The Other Side of Divine by Vanessa Davis Griggs

Author:Vanessa Davis Griggs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2013-06-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

—Psalm 55:11

Gabrielle came in the house, glad to be home. She could smell the food cooking in the kitchen and allowed her nose to lead her.

“This smells so good!” Gabrielle said to Miss Crowe.

“Thank you,” Miss Crowe said. “And your timing could not have been better. Everything is ready and you know how I love for folks to eat while it’s hot.”

“I’m starving and truly ready to eat. I skipped lunch today to make up for the time I cut short yesterday when I came home earlier than planned,” Gabrielle said.

“Sorry about that,” Miss Crowe said as she turned off the eye with the candied yams. The cinnamon and nutmeg truly made the house smell like a home. “I guess I kind of jumped the gun yesterday evening.”

“No, you didn’t. You were right to call me like you did. Who knows what really would have happened had I not come in and interrupted? I know my father said he wasn’t falling for any of it, but I’m not totally convinced. It’s possible he said what he did to me and Zachary because he wanted to throw us off the trail. Where is he, by the way?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Miss Crowe took the yeast rolls out of the oven and rolled butter on top of them.

“Is he here at all?” Gabrielle asked as she picked up one of the rolls and, realizing just how hot they were, just as quickly dropped it back onto the pan.

Miss Crowe ripped loose a paper towel and picked up the roll Gabrielle had tried picking up. She placed it on a saucer and handed the saucer and paper towel to Gabrielle. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Gabrielle smiled like a little girl. “So is my father here in the house?”

“He left right after you did this morning. I haven’t seen nor heard from him since.”

“Hmmm, that’s kind of odd. Usually he tells me when he has someplace to go and even then, most times, he’s back before I get home, for sure.” Gabrielle pulled a piece of the roll off—the steam rising into the air as though a spirit had been freed.

“I didn’t ask him where he was going. He’s grown and can come and go as he pleases as far as I’m concerned.”

“If I know you, you were just happy he was gone,” Gabrielle said, then put the cooled-down piece of her roll in her mouth.

“You know me: I live and let live. If you don’t bother me and mine, I won’t bother you and yours. But if you’re foolish enough to mess with me or mine, you need to sleep with one eye open and one eye closed because I’m coming for you.”

Gabrielle chuckled. “Miss Crowe, you know good and well you’re not going to hurt anybody. You just be trying to talk like you’re big and bad.”

“Ask your aunt Cee-Cee how much I just be talking,” Miss Crowe said as she walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

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