“It felt right… didn’t it feel right to you too?” His eyes implored her to give him the answer that he seeked.

  She wanted to say that this was right and true. It felt that way to her, but she’d believed that others were right and true in the past and they’d let her down. The only man Shay had ever been able to trust was Jesus. “I can’t do this.” She stood up and began walking back towards the car.

  “What’s wrong? What did I do?”

  Shay just kept walking.

  He grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her around. “Shay, talk to me, please.”

  Frantic, with eyes bulging and hands flailing in the air, Shay yelled, “What do you want me to say?”

  “Tell me what’s wrong? Why are you so afraid of what’s happening between us?”

  Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Because I don’t trust you.”

  “Give me a chance, Shay. I’m not who you think I am.”

  “Take me home, Malcolm.”

  He wanted to do anything but that. Malcolm truly believed that if he could just stay with Shay he’d be able to convince her that he was nothing like those other men who hurt her. But, he’d never taken a hostage in his life and he wasn’t going to start now. “All right, I’ll take you home. It’s obvious to me that you want nothing more than to be alone.”

  Chapter 7

  She didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to be with Malcolm. But, she had never been a good judge of character. She’d always picked the wrong man, so if she was interested in Malcolm then he had to be all wrong for her. Shay had worried herself so sick about the whole affair that she woke up on Sunday morning with a massive migraine. When she attempted to get out of bed so she could get dressed for church, she ran straight for the bathroom… held her head over the toilet has she threw up.

  Feeling awful, Shay crawled back in bed and pulled the covers over her head. And that’s where she remained until Darla showed up on her doorstep later that evening.

  “What happened to you?” Darla asked as she brought a bowl of chicken noodle soup to Shay.

  “I don’t know. I just woke up feeling ill.”

  Darla put her hand to Shay’s forehead. “You’re hot. Do you have any Tylenol?”

  “In my medicine cabinet.”

  Darla went to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. After moving a few things around, she located the Tylenol. “Here take this,” she said to Shay as she handed her a glass of water.

  Shay sat up and swallowed the pills.

  “You look awful, poor thing.”

  “I feel even worse.”

  “Were you around a sick kid or something?”

  Shay rubbed her temples as she thought about the birthday party she attended with Malcolm. “There were a bunch of kids at the birthday party I attended with Malcolm yesterday.”

  “Oh my, you didn’t tell me that you went to a party with that gorgeous man.”

  “I went to two parties with him, then we went to the beach and that’s when everything turned bad.”

  “What happened?”

  Shay laid back down. “I can’t talk about this right now, Darla. I really don’t feel well.”

  “What did you do, Shay?” Darla was insistent.

  Shay put her arm over her forehead as she admitted, “I told him that I don’t trust him.”

  “Oh Shay, when will you realize that all men are not the same?”

  Shay threw the covers back over her head and moaned.

  “Oh no you don’t. You are going to eat this soup so you can regain your strength.”

  “I’m not hungry. I just want to go to get some rest so I can go to work tomorrow.”

  “The way you look right now, I don’t think you’re going to be able to make it to work tomorrow.”

  Shay moaned again. “I have to go to work tomorrow.”

  “Sweetie, be realistic. You have a fever, and you could spread your germs to the people at work.”

  She pulled the cover down as she told Darla, “But Malcolm is presenting our proposal tomorrow and I need to make sure that he gives me the credit I’m supposed to have. My promotion depends on it.”

  Darla smiled but didn’t say anything.

  “What?”

  “I was just thinking about the fact that you don’t trust Malcolm and how this is the perfect opportunity to test him.”

  “Are you crazy? If Malcolm takes the credit for my work tomorrow, I could be working for him, rather than receiving my own promotion.”

  “What’s going on right now, gives you an opportunity to trust not just Malcolm, but God also.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course I trust God.”

  “If that was true, you wouldn’t have been doing underhanded things at work while trying to get a promotion. You would have just done the best job you could do and then leave the rest to God.”

  The next morning, Shay didn’t feel much better. She attempted to get out of bed anyway, because she was afraid to trust Malcolm. But as she stood up, she became light headed and plopped back down on her bed. She willed herself not to lay back down. But it was all for nothing. She didn’t have enough strength to sit there. So, she laid back down and called into work using her cell phone. When the receptionist picked up, Shay told her that she wouldn’t be in today.

  When she hung up the phone, she closed her eyes and prayed for the strength to trust God and man. She then fell asleep. The ringing of the telephone woke her at about two in the afternoon. “Hello,” she said, groggily as she answered the phone.

  “We did it, Shay… we did it.” Malcolm’s voice boomed through the phone line.

  She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. “Did what?”

  “Pastor Michaels loved the presentation. He signed on the dotted line before he left the conference room.”

  “That’s great,” she said with a scratchy voice.

