Once they were in his SUV, Gina waited for him to drive off, but he didn’t immediately. “Landon?”

  He turned and gave her his full attention. “Yeah, baby?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  Looking away, Landon stalled for an answer, then faced her. “Brunch? I want it to be you and me—no family today. Okay?”

  Gina covered his free hand with both of hers. “Of course.”

  On the way to Brewster’s House for brunch, Gina was quiet. She wanted to be a sounding board to whatever he wanted to talk about.

  Five minutes into the ride, Landon glanced at her. “Yesterday, I had planned to treat you to a spa, lunch, and dinner...”

  Really? Gina didn’t attempt to hide her surprise.

  “The purpose was to show and tell you that I love everything about you—even our differences in our approach to charity are negotiable.”

  Humph. Not really. However, she said nothing.

  “Since yesterday was a bust to show you, it doesn’t stop me from telling you that I love you, Gina.” He looked back at the road and continued. “You’ve displayed how much you care and love me by coming to me, so...”

  They stopped at a light, and he turned to face her.

  “Baby, when are you going to tell me?”

  Gina smiled. It was time to put him out of his mental torment. Landon had enough on his mind. “Landon Michaels, I love you, and I’m not so sure we can change each other’s mind on how to give back, but this moment is about letting you know I got your back.”

  She giggled when Landon straightened in his seat and flashed her the biggest smile for the rest of the way.

  At Brewster’s House, they filled their plates in the brunch line. Gina chose a table that gave them some privacy in the busy restaurant. They sat, and Gina watched him pray. “Jesus, I don’t have the words to convey my thanks for Your Resurrection, our families, especially Granny Lonna and Gina. I love her, and You allowed us to be together and share this meal. Please sanctify it from all impurities, and let us never forget to pray and pay it forward in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Gina looked up first and watched him lift his head. His handsomeness was a distraction and so were his mesmerizing eyes.

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing.” She tilted her head. “I just love a man who prays.”

  Their Resurrection Day ended with comforting hugs, warm, sweet kisses, and whispers of love.

  Chapter Twelve

  Gina watched her father stroll into the office like a visitor after a few unexpected recovery setbacks two weeks past the tax season deadline. He scanned the lobby from left to right.

  Welcome back balloons were tied to the back of his office chair, which could be seen with the blinds pulled to the top. Gina stood and hugged her dad tight.

  Ray strolled to the short hall into his office and settled in his chair, and she trailed him. He patted the top of his desk, which Gina had tidied after April 15, and sighed. “Ahhh, it feels good to be back. Sorry to leave you in a bind, but you handled things easily and met a nice young man. Maybe I’ll retire early.”

  “Don’t you dare!” Gina straightened from leaning against his office doorway. “Dad, it was anything but easy. We already had a lot of existing clients, so I had to turn away walk-ins, which meant we lost revenue. I think we need to bring in an intern or hire a part-time accounting clerk for next tax season.”

  When her desk phone rang, Gina hurried to the front to answer it.

  “Gina, this is Leslie. I’ve sent you a list of people who purchased from the charity. Check your email.”

  “Will do. Thanks.” Gina ended the call and logged into her email. She opened the Excel file from Leslie. She did a quick scan, and there was no record of Lonna Williams as a donor, only three Donna Williamses. Was Lonna her real name? Gina twisted her mouth, thinking. “Hmmm. Or it could be a typo in the system.” Two Donnas lived out of state. She called the foundation manager back. “Hey, Leslie, will you send me an image of what Donna Williams from St. Louis purchased?”

  “Hold on.” She typed on her keyboard.

  Seconds later, Gina opened the new email and clicked on the attachment. She studied the photo while Leslie was on the line. It could be the same piece Gina had seen in Granny Lonna’s house.

  “Leslie, I think this is the same person, but the address doesn’t match the one I visited. Thanks for helping.” She ended the call and texted Landon to verify his grandmother’s previous address.

