in and out of the firm to cover themselves in case a ‘situation’ ever popped up. 
“I am well Ms. Lyons, how are you?”
“I’m good, but I have a potential crisis on my hands.”
His concern got the better of him, and he lost his professional tone quickly. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine, but my client just informed me that we need to make a pre-emptive strike to block some photos that she took in her youth.”
“I see.”
Sidra adjusted the volume on the radio before she continued. “Yes, the photographer’s name is Adam Hill, and she was underage at the time. He may have gotten rid of the photos by now but do you think you could get Tim to have someone pay Mr. Hill a visit and explain the consequences of child pornography possession, just in case he hasn’t?”
Jensen nodded in understanding. “I think that can be arranged.”
“I’d appreciate it. I’m on my way in and I’ll talk to you more about it then.”
Thanks to the new judge the trial was now going to start shortly after the New Year. She had accomplished a lot in Atlanta but still had a little more to do. She had just over two weeks left to put the finishing touches on Sidney’s case. She felt good about the case they had put together, but you never knew which way the jury was going to swing. She had lined up an expert she thought would corroborate Sidney’s testimony about not swinging the knife but still felt that something was missing. The icing on the cake was missing, but she didn’t know where to find it or even if it could be found. She prayed God would provide the missing link before it was too late. 
Sidra parked her car in the lot at the Metro station and grabbed her bag to get on the train. When she locked her car she thought she saw someone out the corner of her eye, but when she turned around there was nothing there. Figuring she was just moving too fast she double-checked to make sure her door was locked and headed into the station. Since it was early in the morning the platform was extra crowded, and there was barely room to move. 
During rush hour the average passenger is only given about three inches of personal space on a Metro platform but even with all the people standing around her Sidra could tell something was different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt a strange presence. She felt like she was being watched but talked herself out of it and boarded the train. By the time she reached her stop the feeling hadn't left completely, but it had subsided slightly. 
Several hundred people poured out onto the platform with her and they all ascended to street level. Emerging into the freezing cold people hurried to get into their heated offices. As she turned the corner to get to her building, she noticed a man in a thin black jacket and baseball cap. He looked out of place because it was twenty degrees and everyone else had on a long winter coat or at least a thick down jacket with a hat or earmuffs on. 
They locked eyes for a moment and there was something in his eyes that rattled her, but she told herself that it was probably a homeless guy looking for money. She rushed into the building faster than she usually would have and jumped into settling the final details of the case. Sidra managed to get a lot done that morning and didn’t come up for air until lunchtime. 
Shortly after noon she called Liz and asked her to meet at the bistro in the basement of the building. After she hung up with Liz, she received a call from the front desk saying she had a package waiting for her that needed to be picked up. She called Liz back and told her that she would meet her at the front desk in the lobby downstairs. Sidra wondered who would send a package to her office. She knew all documents relating to trials went to the administrative staff, and Jensen wouldn’t risk sending anything to the office, so she was at a loss. 
Sidra worked her way out of the elevator across the polished tile floor and around to the front desk. “Hi Charise,” she smiled at the lone occupant behind the desk as she spoke. 
“Hey, Ms. Lyons. Here’s the package I called you about.” She handed over a medium sized manila envelope with tape over the flap. Sidra's name was scribbled on the front in large letters. She thanked the woman as she took the envelope out of her hand. It felt rather light, and she wondered that someone took the time to bring it in rather than just drop it in the mail for a few cents. The contents slid out and Sidra's hand flew to her mouth. 
“Sidra what’s wrong?” Liz came up behind her after hearing her breath catch. 
“I don’t know.” She turned back to the front desk. “Charise, where did you get this from?”
“A little man just dropped it off.”
She gasped again. “What did he look like?”
Charise shrugged. “Medium height and thin build, nothing remarkable about him really except he was wearing a summer weight jacket. I thought that was kind of strange considering how cold it was out there.”
Sidra's shoulders slumped. “Was it black? And was he wearing a black baseball cap?”
Charise nodded slowly “Yes. Shoot, I knew there was something wrong with that guy. I’m so sorry.”
Liz grabbed the envelope out of Sidra's hand before she could stop her. “Liz!”
Liz glanced down and went into overdrive. “Sidra this is not right! You need to call the police.”
Sidra tried to take a deep breath. She was already on edge and Liz wasn’t helping. She probably could have been nicer, but she was barely keeping herself together. When she turned to look at Liz, she spoke through clenched teeth. “Will you please keep your voice down.” She slowly turned back to the front desk trying to get her bearings. “Charise there is nothing to apologize for. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Liz, angry about being chastised in front of a stranger a moment earlier, raised her voice purposely. “She may not have done anything wrong, but you definitely need to do something about it.”
Sidra was exasperated and starting to feel sick. “Why are you yelling?”
Liz yelled louder “Because I’m concerned about you. Why are you acting like this isn’t a big deal?”
Sidra reached for Liz's shoulders and turned her around so that they were facing the same direction and had the same point of view. “Because I didn’t want to end up on Daily Access tonight.” Liz seemed to come back to herself when she noticed the three people holding camera phones pointed in their direction. The videographers were made up of one deliveryman, one cafeteria worker and one member of the cleaning crew; all of whom could benefit from the money received from selling the footage to a gossip magazine or entertainment show. 
Jensen and a manager from the accounting department walked up just in time to catch Liz’s conniption. The expression on his face clearly told that he was trying to assess the situation before jumping in. Three nearly hysterical women pretty much summed up the situation. Liz was yelling, Sidra was shaking, and Charise was looking terribly worried. 
He walked toward Sidra slowly. “Is everything all right?” When he reached for her shoulder she flinched. 
“I’m fine.” Sidra walked away toward the elevator thinking she would rather not breakdown in front of the camera phone operators. 
Liz dropped her head. “Sidra I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
Jensen took the envelope out of Liz’s hand and glanced over the contents before running to catch up with Sidra. She was already in the elevator when he stuck his hand between the closing doors. Standing in the corner she tried to understand what was happening. All she knew for sure was she couldn’t get enough air. Someone tried to come behind Jensen and enter the elevator, but he stopped them before they walked in. He let the door close, hit the top button and came over to the corner she was leaning against. She was gulping for air, but she still couldn't catch her breath. 
“Sidra breathe.”
She nodded at him to let him know she was trying. After several moments he could see she wasn’t making any progress, so he dumped his wrapped lunch on the floor of the elevator along with the envelope and put the empty paper bag over her nose and mouth. He held onto her tightly with one arm while the other hand held the bag firmly in place. He spoke calmly in her ear while he held her up. “Everything is fine. Just slow down. I’m right here, and everything is under control, but I really need you to take a deep breath.”
She laughed at his calm tone in the face of her hysteria, but she was also laughing at the absurdity of the situation. The short intake of air was enough to interrupt the hyperventilating, and she was able to take a few deep breaths. He leaned his forehead into hers. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She spoke into the paper bag. “Can I breathe outside the bag please?”
With foreheads still connected, Jensen moved his head slowly from side to side. "I'm sorry but no, at least not yet. Take three more breaths please.”
“And why do I need to do that?”
“Because you just lost a good amount of carbon dioxide and I don’t want you to pass out.”
Sidra inhaled like she was told and he lowered the bag just as the elevator doors opened. She didn’t recognize anything when the doors parted but stepped out into a tiny area painted a stark white with a keypad next to the door. 
“Where are we?”
“The greenhouse on the roof.” He scooped his lunch up off the floor, stuffed it back in the bag and picked up the envelope. After entering a code on the keypad, he pushed the door open. “We are going to have a nice, private lunch while you tell me about these photos.”
“Jensen, I really don’t want to talk about that right now.” She looked around and then looked back at him. "How did you get access to this place anyway?”
He shrugged, “Manager privilege I guess and I know you don’t want to talk, but we need to get your facts straight before we call the police.”
“What! What do you mean the police?” She ran her fingers through her hair. “We don’t need the police. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for this and if we just find it we won’t need to involve the police, right?”
If Jensen thought she’d suddenly gone mad, his face didn’t show it. “Girl, don’t make me put this bag back on your head. You can’t receive pictures of yourself taken the same day attached to some creepy biblical reference and think everything is fine. The police need to be brought in.”
She sat down on a bench in the rooftop greenhouse. It was a balmy seventy-three degrees and the lush greenery went on for yards. “Jensen I think I’m in over my head.”
Jensen handed over half of his gourmet chicken sandwich to her. “Sidra, you have everything you need inside of you to make it through this.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. And I know you’re going to be fine after we make sure you’re safe. Now please tell me what happened.”
She told him about the morning commute and about feeling like she was being watched. She also told him about the guy in the thin black jacket. “That’s all I know. There isn’t much to tell.”
He took a bite of his sandwich before he continued. “But baby, these pictures start with you pulling into the Metro station and go all the way to you walking into the lobby here. You’re telling me that you didn’t see a camera? And did you see that note? ‘I have yet one thing against you.’ That sounds like some freaky Revelations thing.”
“Jensen I saw the note.” She put the sandwich down on the bench and gathered her things. “I’m ready to go.” She stood to leave.
He jumped up. “Oh baby, I’m sorry. That was incredibly insensitive of me. I just… got carried away.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around her drawing her to him. 
“Yeah, well it’s different when you’re the one being stalked. You can’t just sit and discuss it objectively.”
He squeezed her tighter. “Please forgive me. My mouth moved before my mind did. My mother used to warn me about that.” Sensing her fear he pulled her closer. “Sidra, nothing is going to happen to you.”
Her pleading eyes focused squarely on him. “How do you know that?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “I just know.”
She got as close to him as she possibly could and laid her head on his chest. “Last night I would have agreed with you, but right now I don’t know. How do we know this guy isn’t waiting outside to follow me home? Or how do we know that Mocha didn’t send this guy to scare me into dropping the case?”
Jensen stiffened at the idea of Mocha being involved. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll call the police and then send you home with a police escort. You can work from home for the next couple of weeks. When the trial starts, security will be doubled at the courthouse. I’ve already spoken to the mayor of Richmond about it. Sidra, please don’t worry. I will personally sleep at the foot of your bed if I have to. You will be safe.”
Almost an hour later the police came just as Jensen predicted. They took her statement and drove her to her parked car at the Metro Station. One officer said that he would follow her home to make sure her house was secure. She tried to explain that it wasn’t necessary because she had an alarm system and lived in a gated community.
“Ma’am, I’d still like to come if you don’t mind.”
When they arrived at the gate, the officer got out of his squad car to speak to the security guards. 
“Good afternoon gentlemen, I’m Officer Beam. I was wondering if you’ve had any unusual occurrences today or visitors that may have seemed out of place?”
One of the guards kicked his stool back to stand up. “Nothing out of the ordinary, just two trucks from the gas company.”
Officer Beam looked at the other guard. “Did you check ID’s before you let them through?”
The guard looked down at his shoes momentarily. “Well no, I mean it was just the gas company.”
Sidra watched Officer Beam walk back to his car to place a call. She heard him ask for confirmation about utility trucks in the area earlier. He came back about five minutes later with a wary look on his face. 
“Ms. Lyons, you may want to consider full time police protection for the next week or two.”
The security guards, who hadn’t looked at her since their admission to the officer suddenly got very busy. 
Officer Beam continued, “The gas company confirmed that a truck was sent out to an address on Houston Drive in this development earlier today, but only one. They can’t explain the discrepancy. I’d almost bet that this incident is somehow related to the media but the fact that they got through so easily has bigger implications.”
She knew he was talking about the strange little man in the black jacket. On the verge of tears, she massaged her temple to soothe the pounding that had started again. “Officer, if you wouldn’t mind following me to my house, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes ma’am, that’s what I’m here for.”
She dug her cell phone out of her purse while they stood at the gate. “Sidney? Hey, I’m right around the corner. I have company with me and just wanted to make sure you were decent. By the way, did anything unusual happen today? Really? Hold on, I’m putting you on speaker. You there?”
Sidney’s voice crackled through the airwaves. “Yes. Like I was saying, a truck from the utility company pulled up in front of the house this morning. Someone even knocked on the door, but I didn’t open it. I figured since everything was working properly and you didn’t tell me that you were expecting anyone, I didn’t need to open the door.”
Officer Beam nodded his graying head and smiled. “Good girl.”
Sidney continued “Although for as long as the truck stayed out there you should expect to see some pretty good footage of your house on Daily Access tonight.”
Sidra sighed. “That’s not all they’ll have.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll be there in a sec. I’ll tell you then.”
When they arrived, Sidra filled Sidney in on the events of the day while Officer Beam walked around the house. He returned just as she was finishing. 
“Everything looks secure, but I’m still going to suggest to the sergeant that you have protection until this is resolved.”
Sidra acknowledged her consent. “That’s probably best. I’ll be working from here for the next couple of weeks, and the trial starts a few days after that.”
The officer looked back and forth between the sisters as Sidra spoke, but his gaze was trained on Sidney. “Are you all right miss?”
Sidra looked over at Sidney who was leaning back into the sofa. Since Sidney didn’t answer immediately, Sidra answered for her. “I just told her about the envelope I received this afternoon. She’s probably just soaking it all in, right Sidney?”
Sidney slowly raised herself up off the couch. “I need to show you something.”
*******
It’s raining men, hallelujah, It’s raining men, Amen! Sidra knew it was silly, but that was the first thing that popped into her head when she carried the pot of coffee and stack of mugs into her living room seventy-two hours later. She tried to think positively about why the four local officers and two FBI agents were seated around her sectional. The up side was that, generally speaking, they were a good-looking group of guys. Having been recently single she knew six attractive men in one room were nothing to sneeze at. The bad side was she had six guns in her living room and no matter how attractive their owners the guns were ugly reminders of what was happening around her. 
When Sidney came downstairs the other day, with an envelope that looked like the one Sidra had received from the strange little man, she and the officer both went still. Sidney pulled out photos of herself attached to a note. It was another biblical reference. Her note said ‘Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.’ 
She stuffed the photos back into the envelope and handed it over to the officer. 
“I had a feeling this was somehow going to come back up. These were taken about two weeks before the incident with Herschel, and it was actually the fifth package I received. The other four had strange notes also. It actually started about a year and a half ago. I was scared out of my mind at first but after the second time when nothing happened I figured it was just some freak with too much time on his hands.”
Sidra looked at the pictures and note Sidney had just handed over. “Did you ever contact the police?”
“Yes, but they couldn’t do anything. They had no leads other than the photos and the notes. They dusted for prints and found nothing. It got to the point that I would just forward a copy of the stuff to the detective working the case.”
Officer Beam was on the phone in a matter of seconds. That call turned into several calls over the weekend. Once it was confirmed that the handwriting samples were from the same person, those calls found their way to FBI headquarters and that turned into the party in her living room. Officer Beam had come earlier to introduce the four local officers that would be providing round the clock protection for Sidra and Sidney but left right afterward. The men sat around for quite some time discussing the facts as they knew them. There wasn’t a lot of information to go on. The detective in Atlanta had been contacted on Friday, and he forwarded all of the information sent in by Sidney. Even with all of that information no headway had been made. 
The doorbell rang around 8:00 A.M. and one of the FBI agents, Derek went to open the door. Jensen appeared taken aback when the door was opened. He stepped back to look at the house number like maybe he had the wrong address. Sidra had spoken to him over the phone the day before, but that was before she had been made aware that she would have visitors. The agent just coming in to the case had no idea who Jensen was or why he would be coming to her house. “Yes, can I help you?”
Sidra spoke up before Jensen could. “Derek, this is Jensen. He’s okay.”
Jensen walked past Derek looking rather annoyed. He headed straight for Sidra and gave her a quick kiss and a longer embrace. In fact, it was noticeably longer than usual. “Hey baby.” His hand traveled well below her waist and came to rest on her behind. Sidra told herself that she shouldn’t go off on him because he was just marking his territory as guys are wont to do when they lose their minds in the midst of a perceived competition. She smiled graciously while removing his hand and giving him the evil eye all at the same time. 
“Hey.” It was all she could manage to get out. 
Sidra locked eyes with him and just like that he came to his senses. The old Jensen was back. Clearing his throat, he pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to her. 
“I think we figured out who your stalker is.”
With that one statement he garnered the attention of everyone in the house. Jensen turned toward Sidney “Or I should say your stalker.”
Sidra opened the envelope and caught her breath. “That’s him!”
The envelope was handed to Sidney who had a somewhat different reaction. “Adam?”
Derek and the other agent, Trent, stood over her shoulder looking at the photograph of Adam Hill pulled from the law firm's security camera. His driver’s license photo confirmed that it was the same man. Sidney spoke quietly, almost as if to herself. “He’s lost a lot of weight.”
Derek looked at Jensen. “Wait a minute. You just lost sixty-seven percent of the room. Can you start over, starting with who you are?”
Sidra stepped between the two men. “Sorry guys.” She looked between Jensen and the rest of the men in the room. “I think you all need to be caught up. Derek, this is Jensen my boss and significant other.” She looked at Jensen. “I told you about Sidney receiving the envelopes with pictures and biblical notes?” He nodded. “Well, after we got off the phone officer Beam called in reinforcements, so we have two FBI agents and four of the metro area’s finest to help with the investigation.”
She looked at Derek next. “And you know that we’re preparing for the trial against Mocha?” He nodded. “Well, Sidney asked me to follow up with a photographer, Adam Hill, who had taken some risqué shots of her and another girl when they were underage because we didn’t want them popping up during the trial. I guess Jensen can take from here.”
Jensen stepped forward. “I called Tim, a lawyer and friend in Atlanta and asked him to go pay Mr. Hill a visit. He took a police officer with him to Mr. Hill’s home and when he didn’t answer the door, they walked around the property because something wasn't sitting right with either Tim or the officer. They spoke to a few neighbors and discovered that Mr. Hill hasn’t been seen since you two have been up here and has had his lights on some type of timer. The officer called and finally got a warrant early this morning and guess what they found.” Jensen pulled out another envelope and handed it to Derek, but he looked at Sidney and Sidra when he spoke. “You two probably don’t want to see these. It’s kind of sick really, but I can tell you that there is no doubt that he is the guy we're after. Tim said they found a match to the handwriting samples along with pictures of Sidney going back about two years, There were also pictures of Sidra in Atlanta from the last several weeks along with a couple hundred DVDs full of pictures that they haven't gone through yet. The lead detective’s contact information is also in there.”
Both sisters spoke at the same time. “Wow.”
Jensen nodded and looked back at the officers and agents. “Yeah and that’s not all. If you open that envelope you’ll find that he also manipulated the photos of both ladies. He cut and pasted their faces onto pornographic images. The guys in Atlanta figured the FBI would be getting involved so Tim faxed all this over this morning. They wanted you guys to know what you’re up against. The authorities in Atlanta aren’t sure where this guy’s head is concerning Sidney and Sidra. That he is obsessed with them is obvious. They’re just not sure whether his traveling up here means he’s going to act out on his obsession.”
Sidney and Sidra looked at each other with trepidation. Derek glanced at the contents of the envelope before he spoke. “Well at least we’re not completely in the dark. We know who we’re looking for. According to experts on the subject there are six different kinds of stalkers but one person may fall into more than one of the six categories. I think we have enough information to figure out what kind we’re dealing with.” The look that passed between the sisters didn’t escape him either. “Don’t worry ladies. You’ll be completely taken care of. But I would suggest that you don’t go visit any family members or friends for a while. We don’t want to give this loon any more ideas than he already has.”
Later, Jensen made it clear to Sidra that she could come to his house at any time.

CHAPTER 7

********

What a Monday, and it wasn’t even nine o clock! Sidra had spent all day Sunday in her room praying, meditating and reading her Bible. She eventually went to church that evening but came right back and meditated some more. She was trying to find a state of mind where she could shut all the noise out. A stalker on top of the media attention she was already receiving because of the case would have been a lot to deal with for anyone. She knew if she let the craziness get to her that she would be overwhelmed. The stares she received at church didn't help, but she tried to take it all in stride. Pastor Johnson had finished his series on relating to God and others when she was in Atlanta. Sunday night's message was titled "Finding Peace in the Storm." 
There was a message from Liz waiting for her when she returned from the church service apologizing for the scene in the lobby. Sidra decided to wait a while before calling her back. She was mostly over it but still wanted some time before she had to talk to Liz. 
Sidra stayed on the phone most of Monday trying to finalize trial details. She wanted to make sure all of the scheduled witnesses would be where they were supposed to be at the right time. That afternoon she called to confirm the travel arrangements of the medical expert they had secured. Dr. Arms had received his initial training in the emergency room at a medical facility in downtown Detroit but had been practicing medicine for the last twenty-five years in Atlanta. He was chosen because he had testified as an expert in dozens of trials over the last decade.
He was asked to review the evidence to corroborate Sidney’s story that she didn’t swing at Mocha with the knife but just held it front of her. She still wasn’t sure how all this was going to play out in court because Mocha had never released any details to the media about losing three fingers. As far as the world knew Mocha was the same gifted, ten digit- possessing musician and producer he’d always been. Sidra wondered whether Dr. Arms would even make it to the stand. 
Travel plans were also confirmed for the teams' surprise witness. The witness was labeled a surprise because Sidra wasn’t sure until recently whether the person would agree to testify. Her name was Martina. She was Mocha’s ex- and mother of his only daughter, Asia. She did have minimal contact with Mocha because of the child but had dropped the paternity suit against him a few years ago. She said that after seeing what he was really like it would be better if she raised her little girl alone, even if that meant no financial help. He in turn shuttled a few hundred dollars her way every few months or whenever he thought about it but never asked to see the child, which was fine with Martina. 
The amount was nowhere near what he would have paid in child support had it been court ordered. It worked out to approximately four checks a year for the child who looked just like him and apparently the only one who had shown any sign of his musical gifting. Martina said it would be a cold day in hell before he’d ever know anything about the angelic singing voice and three instruments Asia had developed an affinity for, and all at the age of seven. 
Martina made Sidra swear that she wouldn’t bring up anything about Asia during the trial. She would only talk about her early years with him, but she was concerned he or his team would bring up the fact that he was paying some money for Asia. Sidra assured her that if his law team had half a brain put together, they would tell him to keep his mouth shut about Asia; as it could potentially cost him several hundreds of thousands of dollars based on his most recent album sales. 
It took a few weeks but during Sidra's last trip to Atlanta Martina finally agreed to testify mostly because she didn’t want to see Sidney go down for self-defense even if that meant what little money was coming in would soon stop. Sidra knew the young mother was still skittish, but after speaking with Martina there were several sad stories to choose from. Apparently Mocha's violent streak had been showing itself in his relationships for at least the past decade. Once Mocha’s dream team found out about Martina they did everything in their power to block it, but the judge agreed that her testimony would give a first hand account of why Sidney may have needed to protect herself. Sidra just hoped Martina didn't back down before the trial. If she could just warm Martina's cold feet, things should go in their favor.
All the work for the trial was completed by Monday evening, and as much as Sidra complained about staying in Atlanta it had afforded her the opportunity to get a ton of research done. Liz had helped out and sent what she asked for by email so wrapping up only took a couple of days once she was back in D.C. Now all she had to worry about was a crazy stalker who was also fond of taking snap shots.
Monday evening the sisters sat in front of the TV and watched a three-minute clip about themselves on Daily Access. They started with Mocha of course and his troubles with the law over the last few years. They moved on to Sidra and Sidney giving a brief background on each one. School age pictures and sound effects made for a well-rounded piece. The story mentioned that they were half sisters raised in different households, but they hadn't figured out that the two sisters just met or least didn't mention it. They ended the segment with facts on the up coming trial. 
Sidra was surprised that she didn't see the camera phone footage taken in her building on Friday. She wasn’t sure if they didn’t have it or whether they were waiting to get more information to do a bigger story with it. 
After making sure Sidney would be fine Sidra had dinner with Jensen that night. Two officers followed her over to Jensen’s house while the other two officers stayed outside her house to make sure Sidney was looked after. The goal of both squads was to get to Adam Hill before he got to either one of them. Both women felt much better knowing the police were around to protect them.
After dinner Jensen peeked out his front window. “Are they going to follow you everywhere?”
Sidra stopped what she was doing to answer what she thought was a strange question. “Until the guy is caught yes, you should be happy about that.”
“I am. It’s just so invasive.”
Sidra put her glass down and turned toward Jensen. “You do know that you’re not the one being followed, right?”
He walked over to the wall closest to the front door. “You know what I mean.”
He turned out the lights in the living room so that the only light illuminating the room was carried over from the chandelier in the dining room then came and sat down behind Sidra on the sofa. He massaged her shoulders for a few moments. “You know, Liz asked about you at work today.”
Sidra felt herself relax under his expert touch. “Hmm? Oh yeah I guess I should call her back.”
Jensen kept kneading as he spoke. “She thought maybe you were still mad about the other day.”
Sidra shook her head. “No, not really, I mean they didn’t even show the footage tonight. I guess I just haven’t really felt like talking about it.”
“That’s understandable, but you should think about giving her a call. She’s really worried about you.”
“I know. I’ll call her.”
His massaging hands worked their way down her neck to the base of her spine. After several minutes he moved one hand to her neck while the other hand stayed just above her hips. Neither hand stopped moving. There was no talking, only smooth jazz playing on the stereo in the background. Jensen had fixed a gourmet meal for dinner and Sidra felt sleep creeping up on her. She was on the verge of crossing over into la-la land when she was leaned back into his chest. Her nostrils inhaled his cologne and the last things she saw on her way to oblivion were the fresh tulips he had picked up a few days ago. She closed her eyes, and everything seemed to drift further and further away with the music. 
Jensen whispered some endearments before she felt his tongue slide down her ear canal. She arched her back so her lips could reach his. His hands slowly started sliding upward, and she turned to face him so she could get closer. It seemed that the temperature in the room shot up twenty degrees in those few seconds. She thought she heard moaning but wasn’t clear on who it was coming from. Things got out of control quickly and when she realized what was happening she looked down to see her top four buttons undone. 
“Jensen…”She tried to pull away, but his fingers found their way into her hair, and she was kissing him all over again. “Jensen…please, we have to stop.” She could have been speaking Greek for all he knew or cared for that matter because there was no reaction from him. She pulled away with all the strength she had left. “Jensen! Derek is not here.”
He stopped and took a few deep breaths. “What?”
“You’re acting just like you did this morning at my house when your hands were all over me. You have the same look in your eyes, but Derek is not here for you to be jealous of so just stop it.”
When she looked into his eyes she saw something that she didn’t like. There was desire to be sure and given the circumstances she could make peace with that, but there was something else there; something significantly darker that she couldn’t read. When he got himself together she was gently pushed up and away so that she was standing in front of him. He didn’t look at her right away but sat quiet for a moment then dragged his hand from the top of his head to his chin. 
He spoke quietly. “Sidra, I’m sorry. My actions today had nothing to do with Derek.”
Sidra was dubious. “So we go for a couple of months with you acting like a perfect gentleman and then all of a sudden you can’t control yourself enough to keep your hands off me or stop when I ask you to?”
After several moments when he didn’t answer she tilted his chin upward so that he would have to look at her, but he wouldn’t open his eyes. She wasn’t sure where the conversation should go after that, and since he wouldn’t even look at her, she decided to leave. While she buttoned her blouse and grabbed her coat off the rack, she never took her eyes off of him. She was aching to talk to him, but he wouldn’t budge. Something was bothering him badly, but he had put up a brick wall that she couldn’t move past, not tonight anyway. She walked out of the house without a word and into the night air that was still and crisp.
Sidra noted the temperature and the stillness and thought they were probably in for some snow. She looked over at the squad car and saw that one officer was asleep while the other one was watching her walk to her car. They followed her home without incident. When she arrived home she looked around noticing something was different. It took her a while to figure out that a new large mirror, some new throw pillows and oversized vases had worked their way into her living room. 
Sidney must have put them in the room after she left for Jensen’s house. Those few items brightened the whole room. She didn’t realize that such simple changes would have such a huge impact. I guess little sister has been keeping busy after all. Sidney was relaxing in her room when Sidra arrived, so she decided to pop her head in and say goodnight. 
“Hey girl.”
Sidney's whole face brightened. “Hey yourself, come on in. How was dinner?”
Sidra slouched into the room. “Humph.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” She sat her purse down at the door and went to go sit on the bed. “I see I picked up a few new things in the living room.”
Sidney smiled. “Yep, I’ve ordered mostly everything already, just looking for a few things for your master suite. Oh and I found this great place near here that delivers items to your home the next day. By next week you should see a big difference. It’ll look like a whole new house the week after that when I add the color on the walls.” Sidra's smile gave Sidney a reason to smile. “And you will be happy to know that I am way under budget.”
Sidra raised a hand that united with her sister's in a high five. “That’s my girl. I can’t wait until it’s finished. By the way I'm headed to the kitchen to see how many calories I can get down before I go to bed. Want to join me?”
"Sure."  
They went to the kitchen, pulled the ice cream out of the freezer and the Oreos out of the pantry. 
Sidney noticing the sad face wondered what was going on with her sister and spoke up. "Sidra if you want to talk about what happened tonight, I’m here.”
Sidra smiled ruefully as she scooped the ice cream into bowls. “Thanks but you wouldn’t understand.”
Sidney reached for the hand she had just slapped in celebration upstairs. “Try me.”
Sidra dug the ice cream scoop out of the drawer before she turned around. “It involves God talk and I know you don’t want to be bothered with that.”
Sidney hesitated a moment then decided to open up. “So, don’t read more into this than there is but I’ve been a little more curious about that whole thing since I’ve been here.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I watched your church service on the internet this past Sunday, and I enjoyed it. It’s just that I’m still a little conflicted about everything I’ve been through, you know?”
Sidra moved closer. “Yeah, I do know. Trust me when I tell you that we have more in common than you think."
“Oh, I thought…I mean you seemed to be one of those people who's had what they call a charmed life with little or no problems."
Sidra laughed. "I have what church people call 'the favor of God' on my life, but it's only been like that for the last few years."
“But since then, everything’s been peaches and cream until you met me?”
Sidra smiled and shook her head before swallowing a day’s worth of calories in some countries. “No. Nowhere near it. God isn’t insurance against bad things happening to you. They still happen, but you just know that God has your back while you’re going through it. One Sunday I just made the decision that I'd rather live my life with God than without so at the end of the service I went down to the front of the church and told God I was ready to relinquish control to Him… of everything.”
“Hmmm. That's a scary thought for me. When you don't have control ...”
Sidra understood what she was trying to say. "Yeah, it was scary. I won't lie and tell you that it wasn't. But it was worth it."
“Well if you still have to go through bad times what’s the use of giving your life to God?”
“Sidney, God isn’t here to snap his fingers and clear up our problems. In fact, that’s backwards. We’re here to live for Him. He put every single person on the planet because He has a plan, a destiny if you will, for us. The problem is most people get so involved in themselves and their lives that they never get around to discovering His plan. Rich people get bogged down with being rich and everything that being rich entails and poor people get bogged down with being poor and the circumstances that arise from a lack of money. Even some church people get bogged down with church and miss what God is saying to them.”
Sidney grabbed a couple of cookies to go with the rest of her ice cream. “I never thought about it like that. I guess I just always looked at what people didn’t get from God instead of what God doesn’t get from us.”
“Yeah, we just need to learn to go to Him with our troubles because He’s the only one who can really do anything about them.”
“So, whatever happened with Jensen tonight can’t be fixed by going to God?”
“It can and it will but I’m just not sure what I’m up against exactly. In the big scheme of things it’s not a big deal.” Sidra paused debating whether to tell her what happened. She knew it had the potential to open a whole new can of worms, but since Sidney seemed open to talking about God she figured that she might as well jump in while the water was warm. “It’s just that we almost had sex.”
“And?”
“You may not get it, but we’re trying to do this God’s way. We had already decided that the only way we were going to have sex is after we’re married if we get that far.”
“Sidra I’ve seen the way he looks at you, you two are definitely on the way to jumping the broom. So what’s the problem if consummation happens a little earlier in the timeline?”
Sidra took a deep breath. "Well there's this whole thing about becoming one. You actually meld your body, soul and spirit to someone else's body, soul and spirit when you have sex. And then there's the fact that God sort of has this fixation with blood covenants."
"What?"
Sidra chuckled. "I'll try to find the history of the wedding ceremony in ancient Israel for you. A couple’s first sexual experience is supposed to represent them entering into a covenant. They used to stone the bride if she couldn't produce evidence that she was a virgin."
"What kind of evidence?"
"Blood from the hymen on the honeymoon sheet type of evidence."
Sidney looked worried. "You're not serious?"
"Yeah, actually I am but back to me and Jensen. Marriage is supposed to be forever. That’s why it’s important to really consider what you’re getting involved in and who you’re getting involved with.”
“Hmmm, I wish I had known that earlier, but I’d always heard that God’s love is unconditional.”
“God’s love is unconditional, and it always will be but if you want to be blessed the way He promised there are certain conditions you must meet. There’s a New International Version of the Bible on the top shelf of the closet in your room." 
"Is that a different type of Bible?"
“Sort of. It doesn’t have all the ‘thee’s and thou’s’ in it. It might make it a little easier to understand. Anyway, read the twenty-eighth chapter of a book called Deuteronomy when you get time.”
“I just might do that.”
“Good, now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and do a hundred and fifty sit-ups.”
“You and me both.”
They cleaned up the kitchen and headed off to bed. Sidra knew it was under adverse circumstances, but she was glad Sidney was there with her. She was definitely starting to look at her more like family instead of just a houseguest. 
*******
The next day they noticed an increased police presence around the neighborhood or at least around Sidra's house. When she stepped outside to ask if everything was alright she was assured that all was well, but no other information was offered up. Since all the work for the trial was finished, she relaxed with Sidney and looked at everything that had been ordered for her house. Sidney was right when she said that it would be beautiful. She definitely had an eye for design.
That afternoon Sidra realized it was after 1:00 p.m., and she still hadn’t heard from Jensen. Since she had been working on this case, he had called every day with any office updates she may have needed or just to give her any news he had picked up about Mocha. He didn’t call today. She wasn't going to call him and grew tired of waiting for him to call. By 2:30 P.M. she was bored and looking for something to do, so she called Liz. 
“Hey Liz, it’s me. You got a minute?”
“Umm not really, can we talk later?”
“Oh sure, yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll try to stop by on Thursday and Sidra, I really am sorry about the other day.”
“I know and it’s alright. And I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you.”
“It’s Okay. I’ll see you later.”
Christmas was only a few days away so that afternoon she finished wrapping the gifts she hadn’t been able to get to over the last few days. She had gone out on Saturday and bought three of the most adorable outfits for Kyra that anyone had ever laid eyes on along with the required toy of course. Sidra couldn’t wait to see the little girl’s face when she opened the packages. She still hadn’t heard from Kyra's father, which was starting to concern her. 
The more Sidra thought about the other night the more confused she became. She tried to reconcile the two faces of Jensen but couldn't. She had only seen a glimpse of the 'new' Jensen, but she didn't like him. It was as if she was dealing with two completely different people. Over the last couple of months, Jensen had proven himself to be very communicative almost too much on some days, so she was at a loss with this current behavior. Could she have been wrong about him from the beginning? She had only known him a short time, and she had to admit that two months was not a long time to get to know someone... But she had been so sure. I guess time will tell.
Looking back over the last few months though, she had to admit that minus the whole stalker thing, and the last couple of days, they had been the happiest of her life. She also had to admit that she didn’t want that to end. Ordinarily she would have cut off a relationship over not hearing from her partner after an argument, but she wanted this relationship to be different. It had started off as the best relationship she'd ever had, and she wanted to see where it could go if it were maintained correctly. 

Liz stopped by after work a couple of days later. She brought Jayden with her who Sidra hadn’t seen since Mike’s wedding. When Sidra opened the door, Jayden raced up the concrete steps and leapt into her arms. 
“Godmommy!”
Sidra squeezed and tickled him at the same time. “Hey little man! Oh you’re getting so big, I can hardly pick you up anymore.”
“Guess what?” He answered his own question before she could. “I’m going to be five soon.”
She tickled him some more enjoying the way it made him laugh. “I know. You have to make a list of what kind of presents you want for your birthday but first things first. Go find your Christmas present under the tree. Look for your mom's too. I don't want you to forget them when you leave.”
He ran off laughing in delight.
Liz walked up with two prettily wrapped boxes of identical size. “You need to stop spoiling him Sidra.”
Sidra put the gifts to the side and held her arms open. The two friends embraced for several moments before either one moved. “Come on in.”
“Thank you. It’s cold out there. I think I saw a few snow flakes on the way over.” She hung her coat on the rack and turned back to her friend. “Sidra I really am sorry.”
“Like I said on the phone, it’s all good.” Jayden came back trying to carry a large box several inches taller than himself. The sight surprised Sidra so much that she screamed out his name. "Jayden!" He froze where he was standing about to topple over with the box. Sidra and Liz rushed to him laughing all the way. Sidra reached him first and grabbed the box away from him. He looked frightened, and Sidra realized that her outburst must have scared him. He just stood there looking up at them with big, beautiful brown eyes. Sidra leaned down and kissed him. "I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself.”
He puffed his little chest out when he looked up at her. "I wasn't scared Godmommy!"
Liz shook her head, and Sidra smiled down at him. "Of course you weren't. What was I thinking?"
"Yeah. I just didn't want mommy to forget my Christmas present."
Sidra nodded. “I understand.” She wanted to get him out of the way of any adult discussion that might happen and made plans in advance. “Jay, why don’t you go up to my room and watch a movie? I put a couple of your favorites on the bed. You remember how to turn on the TV right?” His feet were moving before she finished the question. 
“Yes, thank you!”
She turned her attention back to Liz who was taking in the new décor. “Wow Sid, It really looks great in here.” A few more things had arrived earlier that day and Sidney had already started testing paint colors in the living room. “Yeah Sidney and I are bartering room and board for designer décor.”
Liz gave a short laugh. “I think you ended up with the better side of that deal.”
She smiled as she escorted Liz into the newly decorated room. “I agree but don’t tell her until she’s finished.”
“Sooo… how are you dealing with all the stress? I know I didn’t help any.”
Sidra nodded, teasing her somewhat. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty huh? Look Liz You apologized and I accepted so I’d really rather not keep bringing it up alright? How about we just move forward?”
Liz nodded with tears welling up in her eyes. “You got it.”
“Good. So are you ready for Christmas?”
Liz looked down and a tear escaped.
Sidra rushed to her friend. "Liz, what's wrong?"
Liz wiped at the tears running down her face. "Robert is acting like an idiot again. He won't send child support because he has 'some things coming up'. He sent Jayden a pack of cards from the dollar store. I know because I looked."
Sidra was outraged. "What? Liz why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried, but you wouldn't pick up your phone."
Sidra's breathing stopped. "Oh God." Her tears started flowing as freely as Liz's. "I've been so wrapped up in myself. You came over here apologizing to me, and I should have been asking for your forgiveness." She walked over and embraced Liz in a fierce hug. "Please forgive me Liz. I am so sorry. If I had known..."
Liz smiled through her tears. "Sidra, there's nothing to forgive. We've both made mistakes, and we're both going to move forward as you said."
Sidra nodded. "Now tell me about the idiot."
Liz shook her head. "No. I don't want to talk about him. I was stressed out there for a while but the good thing about you not calling me back is that it forced me to take it to the Lord in prayer as the old folks used to say. I sat down and started reading my Bible and came across a few verses I've been living on the past few days."
Sidra walked with Liz arm and arm into the kitchen, and they both sat at the little round table waiting for the teakettle to whistle.
"Which verses Liz?" As she was speaking, the water for the tea reached its boiling point, and Sidra grabbed a couple of mugs out of the cabinet. She set the two mugs down on the table.
"Galatians 6:7 through 6:9."
Sidra recognized the verses as some of her mother's favorites. She lifted her mug and pointed it in Liz's direction. She held it there until Liz did the same. When their mugs clinked together, Sidra said, "Here's to due season."
Liz smiled. "Yeah, we just have to keep the faith."
Sidra sipped her tea and thought about Jensen. "Right. Keep the faith."
Over the next hour, they sat around and chitchatted while Sidra prepared dinner. Jayden needed a light snack before dinner was done, but he barely took a break from the TV. She handed Liz a knife half way through the conversation and was caught up on all the office happenings while they chopped and diced the food for dinner.
“So what are you and Jensen up to this week?” Liz asked innocently as she wiped her hands on her apron.
Sidra had almost forgotten that Liz didn't know about the current situation between her and Jensen. She had almost forgotten that it had happened at all. Explaining what was going on wouldn't be easy because she wasn't quite sure she knew herself, but she knew Liz would understand. She started to explain what was going on when Daily Access started. In the shows’ opening comments, they ran down a list of the stories the audience could expect to see during the next 30 minutes. It was during that time that the familiar split screen with Sidra, Sidney and Mocha popped up promising new developments. 
She and Liz looked at each other with apprehension. Sidra called for Sidney and asked her to come in from the other room. She came in holding a hand full of swatches and paint samples. Sidra made the introductions between Liz and Sidney quickly before she broke the news. “We’re about to be on TV again.”
The light radiating from Sidney's face dissipated as if someone flipped a switch. “Oh.”
Sidra continued. “Yeah, and they said something about new developments.”
Fifteen minutes into the show the timer on the oven sounded, and they still hadn’t seen the new developments that were promised at the start of the show. When a commercial break came on, Liz ran upstairs with a bowl full of gumbo, a homemade roll and a towel for Jayden. She made it back just in time to hear them say the story they had been calling "Mocha’s Misery" would be shown right after they aired the story on everyone’s favorite starlet and her most recent jail sentence. 
That gave them enough time to fix their own dinner and get settled before the story came on. Finally, the footage taken in the lobby of the law firm by the camera phones popped up on the screen, and the entertainment show declared that they ‘broke the news’ that the sisters shared the same stalker. There were two separate sets of footage from the phones that actually looked pretty good. Next they showed a picture of Sidra going to Jensen’s House being tailed by the police. Sidra's mouth was just forming itself around a piece of andouille sausage when they announced that Mocha had just held a live press conference. They flashed a grainy picture that showed the embattled star on a hotel platform in Atlanta with dark shades on. He was saying something about his fans seeing big changes when the camera pulled back and showed his legal team and entourage. 
It took a few seconds before anyone noticed. Sidney was the first to lean forward. “Is that…?”
Sidra was concentrating on what Mocha was saying trying to see if she could pull something out to use against him during the trial when Liz hollered out in surprise. Sidra had barely chewed her mouthful of food when the heat from the sausage hit the back of her throat at the same time she saw Jensen standing behind Mocha. The spice in the sausage caused her watering eyes to snap shut. They refused to open for what seemed like a full minute. 
When the heat finally cleared and her eyes were released from their captivity, she tried to speak. "Did I just see..?" She never finished the question because Liz and Sidney started nodding before she had to. They watched the whole segment without moving. When the segment was over, Liz and Sidney turned to look at their host. They both had the same questioning look in their eyes, and she knew what they were asking. Sidra answered their unspoken question. “No, I didn’t know.”
Sidney excused herself and almost ran upstairs to her room. Liz just sat looking as bewildered as Sidra felt. Liz was filled in on everything that had and hadn’t happened between Sidra and Jensen over the last week. 
They joined hands and prayed before Liz and Jayden left for home.
"Keep the faith Sidra."
 At that point, there was nothing else to do except hope and pray. The phone rang just as she was finishing up the last of the dishes. The caller ID flashed Jensen’s cell number on the screen, and as she dried her hands on the dish towel she debated whether or not to pick up the phone. Her curiosity got the better of her and she knew she would regret it later if she didn’t, so she picked up right before it rolled over into voicemail. 
“Hello?”
He sounded relieved “Sidra hi, I thought for a second you weren’t there.”
“I’m here.” She knew she sounded like she was annoyed, but she was determined that whatever he got out of her tonight he was going to work hard for it. 
He cleared his throat. “Right, ummm. We need to talk.”
“Ya think?”
“Sidra, please. I’m trying to be a big boy here. Could you work with me a little?”
She puffed out a breath of air. “Fine, when?”
“Ah, well my plane gets in tomorrow but I have some last-minute running around to do for Kyra so can we make it Christmas morning?”
“Fine.”
After she finished up the kitchen, she climbed upstairs to check on Sidney who had disappeared shortly after the Daily Access segment on Mocha. Sidra knocked on the door gently because it looked like the lights in the room were out. Sidney answered after the second knock. 
“Come in.”
The door swung open after Sidra's gentle push to reveal an immobile form under the covers in a completely dark room. 
“Hey, you okay?”
Sidney sounded miserable. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore except that my life is swiftly going down the toilet.”
Sidra reached for the light switch and saw Sidney cringe. 
“Sidra please don’t, I have a migraine and the light will make it worse.”
“I’m sorry, you want me to come back later?”
“No, we can talk for a minute, it’s just ...I don’t know what there is to say except I’m in a boat load of trouble. The day we arrived and you left me here with Mike and Amanda we ended up talking about you and Jensen.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I’m sure Mike was trying to make me feel better when he said he did a little research on Jensen without your knowing of course.”
“That booger.”
Sidney gave a little laugh and grabbed her head at the same time. “Don’t tell him I told you, but the reason I bring it up is that Mike said the only thing he found on the internet about Jensen was that he could outargue every opponent in the courtroom he had ever been up against. Mike said he had seen you in action and assured me, that between the two of you, I was in the best position possible. He even wondered what the outcome would be if you two were pitted against each other. But now I’m wondering the same thing. What happens now?”
“I don’t know.” Sidra took a deep breath. “Jensen called, and we’re supposed to talk the day after tomorrow. I’m not going to jump to any conclusions until I know for sure what’s going on, but I am going to pray.”
“Do you think God will hear me if I pray?”
“Of course He’ll hear you, but I should tell you that just because He hears us doesn't mean we're guaranteed the outcome we want.”
Sidney whispered in the dark “Okay. Can we finish up later my headache just took a turn for the worse.”
“Yeah, sure.” The door was closed quietly as Sidra backed out of the room. A prayer was sent up for her sister as she walked toward her own room. Truth be told, she was praying for herself as much as she was praying for her sister. She felt just as disoriented as Sidney did. She decided to turn in early since she was starting to get a dull ache on the left side of her head as well. 