  “You sound awful. What happened to you?”

  “I think I caught something from one of the kids at the party on Saturday.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? If one of my family members got you sick, the least I can do is take care of you.”

  She felt her forehead. “My fever has broken, so I should be able to come to work tomorrow.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  Shay looked at the bowl of chicken noodle soup on the table next to her bed. “Darla brought me some soup last night.”

  “Did you eat it?”

  How did he know her so well? “No. I’ve just been sleeping.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “No!” Shay hadn’t looked at a mirror in two days, but she was sure she looked a good mess. No way could she let Malcolm see her like this. “I’ll be fine. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

  “Save it, Shay. I’m on my way, so open the door when I get there. I’m going to feed you and then tell you the good news.”

  “What good news?” Shay asked, but Malcolm had already hung up. She leaned back against her pillow and was tempted to close her eyes and snuggle with her blanket. But as she reminded herself that her job was only twenty minutes from her apartment, Shay jumped up and rushed into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and then jumped into the shower.

  As she was toweling off, for the first time in two days, Shay felt hungry. She threw on a one-size fits all peach colored sun dress and unwrapped her hair. After all the sweating she’d done, her hair needed to be curled, but Shay just didn’t have the strength to pick up her flat iron.

  Her stomach growled, the door bell rang, and Shay forgot all about her stringy hair as she went to the door to let Malcolm in. She hoped he remembered to bring the food he’d promised.

  “Slow down,” Malcolm said as he watched Shay devour the tomato soup and baked potato he brought her.

  “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I got out of the shower. Thank you for bringing this food. I don’t think I would have had enough strength to cook anything for myself.”

  “See I knew you needed me to take care of you.”

  She looked up from her plate. What did he mean by that? “So, what’s this good news you couldn’t wait to tell me.”

  Malcolm stood up, clasped his hands together as he said, “Bill Stephens attended the presentation today.”

  Shay closed her eyes and cringed at what she was about to hear. Bill Stephens was not only the president of their company, he was also a member of Coldwater Church. Why hadn’t she anticipated that he would sit in on the presentation for his pastor? Why had she listened to Darla, with all of her ‘trust God’ non-sense? Even if she had infected her co-workers with a flu bug, they would get over it. She was already starting to feel better. Well… she had been feeling better; before her promotion started drifting away.

  Malcolm was saying, “Pastor Michaels was impressed by the entire proposal, but when I showed him the items that you worked on, he didn’t need to see anything else. He was sold! Bill thought your work was excellent also.”

  “And I bet you took all the credit,” she said, before she could stop herself. The look of hurt that erupted on Malcolm’s face caused Shay to reverse herself. “I’m sorry, Malcolm. I don’t know why I said something like that. But in my defense, I am just getting over a fever.”

  He sat back down next to Shay. “I know why you said it. You don’t trust me. But, I hope my news will change your mind.”

  “Malcolm, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I’m just being silly. It’s not your fault that I got sick and couldn’t be at the meeting. If I don’t get my promotion, then I have no one to blame but myself.”

  “I guess you’ll have to discuss that with Mr. Clemons in Human Resources. Because when I told Bill that the designs that Pastor Michaels fell in love with came from you, he remembered that your boss had submitted your name for the Senior Marketing Analysis position that has been open for a couple of months.”

  Shay wanted to jump and scream, but she was too stunned to move. She had prayed to God, and asked Him to give her someone to believe in… someone to trust. And now Malcolm was sitting right here, teaching her to trust him with his actions. Tears flowed down her face as she silently thanked God for his goodness.

  “Don’t cry. You should be smiling,” Malcolm said as he wiped the tears from her face.

  “These are happy tears, Malcolm.”

  “Oh, well in that case.” He enveloped her in his arms and kissed her like a man thirsty for the kind of love that only she could give.

  When they parted, Shay whispered in his ear, “Do you remember when you told me about finding a mighty love with God?”

  “Mmh,” was all he said, as he began planting small kisses on her neck.

  “I’d like to find that same kind of love with you. Can you handle that?”

  “Baby, you need to catch up… I’m already there.”

  THE END.

  OTHER EBOOKS BY VANESSA MILLER

  Love Isn’t enough (Short Story) ebook

  Sometimes love just isn’t enough and Hannah Ellison is sick of pretending.

  She promised to love, honor and cherish her husband, but Thomas kept secrets. And now as Hannah wades through all of Thomas’s unpaid bills, baby mama drama and her inability to conceive… she must decide if love is enough to keep her at home when her heart and mind is in turmoil over something that only God can fix.

  This short story is loosely based on the Old Testament story of Hannah’s pleas for a child of her own (1 Samuel 1:1-2:26).

  A Mighty Love (Novella) ebook

  Shay Lamont was sick and tired of dating men who didn’t know the first thing about being faithful. She’d spent a lifetime chasing after losers, now she was determined to spend the rest of her life chasing after God.