  Hi, baby. Your grandmother’s name is Lonna, not Donna, right? Before she lived in the senior community, was her address 4052 Westline Street? I’m trying to find an angel match.

  Landon verified that this was the correct information. She texted him back: Thanks. Hugs and kisses.

  I only accept those in person, love.

  Gina giggled. Noted.

  Next, she called Leslie and asked her to correct the first name and update the new mailing address. “I also saw two other pieces that seemed familiar and I wonder if those came from our children too.”

  “It would be tedious, but if you can get a picture of them and send it to me, I can cross reference to see who purchased them because Lonna Williams did not.”

  “Hmmm. Okay, thanks.” Gnawing on her lips, Gina’s suspicious nature kicked in. They once had a volunteer who was caught stealing and reselling items. The woman was banned from the charity, but that was so long ago. That wasn’t the case now. Maybe they were a gift. She needed to take pictures.

  Would Landon become suspicious about her charities’ books not being balanced or missing inventory because she couldn’t track an item?

  Gina pushed her concern to the back of her mind so that she could perform her day job. Four quarterly reports awaited her attention by the end of the month. Gina didn’t need any more distractions. She focused so she didn’t have to work overtime.

  May began as the prelude to summer fun. Food festivals, including the annual Taste of Maplewood Street Festival, would start popping up across the city—a treat she couldn’t wait to share with Landon.

  An hour into an unproductive morning, a deliveryman walked through the door with a bouquet of spring flowers. She thanked the man, then sniffed as her father strolled out of his office.

  “Are you and Landon serious?” Ray folded his arms and leaned against a wall. He wasn’t going to leave until she answered.

  Gina turned around and looked into his eyes. “I like spending time with him and miss him when we’re not together. He’s open to exploring events with me...and we admitted our love to each other.”

  “But?” Her father lifted a brow.

  “We don’t see eye to eye on everything. The man has a stubborn side when it comes to charities’ accountabilities. I feel a certain way about that.”

  Squinting, he pointed to the flowers. “Denise thinks he’s a perfect match for you, and I agree, considering he came every evening during tax season to make sure you were safe. Whatever kinks you two are facing will work themselves out.” He smiled and returned to his office.

  At about one in the afternoon, Landon walked through the door with to-go Styrofoam containers. He greeted her with a sweet, short kiss, mindful that her dad was in the building.

  “Thank you for the flowers.” She tried to sound upbeat, but maybe it was overkill. She needed to take a closer look at his grandmother’s angels.

  Her dad reappeared, and Landon walked to him with an extended hand. “Mr. Christmas, welcome back. I’m glad Gina isn’t here alone anymore.”

  “You ensured she wasn’t, and I appreciate you keeping her safe.”

  “It was my pleasure. I brought enough lunch for the three of us.” He took the containers out of the bag and placed them on a side table near the nook while Gina retrieved plates, napkins, and utensils from the small back kitchen.

  As the trio chatted, the door opened, and Melody struggled with a medium-sized box from the children’s home. Landon jumped up and immediately relieved her of the load.

  “Goody. What do you have for me?” Grinning, Gina hoped there was something inside that Granny Lonna would like.

  “About twelve pieces. Our little creators have been busy, and I can’t believe their skill level, considering many of them are self-taught.” She smiled proudly.

  “They are God-inspired,” Gina said. “Please tell the children thank you. Hopefully, those pieces will sell fast.”

  “I will. The uniforms came in for the parade. They are so cute. You will be there, right?” Melody asked.

  Proceeds from the Round-Up program were used to meet children’s other miscellaneous needs. Pocket change adds up when purchases are rounded up to the nearest dollar.

  “Of course. Cheering them on. Sorry for my bad manners. This is Landon, my boyfriend, and we’ll be there.”

  Landon smiled and shook her hand.

  Melody gave him an appreciative nod, then left minutes later. Her father returned to his office with his plate of fish, spaghetti, and potato salad from one of the best chicken and fish places in Midtown.

  “Come on. Don’t you want to see what’s inside? You seem distracted,” Landon said as he wiped his hands and mouth.

  “Sure. Let me get the scissors.” Gina pulled out eight pieces to be used for the auction. “Wow.”

  Landon’s jaw dropped as Gina admired each piece. “These are incredible.”

  “I know, right?” Gina grinned but hid her disappointment that none were the Black angels she had hoped the children would make. If so, Gina would have set it aside and made an exception for Landon to purchase it.

  “I wouldn’t mind buying the mother and child figurine made from wire for my mom for Mother’s Day,” Landon said.

  Gina groaned within. Great. She was about to become what she disliked—a rule breaker if it had been a Black angel and now a hypocrite because she was about to change the rules.

  “Sorry.” Gina shook her head. “Can’t sell them now. We let the older children participate in the Christmas in July auction because the monies go into a trust fund for the children for college. The other Christmas items are for sale for holiday gifts, and that money goes into the general fund to be used throughout the year for requests that come in.”

  “You’re amazing. I know I can’t bribe you to change your mind about the figurine.” Landon held her hands. “I gave you a hard time when we first met, but I see my baby knows what she is doing and is honest.”

  Gina couldn’t accept the accolades. She needed to repent, and she did.

  “I better get back to work. Let’s plan a mid-week dinner, okay?” Landon said.

  “I would like that.”

  They stole a kiss, and Landon was gone.

  Taking out her laptop, Gina’s heart dropped. Not even the flowers could make her smile for long as she flopped in the chair and emailed Leslie about the impressive new items. She sighed as she sent the message to pick them up anytime.

  She called Denise and told her about the items she saw at Landon’s grandmother’s house. “I believe at least three of the items were made by our children at the home, and only one shows Granny Lonna purchasing it. The name is listed as Donna instead of Lonna. I need to get a photo of them to cross-reference in our database.”

  “That’s simple. Have Landon take a photo. Problem solved,” Denise said. “You’re definitely overthink things.”

  “Maybe, but he wouldn’t know which ones, and I don’t want to hint that I’m concerned about missing inventory.” Gina sighed and scratched her head as she ended the call with her sister. Maybe she was overthinking things. No one would dare steal from children, right? It happened before.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It seemed like a lifetime ago when Landon would leave his Clayton office and drive downtown to Gina’s to stay with her until she was ready to go home.

  Landon missed those two weeks when it was just them, and he would watch her work. She was intense and beautiful. It was bittersweet because he missed ending his evenings walking Gina to her car now that Mr. Christmas was back on the job.

  The timing was perfect because a few projects on his job became more demanding. One day, he spent most of his time on a site near his parents’ house, so he visited them.

  His mother had warmed up leftovers and prepared him a plate. His father blessed their meal. Landon got an update on his grandmother’s condition.

  “Granny Lonna has her moments when she’s in the present with us, and then other times, she seems to struggle with brain fog,” Rhonda advised him. “The doctors say to be patient and not force her memories—it will only agitate her.”

  As long as his grandmother’s episodes didn’t seem to be worsening, there was still hope to get the ornament she wanted and celebrate Christmas, regardless of the date on the calendar.

  “That’s why we have to live every day and not worry about tomorrow,” his father said.

  Landon nodded. “Gina’s pastor preached something like that last week: ‘Work While It’s Daylight,’ taken from John nine verse four. I like her pastor’s preaching.”

  His mother smiled. “I like Gina. She’s such a sweetheart. You make a nice-looking and loving couple.”

  Grinning, Landon swallowed his food. “Thanks, Mom. She’s special.”

  “We see that.” His father chuckled.

  “You two alternating between her church and ours each Sunday is a good idea,” his mother said, then added, “You look like a family man.”

  “Mom, stop digging. Gina and I are on our own timeline.”

  Landon couldn’t be happier. He was glad he had told Gina how he felt. The trust between them was growing. He had met the love of his life, and since Easter, he and Gina had started alternating church visits. This Sunday, he would attend Christ Has Risen Church. Landon was as comfortable there as Gina was at his church.

  One misconception Landon had was about accountants. Landon assumed Gina’s workload would be light since tax season was over. She worked late a couple of times this week, but her father was with her. It was for the best, as he monitored Granny Lonna more closely and didn’t have to worry about Gina.

  With the weekend approaching, Landon had another commitment. As part of his mentorship to young black and brown boys, Landon and other professionals volunteered once a month to engage youths and keep them off the streets on Friday nights. This was his week to shoot hoops from ten until midnight.

  Gina wasn’t into sports, so he didn’t know if his lady would opt out of this date. Bradley had never been interested since it wasn’t soccer.

  “I didn’t know you were athletic. I thought you were just a gym rat. Sure, I’ll be your cheerleader,” she told him over the phone from her office.

  “And the prettiest one.” Landon was hyped.

  She deserved every compliment he gave her. Gina was the package deal—looks, genuine personality, and spiritual walk. Like him, she was a practicing Christian who kept him on the straight and narrow whenever they were passionate. Plus, Granny Lonna’s eyes lit up whenever Landon took Gina to visit her.

  “Let me see if I can drag Denise to come along.”

  Landon released a hearty laugh but had to temper himself at work. “Sorry, babe. Don’t be surprised if her answer is no. She dumped those tickets on me out of desperation to avoid attending the Chinese performance, but it was the best blessing for me.”

  “But I won’t know anyone there, and you’ll be on the court, probably losing badly while I’m alone in the stands,” she teased.

  Landon grunted. He wished they weren’t on the phone in their respective offices. “Number one, I can play. Thirty-five is not old. I know the other ladies will make you feel welcome. I’ve got to go, baby.” He hurried to end the call to review his notes with the project manager.

  That evening, when Landon arrived at Gina’s house, she looked youthful in the doorway with her jeans, tennis shoes, and an HBCU T-shirt. Her long, natural hair was swept up into a ponytail. The only makeup he could see was a gloss over her lips. He hated having to share her attention tonight with others at the game.

  Although Landon was a kisser, Gina preferred hugs, and sometimes, they could hold each other so gently that a few times, Landon thought she had fallen asleep. “I wish I could skip tonight and take you out.” Landon was halfway serious; if Gina hinted she didn’t want to go, that would be good enough of an excuse for him to be a no-show.

  Her teasing smile made Landon wonder at her thoughts. “Landon, that’s not you. I’ve never met a man so committed to his convictions.” She tugged at her oversized tote bag, pulled out pom-poms, and grinned. “Ready?”

  Shaking his head, Landon laughed. “My woman. Come on, #TeamLandon, let’s go.” Linking his fingers through hers, he led her to his vehicle.

  Twenty minutes later, when he and Gina walked through Wohl Center’s doors to the gym, holding hands, Landon braced himself for his friends’ ribbing.

  Jay, Reggie, and Carlo were fellow Black engineers from different companies.

  “This is Gina Christmas, an—” Landon paused. “She’s my lady, so don’t even think about making holiday jokes about her last name.”

  “You mean about the other women you’ve brought to the games?” Jay smirked. He was a talented engineer but messy when it came to relationships.

  Reggie popped him in the stomach. “Man, you better cool it.”

  Landon squinted at Jay, then continued with Gina to the bleachers. “I will fight that man over you.”

  “No, you won’t. As a Christian, you’re not going to take the bait.”

  Gina meant everything to him. Sometimes, I’d rather take the bait, Landon thought as he walked away, praying he wouldn’t have to do that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gina sensed the tension between Landon and Jay, thick like a slice of dry cake. Men and their hormones. It wouldn’t do good for the adults to get into it.

  From what Landon told her, the professionals engaged the youths to build character, confidence, and conflict resolution and to pique their interest in STEM programs.