The next day was Christmas eve, so the two sisters decided to take a real holiday and lounged for several hours in their bathrobes and slippers. They made hot chocolate and popped popcorn and gathered a few more things to add to the tree that had been placed next to the fireplace a few days earlier. While they were stringing the popcorn and the cranberries to hang on the tree Sidney gave Sidra the best Christmas present she could have ever wished for. 
“Sidra, I’m ready.”
“Ready for what sweetie?”
“To give my life to God or ‘get saved’ as you all say.”
“You’re serious?” Sidney nodded and was promptly pounced upon by her older sister. Sidra gave her the biggest hug she could muster. They laughed and danced to the Christmas tunes pumping out of the stereo until they collapsed on the sofa.
Sidra munched on a mouthful of popcorn as they settled down. “So what changed your mind?”
“Well you guys kinda got to me with all your prayer meetings and God talk and you managed to answer all of my questions without throwing a Bible at me.” She paused. “That and… I’m really scared about what could happen in my very near future.”
“I understand. I’m a little concerned myself, but I’m just believing that God will work it out. There is a scripture that says ‘without faith it is impossible to please God.’ So, you want to believe with me?”
Sidney nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. First, to become a Christian all you have to do is say a short prayer, and you’re there.”
“Ok, I've done a little reading, and I knew I had to say a prayer to do it.”
“Good, the prayer we’re going to pray is based on the ninth verse of the tenth chapter in the book of Romans. It simply says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, then you will be saved. So…you ready?”
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
“Good, then repeat after me. God I know that I am a sinner. I repent and ask for your forgiveness." 
 Sidney bowed her head and repeated the words.
Sidra paused to take in the moment. She was always awed by the miracle of rebirth. "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he came to earth and was crucified to pay for the sins of man."
Sidney repeated softly "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." She stopped suddenly and looked up with misty eyes. "Sorry, I missed the last part."
Sidra seeing that her sister was on the verge of tears reached out for her. "I'm sorry, I tried to squeeze too much in that time."
 Grasping Sidney's hands she continued. "I believe that Jesus came to earth and was crucified to pay for the sins of man."
Sidney closed her eyes and repeated the phrase.
Sidra smiled and closed her eyes also. "I believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and now has all power."
Sidney went on. "I believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and now has all power."
Sidra prayed,"I accept Jesus as my Savior and the Lord of my Life.”
She waited for Sidney to repeat the words then went on, “And I ask You to send the Holy Spirit to guide me."
"And ..." When Sidney didn't say anything Sidra looked up to see a look of confusion. "Holy Spirit?"
"I'll explain later."
Sidney shrugged. "I ask You to send the Holy Spirit to guide me."
Sidra closed her eyes again, and Sidney followed her leading. "Please help me grow in wisdom and faith. Please bless and protect me." 
Sidney repeated the words and Sidra felt her hands shake a little, but she continued. "And give me the strength to change my ways. In Jesus name, I ask. Amen.”
“Give me strength to change my ways. In Jesus name, I ask. Amen.”
When the prayer was finished they both opened their eyes, and Sidra had to blink a few times to adjust hers back to normal. It almost looked like Sidney’s face was glowing for lack of a better word. It's probably just the light coming from the Christmas tree.. 
Sidney wiped the tears from her eyes and looked over at her sister. “Sidra?”
“Yes?”
“Holy Spirit?”
“Oh yeah, well you know that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Sidney nodded “Right.”
“When Jesus left or ascended to go be with the Father, He sent the third part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to be with those of us on earth. He’s the one that comforts us and helps us understand the things of God.”
“Oh.”
Sidra wasn’t quite sure Sidney understood and made it a point to find more information on the subject for her later. They did a celebratory toast with sparkling cider and finished decorating the tree. After watching a couple of old movies the day was over. 
The second movie ended about 10:00 that night and as if on cue the phone rang three minutes later. Jensen wanted to know what time he should expect to see Sidra in the morning.
She had to pull her mind away from tearjerker she'd been so wrapped up in before she could answer. “I’m going to church early so we could meet after that.”
“Me too. What time does your service start?” The sound of his voice made her want to rush over to his house, but she told herself to be strong.
“Seven.”
“Ours starts at six so I’ll have about an hour's head start over you. Why don't you come over here when your service lets out? We can do breakfast.”
Sidra didn’t know what to say. She tried to come up with something, anything at all but nothing came to mind. He doesn't contact her for days then with no warning he shows up on TV behind a man who’s turning her and Sidney's world upside down, and now he just wants to do breakfast? Jensen sensed the problem and tried to break down the wall that had been erected over the last few days. 
“Baby listen, I know I have a lot of explaining to do, and you’re going to hear it all; probably more than you want, but please just meet me in the morning and I'll clear all of this up.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
He sighed harder. “Thank you.”
She nodded out of habit but knew she needed to say something. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yes and Sidra?”
“Yes?”
“I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He gently hung up the phone but she couldn’t. Sidney looked over when she heard the incessant beeping of the phone from the other side of the room. “Sidra?”
"Hmmm?"
Sidney grinned at her sister. "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again." 
Sidra didn't understand what she was getting at but then realized she was hearing the same thing from the phone in her hand. Embarrassed, she slammed it down on the base. "Oh, sorry."
 “Yeah. You just went away and left me here alone for a while, but you’re back now. So tell me about your trip.”
Sidra plopped down across from Sidney.
When she didn't say anything, Sidney picked up a Cranberry and threw it across the room. “So what’d he say?”
Sidra ducked just in time to miss the little, red missile. “What did who say?”
“You know you’re not fooling anybody, right? That look only shows itself when one of a few things happen. We can rule out the first forehead kiss and the first jewelry gift because Jensen isn’t physically here. So that means either he told you that he loved you for the first time, or he planned a ridiculously expensive romantic get-a-way.”
Sidra shook her head. “How do you do that?”
Sidney looked wistful. “Let’s just say I’ve been around the block a time or two and men are very simple creatures at heart. They usually don’t stray too far from the known path. So which one was it?”
“He said he loved me.”
“Mm hmm, generally I would warn against falling for it but Jensen is different from the guys I usually date.”
Sidra gathered her feet under her. “You can tell that from just the few minutes you spent with him?”
Sidney nodded. “Yes. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I know there’s something different about him ...like an honesty or a clarity I don’t normally see.”
“Yeah but he’s not been himself lately and then I’m not really sure I know what the true Jensen is really like. I guess I got kinda caught up. I mean we’ve been talking about a future together, and tonight is the first time he’s told me that he loves me. I don’t know what to think.”
 “Sidra I know his behavior has been suspect for the last few days, but I really think he's a good guy. I want you to keep an open mind when you two meet alright?”
“Yes mother.”
Sidney wagged her finger in Sidra’s direction. “Make fun if you want but a guy like that doesn’t come along very often, and I know you know what I’m talking about.”
Sidra yawned. “You’re right, I do know what you’re saying, but we need to talk about it at a later time because I need to get up early to make service tomorrow. I know it’s going to be packed.” She stood up and reached out her hand to pull Sidney up. “I wish you could go.”
Sidney stood up and stretched. “Me too but I’ll be there in spirit and online.”

The next morning Pastor Johnson preached about allowing the baby Jesus to grow up in your life. Not the usual Christmas sermon but Sidra could appreciate where he was coming from. She dropped by the bookstore to pick up something for Sidney before she drove to Jensen’s house. Since it was Christmas Day, the police officers assigned to protect her and Sidney created a different schedule where they switched off every few hours so all of them could spend time with their families. 
Only one officer drove behind Sidra and waited in the car while she entered Jensen’s house. The other officer stayed stationed at her house. Before the door to Jensen's house was opened, the aroma of breakfast reached her and her mouth began to water. When she reached the top step Jensen opened the door and grabbed her hand to pull her inside. She inhaled deeply. The house smelled of waffles and fresh fruit along with a hint of bacon and eggs. He removed her coat before he turned her around to face him. She started to say something, but he spoke first. "I promise I will explain Mocha's press conference and my behavior and anything else you want to know but please let's just have breakfast first?”
She thought it over for a moment and then nodded. "Alright."
He breathed a huge sigh of relief much like he did on the phone the night before. He swallowed her up briefly in a bear hug before kissing her forehead and letting her go. “Thank you.” He took her hand and led her toward the sofa. As she sat down, he headed for the kitchen and came back with a tray under a huge amount of breakfast food. She and Sidney had snacked most of the day away yesterday with no real food, so she was very happy to see that tray coming around the corner. Sidra dove in and he left again. This time he came back with coffee and orange juice, which he set on the coffee table in front of her. After making sure she was settled, he grabbed two brown grocery bags and headed for the front door. 
“There’s only one cop today,” she hollered out between her mouthfuls of waffle and bacon. 
He stopped to smile at her. “That’s alright. He might be hungry.”
Sidra would have been ashamed to admit it to anyone, but she had almost finished the entire plate by the time he got back in the house a few minutes later. His eyes grew big when he saw that most of the food had disappeared. "Hungry, huh?”
She gave a short burp in response. It snuck up on her, and she covered her mouth out of surprise as much as embarrassment. “Excuse me.”
They both laughed. He had a twinkle in his eyes when he walked toward her and said “You’re excused.”
Sidra leaned back feeling like she was about to drift off when Jensen pulled the tray off her lap and set it on the coffee table. “No ma’am, not today.” He pulled her forward slightly so that she was sitting up straight. “You ready?”
She nodded slowly, apprehension building.
"Good." He stood and took a couple of steps back. “I just want you to listen, okay? Don’t say anything until I finish. Let me get it all out, then you can curse me, or cut me, or walk out, or do whatever you want to do. Alright?” She nodded again. He walked over to the mantle and pulled off two small but beautifully wrapped packages. One was the size of a little jewelry box, and the other was the size of a tie box. He spoke carefully as if he was reciting a memorized speech. He nodded toward the jewelry box. “This is an engagement ring.” She opened her mouth in shock and not really planning to say anything because she didn’t know what to say, but he thought she was about to interrupt. “Not ‘till I get done please.” She closed her mouth, folded her hands and sat quietly. 
He nodded toward the bigger box. “This box contains two tickets for a two week trip to Europe with stops in Rome, Madrid and Paris. Separate rooms of course and the tickets are good for up to eighteen months from now.”
Men are basically simple creatures at heart. They usually stick to the known path. Sidney’s words came rushing back. I have got to start hanging out with that girl more. 
Jensen continued “You can choose one or both, but I need to share some things with you so you can make an informed decision.” He paused to check her reaction. 
She was a rock, mostly because she was in shock. She barely blinked, so he went on “I know it’s only been a short time since we've known each other but the last few months have been the most exhilarating and at the same time some of the most frustrating months of my entire life and it has all been due to you. I feel like since we’ve been together I’ve actually been living my life not just existing. I don’t think I was really living before we started dating and I don’t ever want that feeling to end which is why I want you in my life always."
Sidra leaned back into the soft cushions and stared up at him, her mind immobile. He seemed oblivious to her state of mind and kept talking. “I want to be there for you, to protect you and love you. I don’t ever want to be separated from you again.” He started out slowly but as he went on his cadence picked up speed, and by the end of his speech all of his words tumbled out so quickly that she had to strain her ears to distinguish them. She seemed to be having an out of body experience and watched as he sat down next to her on the sofa. “Sidra, do you understand what I’m saying?”
It took her a moment, but she nodded. “I love you too.”
Tears welled up in his eyes. “Thank you but I need to show you all of me because you’ve only seen a part of me up ‘till now.” He rubbed his head. “I’m not sure where to start so I’ll just start from the beginning.” He stood up and paced back and forth before looking at her. “When I was eleven years old I was introduced to pornography by a neighbor who was a few years older than me. It started me down a path that turned into a twenty-year journey. Most of that time was very dark for me. I got caught up in an addiction I couldn’t shake. By the time I reached college my life was spiraling out of control, but I hid it well. I was skipping class to watch triple X movies, and it had to be the grace of God that I even graduated with decent grades but again, I was a very good liar, so no one really knew I had a problem." 
He caught his breath and continued speaking. "The addiction continued through law school and by the time I started in the work force the internet was going strong, and I was basically waking up to watch porn. But then I met Jesus and I started to see that I could get out of that lifestyle but to get out, I had to do something that I hadn’t done before which was to tell someone about my struggle."
Sidra was completely engrossed in the story and forgot her promise not to interrupt. "Tim?"
He shook his head. "No, I found an older guy at my old church who had been through the same struggle, but he beat it. That accountability is what allowed me to break the cycle. He stayed on me like I owed him money. I had to report to him every week. I stopped watching restricted movies in the theatre and at home. I’ve installed some software on my computer that flashes a not so gentle reminder if I try to go to a porn site or even if I stumble across one accidentally. I only have basic channels installed on my cable box because anything else will get me in trouble. It took me several years, even with Jesus in my life to get it under control, but I’m free of that now or I was. I mean I still am, but well…since I never really told Tim about my issue he sent those photos that Adam had doctored not knowing it was going to cause me a problem."
He watched her face slowly light up with understanding. "When I picked up the photos and saw your face on a nude body... I know I should have dropped them immediately, but I didn’t. I looked at all of them and lingered when I should have run. When I got to your house that morning, yes Derek pissed me off but only because he was one of a handful of men I didn’t know in my girl’s house. When I walked up to you all I could see were those vile photos. When you came over here that night it was like I was right back where I was ten years ago, and I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. That look in your eyes is what snapped me back into reality. I had to fight with myself to get out of that place, but I kept thinking about you and how you make me want to be a better man so I fought and I’ll keep fighting like I did again this morning. I am determined that I’m not going to give in to this when I have so much to live for.”
Sidra had been sitting there quietly until he said the last line. She lost it. She started sobbing almost uncontrollably. How many times had she caught the guy she was dating looking at porn or even seen it herself because her boyfriend wanted to watch it and then been nonchalantly dismissed when she voiced an objection. Funny thing is they all offered up the same excuse ‘but all guys do it’. Now here was a man saying she was worth getting over porn. 
She had almost made up her mind to grab both boxes on the coffee table until she remembered choking on gumbo in front of her TV the other night. 
He slowed down long enough to take a deep breath and look down at her before handing her a tissue. “You still with me?”
She dabbed her eyes and nodded at the same time. 
“Good, then we can move on to part two. So, I was at home a few days ago trying to clear my mind of pornographic thoughts when my phone rings. Hersch was on the other end babbling about wanting to do the right thing and live for God, but it was so hard and he didn’t know if he could do it. He was thinking about killing himself just to ease the pain. He was drunk, but I didn’t want to write it off as just the liquor talking, so I hopped on the next thing smoking and got down there as soon as I could. I couldn’t leave him in that state because he and I were going through the same struggle right then.”
He used his thumb to swipe at a tear on her face. “I was talking to myself when I was telling him to hold on and that a good life was waiting on the other side of the right decision. For all intents and purposes, we were the same person that day, and I wasn’t ready to give up on me. You understand? I couldn’t leave him like that. I couldn’t leave myself like that.”
Sidra never stopped crying. She just nodded and dabbed her eyes with an already soaked tissue. He put the whole box in front of her and waited until she got herself together. 
He made sure she was fine before he started talking again. “Tim and I got him sober and stayed up talking with him all night. By the time the sun came up he'd prayed the sinner’s prayer again, but I think he was really ready to let go of the things that were holding him back last time around. Tim prayed while I layed hands on him and by the time he got up off the floor Hersch was speaking in tongues.”
Her water fountain had slowed to a trickle, so she was able to speak clearly enough to be understood. “Praise God! Sidney accepted Christ last night too.”
“Thank you Jesus! This whole thing may turn out for the best after all.”
Sidra hoped so. “So is he still planning to press charges against Sidney?”
He absent-mindedly placed his hand on hers. “We’re still working on that part. We all but got him to admit that Sidney was just protecting herself, but he’s still mad. She hurt his ego along with his hand. But I’m not giving up hope. God hasn’t had the last word yet.”
“True!”
Jensen sat down next to her and pulled her close. “I hate to change the subject and I know I haven’t given you much time to process everything but what do you think about what I’ve just told you? I wanted you to be aware because getting free from the grip of pornography was not a quick or easy thing to go through last time. It may not take as long this time, but I can't be sure of that.”
He didn’t look at her directly when he spoke. She reached out for him, but he was looking at the ground even after he sat down. She placed one hand on either side of his face and tilted his head up so he had no choice but to look into her eyes. “I think”, she said, “It made me love you even more.”
He was still going over what she’d said when it dawned on him that she wasn’t angry. “Really?”
She nodded “Yes, really but I think you should tell Tim about your struggle and I think we should start looking for a counselor or therapist that we can both start seeing.”
“Whatever you say.” He showered her face with kisses for several moments before he looked up with a puzzled expression. “Did you just say both?”
She smiled at him admiring what he’d just done. It takes a lot to bare your soul to anyone but especially to someone who has the ability to reject you. The doubts she'd felt earlier began to melt away. “Since there’s a ring on the table I’m assuming you’re ready to take this relationship to the next level?”
He hid his face in his hands for a few seconds then reached for the smallest box on the table before getting down on one knee. “Sorry, I guess I went a little out of order. Sidra Lyons, I know that we’ve only known each other a short while, but I am absolutely sure that I love you with all my heart, and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears flowed once more. She was overflowing with happiness, but her old nagging concerns rose to the surface quickly. Was she moving too fast? He had rocked her world with his disappearing act more than he knew. Yes, his explanation was touching, but what if it happened again. “Jensen I love you so much and nothing would make me happier, but I need a little time before a wedding happens. I mean I just don’t want to move too fast.”
“Oh, okay... We can slow it down a bit. You choose the pace. Does that work?”
“Yes.”
He unwrapped the box and slipped the brilliant diamond ring on her finger. The next couple of minutes were a happy blur until the subject of his daughter came up. She naively expected the rest of her week or at least the rest of her day to take place on cloud nine. Her short trip to heaven lasted all of three minutes before she came crashing back to earth. “Did you tell Ky yet? I can’t wait to see her face. Between this and the presents I got her, she’s going to be tickled pink. When is she coming over?”
The room was suddenly a strange sort of quiet. She looked from the ring back to Jensen who was looking down again. “Umm, the thing is... Leslie doesn’t want you to come near Kyra until this whole mess with Adam is concluded. You understand, don’t you? She doesn’t want there to be any chance that Adam will get near you when Ky is around.”
The pronouncement felt like a blow to the chest. She leaned back into the chenille sofa as she wiped the lone tear falling down her cheek. “For a moment I had forgotten that all of this was going on, you know? Like my life was normal again before I learned who Adam Hill was. Leslie’s right of course. I’ll bring her presents over later so you can take them to her. I just…”
“I know.” He embraced her and held on tighter than he ever had. “Baby I’m so sorry you have to go through this. All of this, even my stuff but I do know that God wouldn’t have led you down this path without a cause. I’m sure the forest is so thick it can’t be seen for the trees right now, but God will use this adversity to bless you and I’ve got a feeling a lot of others before it’s all said and done. So just hold on alright?”
She nodded and was suddenly very tired when she realized that she had experienced just about every emotion there was to experience in the space of a couple of hours. “I think I’m going to go lay down.”
Jensen chuckled and nodded. “You can use my room.”
“No, I don’t want to leave Sidney alone for that long by herself. It won’t take that long for me to get home. Plus I don’t want to leave the officer here for that long when the other officer is sitting at my house. If they have to work, they may as well have someone to keep them company.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about them. By the way, I fixed breakfast for Sidney. Here, let me get the bag.”
When he came back, Jensen grabbed her coat off the rack and helped her into it on the way to the front door. He tried to kiss her, but she ducked around him and walked toward the coffee table. She slid the tie box off the table and into her coat pocket. She touched a light kiss on his cheek before she eased out the door. 
He did as the officers asked and didn't escort her to her car. Law enforcement thought that either of the women being seen with other men might put Adam in an unpredictable mental state. On her way down the walkway she yelled back, “Your present is under my tree. You can drop by to pick it up when you get time.”
As she turned, she saw him smile and shake his head. “That’s my girl.”

