The Pastor's Heart (8 page)

“I don’t know
, but I think it needs water.  My car started making a weird sound and then it just stopped and smoke came out of the hood when I opened it.  Kingston, I’m in a bind right now.  I have a client who has a job interview in less than two hours and I have to get her these clothes.  I need to get to Somerset like now or she will not make her two-thirty interview.  What am I going to do?” Sinclair rambled on since she was so upset.

“Sinclair, relax
, everything is going to be fine.”  Kingston took Sinclair’s hand into his and looked into her distressed eyes.  “This is going to work out.”  Kingston replied, trying to calm Sinclair’s rattled nerves while he rubbed her arm.

“I’m sorry.  This is just a bit much right now so forgive me.  This girl has been through so much
.  Getting this job would mean she can afford to rent a room and not have to stay at the shelter anymore.” Sinclair said to Kingston, who was still looking inside the engine.

“It’s no problem,
I totally understand.  Now here is what we can do.  We can call AAA and tell them we will leave the car on the side of the road. They can take it to your mechanic while I drive you in my truck to deliver the clothes.  We will even drop her off at the interview and wait until she is done.  Now grab your stuff and let’s go,” Kingston instructed Sinclair as she grabbed what she needed and jumped into Kingston’s Navigator.

“I still cannot understand how in the world you got us all the way to
Somerset in less than thirty minutes,” Sinclair said in pure shock.

“My best friend Simon owns a limo company and a lot of his clients are high profile po
liticians.  He has to be able to drive quickly and safely to be able to get away from any harm at any time.  He basically showed me how to get there fast and safe.  My parents don’t like when I drive like that because it scares them.”  Kingston said with a chuckle.

“I am not condoning speeding
, but it did come in handy today.  And your driving didn’t scare me at all.  What scared me was the thought of not being able to deliver the clothes on time.  That’s what really scared me the most. I really, really appreciate everything you did for me today.  If it was not for you, Samantha would never have gotten the job. So thank you.”  Sinclair said from the bottom of her heart.

“You’re very welcome.  Now I have a question for you.  Do you always do business on Sundays? I thought
Sundays was a rest day for you.” Kingston quizzed Sinclair while they drove to a gas station to fill his tank.

“Actually I wasn’t going to rest until later.”  Perfect timing Sinclair thought.  “I was going to surprise you and come and hear you preach this morning.”

Seeing the large smile on Sinclair’s Kingston knew he had heard her correctly. “Really?”

“Yes, really.  I don’t know what it was that made me get up an
d say I’m going to church today but I got ready.  I had such an amazing time at your church last time that I was going to surprise you.”             

“Well
I am glad you enjoyed yourself.  It was nothing but God that made you one, get up and two, think to come to my church of all churches.” Kingston could not help but smile.  He sat across from the beautiful Sinclair Madison the woman that he was falling for as each and every day passed. God was surely sitting in his corner.

“I was almost
to your church when Samantha called and said she got the only interview available this week and it just so happened to be today.  All the stores were still closed, so I drove back to my apartment and got her something to wear from my closet.  It’s not uncommon for me to toss my plans aside for a client, it’s what I do.”  On many occasions she had put her plans on the back burner to accommodate her clients while neglecting her own self.

“
That was very of nice of you especially, on your day off.”  Kingston praised Sinclair for a very nice gesture.  “I would have loved to have seen you in church today, but nonetheless I’m glad to see you.”

“Same here
, but listen I can’t begin to…”  A grumbling sound interrupted her as she was speaking to Kingston.

Sinclair became flustered
, but continued as if nothing ever happened.  “I can’t begin to thank you enough for all your help.”

“Well you are very welcome a
nd you can thank me by having Sunday dinner with me.  By the sound of your stomach growling, it sounds like you really need to eat something.  Kingston replied as he rubbed Sinclair’s stomach.

“Hey, watch the hand
, you might just lose it since I am so hungry,” Sinclair joked.

“I’m
so sorry.”  Kingston withdrew his hand in fear of losing it.  “But really I would love for you to come and have dinner with me; I have more than enough food.”  Kingston suggested as the sun started to peak from under the clouds in midafternoon.

Before Sinclair could respond her stomach let
out another even louder growl, which caused them both to start laughing.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Kingston assumed as he headed toward his house.

Sinclair was laughing so hard all she could do was shake her head in agreement.

Soon afte
r, Kingston pulled into the driveway of his two story brick house, which had green plantation shutters lining the huge bay windows.  The plush green lawn looked like it had just been freshly cut.

“This is such a beautif
ul home,” Sinclair complimented as Kingston opened the door to help her out of the truck.  Sinclair marveled at the gorgeous exterior before following Kingston into the house.

Upon entering his home, they were greeted at the door with a black bench accented with two blue pillows that sat at the base spiral staircase leading upstairs.  Further into the house was the living room which had a bold red sofa and love
seat ensemble.  Standing out the most in the dramatic room was the black baby grand piano which over-looked the huge bay window.  The end tables and coffee tables were also black to match the piano and there were pictures of his family hanging on the walls.  The kitchen had a wrap-around counter with two bar stools in front of it and plenty of space for cooking and entertaining. The cabinets were a rich cherry wood that complimented the ivory colored walls.  In the corner to the right of the back door sat a small table which had a bowl of fruit in the center of it.  Attached to the kitchen was the family room, which had a large black leather sectional pointing directly at the fireplace and TV above it. The two windows on either side of the fireplace gave nice views of the backyard.

“Remember the
singer who sang A House Is Not a Home?” Kingston asked while walking through his house.

“Yes, I remember that song.”  Sincl
air recalled the smooth melodious singer.

“Well this is just a house that gives me shelter that
I need.”  Kingston replied while offering a seat to Sinclair at his counter with bar stools surrounding it.  He placed his jacket around another seat and washed his hands at the sink.

“Well, it’s a nice house that you have here.”  Sinclair went on while surveying the massive kitchen
and attached family room.

“Well thank you kindly Miss Madison
.” Kingston said as he leaned over on the other side of the sit down counter.  “Would you like something to drink while I get our dinner ready?”

“Sure, what do you have?” Sin
clair asked the handsome Kingston.

“C
ranberry juice or a Virgin Mojito.  The Virgin Mojito is made with lemon lime soda, lemon and fresh mint.” Kingston asked before retrieving two glasses from the cabinet.

“The Virgin Mojito
sounds tasty; I think I’ll try that.” Sinclair answered him taking in every inch of the handsome man before her. 

For the life of her she couldn’t understand why she felt so comfortable with Kingston
when they had only gone out on several dates.  She had never felt so comfortable with any man, that is, until she met Kingston.

Sinclair did everything possible not to drool over him
when he saw him.  He stepped out his Lincoln Navigator wearing a black two piece suit and red tie.  Sasha had mentioned how sexy he was but now she really saw it for herself.  He had caught her attention on more than one occasion but today was different.  Different in a way she couldn’t understand but nonetheless it was a very good different.  She didn’t know if it was the way he wore the suit or not, because he was most certainly wearing that suit. Whatever difference it was, Sinclair definitely liked it.

“Good choice,” Kingston said while he poure
d her a glass of the Virgin Mojito.

Not long after they sat enjoying their meal
together while having a leisurely conversation.

“This is delicious what did you do you to this chicken? It’s so mouth-wateri
ng.”  Sinclair asked wondering what recipe he used.

“It’s like
The General’s Chicken, a secret recipe.”  Kingston joked.  “But really it’s a secret recipe that has been passed down for generations in my family.  If I told you, I have to either kill you or marry you so will not give out the secret.”  Kingston said with a laugh.  Killing Sinclair was the last thing in his mind, and he honestly wanted the latter.

“Whatever
Pastor Carter.  But you can tell your parents I said, they taught their son well.  You can truly get down in the kitchen.”  Sinclair knew she heard Kingston say marry, her but she ignored it.  She continued her nice dinner but kept the comment in the back of her mind.

“I’ll be sure to tell them.”  Kingston said while sippi
ng from his glass.

“Why do you cook Sunday dinner when it
’s, just you?”  Sinclair was really enjoying her meal with Kingston and could see herself having more meals with him.             

“My parents
have always told me to make Sunday dinner because you never know who might stop in.”  Kingston went on while looking directly into Sinclair’s pretty eyes.  “I mean who knew I would run into you in my neck of the woods?”

“And I thank you for inviting me because I would have had a frozen meal or take out for dinner.  My cooking skills are
very basic.  I can make scrambled eggs, and steamed vegetables and my rice comes out either too hard or too soft.  And as far as meats go, that’s a whole different story.  No matter what I try, it always burns or undercooks,” Sinclair confessed and laughed at her own self.

“O
ne day I will show you how to make a meal similar to this.  It’s not that hard.”  Kingston offered as he finished eating the last bit of his baked macaroni and cheese.

Sinclair looked at him with her eyes slanted.  “You sure about that? You do know that I am on a first name basis with my neighborhood firemen?”

Kingston did not blink an eye but rather smiled.  “Yes, I am sure and we won’t need the firemen.”

“Okay if you say so.”  Si
nclair responded with uncertainty.

“Trust me, I will not let you burn down your house or mine.  Now if you are done with your food we can have dessert in my backyard,” he
said while gathering their empty plates.  “You can go outside and I’ll be out in a minute.”

“I’ll wash
the dishes,” Sinclair took the plates from Kingston’s hand and headed for the sink.

“You know you don’
t have to do that? I can do it.” Kingston protested as he followed Sinclair to the sink.

Sinclair put the dishes in the sink
and turned to see Kingston’s gray eyes staring back at her.

“You came to my rescue
today in more ways than one, it’s the least I can do.  Not only that but we could have easily eaten out somewhere.”  Sinclair started feeling butterflies in her stomach and could not figure out why.

Kingston
took a step closer to Sinclair, closing the large gap between them.  “I didn’t mind rescuing you today and I certainly love having you over for dinner.  I prefer home cooked meals compared to eating out anyway and I will put a smile on your beautiful face because I love your smile.” 

Yes Kingston thought, he said it.  He loved her smile.  He really loved her smile.  He had finally made it known he was falling for her.  There was nothing left to doubt that he was truly falling for her.  He had never have been able to say that to a woman but there was no woman like Sinclair.

Kingston did not know what came over him.  He knew from the moment he saw Sinclair that she would be his wife someday.  She had everything he ever wanted in a woman.  She had class, style and grace.  And although she was a little rough around the edges he saw that as a bonus to her personality. She smiled even when she didn’t know it simply with her beautiful eyes and her dimples.  He didn’t know whether he was in love or lust. But he did know one thing and that is he could visually see them making his house a home together one day.

“May I?
” Kingston asked Sinclair softly.

“Yes
you may.”  Sinclair replied seeing the desire in Kingston’s eyes. Kingston leaned down as they shared an intimate kiss.                           

Sinclair’s butterflies started going full blast in her stomach and she enjoyed every minute of it.  “Nice.”