  Just as Shay sets her sights on God, Malcolm Harris sets his sights on her. Malcolm is just as determined to get what he wants. If Shay can let her guard down and learn to trust again, she just may discover the mighty love God intended for her heart only.

  The Rain Series is now available on ebook:

  Check them out on your ereader and enjoy!

  Titles: Former Rain, Abundant Rain, Latter Rain, Rain Storm and Through the Storm

  Here are a few of Vanessa’s newer books

  For complete list Visit www.vanessamiller.com

  Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband and beautiful home, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty her entire life and has three children by three different men. After learning that Kenisha has inoperable cervical cancer, the relationship between these two women becomes a catalyst of hope, leading them both to a place of redemption and healing.

  Second Chance at Love Series

  Available Wherever Books Are Sold

  Also Available online as ebooks

  The Blessed and Highly Favored ebooks.

  Titles include: The Blessed One, The Wild One, The Preacher’s Choice, The Politician’s Wife and The Playboy Redemption… check out these titles wherever ebooks are sold.

  There are five stories in the Blessed and Highly Favored Series…

  The Blessed One: (March 2011) Joel Morrison proved his love for God when he lost all of his children in the 1952 Kern County earthquake. He weathered those hard times, and God blessed him with five more children. But now that his children are grown and living their own lives, Joel worries that the devourer has once again set his sights on the family that God has blessed.

  For the most part, Joel’s children are successful and rich yet very unhappy. Joel realizes that giving his children more money will not make them happy, nor will it secure a place in heaven for them, when their hearts and souls are not fully committed to Christ. So, Joel Morrison decides to change his will in an attempt to teach his children a lesson in giving. He invites his children on a family vacation in the Bahamas to tell them that he will be giving most of his money away to charity. However, Joel’s declaration is not the biggest surprise of their vacation.

  Shockwaves are sent throughout the Morrison family, the likes of which they may never recover from.

  The Wild One: (Release date: June 2011) Dee Dee Morrison-Milner is a movie star and the wild child in the Morrison family; you name it and she’s done it, with almost no regrets. However, when she adopts an African orphan child (Natua), and a psycho begins fixating on Dee Dee’s maternal abilities and imagines himself married to the movie star diva, she finds herself running straight into her estranged husband, Drake Milner’s arms as she tries to get away from a stalker.

  As she and Drake rediscover each other, Dee Dee begins feeling safe and secure, but then she comes face to face with the biggest threat of her life. And she will need love of a different kind to enable her to release her fears and move forward with God, Drake and Natua.

  The Preacher’s Choice: (release date: August 2011) Isaiah Morrison is a man after God’s heart. Even though his wife divorces him, Isaiah continues to preach and declare the goodness of the Lord. He is content to live alone for the rest of his life, never imagining that God has something else in mind for him.

  The first day Ramona Verse walked into Christ Tabernacle, she fell in love with everything about the church, and especially the handsome self-assured man behind the pulpit. But would a man like Pastor Morrison ever consider a woman with a dark past like hers? Ramona and Pastor Morrison are brought together through his need for someone to head his charity foundation, but Isaiah will soon discover that he needs much more from the secretive Miss Verse than he ever thought possible.

  The Politician’s Wife: (release date: October 2011) Eric Morrison’s wife, Linda, hits a teenage boy while driving drunk, and Eric covers it up by paying the teenager’s medical bills and giving a hefty donation to his college fund. Linda is now ready to atone for her sins. She finds the strength to stop drinking and gives her life to Christ. Eric is thrilled when his wife stops drinking. However, when she tells him that God wants her to start a Christian organization that helps recovering alcoholics put their lives back together and that she intends to use some of his father’s charity money to do it, Eric rejects the idea, convinced that it will put his bid for governor at risk.

  Then a blackmailer threatens to reveal pictures of his wife’s drunk-driving accident unless he receives ten million dollars. If that isn’t enough, the media also begins attacking Eric because of his brother Isaiah’s outspoken, stop-sinning and come-to-Jesus style of preaching. Eric must decide whether he will stand up for the truth that his father taught him and that his brother now preaches or sell his soul for public office.

  The Playboy’s Redemption: (release date: December 2011) After a very public argument over increased child support payments, the mother of Shawn Morrison’s third child is found dead. Shawn is the primary suspect. Now in a fight for his life, Shawn turns back to Lilly, the woman whose heart he broke after she gave birth to two sons for him, but never even received an engagement ring. Lilly is now a born-again Christian. Will her forgiving heart and new attitude concerning morality finally help Shawn turn back to God in this, his darkest hour?

  AUTHOR BIO: Vanessa Miller

  Vanessa Miller of Dayton, Ohio, is a best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying.