Grace and Mercy by Brittney Holmes

Author:Brittney Holmes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urban Books
Published: 2013-01-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Raymond rang the doorbell and took a few steps back. He straightened out his Falcons jersey and waited for an answer. Seconds later, Aundrey appeared at the door, grinning from ear to ear. Raymond could tell that Aundrey was extremely excited that he and Kenda were going out tonight and though Raymond’s outward appearance seemed cool and collected, his insides were a jumble of nerves and excitement.

“Wassup, man?” Aundrey greeted Raymond with a friendly handshake and hug. “Come on in. Kenda should be down in a sec. You know how long it takes her to get ready.” He motioned for Raymond to sit on one of the leather sofas. Aundrey walked toward the stairs and yelled, “Kenda, Ray’s here, so hurry up!”

“Okay!” Kenda yelled back.

Aundrey sat on the sofa opposite Raymond. “So where are y’all going after the game?” he asked.

“We’ll probably go get something to eat and just chill,” Raymond said, settling against the cushions.

Aundrey nodded as if he were giving his approval to Raymond’s plans. When Kenda came down the stairs, Raymond stood and admired the short red mesh Falcons jersey dress she was sporting over a pair of flared jeans complemented by a pair of red and black Air Forces. She held a Falcons fleece jacket in her hand and her hair was flowing free. Casual, but sexy, Raymond thought. Just like he liked it.

“Hi,” Kenda said as she entered the living room.

Raymond smiled. “Hey. Are you ready to go?”

“Yep,” she replied as he took her hand and they walked toward the door.

“You two kids have a good time.” Aundrey deepened his voice as if he were trying to sound like their father. “And have her back by twelve-thirty, young man.”

“Bye, Drey.” Kenda laughed along with Raymond as they walked out of the house.

Raymond helped Kenda into the car before getting in himself. It had been a while since someone had opened the car door for her, and she relished in the feeling.

After Raymond had gotten situated in the driver’s seat, he noticed that Kenda had settled back in her seat with a wide grin on her face. “What are you smiling about?” he asked.

She looked at him with her smile still in place. “Nothing,” she replied, though in her heart, she knew the small gesture had meant everything to her.

The drive was quiet as they rode into downtown Atlanta toward the Georgia Dome. Raymond was glad that he’d thought to pick up Kenda nearly two hours before kickoff. Interstate traffic was horrible. It always was when there was a home game scheduled. He turned on the radio to try to cover the silence that lingered as they sat in the midst of the heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Kenda smiled as Alicia Keys’s voice streamed through the speakers. Raymond knew this was her favorite singer and he definitely racked up more points by playing the CD now.

She began to hum softly as “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” played. Without realizing it, she began to quietly sing along. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn’t see Raymond staring at her beautiful side profile.

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