Sample of A Love Sent From Heaven
Copyright © 2017 Taretha Jones
All rights reserved. No part of the work may be reproduced without the expression written permission of the author. This book is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters, events, and incidents in this book are a product of the author’s imagination.
“By the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Mikal… You may kiss your lovely bride.”
Feeling a little uncomfortable in her floor-length bridesmaid gown, Sierra North clapped her hands and cheered as her youngest sister exchanged a loving smooch with her brand-new husband. Sierra’s parents, James and Evangeline North, had brought five kids into the world — all of them daughters — and now all of them were married, with the exception of Sierra, who at thirty-three was the oldest.
Ever since she'd learned about love, romance, and getting married — which had been at the tender age of nine — Sierra had always assumed she’d be the first of the North girls to tie the knot. She'd found out five years ago at the wedding of her sister, Shatoria, that that wasn't going to be the case. Now that the youngest, Ayanna, had jumped the broom, Sierra understood that she would be the last.
And I hope my wedding day happens sometime this century, she sadly thought to herself, while fighting the urge to frown.
She was most definitely happy for her sisters — in her eyes, all four of her siblings deserved to have a happily-ever-after. But she wanted the same thing for herself. She wanted a soulmate. She wanted someone to come home to. She wanted a family of her very own.
As the newly married couple retraced their steps up the aisle, Sierra pushed all of her negative thoughts about her own situation out her mind and began cheering and clapping, just like all the other guests were doing.
Her best friend, Trina, leaned over and whispered into her ear, “You know I’m not ready to get married. If I catch the bouquet, I'll hand it right over to you, honey. If you catch it, that’s even better.” Trina chuckled. “That way you’ll have two chances at being next in line to tie the knot.” Trina laughed some more at her own little joke, while Sierra forced herself to smile. Sierra highly doubted any of that was going to work. She didn't believe in old wives’ tales.
As the wedding party began making its way to the part of the facility where the reception was being held, a genuine smile settled itself on Sierra's pretty face — she'd just caught a glimpse of the caramel-complected brotha that she'd been crushing on for the past year and a half.
Camden Mason. That was his name. Close to six-feet tall, with the face of a GQ fashion model, he was indeed a handsome man. However, he hadn't shown any real interest in Sierra — although they attended the same church every Sunday and would see each other a couple of times per week when she’d make her way into the grocery store that his family owned, which he managed.
Sierra didn't understand her infatuation with Camden. In all her thirty-three years, he'd been the only person she'd run into that she hadn't been able to get off her mind.
She was a beautiful woman, so she had plenty of men checking for her — and there were plenty of eligible bachelors who were interested in dating her. However, she held no interest for them in return. There was something about Camden Mason that had grabbed her attention and refused to let go.
When Trina noticed the look on Sierra's face and who she was looking at, she grimaced. “I just don't see what you see in him, honey,” she whispered. “He's an okay type of guy, but he's a little on the arrogant side.” She shook her head. “No, scratch that… He's more than a little bit arrogant. Homeboy got arrogance on lock.”
“I prefer to think it's confidence, Trina. Not arrogance. Know what I mean?”
Trina knew that it was no use arguing with Sierra...at least not where Camden Mason was concerned. Therefore, she simply sighed and said, “We all have our right to our own opinions. Let’s just leave it at that, honey.”
Trina's negative view of Camden didn't faze Sierra. It didn't bother her one little bit. She'd been praying that God would send her a soulmate, and her faith was strong enough to believe that her having a significant other would actually happen. It might be taking a while, but God's got my back. And I want Camden. The Bible says that the Lord will give us the desires of our hearts. Camden will be mine in due time.
* * *
Four Days Later:
Sierra was a strong believer in the power of prayer, so she always strived to attend her church’s noontime prayer service on most Wednesdays. On a mission to collect Bibles to use in the casual get-together, she walked into the sanctuary section of the church — which is where the Bibles were kept, and which she assumed would be empty. That's where she saw a face that was new to Mercy Hill Church of Christ.
Sierra smiled at the pretty woman who was sitting on the front pew. “Hi, my name's Sierra. Sierra North. I remember seeing you in church this past Sunday. You’re renting a place over at Tranquility Cove Cabins… Right?”
The city that Sierra lived in, Edenton, was close-knit — meaning everyone pretty much knew everyone else. Gossip also tended to spread like wildfire there. So, she hadn't really needed to ask the new girl the question. She knew who she was; she was simply being polite.
