Stepping to a New Day Read online

  Genevieve wondered who this man was and what he’d done with the Riley Curry she once knew. “I appreciate that, I really do.”

  “Just wanted you to know.” He then asked her, “Are you happy, Genevieve?”

  She thought about her life and about Terence. “I am. Very much.”

  “Good. Good.” He gave her a nod and went back to his chair.

  After Kelly finished her beautician’s magic, Gen paid her, gave Riley a parting nod, and headed up the street to the Dog to meet Terence for lunch. She was struck by how badly she felt for her ex-husband. That he had actually apologized and in a sincere manner no less had to count for something, so while she walked, she took out her phone and made a call.

  When Kelly drove Riley home, he took a look at all the trucks out front and froze. His first thought was that the place was being repossessed and he wanted to wail, but then he saw Trent and Mal and Clay and some of the boys. They were carrying wood and what appeared to be windowpanes and a bunch of other construction type objects. There were men on the roof and others going in and out the front door.

  “What’s going on?” Kelly asked, peering through the windshield at the activity.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Looks like they’re working on your house.”

  “Yeah. It does.” So stunned by what he was seeing, he had trouble opening the car’s door so he could get out. When he finally succeeded, he said, “Thanks for the ride, Kelly.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She drove off and he made the walk to the house.

  Mal met him halfway.

  “What’s all this?” Riley asked.

  “It’s called kindness over rightness.”

  Riley was confused.

  “Translation—you seemed to have learned your lesson and a couple of guardian angels think you’ve suffered enough.”

  “Huh?”

  “Translation number two: Genevieve’s got a big heart. Too bad you treated her like crap. Now come on. We have work to do.” And he walked off.

  Not wanting his tears seen, Riley dashed them away with the back of his hand and hurried to catch up.

  That night, Riley looked around the clean house and felt more grateful than he’d ever been in his life. He had lights, a working furnace, and hot water from the new water heater. According to Mal, in a few days appliances would be delivered. A knock on the door broke into his thoughts.

  He opened it to find Bernadine Brown standing on the other side, and he froze.

  “Evening, Riley.”

  “Ms. Brown.”

  “May I come in?”

  He nodded hastily.

  Once inside she glanced around. “I see the electricity is on.”

  “Yes. Did Genevieve really make this happen?”

  “She did.”

  His lips tightened with how humbled he felt.

  “Very special lady, that Genevieve,” she said.

  He nodded.

  “Here’s the deal, Riley. When she called and asked if I would help you, I naturally hesitated but like her I think you’ve been through enough. I called Eustacia and made her an offer for this house. I am now your landlord.”

  His eyes went wide.

  “And as your landlord I needed this house brought back up to code. All repairs should be finished in a few days. Mal said he told you about the appliances. He also said you’re sleeping on a sleeping bag on the floor?”

  Riley nodded and the embarrassment kept him from looking her in the eye.

  “A bed will be delivered in the morning.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll forgo your rent for the next three months so you can buy clothes, groceries, etc., and get back on your feet. In exchange you will treat this house as if you are paying the mortgage. I don’t mind you having a pet but no hogs. Understand?”

  He nodded.

  “Any questions?”

  “Yes. Why are you helping me?”

  She assessed him for a moment. “Because mine is the hand that turns this little portion of the world, and no one in that world, not even you, should have to sleep on the floor in a trashed house, especially since you seem to have acknowledged the errors of your ways. So don’t screw this up.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have a good evening.”

  And she left.

  In the silence following her departure, Riley thought back on all the horrible ways in which he’d disrespected Genevieve and yet she still found it in her heart to help him when he needed it the most. He’d never be able to repay her for what she’d done for him, but he’d try his best to do so. This morning he’d been living in his own personally made hell and now, because of her he was smiling in a place that was as close to heaven as a sinner like himself would probably ever get.

  CHAPTER

  19

  Gen was in heaven on the way to the airport with Terence. They talked, listened to lots of Stevie Wonder on her iPod, and generally had a good time. When they reached the airport property and he drove past the regular parking garage, she asked, “Where are we going? You just passed the parking garage.”

  He looked over and smiled. “Just sit back. Got a surprise for you.”

  “What are you up to, Terence Barbour?”

  He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed.

  The surprise turned out to be one that rendered her speechless when he took their luggage out of the truck, escorted her into the terminal, and they were taken by a member of security to a small, white private jet.

  “Oh my lord. Is this Bernadine’s plane?”

  “Yes. When I told her I needed the weekend off to take you to the concert, she decided to make our weekend even more special by offering her plane and pilot both there and back.”

  As the pilot approached, Gen could only stare. She’d never flown on the jet before but she’d heard all the stories and knew that the female pilot was appropriately named Katie Sky.

  “Welcome,” Katie said in her island accent. “Are you ready?”

  They were, and a short while later were winging their way to Kansas City where thanks to Lily a nice town car was waiting. They were then whisked to their hotel. Their rooms were directly across the hall from each other. With the car and the lady driver at their disposal for their stay they dressed and had a nice dinner, then had her take them on a tour of the city.

