“I saw that you called me, but on Monday, I was with my son and some of my relatives, and then yesterday I had meetings back-to-back.”

“I figured as much, but you know I missed hearing your voice, though, right?”

“I missed you as well.”

“Did you have a good holiday?”

“I did. It was actually better than I expected it to be. And yours?”

“It was okay. One of the people in attendance had a medical emergency, but before that, the day had turned out pretty nicely.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope it wasn’t too serious.”

“Unfortunately, it is, but we’re praying for her to get better. So, tell me,” he said, no longer wanting to focus on Carmen or her mother. “When will I get to see you again?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully soon, though.”

“What about this coming weekend?” he asked, seeing no reason to wait any longer than that.

“I wish I could, but remember, my son’s graduation is on Friday, and I’m throwing him a party on Saturday.”

“Oh, that’s right. You did mention that, but I totally forgot. Well, then, how about next weekend?” he asked, removing the phone from his ear. He’d heard the Call Waiting signal but now that he saw it was Carmen, he frowned and ignored it.

“I’ll check my schedule and will let you know as soon as I can. I think I’m pretty open, though.”

“Good. Because I really need to see you. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, and if we don’t get together soon, I’m afraid I’ll die from withdrawal symptoms.”

Veda laughed and so did JT, but then he said, “You think it’s funny, girl, but I’m serious.”

“Whatever you say,” she said, still chuckling.

“I really do miss you, Veda. I miss seeing you, holding you-I miss everything about you.”

“Well, the truth is, I miss you, too. I’m not sure why, but I do.”

“Meaning?”

“That I don’t even know you. And you don’t know me, so it’s not normal for two people to feel this way about each other so quickly.”

“Yeah, but stranger things than that happen all the time, and for the most part none of us has any control over who we fall for. It’s pretty much just the nature of the beast, so to speak.”

“I guess.”

The two of them paused for a few seconds and then JT said, “Well, I suppose I’ll let you get going, but definitely call me once you know if you’re able to come down.”

“I will.”

“Take care, love.”

“You, too.”

JT hung up and wished Veda was right there in his office. If she had been, church building or not, he probably would have torn her clothes right off of her. He wanted her badly, and the sooner she was able to fly back to the Windy City, the better off he would be. At least for that moment, anyway.

After sorting through a few files on his desk, JT summoned Janet into his office so she could give him an update.

“So, how’s the mailing process moving along?”

“Wonderfully,” she said, standing just a couple of feet away from him. “All the packages are stuffed, sealed, labeled, and ready to be shipped.”

“Great.”

“I’m planning to send everything out by UPS this afternoon, and they should arrive at each respective church either by Friday or no later than Monday. Then, if I don’t hear anything within the first couple of weeks, I’ll begin following up with each church secretary, making sure they received the information.”

“I hadn’t even thought that far ahead, but that’s an excellent idea. Also, just so you know, I’ve been speaking with an ad executive at a well-known agency downtown, and he’s compiling a listing of top radio and TV stations here in the Chicago area. He’s also creating a proposal for me, but for the most part, I’ll want you to be the primary contact. I’ll want to see everything before any final decisions are made, but I’ll want you to communicate with him by phone and e-mail. I’ll also have you sit in on any physical meetings I might schedule with him as well.”

“No problem. I’ll be glad to.”

“There is one other thing that you should know, though. I’ve given him a budget of one hundred thousand dollars to work with.”

Janet looked at him quietly, but he could tell she was taken aback. She was clearly shocked, and before she could ask any questions or think suspiciously, he said, “I know that sounds like a lot, but I’ve been saving money for something like this all along. I mean, I always knew we could raise the money from our parishioners, but since that could take months, I decided to just go for it. I want to move now, and to be honest, I really do believe that this is what God wants. He wants me to use my own money for this entire project.”

She nodded in agreement, and JT was sorry for lying to her. Although, maybe he wasn’t lying at all, because in reality, Diana had given him that money free and clear and wasn’t expecting to be paid back, so technically this was his own money. It was all his, and this meant every word he’d just told Janet was true.

“I know this is sort of out of the blue,” he said, “but I’m really excited about it.”

“It really is a huge sacrifice, but if this is what God wants you to do, then you know it’s the right thing.”

“I know. And that’s all that really matters, anyway. Being obedient and doing His will.”

“Well, just let me know whatever you need.”

“I will, and thanks for everything, Janet. You do so much, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it.”

“Don’t even give it another thought. I love God, and I love my job, and that means I’ll do anything I can to preserve and help this ministry.”

JT smiled and then Janet said, “Well, if that’s all, then I’m going to get back to the mailing. The other girls have pretty much got it handled, but I still want to look in on them to make sure all the packages will be ready before pickup time.”

“Thanks again,” JT said, watching her leave his office.

Then he thought about how rich and famous he was going to be and got tickled. It was only a matter of time because, once those commercials began running, people from all over would be flocking in to hear him speak on Sunday mornings. They would come, hear how good he was, and quickly invite their family members and friends. Before long, he would be the most popular minister in the Midwest, and after that there would be no turning back. And he couldn’t forget all the megachurches nationwide that would soon be calling him to come speak, and this would all be thanks to his infamous father-in-law. Every bit of his blessings would all be a result of his forging Curtis’s name on that recommendation letter and his masterful ability to sweet-talk Diana out of six figures. Doing both would soon prove to be well worth his while, and JT couldn’t wait to reap all the benefits. He could barely wait to begin living the fabulous life he was fast on his way to securing.

Chapter 29

Alicia read the latest e-mail from Levi and debated how she should respond. There was no doubt that the proper and honest thing to do would be to end all contact with him. But deep down she really didn’t want that-she didn’t want it, and she was ashamed to say there was a certain level of excitement Levi Cunningham filled her insides with. Yes, he was locked away in prison and certainly wasn’t the kind of man any decent person would recommend she consort with, but Alicia had seen the real good in him. She had experienced firsthand how gentle and considerate he was when it came to women, namely her, and she couldn’t simply forget about that. She couldn’t write him off like he didn’t matter to her, because he did.

Still, after contemplating for nearly twenty minutes, she replied with the following:

Hi Levi,

It’s really good hearing from you again, but I don’t think our communicating with each other, even by e-mail, is a good idea. You are a truly wonderful person, and of course, I’ll be praying for your release, but that’s pretty much where our relationship will have to stand. I’m sorry, I hope you understand, and I pray that you will take good care of yourself.