Asia Gates grinned and stuck out her palm for a handshake. “Yes, I’m renting a cabin over at Tranquility Cove. Name’s Asia Gates by the way—,” she laughed, “—but I’m sure you’ve already heard that through the grapevine.”
Sierra added a chuckle of her own to Asia’s. “Yeah… I kinda sorta did. Nice to meet you, Asia. I came out here in the main sanctuary to collect some Bibles...you know, in case we need ‘em. We actually have the noon prayer session in the fellowship hall. Think you can give me a hand at taking the Bibles in to everybody?”
“Of course.”
Sierra handed Asia the Bibles that were in her hands. “Great. Thanks. Let me get a few more and then you can follow me to the fellowship hall.”
Sierra could tell right away that she liked Asia. Sierra was normally good at reading spirits. She could tell people who had good hearts, and there was something about Asia that said she was a humble person with a heart of gold. Sierra tended to like people who were like that.
* * *
The noonday prayer service normally only lasted about a half-hour, although there had been occasions when it had gone on for much longer — after all, the parishioners at Mercy Hill Church of Christ tended to let the spirit of the Lord have its way. Sometimes when God was moving during the prayer session, thirty minutes simply wasn't enough.
This particular Wednesday happened to be one of those kind of days. So, when Sierra finally pulled out of the parking lot of her church home that afternoon, it was going on one-thirty. But that was alright with her, because she felt good...from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Her soul was still vibing and on fire. To Sierra, that was the best feeling in the world.
She felt so wonderful that she figured her afternoon wouldn't quite be complete without a glimpse of Camden's handsome face. With that thought in mind, she pointed her car towards Mason’s Groceries and More.
It only took a few minutes to get there. She grabbed herself a shopping cart and made her way into the spacious building. It was the middle of summer in Edenton, so the temperature was already a super hot ninety-seven degrees. Consequently, the cool, conditioned air of the supermarket felt good on her heated skin.
“Hey, Sierra. That was a beautiful wedding that your sister had. Real nice.”
Sierra flashed Camden's father, Mr. Camden Mason Sr, a genuine smile. “I have to agree with you, Mr. Mason—,” she nodded her head and continued speaking, “—it was indeed a beautiful wedding.”
“You’re in line to get married next, ain’t you?”
Sierra used to hate it when people would make comments like that. It was always a reminder that she was a single woman who didn't really want to be single, a spinster if you will. But she'd been praying on everything and she was confident that God would be giving her the desires of her heart — a spouse being number one amongst those desires. So now, it didn’t bother her at all...at least not most of the time.
“Yep,” she said. “I believe I’m gonna be next.” Then she casually asked, “Is CJ working today?”
Camden Sr. was approaching sixty years old, so he wasn't a fool. No matter how nonchalantly Sierra had worded her question, he understood that she was interested in his oldest son. For the life of him, Camden Sr. couldn't understand what a woman like Sierra North would see in his CJ. My boy’s a handsome young man — he gets it from his daddy. But I hate to admit that he's a little on the vain and arrogant side. He frowned to himself. CJ just wouldn't do a decent, upstanding, pretty little thing like her any good.
He liked Sierra — he felt like she was a good person — so he gave her a gentle smile and said, “He’s here alright. He’s over on the cereal aisle showing TyKiesha how he wants the display reworked.”
Before making it to her destination, Sierra pulled out her compact and checked her face. She didn't want to be embarrassed by having lipstick on her teeth or something similar.
Satisfied with her appearance, she dropped her compact back into her purse and placed a cheery smile on her face. Then she turned the corner and frowned. She didn't like the way that Camden was interacting with the grocery store’s newest employee, TyKeisha Holt.
Sierra knew for a fact that TyKeisha was probably about ten years her junior. Despite Sierra being an overall confident type of sista, that knowledge suddenly allowed the tiniest inklings of insecurity to raise its ugly head within her.
Don’t get it twisted, Sierra was a beautiful woman, and she had enough self-awareness to realize that. But quickly approaching thirty-five, she no longer had the body of a twenty-year-old. She was carrying an extra twenty pounds or so that she'd started to get a little self-conscious about, and her breast didn't sit as high on her chest as they used to — although with the expensive bras she treated herself to, she knew that nobody could tell but her.
She shook her head and pushed her cart in the opposite direction. She didn’t feel like dealing with any of that today.
She’d almost made it out of Camden’s line of vision, but unfortunately, Sister Marion — who was one of the deaconesses at Mercy Hill Church of Christ — rounded the corner going the wrong way and accidentally slammed her basket into Sierra’s. Of course the crashing sound of metal on metal caused Camden to look up and investigate.