  Riding in the backseat with his arm around her holding her close, Gen gazed out at the lights of the city at night. “I always find the lights of big cities so beautiful.”

  “Do you?”

  “I do. Being from Henry Adams where the nights are black as pitch, I’m always struck by the contrast.”

  “Those dark nights have their own beauty, too. Never seen the stars the way I can see them in Henry Adams. I noticed that my first night there.”

  She smiled softly. “Big-city guy. Little country girl.”

  “Beautiful little country girl.”

  She snuggled closer. “Flatterer.”

  “It’s the truth.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Thanks for coming with me.”

  “Thanks for asking.”

  They parted at the doors of their rooms. “I’ll see you in the morning, Terence.” Rising on her toes, she kissed him.

  “’Night, baby.”

  They both enjoyed the concert that next night. Even though Stevie was no longer Fingertips young, he still put on a fabulous show. She and TC sang and danced along with the crowd on the many, many favorites he performed from his groundbreaking album Songs in the Key of Life, and when it was over, they rode back to the hotel physically but jubilantly exhausted.

  When they reached their rooms, she said, “I’m too wound up to sleep. Why don’t you come in and we can talk for a little while.”

  And as they talked, laughed, and rehashed some of their favorite moments from the concert, TC realized he wanted her in his life for the rest of his life. Everything about her drew him in. From
her smile to her intelligence to her charm and big heart. He’d heard about her hooking up her ex even though the man was an ass and should’ve been tarred and feathered for treating her the way he had.

  “Been thinking,” he told her. She was standing at the window looking out at the lights of the city.

  “About what?”

  “Me and you.”

  She came over and sat down next to him. “And what have you concluded?”

  “That maybe next weekend or the weekend after we should fly to Vegas and get married.”

  She stared and smiled. “Really?”

  “Yep. I’m love in with you, little country girl.”

  “That’s good because I’m in love with you, big-city guy.”

  He laughed. “So is that a yes or a no?”

  “That’s a yes.”

  “Cool, then I can give you this.” He reached into his sport coat jacket and withdrew a small navy blue velvet box. He liked how wide her eyes stretched.

  “You already bought a ring?”

  He nodded.

  “Nothing wrong with your confidence, is there?”

  He chuckled. “Hold out your hand, please.”

  When he slipped the sparkler on her finger she started to cry and threw her arms around his neck and cried harder. He held her tight. “I love you.”

  “You’ve just made me the happiest little country girl in the world.”

  “And you’ve made me happy as well.” He drew back so he could see her face. “Let’s have some fun.”

  “Let’s, but I want to elope.”

  “What?” He laughed. “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to fight Bernadine. She gave Lily fits when she and Trent decided to get married. I know her. She’s going to want a big fat affair and I just want to be your wife.”

  He found that so endearing he loved her even more, if that were possible. “We can probably find a cheap flight to Vegas from here.”

  “You’re right. But what about your job? She’s expecting us back on Sunday.”

  TC had no answer for that. He enjoyed his job and preferred not to get fired.

  “Tell you what,” she said. “I’ll just call her, tell her what’s going on, and she’ll be too happy for us to fuss much.”

  “Do your thing.”

  So she did and in the end, she was right. So right, in fact, Bernadine offered Katie and the plane for the flight to Vegas and back home on Tuesday.

  Gen came back and sat down and snuggled close to her husband-to-be. “I was worried about needing clothes but we’ll be on our honeymoon, so I don’t think that will be a problem, will it?”

  He stared and then howled with laughter. “No. Clothes will not be an issue.”

  She looked up and smiled. “Good.”

  The day of the Father’s Day event was sunny and warm. The dads were awakened with calls from Tamar and told to report to her house no later than ten. Since it was Tamar, they all did as told and were surprised to see her field decked out with tables, chairs, and the grills manned by Clay and Bing already fired up. The parade of flags started promptly at 10:30. Wyatt, bearing the newly created purple-and-black Henry Adams flag, led the procession. He was followed by the other kids carrying purple-and-black flags that represented their fathers and in some cases themselves. Amari and Devon’s July flag had a raptor in full flight holding a flute in one of its talons. Preston’s had the Marine globe and a telescope. Leah and Tiff’s flag had a large cornucopia with a comet blazing above it. Zoey’s was a caduceus surrounded by musical notes. Eli, wearing his cap and gown, held a flag that featured an open book and a surfboard standing on end. Alfonso and Maria Acosta had a map of Mexico—drawn by Wyatt—with a fire truck on it. The fire chief wiped away tears.

  Having helped with the preparations, Bernadine had seen the flags before but the dads hadn’t and the smiles of pride on their faces was a for-real Kodak moment. There were games, food, and music. The flags standing upright in their stands were a sight to behold and fluttered in the breeze like a gathering of kingdoms from Game of Thrones. She always enjoyed her town’s celebrations just as much as she enjoyed the people she now considered family. The newlywed Genevieve and TC were sitting with Marie, who was eagerly anticipating an extended visit from her granddaughters come summer. Paula and the shy Robyn were sitting with the Clarks. As far as Bernadine knew there’d been no further word on the fate of Paula’s still-jailed aunt—only that her trial was slated for November. Bernadine watched Eli and Wyatt compete as a team in the sack race. Eli would be their first chick to leave the nest. She was glad that he’d be watched over by Rita Lynn so his dad wouldn’t have to worry too much about him. His future was bright. Her own chick, Crystal, was going to stick around, and Bernadine was okay with that. Crys wanted to stay in one of the apartments that would be opening up in the newly renovated Henry Adams Hotel and Bernadine was okay with that as well. In truth, she wasn’t ready for her daughter to fly away—at least not just yet. Bernadine spotted Riley sitting with Clay and Bing. So far he hadn’t screwed up, but she still wasn’t ready to completely trust him. With that in mind, she’d be keeping a sharp eye on him going forward. All in all, things were going well in the little town where she lived. This was Henry Adams, however, so anything could happen. For the moment though, as the man she loved walked up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, she had no real complaints. Life was a blessing.

  EPILOGUE

  Kauai—a few months later

  While Gen and TC’s daughter, Bethany, went off to spend the day at the botanical gardens, TC took his box of greeting cards out to the suite’s balcony overlooking the ocean and removed the lid. Picking up the top card, he slipped it out of its green envelope and read the Father’s Day greeting sent to him last year by his son Keith. That he could actually read the words gave him chills and put tears in his eyes. For the next hour, he made his way through the stack and each and every one he read filled his heart to bursting. The last one was handmade. It came from Bethany and by the date written on the bottom she’d been seven years old. She’d drawn a picture of a little brown-skinned man standing on top of a big, blue-colored world. Printed below it were the words—You are the best daddy in the whole wide world! Love Bethany. By then he was crying openly and had to get up and stare out at the ocean until he regained his composure. Genevieve had given him such a precious precious gift and it was one he’d treasure for the rest of his life. He thought about his first wife, Carla. He didn’t think Gen would mind that he felt good about finally keeping his promise. He glanced down at Bethany’s card in his hand and felt the emotion rise once more. I can read!

  AUTHOR NOTES

  Stepping to a New Day is our seventh trip to the little town of Henry Adams, Kansas, and I hope you enjoyed it. According to a recent 2015 study there are 32 million (1–7) functionally illiterate adults like TC Barbour in America. UNESCO defines the term functionally illiterate as a person who may be able to perform basic reading and writing, but cannot do so at the level required for many societal activities and jobs. As our world becomes more and more technically complicated, many of our neighbors are being left behind due to their lack of reading proficiency. If you know someone who might benefit from the book Genevieve used in her tutoring sessions, or are in need of a good resource for a literacy program in your community, please go to the website: http://www.gatehousebooks.co.uk/yes-we-can-read/. Or look for: Yes We Can Read at your local bookstores.

  Stepping to a New Day offered new futures for many of our beloved Henry Adams residents. I thought Genevieve needed love after all she’d been through, and Uncle TC turned out to be a perfect match. This book tied up some loose ends while leaving us with unanswered questions. Has Riley really changed his ways? Is Cletus gone for good? If Reverend Paula’s mean old aunt Della did indeed murder her daughter, why? And my favorite—is Wyatt really going to grow up and marry Zoey? I’d stay tuned if I were you. As we say on my Facebook page: Stay calm and move to Henry Adams. (Oh, if only
we could.)

  Until next time—happy reading,

  B

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BEVERLY JENKINS is the author of more than thirty historical and contemporary novels, as well as an NAACP Image Award Nominee. She has been featured in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, People magazine, the Dallas Morning News, and Vibe magazine.

  beverlyjenkins.net

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  ALSO BY BEVERLY JENKINS

  FOR YOUR LOVE

  HEART OF GOLD

  A WISH AND A PRAYER

  SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

  A SECOND HELPING

  BRING ON THE BLESSINGS

  DEADLY SEXY

  SEXY/DANGEROUS

  BLACK LACE

  THE EDGE OF DAWN

  THE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT

  FORBIDDEN

  DESTINY’S CAPTIVE

  DESTINY’S SURRENDER

  DESTINY’S EMBRACE

  NIGHT HAWK

  MIDNIGHT

  CAPTURED

  JEWEL

  WILD SWEET LOVE

  WINDS OF A STORM

  SOMETHING LIKE LOVE

  A CHANCE AT LOVE

  BEFORE DAWN

  ALWAYS AND FOREVER

  TAMING JESSI ROSE

  TOPAZ

  INDIGO

  VIVID

  THROUGH THE STORM

  NIGHT SONG

  CREDITS

  Cover design by Richard L. Aquan

  Cover illustration by Larry Rostant

  BACK AD

  COPYRIGHT

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  STEPPING TO A NEW DAY. Copyright © 2016 by Beverly Jenkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.