CHAPTER 8

********

 When Sidra arrived back at her house, she saw a strange car parked in front of her house. The officer tailing her noticed it too and directed her to stay in the car while he checked with the officer who had stayed to watch Sidney. He got out of his patrol car with one of the brown bags Jensen had given him earlier. When he came back to her car he, informed her that Sidney had family visiting with her. He also sent along the thanks from the other officer for the breakfast Jensen had sent. 
“Oh I wanted to warm that up for him.”
“Ms. Lyons, I think he’ll be done with that plate by the time you get over to the patrol car so that probably won’t be necessary.” He turned to walk away and then turned back. “I also wanted to offer my congratulations on your engagement.” She had just taken her gloves off to fish for her house keys. 
“It’s Sidra and thank you. You’re good.”
He gave a sly smile as he walked away. “Just doing my job ma’am.”
When Sidra walked into the house she noticed that Sidney looked a little tense. There was one older woman and two younger women seated in her living room. The younger women looked to be a couple of years younger than herself and Sidney. She spoke to everyone but looked at Sidney when she walked in. “Hello everyone.”
Sidney jumped up from the sofa looking relieved. “Sidra, you’re home. Hi! Let me introduce you to my cousins Alisa, Lisa for short and Anita. And this is my Aunt Meena.”
Sidra walked toward the aunt first with her hand extended. “Hi Miss Meena, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Miss Meena looked her up and down before her top lip curled into a half snarl. “You do look a lot like her. I was expecting a little more from you though. You looked more polished on TV, but I see you’re just like the other one, like your sister.” The three younger women looked horrified. Sidra studied the older woman closely. Maybe she has early onset Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Miss Meena continued. “It’s your father’s fault. You two really didn’t have a chance. I’ve been telling the other one for years no matter who your mother is, it’s the father’s seed that makes or breaks the child.”
Sidra lowered her hand and put on her Cheshire grin. Today is the wrong day and dementia or not she’s got to go. She walked back to the coat rack and grabbed a black wool coat that smelled slightly of mothballs. She walked back to the older lady holding the coat in front of her. “Miss Meena, I’m so sorry you have to leave so soon.”
Ms. Meena looked shocked. “What do you mean? I don’t have to leave right now.”
Sidra inhaled deeply. “Yes. Yes, you do." She turned to look at Sidney's cousins. "Alisa and Anita it was really nice meeting you two, I'm sorry we didn't have time to get to know each other better. Do you need any help getting your things together?”
A sound escaped out of Anita’s mouth, but Sidra couldn’t decipher what it meant exactly. Lisa didn’t move for several seconds. Anita, on the other hand, was wiping away tears. She sounded like she was choking, but she managed to speak. “No, we’ll be out of your way quicker than a New York minute.” She jumped up and grabbed her mother’s bag. She almost leapt the length of the sofa to reach her mother. She put the coat around Meena's shoulders and the bag in her left hand. Lisa, who hadn’t moved since her mother spoke, was pulled up by her sister and ushered toward the door. 
Anita took a quick survey to make sure nothing was being left behind. “I’ve got the keys everybody ready to go?”
Miss Meena’s top lip never unfurled while she was there. It took on a particularly unusual shape with her parting words. “I see you have a mouth and an attitude like your sister.”
Sidra nodded and smiled “Mmm, probably a trait we inherited from our father. Have a safe trip home won’t you? Oh and Merry Christmas to everyone.”
Anita had shuffled her family to the front door just as Sidra finished speaking. Sidney looked like she was about to pass a gall stone. All she could manage was a goodbye wave. Miss Meena huffed and waddled out the door first. Lisa still looked horrified when she turned to look at Sidra and Sidney and whispered “I’m so sorry” to no one in particular before she exited. 
Sidra nodded understandingly as she walked to the door. Anita grabbed Sidra by the shoulders and squeezed fairly hard as she brought their faces close together. Sidra heard a quick “Welcome to the family. Now I know Sidney will be alright,” before Anita raced out the door. 
Sidra locked the door and turned to look at Sidney who had just crumpled into a chair. “No one came to see you for Thanksgiving did they?”
A tired smile appeared on her face. “No. Anita and Lisa were trying but couldn't make it. And I know what you must think but in all fairness to my cousins, Auntie Meena is the only one who’s like that. For some reason, she’s always had trouble with my mother and me. Auntie Alex and all of the cousins more than make up for it though. They kind of balance her out.” She giggled as she watched Sidra hang her coat up. “You handled yourself pretty well though.”
Sidra shrugged “If you’ve seen one hostile witness you’ve seen them all.” She walked back into the living area and sank into the sofa. “I need a nap very badly because I’m about to fall out, but I wanted to do gifts first. Is that okay?”
Sidney stretched and yawned “They came over right after their service let out and I’ve been on an emotional roller-coaster ever since. She wore me out, and I am not ashamed to say that I need a nap too.”
“Good, exchanging gifts should only take a few minutes, me first.” Sidra picked up a box and handed it to her along with a greasy brown bag. “The bag is from Jensen – breakfast. And I got you this because I thought you would look great in it.”
Sidney reached for a box at the same time her sister did. When she handed it over all she said was “Ditto.”
When all the wrapping paper had made it's way to the floor, all they could do was shake their heads. They had essentially bought each other the same gift, cashmere sweaters in different colors. Sidney smiled coyly when she reached under the tree for another box. “I got you one more thing. It’s a house warming gift since you sort of have a new house.”
When Sidra opened the box it was a beautiful set of four handpainted wall hangings. With all the work Sidney had done, the paintings matched her decor perfectly and actually looked custom made. “Oh my goodness, Sidney they’re beautiful. Thank you so much.” She hugged her quickly before she pulled out the package she'd picked up in the church bookstore that morning. “I got you something else too, but I didn’t have time to wrap it.”
Sidney looked genuinely touched. “Oh thank you!”
“You’re welcome. It’s a Bible, a concordance, a book on the Holy Spirit and a book on spiritual gifts.”
“A what? What’s a concordance and what does ‘spiritual gifts’ mean?”
Sidra smiled. “Well a concordance is a book that lists every word in the Bible so if you want to know what the Bible has to say about a certain topic, the concordance will list every place in the Bible that word is used. And when you get saved God gives you at least one gift. This book will explain what the gifts are and how they operate. I also have a website address to give you that lets you take a free test to help you figure out what your gifts might be.” Sidra had turned back toward the Christmas tree, so she didn't see Sidney's face while she was speaking. When she did finally turn around, the look on her sister’s face shocked her. “Sidney, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”
Sidney looked like she was somewhere between crying and taking off in a full run around the house. “I know this sounds crazy, but I was just thinking that I wanted to give something to God and now you’re telling me that He’s giving me something more. I feel a little overwhelmed.”
Sidra nodded understandingly. “His love can be overwhelming. I think the book will answer a lot of your questions, but you can get to it after we get finished with the officers if you’re ready.”
“We can do them now, but I think you’re going to have to make two trips.”
Sidra spun around quickly. “What are you talking about? You’re coming too.”
Sidney looked down. “Uhh, not sure if you’ve noticed my new ankle jewelry that says I can’t leave you’re house unless I’m headed to court.”
“Oh come on. You can go up to 50 feet away from the house, and they’re parked just out front.”
“Ohhh Kay.”
“Why the hesitation?”
Sidney murmured. “No reason, it’s nothing.”
“Good, then get your coat. It's freezing out there.”
The officers looked startled then pleasantly surprised when both ladies came out of the house and walked to their patrol cars carrying two boxes and wished them a Merry Christmas. They each left a present for the absent officer who would be showing up soon. As Sidra turned away from the patrol car she noticed that Sidney was standing at the end of the walkway looking around, almost like she was looking for someone. 
“Sidra I think we should go in now.”
“Alright I’m coming.”
Sidra had almost reached Sidney when Sidney reached out for her hand. A car door opened, and one of the officers yelled “Get down! Get down!” Sidney grabbed her sister's arm and yanked her down to the ground. Sidra landed on her left hand and bent her wrist backward. She screamed out in pain, but Sidney kept pulling her toward the door while trying to stay low to the ground. Both officers were out of their cars now, but Officer Cortez headed straight for the sisters. He yelled to the other officer. “Go! Go!”
Officer Vance took off down the street with his gun drawn. Officer Cortez rushed over and seemingly picked up both Sidra and Sidney at the same time like they weighed nothing at all. He rushed them inside the open door. 
After he set them on their feet he looked at them both. “You both okay?”
Sidney nodded yes because she was too stunned to offer any response. Once he got that signal he moved to join the other officer. He turned before he crossed the threshold and barked “Lock the door!” He ran out, and Sidney jumped up to lock the door behind him. 
Sidra followed her with her eyes and watched as she set the alarm system. Sidney came back, sat down calmly and curled her feet up under her. She looked over at Sidra who was standing in the spot the officer had dumped her because she hadn’t budged. Everything was eerily serene. “Sidra, are you Ok? I think I may have pulled you too hard.” When she got no answer, Sidney became nervous. “Sidra, are you alright? You’re wrist doesn’t look right, come sit down.”
She moved in slow motion on the way to her seat. “I think I may have sprained it. What just happened?”
“Adam Hill just happened. He was standing on top of the rise at the end of the development where it borders that busy main street. He was holding something. I think it was a gun, but I couldn’t be sure.”
Sidra was stunned. “How did I miss that? Better yet, how did you see that?”
“Um well, I just kind of knew he was there and I knew we were in danger, but I’m not sure how I knew really. It all happened so quickly.”
She nodded. “I see.”
All four officers came into the house about forty minutes later. They couldn’t catch Adam before he took off but felt that he was getting sloppy, devolving was the word they used. They explained that his devolvement would give them a better chance of catching him. He had reportedly been seen in the development earlier in the week. They expected him to be captured within the next forty-eight hours since they had seen the vehicle he was driving. They had requested that local police forces set up a dragnet of sorts and do a check of every driver going in or out of the area within a fifty-mile radius. That covered D.C., Maryland and Virginia. 
Sidra prayed they were right about catching him soon. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t hear one of the officers calling her name. “Ms. Lyons? Ms. Lyons?”
“Yes?”
Officer McCoy walked closer to her. “You’re crying, are you alright?”
“What?” She was sitting on the sofa holding her wrist and lost in her own thoughts. 
“What the…! Your wrist is swollen up three times bigger than the other one. You didn’t feel that?”
She looked down and saw that he was right. “I guess I hadn’t noticed.”
He helped her up and then said “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital, did you want me to call and tell your fiancé to meet us there?”
“Hmm? Oh no, I’ll just call him when I get back.”
“Are you sure? It’s no problem, and I’m sure he would want to know.”
“No, it’s fine. There’s no sense in worrying him.”
Sidney whipped around when she heard the word fiancé. Sidra tried to show what she could of the ring with her wrist as sore as it was. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier. We’ve had a busy afternoon.”
Sidney walked over and gave her a hug. “Yeah, we have been a little busy, but we can have a celebration dinner later. I’ll get your coat.”
*******
They waited in the emergency room for almost two hours. It took another hour to run x-rays and get patched up by the doctor. Sidra and the officer were walking out the door when they ran into Jensen coming into the hospital. He was moving so fast he almost walked right by them. 
Sidra held her newly cast wrist with care but looked up just in time to see Jensen walk by. They surprised each other. “Jensen! Hi what are you doing here?”
He grabbed her and held on tight. “What am I doing here? I’m checking on my fiancée who didn’t call me to let me know she was headed to the hospital.”
The officer looked sideways and spoke under his breath “I tried to tell her.”
“Yeah, she's hard-headed, this one.” Jensen shook the officer’s hand. “Thanks man, I’ll drive her home.”
“No problem, I’ll be right behind you guys.”
Jensen escorted her to his SUV and made sure she was strapped in before he got behind the wheel. “What did the doctor say?”
“It’s just a hairline fracture. I have to wear a cast for a little while, but I’ll be fine.”
He exhaled forcefully. “Sidra, I was scared half to death when I called, and Sidney said you were at the hospital. Sweetie why didn’t you call and let me know?”
She barely heard him. Her head was pounding so hard it felt as if it would explode at any second. Just to get some relief she started tapping it against the passenger window. She never did answer him. 
“Sidra!”
She knew he wanted to pull over to the side of the road but thought better of it when he looked in the rear view mirror and saw the patrol car behind them. It hurt to talk, but she wanted to say something before he turned around and headed back to the hospital. “I’m not going crazy I just have a headache that won’t go away.”
He kept his left hand on the steering wheel and stretched his right arm out until his hand reached her hair. His fingers gently massaged her scalp as he prayed. They stayed connected like that until he pulled up in front of her house. She had fallen asleep five minutes into the prayer. When she woke up Jensen and the officer were standing outside her car door exchanging information. The officer told Jensen everything that happened earlier in the afternoon. Jensen gave the man his contact information and explained what had just happened on the ride home. "I hate that she has to go through this, but she's been independent for so long she goes on auto- pilot and I may or may not hear from her when I need to."
Officer McCoy nodded. "I know how it is. I got married last year to a woman very much like that. Don't worry. And don't worry about her. We're watching these girls like they're family."
Jensen shook the other man's hand once more. "I know man, and I appreciate it. I just hope you catch Adam Hill before I run into him."
"We're getting close. I can feel it."
Noticing she was awake, the officer reached for the door handle and helped Sidra down from the large SUV. 
“Ms. Lyons, do you mind if I come in and use the bathroom before I leave? We’re about to change shifts, and I don’t want to drive home on a full bladder.”
“No, of course not. You didn’t even have to ask. And for the last time, it’s Sidra.”
The officer winked at Jensen when Sidra walked ahead of them. “Yes ma’am.”
Both the officer and Jensen walked her up to the house. The officer walked backward with his hand on his gun to make sure they got into the house safely. Jensen opened her front door and helped her into the house. It was dark by the time they got back. Sidney met them at the door. “Hey how are you?”
“I’m fine it’s just a small fracture.”
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have pulled you down that hard.”
Sidra gave a weak smile “Well since you probably saved my life, I’ll forgive you this time.”
Sidney smiled back. “Headache?”
Sidra nodded. “Yes, since before we left for the hospital.”
“I understand, have a seat, and I’ll go get the bottle. Hi Jensen.”
Jensen’s eyebrows shot up. “The bottle?”
They both smiled, and Sidney answered him on her way out the room. “Yes, our new best friend that holds the headache chasing, stress relieving and muscle relaxing pills we've become so fond of. Also known as 'the bottle’.” She turned back to Sidra. “I think we may need a new friend soon.”
She nodded knowingly “Yeah, I noticed it was getting low. I’ll pick up one of those 500 count bottles from the warehouse club the next time I go out.” She walked over to Jensen who just shook his head at them. “Are you going to stay for a while?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You could say that. I’m going to spend the night.”
“You are?”
Jensen’s hands framed her face. “I am. Sidra this afternoon made what I was feeling about you official, but I have been thinking of you as a part of my family, as a part of me for a while now. So I’m not going anywhere.”
She collapsed into him. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
She looked up into warm brown eyes. “I’ll let you have that one tonight because I’m too tired to argue. I’m going to go change clothes. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“I’ll be here.”
Jensen turned to talk to the officer who had just come out of the bathroom. Sidney met Sidra at the bottom of the stairs with the pills and a glass of water. Before she made it upstairs the doorbell rang, and the officers that were present during the morning shift showed up for the second time in 24 hours. 
Jensen opened the door. “Hey fellas, come on in.”
They did their male bonding thing for a minute then turned to look at the ladies.
“We left Scott outside, but we all wanted to thank you two for our Christmas presents.”
Sidney sent a smile in their direction. “You guys are more than welcome. You deserve that and a lot more for all the time you’ve put in.”
Sidra raised her water glass and nodded. “Here, here!”
“Thanks ladies and we promise we’re gong to do everything we can to catch this guy.”
Sidney took a step forward “Do you mind if we pray for you guys?”
Jensen smiled liked a proud papa. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” He stretched out both hands, one toward each sister. He looked back at the three officers standing behind him. “You guys are welcome to join us.” Two of the officers stepped into the circle quickly. One hung back mumbling something about church people and prayer business. Each one took a turn saying a few words to God. The prayer ended with Jensen asking for divine wisdom, understanding and protection for everyone  in the room and for the officer standing guard outside. 
The next couple of days were quiet. Jensen stayed on the sofa for two nights, but on the third day Sidra convinced him that it was fine for him to go home. Everything had settled down, and Adam hadn’t been seen or heard from since Christmas. It had only been a few days, but she and Sidney were beginning to lose hope that he would ever be caught.
Jensen left for the office early, and Sidney came down to have coffee with Sidra. Out of the blue Sidney mentioned to Sidra "I had the strangest dream last night.”
She looked up from the newspaper she was examining. “Really, tell me about it.”
“Well, I was running on what looked like a regular field, but the rest was all white. The sky and everything around was all white. All of a sudden Adam came up beside me and started running along with me. We ran for a short distance but then Adam stumbled because something tripped him up. Whatever tripped him looked like really thick tree roots, but I couldn’t tell if they were coming from the ground or growing out of his pants legs. When he fell I heard this jingling noise. I stopped running long enough to turn around and watch him fall. It was weird because then I saw that there were some tree roots under the ground and they were pulling him down, but as he was going down I saw what was making the jingling noise. He had a ring of keys in his jacket pocket and right before he went under he said ‘They’re mine.’” Then he was gone, but I had the feeling that I should have grabbed the keys before he went down.”
Sidra listened to everything that was said, but she was racking her brain trying to figure out why it sounded so familiar. It finally hit her, and she pulled a note pad out of the drawer to hand to Sidney. “Do me a favor and write down everything you just told me please. I’m going to get dressed and run a few errands.” Jensen called to say he was headed down to Atlanta to meet with Mocha and Tim. They were all hoping and praying that Mocha was ready to drop the lawsuit and move forward. 
Sidra was out the door by 10:00 that morning. She drove to her church to see one of the assistant pastors. The woman had been a tremendous help when Sidra started getting serious about Christ. One of this woman's giftings was prophecy. Not everyone believed that gift was still in operation Sidra knew, but she had also seen this woman in action and believed otherwise. Pastor Cyrus was real and not looking for someone to hand her money in exchange for a ‘word’. If you thought God was speaking to you but couldn’t quite figure it out, she took the time to help you discern what was going on. When Sidra called that morning after talking to Sidney the older woman made room in her schedule to meet with Sidra before lunch. 
All of the officers were back on the job the day after Christmas. That morning two remained outside her house guarding Sidney. One officer stayed in the church parking lot, and one followed Sidra inside as she went in to meet with the minister. Officer Cortez sat in the lobby during the meeting. When Sidra stepped into the small but warmly decorated office she saw that there was no window, but the plants scattered around made up for any fresh air that was missing. All the plants and forest green carpet gave the office a warm feel. “Pastor Cyrus, how are you?”
Reverend Cyrus was old enough to be her mother but acted like everyone's best girlfriend. She made others happy just by being around her. As she stepped out from behind her desk she gave the younger woman a hug. “Hey ladybug, how you been?”
“Um, I’m making it.”
“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s just been a rough couple of months.”
She reached out and lifted Sidra's left hand and brought it under the fluorescent lights. “It hasn’t been all that rough. I could conserve some energy if I just set you on the file cabinet and shine a flashlight on that rock.”
The laugh that erupted was automatic. Sidra looked down at her engagement ring, which made her think about Jensen. “There have been a couple of bright spots in the darkness but still mostly darkness.”
The minister nodded. “I know. I’ve been seeing you all over the television. And I’ve been praying for you. All of you.”
“Thank you, I need it. We all need it, but the reason I came by is because my sister got saved a few days ago.”
“Oh, praise God!”
“Yes it was a pleasant surprise, but she came to me this morning with a dream she had last night. I feel like it means something, but I’m not sure what. I remember you interpreted a dream for a friend several years ago, and I thought you might be able to help?”
“Well honey, I’ll do my best. But the interpretations come from God, you know that.”
“I know and I’ve been praying that He give you the meaning of the dream because I’m at my wits’ end.”
“Well, let’s see what we’re working with.”
Sidra handed over the piece of paper that Sidney had written on earlier that morning. After reading it and then rereading she asked, “Who is Adam?”
“He’s the man that’s stalking us.” She recounted the events of Christmas day and a little of Sidney's history with him in Atlanta.
“Well I think she’s right in thinking that Adam has something she needs. I also think that the officers are right. He’s going to be captured soon because he hasn’t dealt with his own demons and they are what will bring him down eventually.” She pulled out a business card from the holder on her desk and scribbled her cell number on the back of it. “I want you to give this to your sister because it seems to me that we have a new prophet in the family.”
“You really think so?”
“Well, we need to watch for a time to be sure. But the feeling on Christmas day that she didn’t need to go outside, and then having the sense that he was there, and the understanding to be able to move quickly enough to save your life and now with this dream… There may be words of knowledge along with wisdom and discernment operating already. Yes, I believe so, but I’d rather God reveal that to her in His time. But I remember things starting out like that for me, and there was no one to talk to about it. So tell her that I’m here for her if she wants to talk about anything.”
Sidra stood up to hug her. “Thank you so much. I know she’s going to appreciate it.”
“Wait a minute. You know I’m not going to let you get out of here without praying.”
The younger woman smiled. “No ma’am, I didn't expect you would.”
After praying they walked out to lobby. Pastor Cyrus walked up to Officer Cortez and shook his hand vigorously as he stood to leave. “Young man, keep your eyes and your ears open and if the Holy Ghost prompts you to do something you do it. I have a feeling that something is about to happen.”
He glanced over at Sidra out the corner of his eye when they hit the parking lot. She knew what he was thinking and didn't bother to look at him when she spoke. “She’s a prophet.”
He nodded but didn’t say a word. 
When she arrived back home there was a message waiting for her from Jensen asking to call him in Atlanta. She was happy to hear his voice. “Hey love, did you have a good trip?”
“I did, but I wanted to know what you were doing tomorrow evening.”
“Nothing on the books, what’s going on?”
“How about a little impromptu meeting with you, me, Tim and Hersch?”
“Oh… K.”
“Was that a yes?”
Sidra conceded. “If he’s serious I’m willing.”
“Thank you baby. We’re all flying back tonight. Just come on over to my place tomorrow about seven. Is that good?”
“Sure, I’ll see you then.”
He smiled through the phone. “I love you.”
She shook her head at what she had just agreed to do. “Oh trust me, I love you more.”
He laughed. “I’ll give you that one. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright, have a safe trip.” She stared at the phone after hanging up then went to find Sidney. Sidney was lounging on her bed engrossed in one of the books Sidra had given her for Christmas. Sidra knocked on the door and walked in to hand her Pastor Cyrus’ business card. 
Sidney tore her eyes away from the book long enough to look at her sister. “What’s this?”
“It’s the card of one of the associate pastors at my church. Her name is Pastor Cyrus, and she said that you should call her if you ever needed to talk.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. What’ve you been up to today?”
Sidney put her book down. “I’m glad you asked. I finished the book on spiritual gifts today, then I took the test online that tells you what your gift is.”
“And?”
“Well I got the results, but I didn't understand what they meant. What is discernment? And what is a prophet? I hope it’s not one of those people who go around on TV talking about ‘you need to send me money so you can hear from God’ because I would need to decline that gift.”
Sidra smiled. “Well I could give you the basic definitions, but I think Pastor Cyrus could explain from a better vantage point how they work in real life.”
“Okay, I’ll give her a call. Sidra, what’s your gift?”
“Well my 'motivational gift' is leadership, but I think it's translated “Ruling” in the King James Bible. My ‘ministry’ gift is administration, but I think that it may be translated as governments in some versions of the Bible and finally what some call my ‘manifestation’ gift is wisdom but that's only happened a couple of times.”
Sidney shook her head in awe. “Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have a lot to learn.”
Sidra smiled. “Yeah, it’s going to take some time because there is a lot, but you’ll get through it.”
“I guess you’re right. Who knew there was so much to Christianity.”
Sidra turned to leave for the kitchen. "I'm going to go make some tea. You want some?"
Sidney raised herself off the bed and followed her. "Yeah, I'll come with you."
The take out menus were tacked to a bulletin board in the kitchen, and Sidra pulled one off as they walked by. “I’m kinda feeling like carryout tonight, Chinese I think, you?”
Sidney shrugged. “Probably Thai but anything will work for me.”
“Ok, I’ll go ask the guys.” They always told her not to bother, but the four men who camped outside her house to serve and protect had become like an extension of Sidra's ever growing family. She threw her coat on before heading down the walkway. She stopped at the first patrol car. “Hey guys, what’cha feeling like for dinner tonight?”
One of the officers stepped out of the car to join her and to make sure Adam wasn’t around. 
“It doesn’t matter, what are you two getting?”
“Chinese and Thai but I’m calling that service that goes by all the restaurants so get what you like.”
“Okay, let me radio the two bozos up ahead to see what they want.” After a couple of minutes of banter between the two cars, they came up with two orders for Italian, one Seafood and one Mexican. “Thanks guys, it should be here between 6:00 and 6:30.”
She headed back into the house thinking the trial was to start in four days, and she was praying that Jensen and Tim could talk some sense into that thick head of Mocha’s. She was afraid of what might happen if they didn’t succeed. Sidney's future depended on one man with a hurt ego. In her mind, ‘a woman scorned’ had nothing on a man with a hurt ego. She decided not to tell Sidney about Jensen's invitation because she didn’t want to get her hopes up in case it fell through.
They relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Sidney had just turned on the evening news when the security guards called to say that dinner had arrived. It was closer to 7:00 P.M. when it arrived, and everyone was happy to see the bright yellow car pull up. The delivery guy came up the steps with several bags and as was their usual custom, one cop from each car waited five minutes before coming into the house so that Sidra wouldn’t have to bring the bags back out in the cold. 
As the food was set down, a special report flashed across the bottom of the screen saying that Adam Hill had been captured by the F.B.I. at an adult bookstore in D.C. and that a live report would be shown momentarily. Sidney screamed and dropped whatever she was holding. The crash to the floor was deafening. She put her hand over her mouth and spun around to face the front door where she knew the two officers would be walking through any minute. She was so excited to share the news with them. The officers, however, had heard the scream but not the news flash. When they rushed through the door with their guns drawn they assumed the delivery guy was up to no good. 
When the two officers outside drew their guns and ran inside the other two followed, and the poor delivery guy had four guns pointed at his head with orders to drop to the floor. When everything had gotten quiet and nobody was moving, except the poor delivery guy shaking on the floor. Sidra spoke gently to the officers. 
“Hey guys, he’s alright. Sidney and I were excited because they just captured Adam Hill.”
They were so shocked that they didn’t move, so she and Sidney took that opportunity to help the delivery guy up off the floor. All of a sudden the place erupted. It looked like a New Year's party minus the confetti. The guys jumped up and cheered, and everyone shared a hug or a clap on the back. They even apologized to the delivery guy who was still shaking. He was good-humored in accepting their apologies, but he got out of there as fast as he could. When the live report finally aired they showed Adam who looked emaciated and completely crazed being escorted to a black vehicle. He was shaking his head back and forth violently and mumbling to himself. 
The officer who had accompanied Sidra inside the church earlier that day walked closer to the flat screen and turned up the volume trying to make out what Adam was saying. Reporters had gathered around and started shouting questions to him. “Mr. Hill, is it true you’ve been stalking Sidney Riley and Sidra Lyons since you’ve been in town? Mr. Hill, can you tell us why you were stalking them?”
Adam raised his head up to look directly into the camera, and everyone in the room cringed at what they saw. 
Sidra was appalled. He looks... 
“Evil!” Adam screamed out. He continued ranting before the camera. “They are both evil! I have proof! You should all beware their wickedness! I have proof!” The footage ended, and a reporter confirmed that Adam would be spending the night in the DC jail before being taken to a mental institution for evaluation the next day. The officers hugged the ladies again and a put a call into their chief to make sure they could end their current assignment. They were told to come back to the precinct to complete some paperwork and then take off a few days to spend time with their families. Sidney's smile was as wide as the ocean.
Sidra came over and hugged her. "One down and one to go." 
It was the first time in weeks that they both slept soundly through the night. The next morning they buzzed around the house painting walls and putting the final touches on Sidney’s art deco design. When they were finished, Sidra glanced around and thought it was the most beautiful place she'd seen in a long time. It was even better than most of the hotels she found herself in for business. Everything was perfectly suited to her taste. They finished with everything about 5:00 that evening leaving her just enough time to get showered, dressed and over to Jensen’s place. 
The butterflies in her stomach were turning somersaults, and she was feeling quite anxious. She made sure to look her best, mostly for Jensen but also because in a meeting full of men it couldn’t hurt.

CHAPTER 9

*********

It felt strange pulling up to Jensen’s house without a patrol car behind her, but she was happy all of the officers got some extra time off. Tim greeted her at the door with a big hug. He offered his congratulations on the engagement while he hung her coat up. They were huddled in the corner until Jensen told them to ‘break it up’. 
Tim teased the smile off of Jensen's face. "Man it's a good thing you put that ring on her finger when you did, 'cause I might have been tempted to make a move."
"Hey, watch it."
Tim laughed at his friend. "I'm just saying."
Jensen pulled her away from Tim and gave her a lingering kiss. “Hey baby, you smell terrific, and you look even better.”
“Thank you.”
Mocha turned the corner and stopped to stare at Sidra and Jensen as they cuddled. Jensen called him over when he noticed him. “Hey man come on over, you remember Sidra?”
Mocha walked forward slowly with his left hand outstretched. “Yes, it’s good to see you again and congratulations.”
They shook hands cordially both being careful to keep their casts out of harm’s way. “Thanks and its good to see you again too.”
She and Jensen were still standing close together when he looked down at her with smiling eyes. “Sweetie you didn’t eat yet did you?”
“Just a bite at lunch.”
“Good, we’ve been in the kitchen most of the afternoon.”
“All of you?”
“Absolutely, come sit down.”
Sidra grinned. “I am so impressed with you all.”
Mocha pulled a chair out for her. “Impressed enough to get your sister to meet with me?”
When everyone froze he snickered and ran his hand over his head. “I’m just kiddin’ y’all. Come on let’s eat, I’m starving.”
It occurred to Sidra then that Mocha might actually care for her sister, in his own way. But given his lengthy record for assault and battery, she wasn’t about to play matchmaker until she’d seen at least three years worth of receipts from a certified therapist or counselor. The next hour and a half was spent enjoying food the guys had prepared. She was regaled by stories of their misspent teen years while they ate. 
They ended dinner with Tim giving a toast to the capture of Adam Hill. He raised his glass and stood tall. “To one more pervert off the street!”
Flashes of guilt crossed the faces of both Jensen and Mocha as they raised their glasses. She noticed it but didn't say a word. Instead, she started to clear the dishes off the table when Tim and Jensen stopped her. 
She was touched by their chivalry. “Oh come on guys it’s the least I can do after you all worked so hard in the kitchen.”
Tim did a half bow. “My lady, please, you are a guest here. We will take care of everything.” Jensen and Tim stacked all the dishes in the dishwasher while she and Mocha sat awkwardly trying not to look at each other. The dishes were loaded in record time and Jensen came to lead her to the sofa where he sat with her. Tim and Mocha took a seat on either chair flanking the fireplace. 
Jensen sent up a silent prayer and looked around the room “Well I guess it’s time to get down to the reason we’re here. Baby, Herschel has a proposal to make. I just want you to hear him out alright?”
Mocha laughed loudly. “Come on man, she’s a big girl and this is business. You’re talking to her like she needs help understanding what’s going on here.”
Jensen tensed when he saw Sidra draw in a deep breath out the corner of his eye. Ever the diplomat, he turned to his friend. "Hersch, I think it would be more beneficial to sit and discuss the situation in a friendly, casual manner."
Mocha balked. "If she knows what's good for her sister..."
Sidra didn't give him a chance to finish the sentence. “I think Mr. Mocha, since you’ve already attacked my client and you've gotten verbally abusive with me, it would be to your advantage to make this less about business and more about friends listening to each other. May I suggest you take the advice of sound counsel while you have it.”
Mocha glared at her before turning away to stare into the fire. Jensen put his hand on top of hers, and she sat back. Sidra kicked herself inwardly because she had told herself before arriving that she needed to stay calm. 
Tim slid to the edge of his seat. “Guys maybe we ought to start this meeting off with prayer.”
Mocha jumped up and stood in front of the fireplace. “I don’t need a prayer meeting! I need that… girl to apologize for swinging a knife at me. She cost me a lot of money. Getting my fingers reattached was not a cheap procedure. She owes me!”
Sidra leaned forward in astonishment. “Let me get this straight.”
Jensen tightened his grip on her hand. His voice had a warning tone to it “Sidra, please let’s just calm down.”
She would have loved to, but she was too far gone by that point. She put on her trial smile and looked at Jensen. “I’m calm, love.” She turned back to Mocha. “I would just like to know if I should get my sister to apologize for your alcohol abuse or for defending herself. Or wait, maybe I should go back and get apologies from all the women you’ve abused in your past. Would that make you feel better?”
Jensen raised his voice. “Sidra!”
Mocha was more agitated than when she'd seen him at the courthouse in Atlanta. “J, get your girl man.”
He didn't realize that Sidra was just as agitated this time. She stood up to face him. “Or what? You gonna take care of me like you did the others?” She gave him a little smirk. “And you want me to mention you to Sidney? Maybe you ought to grow up and get that temper under control first.” Mocha took one step forward and ran into Jensen who had stood up so fast she almost missed it. They looked like two bulls about to charge each other. Tim had positioned himself behind Mocha immediately after he stood up, so together, they looked like they were about to start some strange sort of line dance. Jensen and Mocha were only inches apart. Sidra and Tim were the bookends that held it all together. 
Had Mocha been foolish enough to jump she knew Tim and Jensen who both had several inches and several pounds over him would have taken care of the situation, but she was itching to have a go at him herself. She silently thanked her mother who had enrolled her in Tae Kwon Do at the age of eight because as Eliza so eloquently put it, 'I don’t want your mouth to write a check that your behind can’t cash.' A black belt made her mother only slightly more comfortable.
Sidra could practically hear her mother's voice at her black belt ceremony. “People carry weapons Sidra, just get control of your mouth before you end up in a situation you can’t fix.” Sorry Mama. 
They stayed in that position for what seemed like hours. She looked at Mocha and shook her head in pity then turned away to get her coat. He was still seething when he looked over Jensen’s shoulder and spat out “That’s the first smart move you made all night.”
She whipped around and stared back without blinking. “You know when Sidney first told me that she had left you there without calling for help I couldn’t understand it, but I get it now. So while we’re here, let me just congratulate you on dealing with the right sister because had that been me, they would have been sewing on more than just a few fingers back.”
Jensen turned around to look at her in disbelief and yelled. “Jesus! Sidra!”
She immediately felt bad because she knew Jensen was really calling out to God for help. 
“I’m leaving.”
She had reached her car door when she heard Jensen calling her name. He was buttoning his coat as he came out the door. He grabbed her and held on for dear life. She was shivering like a newborn pup partly from the frigid temperature and partly from the anger that hadn’t quite subsided. 
“Breathe.”
Tears were rolling down her cheek. “I am. I don’t know how I keep managing to end up at the same place over and over again."
He stroked her hair as he embraced her. “Baby, why couldn’t you just let it go?”
“Because your friend is crazy that’s why!”
“I know he’s got some issues to work out, but between the two of you, you’re the mature Christian.”
She pulled back long enough to let the wind sting her face where the tears had left tracks. “But he was talking foolishness. He wants Sidney to apologize for defending herself against him? That makes no sense and you know it!”
Jensen wiped the tears away. “No it doesn’t make sense, but I told you his ego was hurting more than anything else. I think we had a shot at getting him to see he was wrong. We just needed to talk it through. You can’t pull out the sword and cut off everybody's ear just because they don’t act like you think they should. The fact that he made the first move to talk was a major step for him. Sidra he was ready to drop the whole thing. Why couldn’t you just let it go?”
She stepped back to get a better look at Jensen’s eyes under the streetlight to make sure he wasn’t kidding about Mocha giving up the whole thing. He wasn’t kidding, and she felt lower than the soles of her shoes. “I guess for the same reason you haven’t told Tim about you’re problem with porn yet; because it’s much harder to deal with your own issues than somebody else’s.”
He dropped his arms and stepped back like she had spit on him. She really wasn’t trying to hurt him, just let him know that they were in the same boat. However, the sentiment wasn't received with the same good will it was sent with. When she saw his reaction she reached out for him, but he stepped back. 
“I just meant…”The tears started again. 
“No, you’re right. I better go back in and check on the guys.” He left her there crying under the streetlight. 
He walked away before he heard her say “I’m sorry.”
Sidra sat in her car feeling crushed by the weight of the guilt. It seemed that for the past few weeks the only thing required of her was to exhaust herself emotionally. Well she had done it to the best of her ability and for a moment didn’t even remember how to get home. She couldn’t go home anyway. How could she tell Sidney she’d just blown the only chance she might possibly get at a normal life again? She couldn’t go see her mother because Sidra knew she would burst into tears as soon as she saw her mom. She couldn’t disturb her brother and his new wife. She only had one choice but hoped she wouldn’t wake the baby when she rang the doorbell. 
Liz let her cry and vent until 11:30 that night when she put her out. Sidney was asleep when she shut off the alarm system, so she grabbed her friend ‘the bottle’ and headed upstairs. Before she got in the bed, she sent Jensen a text message trying to explain what she meant earlier. She also told him that she loved him enough not to hurt him purposely. 

The next morning, she and Sidney decided to do a late breakfast and some girl talk. 
Sidney passed the honey to Sidra. “How's life this morning?”
Sidra looked over at Sidney. "Oh, my world is falling apart. Other than that everything is copacetic."
"Sidra, please, your life is perfect compared to mine. Even without Mocha and this fiasco I've got a lot of time to make up for."
"You spent a few years getting into your circumstances, just give God a while to work things out. And besides my life isn't completely perfect." 
"Oh yeah? Looks like it from this angle. What's missing?" 
Just control of my tongue. "Well, my relationship with Sidero could be better." 
"That makes two of us."
"Did you get to spend any time with him?"
"I haven't even met him. I only talked to him that one time. And I think he was too shocked to carry on a real conversation." 
Sidra sat silently for a moment. "Would you like to meet him?" 
"Of course!" 
"Maybe we can arrange a little visit after you're acquitted." She tried to speak hope into existence because she didn't have anything else to offer. She moped around the house for the rest of the day and most of the next day until she got a call from the security station. Tim decided to drop by unannounced, and she hadn't even showered yet. Sidney had been locked in her room since early that morning. Sidra guessed she was reading and studying the book on the Holy Spirit and asked her to come downstairs to run interference while she washed up quickly. 
“Sidney, can you get the door when the bell rings? It’s Jensen’s friend Tim, but I need a few extra minutes to freshen up.”
“Sure, no problem.”
It only took ten minutes, but Tim was nearly ready to leave when she got downstairs. Sidney had entertained him with refreshments and conversation but was happy to leave them alone once Sidra reappeared. 
Tim stood when she entered the room. “Sidra, hey. I know I should have called before I came over, but I wanted to say goodbye before I left for Atlanta.”
They hugged for a moment before taking a seat. 
“Oh, you’re leaving so soon?”
“Yeah, I need to get back to work, but I wanted you to know that you were right the other night …about everything.”
The look on his face told her that Jensen had revealed his secret. 
She nodded “Thanks, but the older I get, I’m starting to realize that keeping your mouth shut will get you a lot farther than being right.”
“This is true” he agreed. 
She looked around to make sure they were still alone. “I still haven’t told Sidney. I can’t seem to find the right words to say ‘I may have cost you your freedom because I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut.’ I felt like such an idiot when Jensen told me the whole thing could have been resolved.”
Tim reached out to touch her shoulder. “Well, I think you’d feel better if you got it off your chest but don’t beat yourself up over it. Although I’m positive Hersch was serious the other night when he rededicated his life, he still has several issues to deal with namely that superstar attitude he’s adopted over the last decade or so. In a way, I was glad to see that you didn’t back down. He needs to know that he can’t get his way every time he snaps his fingers. And both Jensen and I needed a good dose of the truth too.”
“You?’ 
“Yeah, I guess I can come off as a bit self-righteous. When Jensen told me what had gone on, I felt so bad mostly because he didn’t feel he could come to me with the problem in the beginning.”
Sidra felt for her new friend. “I think you should take your own advice here and not beat yourself up over it. Although you may have played a part, and a tiny one at that, Jensen is responsible for his own decisions.”
“I guess you’re right. You may have stepped on his toes the other night, but he knows you were right.”
She raised her glass with a grin. “Here’s to us, a bunch of screwups!”
He raised his glass to hers. “Cheers! Thank God He uses screwups. By the way, your place looks fantastic.”
She explained her bartering deal with Sidney as she walked him to the door. “Thank you Tim for being a great friend to me too.”
“Are you kidding, you’re practically family. You’re my favorite sister-in-law but don’t tell my brother.”
After he left she brewed a pot of chamomile tea and prepared to tell Sidney about the events of the night before last. She drank one cup of tea before calling Sidney downstairs, which allowed her time to gather the words she wanted to share. When she was ready she poured them both a cup of tea and tried to give Sidney an unbiased account of what went on. She even shared how she’d lost her temper and provoked Mocha. When she finished with her narrative, Sidney took a sip of tea and smiled. “Well”, she said, “You made a mistake and got caught up for a moment, but I know that's easy to do with him. It's okay I believe that God will work it all out. I found this scripture in Romans today that said something like all things work together for everyone who loves God.”
Sidra looked at her younger sister and smiled. I love new Christians! It took a baby Christian to snap her back to reality. “Thank you for reminding me. It also says ‘all things work together for those who are the called according to His purpose’. I’ve been so caught up in the circumstances that have been going on around us that I forgot that we are called by God and that He has a purpose for all of this.”
Sidney nodded. “Yep, I believe that.”
When Sidra checked her cell phone later that night Jensen had responded to her text message saying he was sorry. She called him before getting into bed, and the conversation lasted more than an hour before they turned in. 
*******
The next night they celebrated the New Year. Since they were both accustomed to bringing in the new year at church they decided to do it twice. They attended her church first for ‘watch-night service’ then drove to his church. Since there was no way Sidra's church building could fit ten thousand people into the sanctuary, they had two services every New Year’s Eve. The first one started at 7:30 p.m. and let out around 9:30 p.m. The other service started at 10:00 p.m. and rung the new year in. Mike and Amanda came over to celebrate with Sidney just as Sidra and Jensen were leaving.
They arrived at Sidra’s church just in time to get seats in the sanctuary. Five minutes later and they would have had to sit in an ‘overflow room’ and watch the service on a large white screen. Sidra was able to introduce her new fiancé to several people, including Pastor Johnson before they left for his church. They had a little bit of a drive but arrived in time to get good seats. The church was much smaller, and the atmosphere at Jensen’s church was almost a complete turn-around from hers. There was no problem finding a parking spot, no crowd to fight and no line headed into the sanctuary. She had been going to her church for so long she had started to think that everyone had to fight for a parking space and a seat on Sunday mornings. 
Jensen’s pastor was a young man about a year or two older than they were. His sermon touched her tremendously, probably because she could identify with it. He told how he had lost two very dear family members in the last few months and financially experienced the worst year of his life, but he was still praising God because at least he was still alive to see the New Year. Even though it was the worst year of his life he had made it to the end of the year when some people never made it that far. 
According to the large clock on the wall he finished at exactly 11:59 p.m. He encouraged everyone to stand to their feet so they could thank God for seeing a new year. As soon as the clock struck midnight they hugged and cheered and blew the colorful noisemakers that the ushers handed out as they walked in. When the congregation quieted down several minutes later Pastor Williams announced that Brother West and his new fiancée were not only celebrating the new year, but a new engagement as well. 
They were immediately surrounded by the whole congregation who offered hugs and handshakes. Afterward Jensen took her to meet Pastor Williams. She moved to shake his hand, but he opened his arms wide and hugged her like she was a long lost relative. Pastor Williams shared that he had been praying for her and Sidney’s safety and for Adam’s capture. He never let her go while he was talking and launched right into a prayer asking that the justice of God prevail in the upcoming trial. She was crying softly by the time he finished praying. 
After the service ended Jensen took her hand, and they walked out of the church into the cold night air. Several people were just standing around laughing and talking. Jensen said, “Never mind them. They’re what we like to call the parking lot ministry.”
It was so beautiful with the streetlights and winter stars shining down on the light dusting of snow that came in that afternoon. It had to be below freezing because she could see white wisps of what looked like smoke rising from his nostrils. “I really like your church.”
“Mmmhmm. They like you too.”
She looked up at him under the streetlight as they reached his truck. “You look so serious. What’s on your mind?”
He spun her around once and lightly pinned her against the SUV while his right arm rested under her neck. "I need to apologize for the other night.”
“You did that already.”
“I apologized for acting like an imbecile, but I did not apologize for leaving you standing out in the cold, alone and crying.” He took a deep breath and continued “I was insecure and acting immaturely, and I let my insecurities get the better of me.” He bent down and kissed her lightly. “I’m very sorry. It won't happen again. Please forgive me?”
The cold air stung her lungs as she inhaled deeply. “All is forgiven, but I should apologize to you too.”
She saw his brain churning. “For what?”
“For running my mouth and provoking Mocha, I never meant for you to have to go head to head against a friend of yours.”
He smiled as he rubbed his gloved hand along her cheek. “Yeah well, you’re both hot heads but let me just say for the record that whenever there's a choice to be made I will always choose you.” He lowered his head and kissed her once more. “We might need to talk about implementing some self-discipline in regards to your tongue afterwards” he grinned, “But from now on, you are and always will be my first choice.”
Her eyes glistened in the light. “I never had anyone tell me that before. Thank you.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently again. “My pleasure. I love you.”
She was about to reply when they heard a car horn blast nearby. Pastor Williams and his wife were driving by with the driver’s side window down. “Hey you two, save that for the honeymoon and go on home. Don’t stay out here with the rest of these nuts.” He beeped twice more before they took off down the street. 
On the way to her house, Jensen slid his hand over hers. “Hersch isn’t budging about the trial.”
Sidra gave him a rueful glance. “Yeah, I figured I had pushed him over the edge, but like Sidney reminded me earlier, all things work together for the good, to everyone that loves God and is called according to His purpose.”
He smiled and nodded his agreement “Amen.”
*******
The third day of January was an ugly day. It was cold, wet and gray. The sisters left for the courthouse around 7:00 that morning and other than a few vehicles whizzing by there was absolutely no color present in the landscape. Everything was various shades of brown or gray. The few inches of snow that had fallen the day before had already been turned into a dirty slush during rush hour traffic. 
They were screened for weapons before entering the courthouse in downtown Richmond Virginia. Sidra dumped all her belongings on the conveyor belt going through the x-ray machine and wondered how God planned for all of this to turn out. 
The whole day and probably most of the next day would be dedicated to jury selection. Because the trial had such a high profile, both teams agreed to a questionnaire instead of interviewing each potential juror. It was a short quiz asking basic questions like how much they knew about the case and if they were a fan of Mocha’s music. There were also several questions inserted by the group of psychologists that would weed out any potential fanatics or troublemakers. By the end of the day, Mocha’s dream team and Sidra's group had only settled on three men and two women. The judge requested that the jury be seated by the end of the next day. Sidra was starting to feel discouraged because it seemed that God was nowhere to be found. She couldn’t believe that God would allow Sidney to go down for something she didn’t do, especially since the accuser now claimed to be operating in the Spirit and love of God. Things looked bleak.
Sidra decided to fast through dinner that night with Sidney joining in. They sat together and prayed quietly for about an hour, but nothing happened. The next morning they got up and did it all over again. By four o’clock the next afternoon, both teams had reached a final decision on eleven jurors but were having trouble agreeing on the last person and the alternate. Sidra wanted an older Asian gentleman for the twelfth man, and they wanted a young African-American woman, no doubt because they thought she would sway the vote in their direction at crunch time. Fifty minutes later neither team conceded, and the judge called them up to the bench. 
“Ms. Lyons, Mr. Sizer, I’ve had enough for one day as have the nice people you’ve already seated. We need a decision now.” He reached into his judicial robe and pulled a coin out of his pants pocket. He positioned the coin on his thumb and said “Ladies first, Ms. Lyons you call it for the chance to call the next toss.”
The coin was launched into the air, and Sidra called “heads” when it approached the apex. The judge smiled down at her after the coin had landed. “Heads it is.”
“Now Ms. Lyons, you call once more for the right to choose the last juror.”
She called ‘tails’ the second time and the judge informed her that her luck had run out. 
The judge looked between her and Tom Sizer. “The last juror will be Ms. Thompkins and the alternate will be Mr. Liu. Anybody have any problems with that?”
“No your honor.” She and Tom both answered at the same time, but Tom was smiling when he turned to leave and she was not. Another dreary ride home didn’t help her mood any. Jensen called and tried to make her feel better, but it didn’t work. She decided to fast through dinner once more with Sidney joining her. They hoped that God would somehow pull off a miracle during the trial. She ended their fasting time with this prayer. "God, we refuse to keep worrying about this. We turn it over to You and ask You to have Your way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen."
At ten o’clock, just as she and Sidney were headed to bed, her phone rang, and the security guards at the front gate called to say that they had buzzed Officer Cortez through. For two minutes, she and Sidney tried to figure out why he would show up at this time of night. They couldn’t come up with anything logical, so they stopped trying. 
A few moments later they hugged the man who had spent so much time watching over them and wished him a Happy New Year. They invited him in to sit down, but he said he couldn’t stay long, he just wanted to drop something off. He handed Sidra a manila envelope and said she might find the contents useful. 
When she opened the envelope, she saw that there were dozens of pictures inside. Each one had ‘Adam Hill’ watermarked in the corner. They spread the photos out on the kitchen table, the coffee table the dining room table and finally the floor when they ran out of space. When they looked to Officer Cortez for some sort of explanation, he told them that when he escorted Sidra to the church the other day something in Pastor Cyrus’ voice made him go visit Adam after he was captured. 
“She told me to keep my eyes open, and I don’t know, it’s like I kept hearing her voice you know? I was raised by my grandmother in the church, and I know to listen when a real prophet speaks. I figured since the feeling wasn’t going away it wouldn’t hurt to go check it out. I went to ask him a few questions, but he was talking crazy until I was just about to leave. He mentioned something about you two being evil, and that’s why the ‘psalmist’ tried to strike one of you. He said he had taken pictures as proof. I called the officer in Atlanta that had sent us all of the notes and photos from Sidney’s original case and asked if there were any other pictures. He said they had just finished reviewing the pictures off the DVDs they'd found at Adam's house a few weeks ago. He sent them to me and now you have them. So that’s it.”
Sidney walked forward to embrace him. "Ernesto, I don't know what to say, Thank you."
Sidra came to hug him also. "Thank you."
“Oh it’s no problem ladies. I never cared much for Mocha’s music anyway. If I don’t see you all again, I hope y’all have a good year.”
They walked him to the door as they offered thanks once again. He bundled up as he walked back out into the cold. After reviewing all the pictures, they found photos of Sidney at Mocha’s house on the night of the knife incident. Adam had been camped in a tree outside Mocha’s house all day long. There were photos of Mocha drinking rum straight from the bottle before Sidney arrived as well as pictures of Mocha approaching Sidney in a threatening manner. Most importantly though, Adam had captured the shot of Mocha swinging at Sidney with an open hand while she was backed up against the kitchen cabinets and just as Sidney testified, the knife never moved. They knew this because there were at least five shots taken in succession, and the knife was in the same place in all of the shots while Mocha’s hand got progressively closer to Sidney’s face. One shot even showed three fingers falling away from his hand. The officers in Atlanta had even included the time stamps on the photos.
They fell into each other’s arms and then onto their knees to thank God for His faithfulness. Sidney was crying the loudest. “God I knew it, I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Thank you Jesus!”
Sidra and Sidney barely slept that night because they had to make copies of all the photos for Mocha’s defense team, as well as the judge. Sidra even had to run out to the all-night drugstore to buy more ink and photo paper. When she copied the shots leading up to Mocha’s fingers hitting the knife onto transparencies, she noticed that Sidney actually moved the knife back slightly. Sidney was trying to avoid cutting him, but he was so enraged that it couldn’t be avoided. Sidra also saw several shots of Mocha’s face that she would have loved to get closeups on but she was pretty sure that it could be done at a later date if necessary. 
They were able to get in a two-hour nap before it was time to get up and get dressed. But there was no need to sit around the house especially with the show and tell Sidra had planned, and they were out the house earlier than necessary that morning. After going through security they were still antsy, but it seemed like it took forever for everyone to get settled.
After the bailiff made the call to order, Sidra cleared her throat and stood to make sure she had everyone’s attention. 
“Excuse me, your honor but in light of new developments I’d like to make a motion that all charges against my client be dropped immediately.” Sidney just held her breath when Mocha and his team turned to look at them in shock. Sidra just smiled and waited for the objection that she knew would come. Tom Sizer was on his feet in two seconds. “Your honor, we were not made aware of any new developments.”
She calmly turned to Mocha’s table and explained “That’s because it was very late and I didn’t want to wake you.”
The judge looked exasperated “Counsel, approach the bench.” As she was walking toward the judge he looked at her and ordered, “Ms. Lyons, this better be good.”
She felt her Cheshire grin creeping back to its’ rightful place. “Yes sir your honor, it is.” She described to the judge and to Tom that the photos she was handing them were dropped off at her house late last night by an officer who had been involved in the stalking case of she and Sidney. She made it clear that though she had made copies for Tom, the judge had the original photos in his hand. She assured Tom “But they are identical, it’s amazing what modern technology can do.” She was also sure to point out the transparencies that showed where Sidney pulled the knife back instead of swinging forward. 
The judge glanced through the photos, turned to Tom and said, “I suggest you take a quick recess and discuss these new developments over with your client.”
Tom’s face reddened in defeat. “Yes, your honor.” He walked back to the table and threw the pictures and transparencies down in front of Mocha like he was disgusted. Mocha’s face went from innocent schoolboy to the realization that he was in danger of doing time for assault and battery himself. And then there was the small fact that no one really knew about the three severed fingers. They had a heated discussion for several moments, with most of the heat coming from the legal team before Tom stood to address the courtroom. 
“Ladies and Gentlemen, in light of these new developments, my client would like to withdraw all charges brought against Ms. Riley. I move that this case be dismissed.”
The judge sighed before he addressed Sidra. “Ms. Lyons I assume you and your client have no problem with this proposal?”
“No your honor, we have no problems with it at all.”
“Good, then I declare this case dismissed, and we are adjourned.” He slammed his gavel once and disappeared into his chambers. 
Sidney tugged at Sidra's jacket as she sat down and whispered like she was afraid someone might overhear. “Is it over?”
“Yes my dear, it is over!” They did a high five with each other and the rest of the legal team. She asked Sidney to go with the officer behind her so that the ankle bracelet could be removed and all the paperwork finished up. Mocha walked over just as Sidney rounded the corner out of sight. He looked the same way he did at the courthouse in Atlanta when he found out he wasn’t yelling at Sidney. 
“So I guess this is all over huh?”
Sidra stood and folded her arms across her chest. “Well, you should expect to receive some paperwork asking for the money Sidney lost while she was out of work and I haven’t asked Sidney if she plans to press charges against you for assault, so I can’t confirm that quite yet.”
He stood there for twenty-seven seconds without saying a single word. She knew because she counted as he stood there without moving. When she couldn't take it any longer, she decided to help him out. 
“Tell it to Jesus, Mr. Mocha.” He grew angry and started to turn away when she stopped him. “I’m not finished.” He looked so much like a little boy having to stand there and take his punishment. He stared straight down at the ground the entire time. 
“Tell it to Jesus and then move on.”
He looked up slightly, so she continued. “I need to apologize to you for provoking you the other night at Jensen’s house, but one thing you’ll learn if you continue to walk in this life as a Christian is that God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. Since our temperaments are similar, I feel like I can say this to you and you’ll understand where I’m coming from.” Their eyes were locked now, and he barely blinked. “It is the devil that tempts us but God is checking our reaction. You know what your hot buttons are and so does the enemy. Every time you allow your buttons to be pushed, you have failed a test or at the very least a pop quiz. You don't get promoted to the next level until you pass the test for the previous one. The goal is to get your reaction to match the reaction Jesus would have had in the same situation. Don’t feel bad if it doesn’t happen overnight and trust me when I tell you that you'll fall plenty of times on the way up, but when you do, you have to forgive yourself and then move on. You understand?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”
“Good, take care of yourself.”
“Yeah, hey will you tell Sidney that I’m sorry.”
She turned to gather her papers off the table before saying “I can do that.”
“Thanks.” He started to walk away but turned back. “And Sidra, I really am sorry about everything I said and did to you too."
"Me too."
He grinned at her. "Thanks, I know that was tough to say and congratulations again on your engagement. You’re good for him.”
She laughed as he walked away. “Thank you.”
She took a deep breath and suddenly didn’t know what to do because her life was normal again. It felt like for the last few months she had been running on a hamster wheel. Now someone had pulled the brakes and here she was feeling adrift. As she was pondering her future Sidney walked up next to her. She didn’t look like the same woman who had walked away fifteen minutes ago. Her eyes looked slightly dazed as she moved forward slowly. “Sidney, are you feeling alright?”
Sidney still whispered. “So that’s it? It’s over?”
“Unless you want to press charges against Mocha for assault … then yep, you’re done.”
She gave a loud whoop and the remaining five people in the courtroom looked at her and smiled in support. “Sidra, now may not be the time to ask…”
“Honey all we have is time, ask away.”
“Can we go to a mall?”
Sidra broke into a giggling fit and Sidney soon followed. “Yes absolutely, and how about dinner and a movie while we’re out?”
Sidra called Jensen from the car with the good news, and they made plans to meet later. Sidra and Sidney had a great day out and about. The sisters were even asked to pose for pictures and sign autographs several times. They had dinner at Sidney’s favorite restaurant before heading home. They turned on Daily Access to see that they were the main story for the evening. No cameras had been allowed in the courtroom, but an artist’s rendering of Tom throwing the pictures down in front of Mocha flashed on the screen. They stated that though they did not have all the details to report, it appeared that some incriminating photos made Mocha change his mind about pressing charges. Jensen came over later to help the sisters celebrate. 
The headlines of the paper the next morning read, ‘Lyons Pulls a Rabbit Out of the Hat’. They mentioned the name of her law firm twice in the article, which she hoped would make the big bosses happy. She tried to go into the office that morning but was overrun by reporters and paparazzi. She was asked questions about the trial, the mysterious photos and even her engagement ring. There were so many people in the lobby that most of the buildings’ employees couldn’t make it to the elevators. Sidra couldn’t even make it to the elevator.
Liz, seeing the frenzy on the way up sent Sidra a text message to say that she had ordered a taxi should she want to get out of there. She saw the cab pull up five minutes later and announced that the press conference was over but that she and Sidney would likely be holding another press conference before the end of the week then she got the heck out of there. 
Jensen called her on the way home to say that upper management had given her an extra two weeks off until things died down a bit more. He heard through the grapevine that they got several complaints from the other companies in the building. Sidney was surprised to see her walk through the door so early in the day. “What are you doing home so early?”
“Well, there were too many photogs to step over, and I couldn’t make it up to my office.”
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately yes, so just be careful whenever you decide to go out because they are camped at the front gate waiting for you. Oh, by the way, I announced a press conference with the both of us for some time before the end of the week. I hope you don't mind. Did you make any plans yet?”
“I’m glad you warned me. I was online looking for a ticket back to Atlanta.”
“Oh.” Sidra suddenly felt that she was losing an important part of herself. She didn’t know why she assumed that Sidney would be staying with her for a while. “You’re leaving? Already?”
Sidney walked over and tried to wipe the frown lines away from her sister's forehead. “Sidra you have been the best hostess and sister, and friend I could have had in this situation, but you know what they say about fish and company.”
“But you can stay as long as you want. I guess I just got used to you being here.”
“Thank you but I’ll be moving up here soon so trust me, I’ll be around.”
Sidra wasn't sure why she took the news so hard because it had only been a few weeks. Maybe Jensen was right from the start when he said that this relationship would benefit both sisters. "But I was thinking maybe we could arrange a visit so you could meet your father. Are you planning on starting work soon?" 
Sidney was surprised. "Oh, well since you're hopefully going to get my missing salary for the last couple of months from Mocha, I was really thinking that I want to start an interior design business. I figure with the money I'll get from selling my place and the money coming from Mocha I could get a small office up here. What do you think?" 
Sidra screamed in delight. “I think it’s perfect for you! And since I don’t have to work for a couple of weeks, maybe we can sneak off to North Carolina for a couple of days to visit Dad and Poppy." 
"Seriously? That sounds wonderful. But don't you have to give notice at your office?" 
"Usually yes, but I just scored some extra vacation time. I'll just tell Jensen, and we can hit the road whenever we get ready. A few hours later she called Jensen on his cell and hoped he would understand that she needed to leave once more. 
He sounded distracted. "Hello?" 
"Hey Love, it’s me. You busy?" 
"No, why? Is everything alright?"
"Yep, just wanted to have a personal conversation for a minute."
"Oh, you scared me calling on my cell. I thought you were calling with an emergency." 
"No, I was just wondering if we could see each other tonight before I leave for a couple of days." 
"What? Sidra No, baby come on I just set up an appointment for us to meet with a counselor this weekend. And where are you going anyway?" 
Sidra’s temper flared at his tone and his question. This was her baptism into relationship maintenance, and she didn't like it. She hadn’t had to deal with this type of thing for quite some time, so she was caught off guard. After she thought about it for a moment, she became indignant. Who did he think he was, scheduling her time without asking her about it? The thought suddenly popped into her mind that she had just done the same thing to Sidney with the press conference. She decided to take a page out of her sister’s book and handle the situation kindly. 
“Alright, let me see if I can rearrange some things, but Jensen you really have to give me a little more warning before you up and make a decision that affects both of us.”
“Yeah I was just thinking the same thing about you, but you didn’t answer my question. Where are you going?”
I guess the honeymoon period is over. “Sidney and I were going to drive down to North Carolina so she could meet her father and grandfather.”
“I see, but Sweetie I’d really appreciate it if you could postpone that trip for a couple of days. The therapist I found just had an opening come up this weekend, and I really think he can help us.”
She knew he wanted to start getting help right away, so she agreed. “No problem.”
“Thank you baby. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“I know. I’ll talk to you later.” She informed Sidney of the change in plans and her sister took it all in stride. 
“That’s fine. I’ll just pop down to Atlanta for a few days then and take care of some things. I’ll come back on Saturday, and we can leave then.”
“That’ll work, and it will give me time to complete the paperwork I need to send to Mocha to get your money back to you. Can you write out your financial info before you go?”
“Are you kidding me, of course I will. Without that money, I’m down to almost nothing. I’ve used up most of my savings.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan.”
“Sidra is everything alright? You don’t seem too happy all of a sudden.”
She had to laugh at herself. “Just some selfishness I need to get over. I’ll be fine.”
Sidra hurriedly set up a press conference for the next evening at her house where they answered all of the questions posed to them and announced Sidney’s plan for an up and coming interior design business. Since the cameras were there, they took advantage of them and showed off Sidney's design talent. She had well over fifteen potential clients to call by the end of the next day. 
The next morning Sidra took Sidney to the airport, and since she didn’t have to work Sidra thought she would lounge around for the rest of the day. It turned out that she slept for most of the day. Her mom said that it was her body’s way of saying it needed a break from the stress it had been experiencing almost non-stop for the last three months. It seemed that Sidra hadn’t seen her mother in forever, but she would have done it again if she thought it would have kept her mother safe from Adam. She stopped by her mother’s house later that evening. It was so good to see her. Eliza fixed a big dinner and sitting in her mother's kitchen, Sidra caught her up on all the important events that had occurred over the last two weeks like her recent engagement. Eliza was so excited by the news that she jumped up and squealed. She wanted to know about the colors, the venue, and the date and of course the guest list. Sidra tried to explain that they hadn’t finalized any plans yet, so Eliza said she would just start checking into a few things on her own and get back to her. Sidra knew what that meant. She could expect a list of potential baby names the next time they talked.

CHAPTER 10

*********

It was Friday, and Sidney had left for Atlanta two days ago. The cast the doctor put on Sidra’s fractured wrist was itching and she was going stir crazy. Since she couldn’t go to work she decided to go to the local bookstore to kill some time. She’d spent about 30 minutes looking around when she heard someone call her name. “Sidra? Hey how've you been.”
“Keith, how are you?” Great, I come out to relax, and I run into my ex-boyfriend.
He walked toward her with a big smile. “I’m good, and you look great.”
“Thanks.”
“I'm glad everything worked out for you with Mocha and your sister. I was following the news reports.”
She smiled back looking for a way to cut the conversation short. The last night they were together had ended in a huge fight and she had walked out without looking back. She assumed he was over the relationship, but she wasn’t trying to stick around to find out. “Thank you again.”
He reached out for her left hand “I see somebody finally managed to get a ring on your finger.”
She pulled her hand away from his. “Yeah, well I guess it had to happen some time.” He’s being awfully polite. She remembered him being a nice enough guy but a bit of a manipulator when they were together. The fact that she didn't ask how high she should jump when he snapped his fingers was a huge spot of contention for him. 'Too career minded' he'd said. He expected to be the center of her world, and he wasn't above throwing a tantrum to get his way. 
“I guess you're right, but I was always hoping it was going to be me.”
“Keith…”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re happy.”
“I am. Very happy in fact.”
“Good, so do you have time to grab a cup of coffee?”
Sidra hesitated. She definitely had the time, but there was a small nagging sensation stirring just under her breastbone that told her not to do it. She rationalized it away saying it was just a cup of coffee and a few extra minutes with an ex-boyfriend who was more like an old acquaintance really. What could be wrong with sitting down and catching up on old times? “Sure. I have the time if you do.”
“I took the week off, so I’m good.” He smiled and placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to a table in the bookstore cafe. 
After sliding into a cozy corner in the coffee shop, they ordered hot java. They reminisced about old times and caught up with more recent ones. They laughed and talked like old friends should, but after twenty minutes the conversation took a change in direction. Keith started to pour his heart out and told her that he had just gotten out of a serious relationship. He had gotten together with the woman shortly after he broke up with Sidra. He said it had started out as a rebound relationship but somewhere along the line he had started to care for her but he’d never really gotten over Sidra. The woman suspected as much and confronted him one night, so he confessed. 
He stared down into his coffee cup. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. It’s obviously too late.”
“Maybe not. Why don’t you just give her a call?”
“It’s too late for me and her Sid, but is it possible that we ran into each other for a reason?”
“Uhhh, no. Keith the only reason we ran into each other is to catch up. Now I suggest if you love her then you should do what you can to get her back.”
Just then someone came and stood right next to their table. When she looked up she saw a familiar face. “Officer Scott, hi how are you?”
“Sidra, I’m good how are you?”
“I’m fine. This is an old friend of mine, Keith.”
Officer Scott stuck his right hand out. “Keith, nice to meet you.”
Keith never looked the other man in the eyes. “Yeah, you too.”
A moment later Keith had somewhere to go. He pulled his card out and slid it across the table. “In case you change your mind give me a call.”
Sidra took the card and slid it into her coat pocket so she wouldn't offend him too deeply. She would throw it away later. “I won’t but it was good to see you.”
After Keith left Officer Scott sat down at the table with her.
"Sidra who was that?"
"Oh, just an ex-boyfriend. We were catching up on old times."
He nodded. "Be careful with that guy."
"What do you mean?"
"The guy didn't look me in the eyes once. That's what suspects do. He's guilty about something. Just be careful."
 
Later that night she and Jensen attended their first counseling session. The counselor they saw was a man who specialized in dealing with couples who were going to get married but one or both partners had issues with porn or sex addiction. It was a session that allowed the counselor to get to know the couple while they got to know his background. He shared his testimony about how he had been addicted to porn before he got married but never told his wife. He told how he lost everything but watched God turn the situation around as he followed God’s word and His leading. He also warned Sidra that Jensen would need a great deal of support and patience to get through this situation. 
Sidra glanced over at her fiancé. He was such a paradox, so strong in almost every other area but this one. The counselor helped her appreciate Jensen's willingness to come forward. "Most guys never let on until it's too late" he said. "My first wife was very happy to hear about my recovery, but I had destroyed the relationship so badly that she still won't have much to do with me. She remarried and moved on. She hoped the same happiness for me but didn't stick around to see it happen, so I'm glad to see that you are both committed to this process and to each other. You’re going to need that."
After the session Jensen took Sidra out for dinner and brought her back home in heavy, falling snow. When they walked through the door, he removed her coat then his and went to hang them on the coat rack. He shook them both before lifting the coats onto the rack. Keith’s card fell out of Sidra’s pocket as her coat touched the hook. Jensen picked the card up and read it. “Who is Keith Spade?”
“Oh, an old…friend” She shouldn’t have hesitated, but he caught her off guard. She knew it made her sound guilty when there was no earthly reason she should feel that way. 
At her hesitation, Jensen stepped closer. “Really? And exactly how close a friendship are we talking about?”
She looked at him and couldn’t figure out why she didn’t just offer full disclosure from the beginning. She had no reason to present half-truths or hide her afternoon activities, so she decided to give him what he asked for. “He's the guy I was seeing before you.”
“And you decided to see him again?”
“No. I ran into him earlier today. We had a cup of coffee, talked about old times and caught up with each other. He left his card with me before he took off.”
“Were you planning on calling him?”
“Of course not, I just hadn’t thrown it away yet.”
He reached for the back of his neck and massaged it for several seconds before looking back at her. “Sidra, you would tell me if you weren’t happy wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, but where is this coming?”
He beckoned her over to the dining table and pulled out a chair. When she sat down he placed his chair close to hers and grabbed her good hand. “It seems like we’ve known each other forever until moments like this come up. And since this has been a season of revelations there's no point in stopping now. The guy that Leslie is seeing has been around since before Kyra was born. I normally don’t share this because it’s painful, but I need you to know.”
She tightened her grip on his hand. “I’m listening.”
“At some point during our relationship Leslie decided that I wasn’t doing enough for her and wasn’t contributing enough to the relationship. She told him but didn’t tell me. I found out about him when she was six months pregnant and wasn't one hundred percent sure who the father was.”
“What!”
He ran his thumb over the top of her hand. “It's okay. We did a DNA test to confirm that Kyra was mine, but my daughter is all I walked out of that relationship with. It shattered me and took me a long while to get over what happened, but I did. And I made myself a promise that the next relationship I got into, I would do my best to make sure it worked. That means I go out of my way to communicate, even when I don’t feel like it because I don’t want to deal with that situation again.”
She leaned forward to touch her lips to his. “I understand, and I’m sorry that I didn’t just give you the information up front because nothing happened.”
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her soundly. “I love you.”
“I love you back Jensen Gregory West.”
“So when are we going to set a date.”
“Later?”
He placed her back in her chair and stood up. He took a few steps then quickly sat down again. "You're okay with this, right? I mean you do want to be in this relationship with me right now don't you?"
She sighed wondering how to make him understand. "Jensen I love so much, it's just that..."
He tilted her chin upward with his forefinger. "Talk to me."
When he sat down she continued. "Well, I've been accused of having commitment issues, and the accusations are pretty much true. Growing up, I watched my father and several other men in my family create these fireball situations with their choices and it usually engulfed whoever was standing nearby. I've spent most of my adult life avoiding people and situations that were too messy. I pick my relationships the way I pick my cases based on whether or not I think I can win."
He spoke slowly. "And I'm messy?"
Her head snapped up "No! You're beautiful." She kissed him again. "You're a beautiful example of how God loves me. But Sweetie it's only been three months and ...I need some time to wrap my head around this. I know it feels like we've know each other for ever, but my mind keeps screaming that it's only been three months." 
He threw his head back in frustration. "Ugh. Sidra, I just don't get it. Besides the fact that we're not getting any younger, I have never been more sure of anything in my whole life. Sidra I want you. I want you in my house. I want you in my truck when we drive to work. I want you next to me when I wake up in the morning and I want you pregnant with my babies." He scooted his chair back slightly. "I don't know, I thought you wanted those things too."
She took a deep breath praying silently that he would understand. "How old did you say you were when your neighbor showed you porn for the first time, eleven?"
He wasn't quite sure where she was going with that question but answered her anyway. "Yes."
Sidra nodded. "My first memory is of my father packing a suitcase and leaving the house for good. I was almost three. I know for a fact that you are nothing like him, but when it comes to matters of the heart, I'm the type who dips my feet in until I'm used to the water instead of jumping off the diving board into the deep end. You've been dealing with your porn issue for over twenty years. I've been dealing with my fear of commitment for over thirty."
The light of understanding seemed to break through to him with her last statement. 
He hung his head slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
She grabbed both sides of his face. "Jensen I know what we have is special. I have never felt a connection like this with anyone. I love you, and I am going to marry you but can you be a little more patient with a recovering commitment-phobe? Please?"
"Yes, of course. Sidra I don't mean to rush you but..."
"I know. I love you too."

The next morning Sidra picked up Sidney from the airport and brought her back to the house. They both ended up taking a nap after breakfast. A few hours later she and Sidney were headed south on the interstate. Because it was Saturday morning they didn't have to worry about rush-hour traffic, but the traffic going by the outlet mall was almost as bad. 
Sidney had stayed up late packing and was still tired when they got on the road. "Can you wake me up when we get to Interstate 85, and I'll switch with you." 
Sidra had tossed and turned a little but she did feel better after her morning nap, so she was happy to oblige. "Sure, no problem." 
After Sidney woke up they stopped at a little diner to get something to eat. It looked like a freak show by the time they left. They were both used to getting pleasant smiles and nods especially from gentleman individually, but the attention they received together was almost embarrassing. Add that to the fact that their faces were easily recognizable now, and it was a straight circus. Every other minute someone walked by their table and flashed a goofy smile or waved or pulled out a camera phone. 
Thankfully the rest of the drive was uneventful. They pulled into Poppy's yard about 4:30 p.m. It was with a joyful heart that she took in the property where she had spent so many of her summers as a child. "Here we are." 
Sidney glanced around in admiration. "This yard is huge." 
"Welcome to the country." 
"What did Sidero say when you told him that we were coming?" 
Sidra smiled. "He said okay." 
"Man of few words huh?" 
"To say the least.”
Sidra got out of the car, and the beauty of the place suddenly struck her. The evergreens along the old wood fence, the way the sun hit the roof of the house and even the way the red clay turned a tad orange in the winter made her beam with appreciation. “Man this old yard brings back some memories.” She and Mike spent many a summer playing in this yard. Even if they didn't see Sidero much, they were able to see MeeMaw and Poppy almost every summer. The grandparents made up for what they lacked in fatherly attention. 
Sidra turned to Sidney. “MeeMaw died a couple of years ago. I really wish you could have known her. For a long time, I thought that the sun rose and set on that woman. I really miss her.”
She beeped the horn twice. That was always the signal to let the people in the house know that company had arrived. Sidra walked around to the back of the car. As she popped the trunk, two men came out of the little house into the big yard. Poppy moved a lot slower now and walked with a cane, so Sidero reached them first. His eyes began to water, and they had to strain to hear him when he spoke. 
“You two look so much alike.”
Sidra smiled and gestured grandly. “So we've heard. Sidero Lyons, I'd like you to meet your daughter Sidney. Sidney, this is your father.” She saw movement out the corner of her eye after she made the introduction. “Poppy!”
The old man ambled toward the car. “There's my girl. Come on over here and give me some sugar.”
She reached for him like a baby reaching for a bottle. He hugged her for a long time before letting go. She inhaled the scent of his line-dried clothes with a hint of tobacco. "I missed you so much Poppy." 
"Oh baby, you know I missed you too. So, how's the car doing?" 
She knew that was Poppy’s way of asking how she was. She could always count on Poppy to ask about her car at least once during a visit or a conversation. She was about to continue her conversation with Poppy when she heard sobbing. They turned around to find Sidero and Sidney holding on to each other with vice grips. 
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you or your mama."
Sidney wiped her tears as she nodded. "It's alright."
His remorse touched both of his daughters. "No it isn't. I should have done better. Please forgive me. I promise I'll make it up to you. You'll forgive me won't you?" 
Sidney whispered a barely audible response. "Yes, of course I will." 
Poppy and his cane made it around to the other side of the car. "Well stop hogging the girl and let me meet my other granddaughter." 
A few minutes later Sidra walked into the small room where she and Mike used to sleep. It seemed that Poppy hadn't touched anything after his wife died, and Sidra could understand why. She felt her late grandmother's presence all through the house but especially in this room where she heard a bedtime story or a Bible story or some outrageous retelling of goings on in the small town every night of every summer until she was 10 years old. She ran her hand over the quilt MeeMaw had made and sat down on the small bed. Life seemed so simple back then.
After settling in and showing Sidney around the property, she called Jensen to let him know they had arrived. He and Kyra were getting ready for dinner, and he put Kyra on to say thank you for the Christmas presents she had received. Ten minutes later when Kyra hadn't stopped talking, Jensen grabbed the phone and said goodnight. Everyone said lots of I love you’s and I miss you’s before hanging up, but she heard something in Jensen's voice that reminded her of their conversation the night before. She looked around the little room again, and the concerns about Jensen and their relationship seemed so far away out here with faded blue curtains and scuffed wood floors. She wished she could take the feeling back home with her. 
When dinner was over, Sidra decided to take the old quilt off her bed and go sit on the front porch swing. She was bundled up in her wool coat and the quilt when the old screen door squeaked to let her know she had company. She heard the cane hit the ground before Poppy's boots did. 
"Girl, what are you doing out here in the cold?" 
"Nothing Poppy. Just enjoying the stars. They always seem so much brighter down here." 
"Well open up that quilt and make some room for your old Poppy." 
Sidra grinned and opened the quilt wide. "You know we haven't done this since I was a little girl." 
"Yeah. I sure am glad you made it down doll." 
"Me too, I think I just needed to get away for a while. And of course Sidney needed to meet dad." 
"She's had it hard, huh?" 
"Yes. I get the feeling she and her mother didn't really get along, and now she's dead. I think she's just feeling very lonely right now." 
"Whew! That's rough, I know how that is. It's a good thing she found you and Mike when she did then." 
Sidra nodded and laid her head on his shoulder at the same time. "Mmmmhhhmmm. She said the same thing." 
"And what do you mean you needed to get out of town? Somebody up there bothering you? You know I move a little slower than I used to, but I can still hurt somebody if I need to." 
The thought of Poppy chasing Jensen with a cane tickled her to no end. "No Poppy, nobody’s bothering me, it's just that there's this guy..." 
"Not that idiot, what's his name? Adam Hill?"
Sidra shook her head at the name. That episode of her life seemed like a lifetime ago to her. "No sir, he's going away for a long time."
"Good, 'cause I was about to come there and find that idiot."
She laughed as she thought about Adam being caned by Poppy. "No, it's this guy I'm seeing."
"You doing more than seeing him aren't you? Looks like he spent a pretty penny on that rock you sporting on your left hand." 
"I love him Poppy. It's just that he wants to get married soon, and I'm not sure if I'm ready right now." 
He drew her in closer until his beard scratched her cheek. "You mean you're not sure if you're ready to trust someone with your whole heart?" 
"Well, since you put it like that..." 
“Baby listen, your daddy is a good man deep down. Now he's done some things without thinking, but we all have, haven't we? So learn from his mistakes but don't hold up your life for something your daddy did or didn’t to. Live your life baby, live your life.”
After some minutes, they decided to get off the porch swing and warm up inside the house. As she passed the kitchen, she noticed that Sidney and Sidero were still in the kitchen talking. She poked her head in to say good night on her way to bed. They looked like they were pretty entrenched, so she decided to leave them be. 
Sidero set the two coffee mugs he'd just filled down on the table and took a seat. "Sidney I'm so glad you came looking for us." 
"Me too. I'm thankful to have found you and Sidra and Mike and now Poppy. I was feeling rather alone out there." 
"Don't you have other family?" 
"Yes, but the relationships are so strained from when my mother was alive that it's going to take time to heal them. It just feels better here. Even Sidra said so." 
He reached for the cream as he studied his youngest daughter. "Sidra said so because of her Poppy, that didn't have anything to do with me." 
"You two have a little bit of a strain between you as well, hmm?" 
"Yeah, I guess so. Her and Michael. But it's always been worse with Sidra. And you know, I don't really understand it. I mean I was hardly ever there to do anything wrong." 
"I think that may have been the problem. She wanted you there." 
"So how am I supposed to fix that? She's thirty-five." 
"I don't think that it can be fixed. But why don't you try being there for her now." 
"She acts like she doesn't want me there now." 
"I didn't say it was going to be easy, or that it wasn't going to take some time. But I think it'll be worth your while. She really is a wonderful person with a big heart." 
"Yeah they both are. Their mama did a good job with them and thank you for the suggestion honey, I'll try that." 
The next couple of days were spent visiting relatives and friends Sidra hadn't seen in years. It was hilarious to see some of the reactions when she and Sidney walked through the door together. Sidero had a lot of explaining to do around town. They toured the little bread factory that the small town was known for. They also spent a lot of time shopping for Poppy’s house. Since MeeMaw had passed away, Poppy and Sidero didn't keep the house up the way she would have. They bought new curtains and comforter sets and also refreshed the towels and ‘wash rags’ as MeeMaw used to call them. 
By Monday afternoon they were both worn out and anxious to get home. Sidra had reflected on the conversation with her grandfather several times while she was there. He was right. She couldn’t do anything about her past, but she definitely had a choice in which direction her future was headed. 
They packed up the car and got ready for the trip back home. Sidra looked around to make sure nothing was overlooked.” I think that's everything." 
“Not quite young lady.” Poppy handed them both a brown paper bag with a huge grease spot on the bottom. The little bag caused Sidra to grin from ear to ear because of the memories it brought back. The sack overflowed with love. 
"I made you two some fried chicken and potato salad for the road. There's some chips and soda for you in there too, you know in case you get hungry along the way." 
Sidra almost broke down and cried right there. She held Poppy for a long time before letting go. "Thank you, Poppy." Sidney did the same. 
"You are more than welcome babies." 
Sidra walked around to the other side of the car where Sidero was standing. "Bye dad. It was good seeing you again." 
"You too darling, why don't you give me a call when you get home to let me know you made it safe." 
She gave him a hug and a smile. "I just might do that." 
He reached for his other daughter next. "And you, you let me know when you get settled in your new house so I can come see it." 
Sidney’s eyes were tearing up already. "I will. I love you.... Daddy." 
"I love you too, honey." 
Sidra called Jensen while they were on the road, so he agreed to meet them at Sidra’s house with dinner. He explained that Leslie had gone out of town and he had Kyra for the week so he wouldn't be able to stay long, but he wanted to see her. He pulled up to the house at the same time as Sidra and Sidney and they all piled into the house together. After washing up, Kyra grabbed the remote and turned on Daily Access. Jensen looked up just in time to see the opening sequence. Sidra's picture flashed on screen with a title asking 'Is Sidra’s New Relationship in Trouble?' As usual they promised more after the break. They were all in shock, but Sidney jumped up and grabbed Kyra’s hand. 
“Ky, come and see what we picked up for you the other day.”
“You got something for me?”
“We sure did, and I think you’re really going to like it.”
Sidra's expression told Sidney ‘thank you’ because her mouth and her mind were numb. She looked at Jensen, and he looked at her with a quizzical expression. She shrugged her shoulders because she didn’t know what else to do. Squeals of delight came from the other room letting them know that Kyra was enjoying the small puzzle Sidney had bought as a gift. When the show came back on, they had to wait about ten minutes before her picture popped back up. They sat in silence, and Jensen barely looked in her direction. The intro to the story started with the show's hostess explaining who Sidra was and that she had recently become engaged. 
She went on “But we’ve recently acquired footage showing that she may not be as committed to the new relationship as her fiancé.” They showed footage of Sidra and Keith from the other day sitting at the table and an edited part of the conversation where he expressed that he still had feelings for her. Immediately after that they showed the part of the conversation where he expressed his regret saying “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. It’s obviously too late” followed by Sidra's “Maybe not". They followed that with a scene of him pushing his card across the table and her sliding it into her pocket. 
When the segment ended Jensen, who still had his coat on, stood up and walked out of the house without a word. Sidra moved stiffly as she fixed dinner for Kyra and took it back to her. Ten minutes later he came back in and sat down on the sofa. He covered his face with his hands and leaned back without speaking for several moments. “Sidra what is going on? Please tell me you told me the truth the other night.”
She was so angry she was shaking. “I told you the truth. That clip was edited, and I was set up.”
“Why am I just now hearing about the fact that he still has feelings for you, and why did I have to hear it on TV?”
Sidra was dumbfounded. “I didn’t think it was important.”
He sat straight up and looked at her. “You didn’t think it was important?”
“Jensen, guys come on to me all the time. You’ve never heard me talk about them because they aren't important to me. The only difference this time was that I knew the guy.”
Several moments passed before he took a deep breath “I believe you.”
She couldn’t tell if he truly believed her or if he needed to believe her to keep his sanity in tact. He packed up Kyra and her things a few minutes later and left for home. 
Sidney looked at her as soon as the door closed. “What just happened here?”
“I was set up by an ex-boyfriend, and now I’m going to go take a bath and go to bed.”

CHAPTER 11

*********
The next night she was on the phone with Jensen. She had texted him earlier in the afternoon asking if he was alright. He texted back that he was fine, and he would call her later that night. When he finally did call it was late since he had to get Kyra fed and put to bed before he could talk.
"Hello?"
"I'm sorry, and I love you."
She laughed lightly. "I love you too, but there is nothing to apologize for. I think if the shoe were on the other foot, I might not have done as well."
"Yeah. Sidra it occurred to me today that considering the amount of drama we're dealing with, either this relationship is something we shouldn't be getting into..."
Sidra's heart stopped. She hoped her hesitation wasn't making him have second thoughts. "Or...?"
"Or we've got the devil running scared at the possibility of a union between us, and he's throwing everything he can at us to prevent our marriage from happening."
When he didn’t say anything else she decided to get clarification. "And which side of the fence are you coming down on?" Please say the latter.
He paused. "The latter. What about you counselor?"
She exhaled and smiled. "I concur."
"Glad to hear it but baby, I just need you to know that I can't take much more."
She breathed in deeply again. "I know, and I hear you. I was thinking a lot about last night too, and I think we should go ahead and set the date."
"Really, for when?"
"Oh. Hold that thought. I have another call coming through." 
She clicked over, and a distraught Liz was on the other line crying hysterically. Her ex-husband Robert had called earlier that day saying that he and his new wife were seeking full custody of Jayden. Of course she told Liz that she would be right there. What is going on? It’s like all of hell has broken loose the last few months. She switched back to Jensen with a sigh. "I'm back." 
"So you were saying, a date?" 
"Ahhhh, I'm sorry sweetie, but I have to go."
He almost laughed. "What is it now?"
Sidra was so mad she was seeing red. "That was Liz on the phone. Robert just lost his mind and is seeking full custody of Jayden probably because he doesn't want to pay child support anymore. He barely sees the child as it is. He’s just being spiteful. He threatened one day that he would get full custody and she would never see Jayden again."
"Oh God help her. I don't think I could handle it if someone said I couldn't see Kyra when I wanted to." 
"I know and thankfully you don't have to deal with that, but you will have to wait to have this conversation."
"I don't want to but I will."
"It'll be worth the wait."
"Yes it will. By the way, how was the visit with your father and grandfather?"
The memory of sitting with Poppy on the front porch swing brought a smile to her face. "Perfect."
"Good. I was praying that you two would have a good visit."
"We did, so thank you. What do you and Miss Kyra have planned for the rest of the week?"
"Well let's see, she has karate tomorrow night, soccer the next night, and Friday is our date night."
"Oh, I forgot about date night." She shook her head and grinned at how Jensen doted on his daughter. He took her out every other Friday for dinner and a movie or a play. He reasoned that he didn't want 'some thug' showing up in ten years telling Kyra that he expected something in return just because dinner was paid for. She would already be used to being treated well and would be able to turn down someone quicker for not showing her the respect she deserved. "Alright then what about the weekend?" 
"She told me that she was coming to see you."
I love that child. "Excellent. Maybe we can get started taking down the Christmas decorations. It'll be February in a minute."
"She'll like that. She’s at the stage where helping anyone do anything is her most favorite activity."
"Good, sounds like a plan. So I will see both of you on Saturday. Now I need to go see about my friend."
"Actually, before you go let's pray for Liz." 

She was at Liz's House until two o'clock that morning. For the first hour Liz just vented, much like she did the other night after the Mocha incident. They spent the rest of the time crying and praying. Before she left Sidra reminded Liz that God loves Jayden more than anyone. "And if you put your life in God's hands, doesn't it make sense to trust Him with Jayden's life?"
Liz wiped her tears away. "Yes."
"Of course it does. That being said, Robert will be sorry he ever messed with you. I've got tons of pent up energy I was waiting to use on Mocha, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste." She took two file boxes of paperwork home that Liz had saved detailing every interaction she'd had with Robert since her divorce. Sidra filed papers in court the next morning ordering that he pay back the child support payments that he'd missed over the last year, which added up to a nice sum. If the full amount wasn't paid in sixty days, Robert would be looking at jail time.

Saturday Morning Sidra came out of the shower and was greeted by the sound of an incessant doorbell. Apparently Sidney had gone out to run some errands, and she was in the house alone. She grabbed her robe and ran down the stairs to see Jensen's truck through the small glass opening on the side of the door. "I'm coming." She ran past the door to turn the alarm off and opened the door to see Jensen and Kyra standing there with big smiles. 
Sidra put her hands on her hips. "Who is playing with my doorbell?" 
"Daddy." 
Jensen gave a pretend look of surprise. "Ky, you weren't supposed to tell." 
"Sorry!" 
Kyra leapt into Sidra's arms, and she took Kyra's coat off before they snuggled for a few moments. "Hey Honey Bunch, I missed you."
"I missed you too." 
"Did you have a good date night last night?" 
"Yes, but Daddy didn't like the movie."
"Really?" 
When Sidra looked over at him, Jensen pretended to stick his finger down his throat.
"That's ok, as long as you did and I think you missed a present when you were here the other day. I left it in the kitchen next to some breakfast for you."
Kyra scrambled out of her arms running into the kitchen with shrieks of delight.
Jensen, ever the mindful parent called after Kyra as she ran by. "Kyra what do you say?"
"Thank you!" And then she was gone leaving Sidra to concentrate on bigger persons. She didn't think Jensen could get any more handsome than he already was but being away from him for a few days proved her wrong. He gave her a long, slow kiss until they were interrupted by a blast of frigid air being shot in their direction. Sidney came in the front door a second later. She looked at them and just shook her head
"Hey there. Sorry to interrupt."
Sidra pulled back smiling. "No problem, I was just on my way upstairs to get dressed.”
Sidney headed for the kitchen with grocery bags in hand.
"Oh by the way, Sidney, Ky is in the kitchen."
Sidney smiled. "Oh goody!” She ran in, picked up Kyra and swung her around until they both screamed.
After a lazy morning of lounging around they broke down the tree and boxed up everything that was red, green and covered with glitter. They were at it for a few hours when Kyra started yawning and stretching. Five minutes later she was out like a light. Jensen put her on the sofa to finish her nap while the big people hauled everything to the garage. Since their star worker was conked out on the sofa, they decided to wrap up their cleaning efforts. Sidra grabbed a blanket from the closet to put over Kyra as she rested. "I think we tired her out." 
Jensen nodded. "Yeah, I let her stay up later than I should have last night." 
Sidra went over and wrapped her arms around him. "Hmmm, so what are you two doing for the rest of the day? Going anywhere?" 
"Probably home, Leslie's flight doesn't get in until 7 p.m. tonight." 
"Where is she flying into? National?" 
"Yes." 
"Then why go all the way home when the airport is right down the street. You and Ky can crash right here until it's time for you to go get her." 
"You sure you don't mind?" 
"I wouldn't have offered if I did, besides I have enough of Jayden's movies to keep Ky entertained for hours."
Jensen leaned in for a kiss. "I knew I loved you for some reason."
"Oh get out of here. You love me for a lot of reasons."
He tipped his head back and laughed. "You're right. Do you have time to come to the airport with us?"
"Sure, no problem. In fact, we can leave after dinner."
She left Kyra and Jensen downstairs while she went upstairs to file some papers away. Jensen made his way to her room where she was sitting on the bed. He crawled onto the bed and laid his head on her lap. Sidra rubbed her hand back and forth over his forehead. "Is she still asleep?" 
He yawned and closed his eyes. "Oh yeah, she'll be out for a while." 
"You look like you're right behind her." 
"Yeah, I guess I should have gone to sleep last night… and the night before."
"Jensen Gregory! You haven't slept for two days? I’m not around for a couple of days, and the whole world goes to pot huh?" 
"More than you know. Meager couldn't handle the Wesley case by the deadline, and since my star employee went on vacation again, I had to help him." 
"Wow. I almost feel bad about taking the extra time." 
"You shouldn't. The big brass wouldn’t have let you come in anyway. So tell me about your trip. I want to hear all about it." He couldn't finish the sentence because of the yawn that overtook him. 
She kissed his forehead gently. "Go to sleep and I'll wake you up in a couple of hours. We can talk about it then." 
"Thank you baby." 
"You're welcome." She gave him another quick kiss before she slid off the bed and pulled a blanket over him. 
He was asleep before she walked out of the room. Downstairs she started to clean up the left over glitter from the tree ornaments in the living room. About an hour later she started making dinner but realized she was missing a key ingredient. She was too far in to stop but couldn't go any further without that ingredient. She figured Jensen and Kyra would probably be asleep for the next twenty minutes that it would take her to run to the store, so she grabbed her coat and purse and headed out the door. She was half way down the street when she realized that she’d left her driver's license in a jacket she had on earlier that week. She turned the car around to get it and when she walked into her house time stopped. 
She heard the clock on the wall ticking, she felt the hot air from the vent overhead blowing down on her and she saw her fiancé kissing her sister. She thought... nothing. She crushed her key into the palm of her hand to make sure she wasn't dreaming. The pain in her hand caused her to wince and caused Jensen to break the kiss and look in her direction. Nobody moved. 

Liz arrived at work on Monday morning to find a note on her desk. The note read 'I quit. I'm fine, but I couldn't come back here. I'll call you later. Love you. Sid.' After reading and rereading it, Liz grabbed the note and headed straight for Jensen's office. The door was closed, but she could see he was there through the glass door. He was holding his head, and she couldn't tell if he was praying or had a headache. Given the note in her hand she guessed it was both. She knocked softly, but he barely moved. 
"Come in." 
"What's this about Sid quitting?”
That got his attention and he stood ramrod straight. "What? Who said she was quitting?" 
Liz handed Jensen the note. "She did." 
"Oh God!" He grabbed his head again.
"What in the world is going on?" 
He stared down at the note. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 
"Try me." 
Somewhat embarrassed, Jensen began recounting the story for Liz. When he got done, Liz felt like she was looking at her son Jayden. 
"Liz I swear I didn't know. I was half asleep, and they look so much alike."
She felt bad for him and wanted to get up and put a Band-Aid on the sore spot. She knew she couldn't do that, physically anyway, so she did something better. "Let's pray." 
Suddenly Jensen perked up. He had been so wrapped up in circumstances the last few weeks that God had been pushed to the backburner in his personal life. But now out of necessity God was front and center again. Realizing his mistake, Jensen repented immediately. 
"Lord, forgive me for forgetting You and for forgetting that You are in control of everything that goes on in my life. Whether You sent it or allowed it, You were right there with me in it, and You were the one who gave me strength to get through it. God I ask that You give me Your wisdom and insight to correct this situation, in Jesus name I ask. Amen.”
Liz picked up where Jensen left off. "Father, I believe in my heart that You have ordered the steps of Jensen and Sidra to walk together for the rest of their lives. I ask now that You would cancel every plan and scheme of the enemy concerning their union. Lord unveil covered eyes and let the truth be made known so that all may see Your glory and power in this situation. Now we thank You and believe that You have heard us and are working on our behalf. You're word says that You have plans to prosper us and to give us a future and a hope. We stand on your word right now and receive a prosperous future for Jensen and Sidra. It is in the matchless name of Jesus that I ask these things. Amen." 
"Amen." 
Well she started off quietly enough, but by the time Liz got done calling on God all of heaven along with the entire law offices of Strong and Mayer knew it. When they opened their eyes, there were no less than ten employees staring into Jensen's office. Jensen couldn't figure out what they were all staring at but then recalled Liz getting a tad bit loud during the prayer. Even with the great cloud of witnesses surrounding him, he felt reassured and thanked God that Liz was the first person he saw that morning. He knew he couldn't bring Sidra back, but he served a God who could. Peace filled his heart at the thought that God would fight his battles for him. 
He got up and walked around to the other side of his desk pulling Liz into a big bear hug. He thanked her for bringing his focus back to God then opened his office door to start damage control. 
********
Blue waters, blue skies and a blue heart. That about sums it up. Sidra glanced around at the breathtaking scenery. When she ran out of her house a week ago she couldn't even see straight. She drove around aimlessly for hours trying to contain the heart she feared would explode in her chest. 
Once she got herself together she headed straight for her office. She packed up her desk, left Liz a note and the manager above Jensen a resignation letter and didn't look back. Since she wasn't sure where to go or what to do at that point, she just got in her car and drove some more. She ended up at the airport. 
She checked herself into her favorite hotel close to the airport and purchased a one-way ticket headed south. She had planned to leave that night, but due to increased security restrictions she wasn’t able to leave until the next morning. 
With free time on her hands she drove to the SuperMart and purchased luggage, underwear, clothes and toiletries for the week. She made sure she didn’t allow her mind to wander back to what she had seen earlier. Early the next morning she flew through Miami to a beautiful Caribbean island. It would have been a wonderful trip if she hadn't cried the whole time.
One week later she was sitting on a beautiful white sandy beach not knowing anyone and not caring. It seemed that she had been running on adrenaline for the last few months without a thought for anything except all the problems surrounding her, but for the first time in a long time she felt close to God. She knew it had more to do with her broken heart than the scenery.
She remembered what she told Sidney about Mocha. Sometimes God will allow circumstances, however painful, to point you in the right direction. What she had witnessed in her house last week didn’t make sense, but she was ready to cut her losses and move on. She loved Jensen, and had even grown to love Sidney, but the pain of seeing them together that way would not allow her to go back to the way things were.
She sat for a few more minutes listening to the waves as they formed the backdrop to her scattered thoughts. She meditated on the water and lost herself in thoughts of the last few months. She felt and heard nothing until a soft voice broke in: 'considering the amount of drama we're dealing with, either this relationship is something we shouldn't be getting into...or we've got the devil running scared at the possibility of a union between us, and he's throwing everything he can at us to prevent our marriage from happening.’
The ringing cell phone snapped her back to reality. When she glanced down at the caller-ID and saw that it was her mother, her hopes that it would be a company offering a new job were dashed. 
"Hey Mama."
"Sid honey, it's been a few days. Don't you think you should come back now?"
"I'll be back tomorrow mama. Did you go by my place?" 
"Yes." 
"Is she still there?" 
"No. The place was spotless like she'd never been there." 
"Good." 
"Honey I know this hurts right now, but don't you think you should talk to Jensen and try to work this out? I know he’s tried to contact you." 
"Only a million times, Mama I...Oh hold on I got another call coming through it may be one of the headhunters I contacted about a job." She switched over to the other line. "Hello? Leslie?" 

The next night she was standing on Jensen's front porch with her hand raised and ready to knock on the door. She was out of her funk and feeling more like herself but still unsure. She started to turn around and leave until she heard Poppy's voice in her head 'live your life baby'. She knocked on the door, and moments later Jensen opened it. He stood there momentarily frozen but quickly came to himself. He started to smile and reached out to grab her until she stepped back like a wounded animal. He moved aside and allowed her to enter. Once she was inside they stared at each other for a full minute.
Her coat was still on, and her purse was still on her shoulder when she spoke. "So are you going to tell me what happened or not?"
He never took his eyes off her. "Well, it's pretty simple really. I didn't realize you had left, and when I came downstairs, I walked up behind Sidney thinking she was you. I had my eyes closed the entire time until I heard you."
"But her eyes were open?"
"I assume so."
"So she knew what she was doing?"
"It appears that way."
She couldn't contain the build up of emotions any longer. She inhaled and gave herself the mental okay to release everything. Cleansing tears flowed, but the picture in her mind of Jensen kissing Sidney would not go away. "How could you not know?" 
They had moved to the sofa, and when she started crying he got up and knelt down in front of her. He cupped his hands over hers and begged her with his eyes to hear him. "Sidra I was drunk with sleep. And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you two look an awful lot alike." He paused to let that sink in. "You know I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you. Don't you?"
"I thought I did, but when I walked in and saw you with her...."
He gathered her into his arms and whispered into her ear "Nothing happened. Forgive me for not opening my eyes and for being in the wrong place at the wrong time but believe me when I say that I would never hurt you on purpose." She pulled back to look into his eyes one more time. What she saw looking back was a completely broken man. 
She took another cleansing breath. "I can do that."
Jensen had turned the situation over to God, but the weight of not knowing the final outcome was finally lifted off of him. He could only praise God for His faithfulness. Thank You Lord.
"Thank you honey but tell me something, what in the world made you come over here? When you wouldn’t take my calls, I thought I was going to have to hire a private investigator to find you."
Sidra sniffled and dried her tears before she answered him. “Well there were a couple of things. You didn't know it, but apparently there was a little mouse under the table that night.”
“Ky?”
“Yes. She saw the whole thing and even tried to tell you. Leslie called me yesterday.”
He hung his head remembering Kyra trying to get his attention just after the incident. He had gathered her and her things together quickly and drove straight to the airport without letting her talk. “I guess I was a little distracted. I’ll have to make it up to her.”
“I know for a fact that a crate full of grape bubble gum would take care of it.”
Jensen laughed but suddenly turned serious. "What was the other reason?"
Sidra took a step toward him and looked up into his eyes. "I kept hearing your voice say that this relationship was under attack because we've got the devil running scared. I'll be honest, at first I was ready to cut my losses and forget the last four months ever happened." She saw how his eyes filled with pain and moved closer to him. She took a deep breath and reached for his hand. "But I couldn't do it. I thought about how you had proven to me on more than one occasion that you deserve my trust. And even on those days when you take the "S" off your chest, and you're just a regular man, you deserve my love and my understanding."
He grabbed her sweater and pulled her closer until they were face to face. "I love you, and if we're going to do this I need to know that you trust me. We have to trust each other. Sidra, I have laid my soul bare, and I need the same from you if this relationship is going to work."
The familiar puddles formed in her eyes once again. "You've got it counselor. I love you too."
She stayed there all night with Jensen. They had a long talk about having trust and faith in each other, as well as God, and then they prayed together. They also prayed for Sidney. Actually, he prayed for Sidney. Sidra wasn't there yet. She forgave her sister, she just didn't want to see her and as far as she was concerned she had done her Christian duty, and that was that.
The next night she went over to Liz's place.
"So everything is all better?"
"Yes."
Liz smiled. "And the wedding is set for?"
"Next summer."
"My, my. You have come a long way. And where is Sidney?"
"I don't know and to be honest with you, I don't care."
Liz was saddened by Sidra’s reaction. "That's too bad."
"Whatever."

Sidra's life was getting back to normal. She and Jensen were back together, and all was right with the world once more. They were very careful this time, however, to make sure that God was at the center of their lives. 
She met Jensen for breakfast at the quaint café she was so familiar with the next Saturday. He had some work to finish up at the office and asked her to join him before he got started. 
He placed a handful of sugar and cream in front of her before stirring his own coffee. "So when do you start your new job?" 
She stirred some creamer into her coffee as she spoke. "Next Monday." 
"I'm just sorry that you had to leave like that." 
"It all worked out for the best. I got a promotion and a raise along with a sweet corner office." 
"All of which you would have gotten if you had stayed where you were for two more months." 
"I know, but I am a firm believer in the scripture that says ‘all things work together for the good of those that love God and are the called according to His purpose'.” Sidra paused as the words came out of her mouth. The last time she heard that verse Sidney was repeating it after forgiving her for something that potentially could have cost her years in prison.
Unaware of what his future bride was thinking, Jensen continued. “You’re right, it’s just that I’m going to miss you. And there's one more thing we need to discuss."
"What's that?"
"A wedding date."
She grinned at the love of her life. "Next summer wasn't specific enough for you?" She had an epiphany right then, the valley was dark, but the mountaintop was worth the journey. She must remember that for all the mountains and valleys she had yet to face.
*******
Ten months later God worked it out so that Liz didn’t have to worry about losing Jayden. Robert never got control of his temper or the spousal abuse that had gotten him into so much trouble earlier. His new wife left him before the custody hearing took place. She also testified against him and told the court that Robert was just trying to avoid child support payments. She also notified the court that he had gotten another job that Liz didn't know about. Jayden’s child support payments increased by almost fifty percent. 
Liz may have been fine, but Sidra was starting to go crazy with wedding plans and preparations. Her mother, Liz and a pregnant Amanda were at her house to help with the planning. Mike was also there she suspected because he didn't have anywhere else to go and also because he had become something of a guard dog after learning that Amanda was carrying their first child. He came out of the kitchen into the dining room where the women were pouring over bridal magazines. 
"Sid when's the last time you heard from Sidney?" 
She looked up distracted by something Liz had just said. "We’ve left each other messages here and there about where to pick up some things she may have forgotten but not since the day she left." 
"How long ago was that?" 
"About ten months, why?" 
"Because I’ve been calling and haven’t talked to her in the last month or so and I'm worried about her. You should see her new office, it’s beautiful." 
“That’s nice.” Sure, she was distracted with the wedding plans but the truth was she really didn’t want to talk about it. 
He walked out of the room to make the call and Eliza jumped in where he left off. 
"You know you really should call her Sidra. You can't pretend this didn't happen."
Sidra sighed. "I know. She's been on my mind the last week or so, and I guess if you can forgive Sidero for everything he did to you, I can forgive and reach out to Sidney. I just wish I knew why she did it. She just didn't seem the type." 
Amanda put her swatches down and looked at her sister-in-law. "Well you're never going to know if you don't call her. And she probably won't call you first so you should be the bigger person."
Eliza tag teamed her again. "Honey, I don't think any of us planned to make the mistakes we made, but we made them anyway, and a little understanding always makes a hard landing a little softer doesn't it?" 
Sidra got up to kiss both women on the cheek. "You two are great role models." 
Moments later Mike came back in the room with a look of panic on his face. He grabbed Sidra's purse along with his wallet and headed for the front door. He spoke over his shoulder as he reached for the doorknob. "Come on Sid we have to go!" 
"Go? Go where?" 
"To keep Sidney from killing herself." 
"What?" 
"I just got off the phone with her. She took an overdose of some anti-depressant pills she had a prescription for. I called the paramedics and gave them her new address, but I need your GPS system to get there. Let's go!" 
She was in shock and stood still for a moment. "I don't know..." 
"Sidra! Whatever she did, it's not worth her life!" 
"No, of course not. I was just saying that I don't know where my keys are."
"There right here, lets go!" He was out the door in a split second. She ran toward the door and before she closed it behind her, she asked the prayer warriors in her dining room to pray like they had never prayed before. She was planning to do the same as soon as the shock wore off. They plugged Sidney’s address into the GPS system and fifteen minutes later were pulling into Sidney's new development.
"Oh look, I think it’s that one there, the one on the end."
Mike squinted to see the number on the house. "I'll park the car. Go on over and see if she can let you in."
Sidra raced over to the house and pounded on the front door. "Sidney! Sidney can you hear me!" Oh God, please don't let her die. She pounded on the door until her hand was raw, but there was no answer. A moment later a fire truck and ambulance pulled up. A fireman ran over to where Sidra was beating on the door. 
"Ma’am, is this where the suicide case is?" 
"Yes! She's inside, but she can't open the door." 
"Step aside please and let me try." He broke the door down with two solid kicks then he and the paramedics rushed into the house looking for Sidney. When they determined that she wasn’t on the lower level they ran upstairs with the stomach pumping equipment. Sidra and Mike followed them but were very careful to stay out of their way. They found her lying in the middle of the bathroom floor with her cell phone and three empty prescription bottles not far from her hand. She was coherent, but barely. She looked up and saw her siblings standing in the doorway. The paramedics beckoned for Sidra to come and sit with her while they were getting their equipment set up. One man handed Sidra a letter with her name on it
"She's asking for you" was all the man said. Mike stayed in the corner of the room and prayed.
Sidra grabbed her sister's hand and knelt down so that they were face to face. She moved strands of hair out of Sidney’s eyes while she spoke. "Why Sidney? Why did you do it?"
Sidney misunderstood what she was asking and in a barely audible voice answered her sister. "I'm so sorry Sidra. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to know what it felt like to be loved like that."
Sidra finally had her answer, and the tears flowed because she should have known it would be something so simple. "Oh Sweetie, I'd gotten over it. I meant why did you do this to yourself?"
"I just wanted to stop hurting."
The paramedics had finished setting up their equipment and asked Sidra to step back so they could begin pumping her stomach. 
Afterward Sidney was placed on a stretcher and carried outside to the waiting ambulance. They gave Mike the name and address of the hospital they were driving Sidney to and Mike followed close behind the ambulance. It scared Sidra to think that she had been so wrapped up in herself that she almost sent her own sister down a one-way road. Oh, please God, let her be alright. 
That night at the hospital, the entire family gathered in the waiting room. Sidero was even scheduled to arrive later that night. It was late, and everyone had fallen asleep, so Sidra pulled out the letter that the paramedic had handed her hours before. She eased herself out of Jensen's arms and made her way to the chapel of the hospital. When she had settled onto a hard wooden pew, she opened the envelope and unfolded seven pieces of designer stationary filled with Sidney's handwriting. The letter read:
SIDRA, 
You may be surprised that I even bothered to write you, but as I sit here and contemplate the end of my life, I thought I at least owed you an explanation of what happened that night before I go. You have been so good to me, and I just wanted to share some things with you so you'd know where I was coming from. 
My mother never told me that she loved me. When Sidero left it killed something in her, and I'm not even sure she was capable of showing me love. I was always an obligation to her, and that's all I knew of parental love. When I was fourteen I was raped by a man I should have been able to trust. When it was over, he told me he loved me, so I kept letting him do it just so I could hear him say those words. These aren't excuses, I just wanted you to know where I was coming from and what led me to make the choices I did.
Anyway, that night, right after you left for the store, I walked into the living room thinking that I heard the door close. I didn't see anyone, so I headed for the kitchen but stopped at the sofa table after seeing my name on some junk mail. I was so busy reading the mail that I didn't hear Jensen walk up behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and put his chin in the crook of my neck. I know I should have told him that I wasn't you, but I couldn't move. He smelled so good and he felt so ...pure. I had never experienced that with a guy before. I was wondering if this was what unconditional love felt like and I thought it was ironic that the one time in my life that I got a taste of unconditional love it came from a man who thought I was someone else. I wanted to know what that was like for myself and at the same time I wanted to tell him that I wasn't you, but it was like I couldn't move. 
I finally worked up the nerve to tell him and turned around to face him, but his eyes were closed. 
I managed to whisper "I'm not...." but he never opened his eyes. All I heard was "Shhhhh. Just kiss me." I didn't want to Sidra, I swear I didn't but when I looked up into his face, I was captivated by what love looked like, and I wanted to know what that kind of love felt like, so I thought, just this one time and no one will have to know. I'll get one taste of love and then stay away from him forever. At first I hesitated, but then I just closed my eyes and stretched toward him. My mind was telling me to break away, but I got lost in love. I know it wasn't mine to get lost in but I did and I am so sorry. It only lasted a few seconds but then you walked in, and the look on your face cut me to my heart. He pushed me away, but you were gone by then.
Sidra, you may not believe this but I love you, and although they were the craziest three months of my life, the time we shared were also the best months of my life ...until I hurt you. I see your face every time I go to bed and every time I wake up, and I can't take the pain any longer. Please tell Mike that I love him and tell Jensen I'm sorry. Hug Kyra for me and tell my cousins thank you for trying to stick up for me, but Aunt Meena was right about me. Sidra thank you for everything you've done for me. I really do love you.
Your sister, Sidney
Sidra was deeply troubled and boiling mad at the same time. She was mad at herself, mad at the man who raped her sister, at Aunt Meena and even at Sidney for believing Meena. She sobbed until she was dehydrated. Her head was pounding so hard that the hard wooden pew felt good against it. She thought she would close her eyes for a few moments until her head stopped aching. Jensen found her there, passed out in the chapel, with tear stains on her face, the letter in her hand and a damp scarf around her neck. He picked her up and placed her in his lap so he could hold her for a while. He read the letter while he waited for her to wake up.
*******
The road to recovery was long, and it wasn't pretty, but Sidney made it through with the help of Christian counselors and a lot of support from family. MeeMaw's voice came to Sidra often when she thought about her sister. What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around for His good. After the suicide attempt, Sidney was more on fire for Jesus Christ than she'd ever seen anyone. She and Sidney had several heart-to-heart talks over several months and by the time the wedding rolled around, Sidra was able to say that she loved her sister unconditionally, and there was nothing Sidney could do about it. 

CHAPTER 12

*********

Jensen’s road to recovery was just as hard and long as Sidney’s, but after a lot of hard work he got control of his thought life again. Sidra had helped tremendously, and he shared his thanks with her in a little note he included with her wedding day gift, a small platinum cross with the words He's Able inscribed on the back. She, in turn, sent him a pocket watch with a secret compartment just large enough for a tiny photo. Unbeknownst to him, she had taken Kyra to take pictures on the same day they got fitted for dresses. When Jensen sat down and opened the watch he stared at the photo of Sidra and Kyra so long that the other men in the room grew quiet and walked over to see what had captured his attention. 
"You have a beautiful family man." Justice, Jensen's brother spoke over his shoulder. "Don't mess it up or I may have to step in and take over."
Jensen didn't hesitate. He reached over his head and grabbed his brother's neck in a chokehold and tried to flip him over. Of course, Justice fought back and after several moments of furniture moving across the floor and pictures almost falling off of walls because of the tussle, the door burst open and a small hurricane blew through. Arlette West clapped her hands twice and dared her boys to move. "Stop that this instant!" She stared down everyone in the room and when she was sure she had everyone's attention she turned on her heels and walked out of the room with one final directive. "And finish getting dressed." They made sure she was out of ear shot then Tim and Mike fell to the floor in a fit of laughter while Jensen and Justice tried to straighten up their tuxedos.
Twenty months to the day of Mike's wedding, Sidra prepared to walk down the aisle but this time as the bride. Just as with Mike's wedding, the time flew by and here, she was primping, preening and making last minute adjustments to the seating chart. Jensen's parents offered to host the wedding at their house as soon as they learned of the plans. They owned a beautiful estate right off the Potomac River with an enormous back yard. As a gift to Sidra, his mother hired one of the top wedding planners in D.C. Sidra got along with the woman like they were long lost friends and they even started finishing each others sentences during the planning process. Knowing Sidney's eye for design, Sidra invited her sister to the last two planning meetings with the wedding coordinator. The three of them put on quite a show. 
Outside the West family home, a large open tent was set up about 100 yards from the dock. The ceremony was to take place under the tent, and there were enough seats under the tent for family members to observe all the action. Seven large white gazebos were arranged around the tent to accommodate the elderly and those who couldn’t take direct sun exposure. 
Two hundred guests were expected to attend the catered affair. A small yacht was anchored at the end of the dock offering hors d’oeuvres and champagne before the wedding and dancing afterward. Everything from the flag on top of the tent to the bows tied onto the dock were a soft shimmering white and made for quite a lovely photo album. The photographer, well known for his magazine spreads, was so inspired that he spent two hours before the wedding taking pictures of the venue. 
For the special day, Jensen hired a well-known string quartet that played every genre of music known. When the guests arrived they were busy playing top 40 tunes. As Kyra started to come down the aisle in a perfect little replica of Sidra's designer wedding gown, the quartet shifted into Bach's Air on G-string. Kyra threw the white tulip petals on the strip of black carpet like she was trying to throw a strike at a t-ball game, but they landed where they were supposed to. Jayden followed holding a plump tasseled pillow with a cracker-jack ring pinned to it. He didn't look to the right or the left, just plowed straight down the aisle and only stopped when he saw Jensen's shoes. Everyone had a good chuckle because of the children. 
Audible gasps were heard when Liz, Sidney and Amanda sashayed down the aisle. Sidra had picked different shades of the same color so that each dress complimented the skin tone of the owner. Amanda looked amazing after recently giving birth to a bouncing baby boy. All the ladies that made up Sidra's side of the wedding party glowed from the inside out. When the groomsmen joined them, they made striking couples as they walked down the center aisle. The photographer had outdone himself on the wedding party photos he took before the ceremony, and he knew it. He featured the pictures on his website later that month and generated a lot of new business for himself. 
The audience stood under a perfectly clear sky when Sidra was escorted down the aisle by Poppy on her right side and Sidero on her left and the quartet transitioned into Canon in D Major by Pachelbel. Jensen wept like a baby at the sight of his bride. She looked absolutely ethereal as she floated between the passage that separated her family and friends from his. When she arrived to stand before her soon to be husband, her father and grandfather proudly said 'we do' when the preacher asked the question 'Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?'
The couple had asked Pastor Johnson to perform the ceremony, but they asked Pastor Williams to expound on covenants when the unity candle was lit. After the vows were repeated, Eliza and Jensen's mom Arlette lit one candle each and handed the candle to their child. Jensen and Sidra then walked up the steps of the largest gazebo and lit the colossal candle standing in the center of the floor. They lit the large candle at the same time with the candles that they were holding. On the way down the steps, they extinguished their individual candles signifying that they had become one while the musicians quietly played the Lord's Prayer in the background.
When the final proclamation ‘I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss your bride’ was made, 3,000 white balloons were released into the heavens. The balloons had been pre-filled with white confetti and burst when they reached a certain height releasing their contents over the crowd below. It looked like a beautiful Christmas scene. At Jensen and Sidra's request the quartet played Long Time Coming by The Winans as they walked back down the aisle. Everything was picture perfect.

Mocha had been invited but was unable to make it. He did however send a huge box that took up a whole third of the gift table. The weather was perfect and as Sidra looked around she thought she couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Seeing her family sitting together under the large gazebo where the unity candle previously stood made her thankful for all her blessings and especially thankful that she persevered long enough to get to this blessed day. To her that was the best part of the day except of course for the part when she said "I do."

EPILOGUE

** *** **

Several months later Sidra and Sidney walked into a small coffee shop in Northwest Washington D.C. They browsed the chalkboard menu to figure out what they wanted after a long morning of shopping. 
Sidney was exhausted. "I didn't know shopping for babies was so tiring."
Sidra set her bags down. "I know. Mike Jr. Isn't even two yet and he's got us running around all over town." She rubbed her stomach thoughtfully as she read the menu.
Sidney looked down at her sister's expanding waistline. "You mean Mike Jr. And Jensen Jr. don't you?" As Sidra kept rubbing her stomach, Sidney became concerned. "You okay?"
Sidra smiled as she kept her hand moving. "I'm fine, but someone is getting hungry, and for the record we're not sure if it's a boy or a girl."
Sidney placed her hand over Sidra's and laughed. "Someone is always hungry. I'm starting to think you've got more than one someone in there. It might just be a boy and a girl."
Sidra looked horrified. "Bite your tongue!"
"I'm just saying..."
They placed their orders and took seats at a small corner table. Sidra left to go wash her hands. While she was gone a woman walked in and just stared at Sidney for a long moment before approaching her. Sidra was walking back toward the table as the woman drew closer. They reached the table at the same time. 
The woman was hesitant but spoke up anyway. “Sid? Sid is that you?”
Sidra could tell by the way Sidney was looking at the woman that she didn't recognize her. She gave her a half smile and nodded before she answered. 
“I’m Sidney.”
The woman looked back and forth between Sidney and Sidra a few times. “Oh. I’m sorry it’s just that you look so much like a former co-worker. You both do actually, but I think she was a little younger, and her name wasn’t Sidney. It was close though. Oh shoot! What was her full name?”
Sidra unzipped her purse and started digging frantically while the woman stood there scratching her head. 
The woman was obviously frustrated because she couldn't remember the name. “Oh I hate when I forget names like that. Hold on it will come to me. Mmmmmmm.....Sidonna! That’s it! It was Sidonna. Do you two have a younger sister named Sidonna? Although, now that I think about it, we used to talk frequently and I don’t ever remember her mentioning any older sisters....”
Sidra squealed when her hand grasped what she was looking for "Ha! Found It!" She pulled her phone out of the purse and started pushing numbers as fast as she could. 
"Hello? Daddy?..." 

END
Dear Readers, 

I hope you enjoyed Sidra and Jensen's story. Enough Good News is the first book in the Good News Series. I’ve listed the others below as well as my contact information.
I want to thank my friends who gave me great feedback early on when I started writing this book. Thank you Sherri, Tina, Daya, Ericka, Andi, Shamaal and Nichelle. Thank you Renee, Lavette and Aunt Janice for your support. I also want to thank both my grandmothers who are no longer with us for the inspiration and unconditional love I received while they were alive. To anyone I may have forgotten, thank you. I appreciate all of you. I especially want to thank my editor, H. Christine Lindblom who provided great insight during this long process.
God Bless,
Audrey

Check out my website (link below) to find out how you can become a character in the next Good News Series book.

Facebook – Enough Good News by Audrey McKay
Twitter - @DreyMcK
Email - amckayauthor@aol.com  

The Good News Series:
** *** **
ENOUGH GOOD NEWS is the first book in the Good News Series.
Sidra Lyons has it all; a great family, a wonderful life and a new relationship with an amazing man. Life for her is pure bliss and she doesn't think God could bless her any better if He tried.
When the father she's had little contact with over the last 30 years shows up and announces he has a daughter from a previous relationship, (a relationship he had while married to her mother) Sidra's life begins to make some interesting turns.
The sisters embark on a journey of love and self-discovery. Will they be able to look past their differences and form a real family? Only time will tell.
** *** **
NO WEAPON is the second book in the Good News Series.
Some time has passed since ENOUGH GOOD NEWS and Sidney has settled into her new family, new job and new church. She soon discovers, however, that all that glitters isn’t gold, and everyone talking about heaven ain’t going.
Weak church leaders fall easily under the influence of dark forces targeting Sidney. These “men of God” begin to spread lies and false rumors about her to everyone they can, turning most of her family and friends against her, not realizing that they are leaving their own families and congregations open for the destruction they have planned for Sidney.
It is with all this doing on that God seems to be nowhere in sight, but don’t worry…God is not mocked and sometimes He provides help in the most unexpected ways.
** *** **
BLIND JUSTICE is the third book in the Good News Series FBI agent Justice West helped save his sister-in-law from a crazy clergyman. He is now on his way to meet his destiny, he just doesn’t know it yet. While sucked into a vortex of secret societies and church mafia, Justice finds a rose in the middle of the desert by the name of Cadence Miller. 
Like Sidney, Cadence is the target of jealous church leaders who are more interested in her gift than the Creator who gave it to her. She meets Justice at a time when her vulnerability could make her lose sight of what’s really important.
Will Justice be able to capture the beauty of the rose without destroying it? God only knows, and it is God that Justice must find above all else.
** *** **
LONG NIGHT is the fourth book in the Good News Series Terrence Johnson has experienced a lot during his time on the planet. He’s a simple guy and FBI agent trying to make the world a better place. After a lifetime of disappointment, he was introduced to God and His unconditional love. Terrence thought that once he accepted God into his life all of his problems would disappear, but he was wrong. They got worse.
After nearly losing his life and then losing the love of a lifetime, he’s back to the same place he’s always been… alone. He’s ready for a change and ready to move on but not sure how to go about it. God provides help in the way that Terrene needs it most, by surrounding him with love.
Terrence is ready to grow past his hurts and move into the future God has for planned for him, but he needs to fight through old issues from his past to do it. He has nothing left but a promise from God that everything he’s been through will work together for his good. Will he stick around long enough to see the promise fulfilled?
** *** **
EVEN ME is the fifth book in the Good News Series.
Sidonna (Donna) Caswell has a problem. She can’t seem to break out of the confines of her past to move into the future she wants to have. When God gives her the favor of a jumpstart, things begin to change in her life.
Donna starts to think that maybe change is possible. But she doesn’t realize she’s got a devil on her trail that’s been with her family a long time, and it doesn’t want to let her go.
What’s a girl to do, fight her way into God given opportunities and potential, or let fear dictate her into a stalemate? Donna has to make a choice between the path of least resistance and the pain of forward motion. There is a cost to be paid either way. Will she make it to the other side?
** *** **
Third Watch * coming Winter 2012
** *** **
Kingdom Force * coming Summer 2013
** *** **

Don’t forget to check out the The Good News Series Study Guide, free on Smashwords.com.

Also, thanks to all of you who’ve checked out my new romance book called The Re-Mix (under the pen name Xandra Phillips) PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A CHRISTIAN BOOK, WHICH IS WHY I USED A PEN NAME.
I appreciate your support. 
To learn more about me or my books, check out my website:
www.audreymckay.net

XOXOX
Audrey McKay