But Sierra hadn’t had to worry about him seeing her, not at all. Why? Well, quickly noticing that all was fine, Camden hadn’t given Sierra so much as a wave of his hand. He’d continued grinning at his young protégé instead.
“Lord have mercy,” the sixty-something Sister Marion exclaimed. “I rounded that corner going the wrong way, suga’. You alright, ain’t you, Sierra?” Sister Marion smiled then chuckled. “You not about to file a claim and make my insurance go up now, are you?” she kidded.
Sierra smiled, too. She shook her head. “Of course not, Sister Marion. Outside of us running into each other, how are you doing today?”
“I'm doing just fine, baby. I'm sure you were at noonday prayer service over at the church — a young woman who’s on fire for Christ like yourself always has herself up in the house of the Lord. I would've been there, too, if I hadn't had a doctor’s appointment this morning.” She frowned. “I think I might have the gout in my big toe. But that doctor of mine keeps trying to tell me it's just the arthritis.”
The middle-aged woman shook her head and continued speaking. “Doctors don't know nothing these days. I tell you, sometimes I get to thinking that I ought to take myself back to school to become a doctor myself. But my grandbabies laugh at me when I mention that.”
Sister Marion nodded her head towards the opposite end of the aisle. “It looks like Camden's down there trying to make himself a love connection this afternoon. TyKeisha sure is a pretty young thing, ain't she? But Camden should be ashamed of himself. That girl probably ain’t no more than nineteen or twenty years old. He's pushing thirty-five — about like you. He's almost old enough to be her father.”
Great, Sierra thought to herself. That makes me almost old enough to be her mother then.
Sister Marion sighed. “But I guess he likes them young like that. A lot of men do. But all in all, Camden's a decent type of young man. So I guess I had better just leave that alone and say to each his and her own.”
Her eyes met Sierra's. “What about you, baby? Your little sister just had that lovely wedding ceremony last weekend… Is there a wedding on the horizon for you, too?” She chuckled. “I just love weddings. I wanna get my invite early.”
Sierra had to force herself to paste a smile on her face now. Not because she was jealous of her sister or anything similar, but because she was suddenly starting to get the teeniest bit weary of people asking when she herself was going to get hitched. She’d just come from noonday prayer and it seemed like every single person there had asked her the very same question — with the exception of the new parishioner, Asia, of course. Sierra figured Asia didn’t know the people in the community of Edenton well enough to ask questions like that yet.
Sierra resigned herself to nod her head and say, “Yes, ma’am, Ayanna’s wedding was beautiful.” She winked her eye. “When my day comes, I’ll make sure you get your invite in the very first round. See you on Sunday, Sister Marion.”
“See you later, suga’.”
Her instincts were telling her to just put her shopping basket away and make a quick exit from the grocery store. However, she'd been having a taste for homemade grilled chicken breasts all day. Deciding to indulge her taste buds, she headed towards the meat case and grabbed herself a tray of her preferred cut of meat. As luck would have it, Camden showed up where she was standing only a mere five seconds after she'd placed the chicken into her shopping cart.
“Afternoon, Sierra. I see you recovered from that little collision that you had back there with sister Marion a few minutes ago.”
Like you really noticed, she thought to herself. Then she smiled and said out loud, “Yeah. We both recovered. I'm in here picking up some chicken cuts. You guys have some of the freshest around. I'm gonna fire up the old barbie and grill me a few for dinner tonight. I've been told that mine taste just as good as what they serve over at Tommy's Steakhouse. And you know everybody loves the chicken at Tommy's. I’m having grilled veggies on the side and grilled peaches with cream for dessert.” She winked her eye. “I'll save you a plate if you want, my friend.”
Camden loved home-cooked food...especially grilled. His eyes lit up. “Oh, can you, girl? I'm meeting Eric and Jason at the gym today at five-thirty. We’re gonna stay there shooting ball till they close at nine tonight. If I swing by your place at around five-fifteen, can you bring it out to my car for me? Out to the curb?”
Yeah, Sierra knew that she was pathetic. She'd put the proposition out there in the manner that she had because she’d been carrying hopes that Camden would come over and have dinner with her. She considered it an insult that he was just gonna drop by and pick up a plate. However, she was too embarrassed to take back her offer.
Feeling like an idiot and wanting to save face, she forced herself to smile. “Okay, Camden. I’ll have you a plate ready by five-fifteen.”
Ten minutes later, when Sierra made it out to her car, she felt like crying. She was a grown-tail woman, not some adolescent schoolgirl. Being infatuated with a man like she currently was wasn’t supposed to be happening — at least not to me. I’m too mature for all of that.
She didn’t like the feeling one little bit. But there was something about Camden Mason that kept drawing her in...like a moth to a flame. And like that moth, she prayed like the dickens that she wasn’t about to get burned by the fire.
Seeing that Sierra was a high school math teacher and school was currently out of session for the summer, days were moving kind of slow for her. The town that she lived in, Edenton, was a beautiful place that was located on North Carolina’s upper coastal shore. With time on her hands, she was taking full advantage of her surroundings.
It really is pretty out here, she thought to herself as she stood on a pier and caught a glimpse of the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean.
Technically, the body of water that Sierra was glancing at was called the Albemarle Sound. But since the sound was practically the entryway to the Atlantic, it seemed as if it were the same thing to her. The view in front of her was gorgeous all the same. The only thing missing was an actual beach. Instead, there was a waterfront, that was outfitted with the long pier she was standing on.
As a bonus, since It was the beginning of summer, everything was green and lovely outside. The natural beauty of her surroundings awed her — like it did every year around this time.
She’d only been out there a couple of minutes when she was joined by company.
“Hey there, Sierra. I guess great minds think alike. This right here is the best spot in town.”
Sierra flashed Derek Young a friendly smile. She knew he was about her age, but since he hadn’t grown up in Edenton like most of the people who were regular visitors to the waterfront, she didn’t know him very well.
She nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, it’s nice out here. I’ve been coming to this exact same spot ever since I was a teenager. And don’t ask me to tell you how many years ago that was.”
He chuckled at the comment that the sista standing in front of him had just made. Derek wasn't from the Edenton area; he'd moved there about four years ago. Sierra North was one of the prettiest and nicest women he’d met since he'd been in town. He'd always admired her from a distance, but since he knew he wasn't looking for a serious relationship, he hadn't said too much to her. He was smart enough to realize that a saved, fabulous woman like herself would be looking for something more permanent than a meaningless one night stand.
Truth be told, in the last couple of years or so, Derek had strayed away from those types of relationships himself. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd taken a lady out on a date. He'd been too busy working on improving his walk with God. At thirty-five years old, he figured that he was long overdue.
Unfortunately, his ghetto-fabulous mother, Audrey, hadn’t seen much use in teaching her five kids about Christ — she’d pretty much given birth to them for government benefits and child support. But as adults, when God had made himself known in his and his siblings lives, most of them had decided to give him an ear. His youngest sibling, Sean, was the last one holding out.
He broadened his grin. “Don’t worry, Sierra. I have manners. I won’t ask you how long ago your teen years were. Although I did read that featured article about you that was in the paper a couple of years back... You know, when you received the national teacher of the year award? It amazed me that you were able to win and you were only thirty-one. I know it’s belated, but congratulations on that.”
Sierra blushed from his genuine compliment. It really didn't bother her that he knew her age. She'd pretty much made her statement as a joke of sorts.
She was proud to be in her thirties. She considered every birthday to be a blessing from God. She shared with Derek as much. Then she tagged on, “But thank you for your kind words. I love my students and I believe in giving them my very best. I want to see each and every one of them prosper.” She smiled. “About like the Lord wants to see each and every one of us prosper.”
“If I had kids, I’d definitely want them to be in your class. I can feel your passion for what you do from way over here.”
Sierra figured that her cheeks were going to catch on fire if she blushed any harder. “Thank you for your kind words, Derek.”
“You’re welcome.”
She decided to change the subject at that point. “I don't see you out here very often...well, actually, this is my first time seeing you out here period. Did I just get lucky today?”
He chuckled. “You could say that. I'm a contractor, and that keeps me out of town on assignment a lot. But I was able to snag a new client here in Chowan County a couple of weeks ago. My new client has me working on a big project. I'm gonna be around for a couple of months.”
“Oh, you must be happy about that. But then again, if you're the type of person who likes living a nomadic type of lifestyle – or should I say a life out on the road — maybe it's not a good thing for you.”
His younger self had thoroughly enjoyed not calling one specific place home, hopping from lily pad to lily pad as his job assignments changed. But his older, more mature self was beginning to not relish that type of existence. The spirit of wanderlust was dying a strong death within him.
He lifted his lips in a tiny grin. “I have to admit that these old bones of mine are getting tired of the open road.”
She giggled. “Old bones? Seriously? You can't be any more than about my age. And I definitely don't consider myself to be old… Not saying that being old is a bad thing, of course. I consider every one of my years on God’s green Earth a blessing.”
She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “You know my age, but I don't know yours. So I'm gonna say no fair.”
“I'm thirty-five, Sierra.”
“Definitely not old.”
Sierra didn't understand why she was standing out there talking to Derek Young like they'd been friends forever. She'd only known him a few years, and not well at all. They only waved at each other in passing and said hi and bye on the rare occasions that she'd seen him in church. But for some reason, she was finding herself wanting to converse with him even more.
“You say you're a contractor, what type of projects do you mostly work on?”
“Home improvements is my specialty. I spent some time employed by a company working on commercial projects, but God blessed me to strike out on my own and go into business for myself. My company’s named Infinity Contracting.”
She began humming the jingle to a commercial that she’d seen the other day on TV for Infinity Contracting. Then she smiled with her eyes. “That little tune… That’s you?”
He was proud of the success that his business had had, but he also was a humble type of brotha. Therefore, he simply nodded his head and said, “Yep, that's my baby.”
“Wow, I'm impressed, Derek. I've been thinking about remodeling my master bathroom...maybe even my kitchen. When I talk myself into finally moving forward with all of that, I'm gonna have to look you up online and give you a call—,” she hummed the jingle again, this time for only a few more seconds. “But honestly, your catchy commercial is stuck in my head, so I probably won’t even have to look up your number.”
He reached into his back pocket and handed her one of his business cards. “Just in case you somehow forget. I pride myself on doing quality work, Sierra, so I know you won’t be disappointed if you decide to give us a call. And I don’t believe in gouging folks with my prices. I can give you a good deal.”
She smiled and tucked the card into her own jeans pocket. “Thanks.” She paused for a moment then said, “It’s been nice chatting with you, Derek. But I’m gonna go ahead and cut on out of here. I’m cooking pot roast for dinner tonight and I have to get it in the oven or it’ll never be ready by the time my stomach starts growling for it. And my mama needs some supplies for the cakes she’s baking for the fundraiser at church tomorrow.”
He now considered himself to be a man of God and he conducted himself accordingly — meaning no gawking at women like a teenager in heat. But the ‘man’ part of his psyche couldn’t help but notice Sierra’s luscious, curvy figure as she made her retreat. She’s beautiful inside and out. I enjoyed my little chat with her this morning. Maybe I should hang out here at the waterfront a little more often. It’ll be interesting to see what she’s all about.
As for Sierra, she had a smile on her face as she pointed her car in the direction of Mason’s Groceries and More. She’d enjoyed her little chat with Derek, and she wasn’t even thinking about what she normally would’ve been pondering on — which would’ve been whether or not she was going to catch a glimpse of Camden, even though she knew she wouldn’t be seeing him that morning since Tuesday was his day off.
Derek’s good people, she thought to herself as she hit the highway. I like him.
* * *
Ten Minutes Later:
Sierra pulled her Chrysler 300 into the parking lot adjacent to Mason's Groceries and More. As soon as she got out, she noticed Asia Gates loading bags into her SUV. Sierra really did like Asia, ever since the day they’d officially met a week ago during noonday prayer at church.
“Hey, Asia. I see you decided to start cooking this week like you said you were going to.”
“Hey, Sierra. Yep, I’m baking chicken and veggies tonight. How you doing today?”
Sierra grinned. “I'm doing fine...can’t complain. Just making a quick run into Mason’s to get a few things for my mama. She's baking some cakes for the dinner the church is hosting tomorrow. But she ran out of confectionery sugar and vanilla extract, so she called me and sent me down here cause she hates grocery shopping.”
“Oh, yeah. Camden was telling me about the dinner a few minutes ago when I was in the store shopping.”
A glow of excitement came into Sierra's eyes. “Camden's working today? I thought he had the day off.”
She likes him, Asia immediately thought to herself. She likes Camden. As a professional matchmaker, I've seen that look a thousand times.
Asia nodded her head. “Yes, he's working today. He was grumbling about having to come in, too. He told me that he had to fill in for somebody who called in sick.”
Hearing Asia talking about how she’d had a conversation with Camden, Sierra began wondering if the beautiful girl standing in front of her was interested in the brotha that she’d been crushing on for the last year or so. Sierra didn’t like being suspicious like that, but she couldn’t seem to help herself where Camden was concerned.
Asia gave Sierra a knowing little smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in Camden. I’m not the competition. Does he know you like him?”
Sierra frowned. Then she sighed. “I was that obvious, huh?”
Asia shook her head. “Not really. But I own a professional matchmaking company. I pick up on little things like that when other people probably wouldn’t.”
Sierra was intrigued. “You own a matchmaking company? How does that work?”
“Well, normally I get my clients to fill out a few questionnaires to assess their interests and desires in life. Then I match them up with people who are compatible with them. But I have been known to also drop strategic hints here and there to let a person know that someone is interested — on the sly tip of course.” She grinned. “And I’ve been known to set up situations where couples somehow ended up in strategic locations together.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, take you and Camden for instance. If you were my client, I’d do something like host a backyard barbecue. But somehow, only you and Camden, and me and my date for the evening would be invited. I’d keep my date preoccupied all evening. And that would consequently force you and Camden together to spend at least a good two or three hours together having some precious quality time.”
Sierra’s eyes lit up. Actually spending one on one time with Camden seemed like an excellent idea to her. “You could do that?”
“Yep. I can and I will. I’d be happy to do that for you, Sierra.” Asia winked her eye. “Just consider it a favor from a new friend.”
Sierra wanted to do a Holy Ghost happy dance right out there in the parking lot. She flashed Asia a smile, instead. “Thanks, girl. I’m definitely gonna owe you one...or two...or three. You know, for doing this.”
Asia laughed. “No problem. This Saturday sound good to you for our little backyard get-together?”
“Yep. Saturday would be perfect.”
* * *
“You’re doing what?” Trina asked as she glanced across the beach at her bestie like she was crazy.
Sierra sighed. “I’m getting some professional help in getting Camden and I together. Asia Gates — the sista who’s new to town, the one who’s renting a cabin over at Tranquility Cove — she’s a matchmaker. A real one. She has a website and everything with testimonials from plenty of satisfied customers. She agreed to give your girl the hookup.”
Trina looked at Sierra with doubt all in her eyes. “A professional matchmaker?”
“Yep. A professional.”
Now it was Trina’s turn to let out a breath in a sigh. “I’ve been trying to keep my lips zipped about this little thing that you have for Camden, but as your best friend, I feel like I’d be wrong if I didn’t say anything, honey. How you’re feeling about Camden ain't natural...not at all. There's something wrong there. It's like you’re infatuated with him. I went to my sister’s church when I visited her up in New York last month and her pastor was speaking on infatuation versus love...specifically being in love. I had never heard a pastor preach on that before, but I sure do wish you'd been sitting there with me listening, Sierra.”
She shook her head and continued speaking. “He said that infatuation is a sneaky thing. That it's one of the tools that Satan uses to get control of people’s minds. For a committed Christian like yourself, infatuation could easily lead to lust, fornication, and a whole lotta other moral sins. You feel me, honey?”
Since Sierra didn’t say a word, Trina decided to stay up on her soapbox. “Plus, you say you wanna find yourself a soulmate and get married… How is that gonna happen if you got your thoughts wrapped around Camden, instead of leaving your mind free and available for your real Mr. Right?” She sucked her teeth. “Shoot, your soulmate might have even walked into your life already, but you didn’t notice him because you were too busy caught up in infatuation and giving that wannabe playa, Camden, your time of day.”
A tiny portion of Sierra sensed that Trina was probably right, but a year was a long time to be crushing on somebody as hard as she’d been crushing on Camden, so she really didn’t want to hear it. Plus, she’d convinced herself that they were going to eventually be a couple. She was having a hard time wrapping her brain around giving up on all of that.
Sierra shook her head. “Alright, Trina… Let’s let it go down on record that I heard you. How about we keep it moving and talk about the weather.”
Trina frowned to herself. At the moment, she understood that her suspicions were more than true. She understood that infatuation had a stronghold on her girl’s mind. I’m gonna have to pray for her a little harder on all of that. Please help her, Heavenly Father. Something tells me that ain’t nothing about this situation gonna turn out right. Nothing at all.
Trina wasn’t going out like that. She let out a sigh and said, “It’s gonna be hot all week...that’s all we need to talk about as far as the weather’s concerned. You might as well go ahead and tell me about the plan that you and Asia done hatched up.” She finally smiled. “I might not agree with all of this, but I’m your girl...and you know I’m nosy as all get out. Inquiring minds like mine wanna know.”
Sierra was glad they were moving past the sticky part of the conversation they’d been having. She and Trina were really close as sisters. She didn’t want to fall out with her bestie over how she felt about Camden.