Читать книгу Marriage Vows Under Fire Summer Love Series 2: Tender Rivalry - Lanette Zavala - Страница 5

A proud sense of gratification overshadowed Natalie Taylor as she observed all her friends’ fascination with the Reyes-Taylor Ranch. On over one-hundred acres of land in the countryside of MacEllah, each family’s large vacation home held an abundance of cozy bedrooms and breathtaking family accommodations. Between each home, which was built back-to-back, there was a poolside spacious enough to accommodate at least forty people and a separate picnic area surrounding an over-size barbeque pit with four ten-foot wooden picnic tables.

From the balcony of the Taylors’ house, just outside the second-floor den, the high school seniors overlooked the well-lit shared backyard in amazement. For them, the ending of prom night, with their one-hour drive to the getaway spot, meant the beginning of a special weekend.

Vivian Brown pulled Natalie back into the den and told her in a low, discreet tone, “Natalie, Chad wants me to spend the night with him tonight. Can’t we take one of the bedrooms away from everybody else?”

Natalie laughed without hesitation. She looked out the window and gazed at the group as she explained, “Girl, I told you. My parents will not go for that. That’s why my mama is here and will probably be awake all night on alert.”

“And what about Joe’s house?” Vivian asked her referring to the Reyes home just yards away, where all the boys were expected to sleep for the night.

“Forget it,” Natalie told her. “Mrs. Reyes won’t even let any girls over there tonight – just to make sure there’ll be no funny business in her house.”

“Oh,” Vivian responded, almost too embarrassed to continue looking her friend in the eye.

“Is he trying to pressure you?” Natalie demanded gently. “You always did seem to know what you wanted Vivian. And you said you’d never let anybody pressure you.”

“Well, no, he’s not pressuring me,” Vivian replied weakly.

“Good. Then, tell him to hold his horses until the wedding night.”

“Don’t be silly, Girl,” Vivian answered her friend with a chuckle. “Chad and I haven’t talked about marriage.”

“Well, then, he’s got a lot of nerve.”

“You’re so self-righteous, Nat.” Vivian turned on her heel and headed back to the balcony.

Natalie had heard the statement before. And on several occasions she had allowed such a statement to occupy her mind, having been told too often that she was older than her years. But lately, she second-guessed all of what had been told to her concerning her conservative judgment.

Her eyes fell on her prom date, Joseph Reyes Junior. He was her handsome childhood friend. Since meeting during a time when she could barely remember, he had been her playmate. She had never before thought to consider herself as his date to anything, especially not to prom. But after a hurtful break-up from a six-month courtship, which she had never before revealed to her cousin, Tiphany, nor to her friends, she found familiar delight and humor in the friendly company of Joseph. If there was any self-righteousness in her, as her friend often accused her, it disappeared in his presence.

Regardless of his family’s wealth and prestige, Joseph was a juvenile delinquent. Unlike his twin brother, Juan, who prided himself on fine academic performances and outstanding high school baseball, Joseph had kept so much company with unlawful teens that their behavior had rubbed off on him. His parents often found comfort in the confidence of the Taylors, sharing their grief in their son’s arrests over wild parties, alleged car thefts connected with criminal friends, and graffiti-related vandalism.

Despite their different choices in life, Natalie felt connected to him. But, for the connection, she felt ashamed. The label of “self-righteous” and the uncertainty of trusting a delinquent conflicted within her heart.

A year had passed since Joseph’s return from eight-months in a detention. Since returning from that last stay in juvenile, he had changed in an amazing but peculiar way, as family and friends had noticed. There were times when he had more to talk to Natalie about than she could bear to hear. He showed all the signs of what her cousins, EmmaJean and Belinda MacNeal, labeled as jailhouse religion. But her parents were vocally optimistic about his change. As far as Natalie could see, they never seemed to harbor one skeptical thought between the two of them about Joseph.

All Joseph ever seemed to want to talk about lately was the Bible, Natalie often complained inwardly. Although she appreciated her friend’s newfound preoccupation with the Bible, being a Sunday School junior superintendent herself at church, she longed for more exciting conversations during their phone calls. She wanted the youthful, stimulating talk that she missed from her former boyfriend. Just a week before the prom, she had drifted to sleep as Joseph read a full chapter of First Chronicles to her over the telephone.

There was also a reserved side of Joseph. That very prom night, he seemed almost too shy to mingle among the group of guys, who were to camp at his parents’ vacation home all weekend. To Natalie, the mystery that others saw in his eyes revealed to her a transparency of sadness and regret. She was delighted that he had finally shed his bad-boy exterior and had demonstrated a willingness to show common vulnerability. Only days ago in another one of their lengthy phone conversations, he had shared with Natalie his lifelong struggle comparing himself to his well-liked twin brother, Juan.

As she often had to do, Natalie tried shaking her thoughts of Joseph. With every detail that he gave about himself, whom she thought she already knew, she pondered. He had developed into the enigmatic character standing on the balcony from the shy little boy who also had a hidden mischievous side that could easily stir up uncontrollable laughter within herself and in her siblings.

Her eyes glued on him through the window. Under the bright balcony light, his smile could draw her attention from miles away. His sudden attention on her alerted her to how silly she was certain she must have appeared staring at him. Realizing that her eyes wore a lost gaze and that her head was tilted to the side, she finally pulled herself together.

“Snap out of it!” Natalie scolded herself.

At the sight of Joseph approaching her, her heart pounded against her chest, to her surprise. His dress shirt hung outside his tuxedo slacks casually and attractively.

“What in the world is this?” She screamed inwardly.

She had always maintained that Joseph had no place in her heart as anyone besides as a friend. After all, he was Latino. Her interest had always been African-American guys as his had always been Latina girls.

Stepping into the den through the doorway near the window, he approached her with a chuckle. “What are you doing in here by yourself?”

“Oh…I-I was j-just talking to Vivian.”

“Well, she’s outside now.”

“Oh, yeah.” She chuckled nervously.

“Come on. Let’s go talk in the kitchen.”

Up and down the stairs became her constant activity since arriving on the ranch almost an hour ago. She had immediately changed into a plain, tan-colored dress that hugged her slightly thick waistline while flowing out loosely over her legs at midway between her knees and ankles. Besides how well the dress complemented her fair skin tone, she had received no other indication of admiration. She didn’t care. She was comfortable and confident that she wouldn’t fall down any steps in an attempt to look cute.

His hand reached out for hers. Only on the dance floor earlier that night had he ever reached to hold her hand. Her eyes landed on their sudden link at the palms. It was a sight of excitement and a feeling of security and warmth. She could also sense the mutual connection within his touch. And, to her surprise, she could feel far more developing within her heart.

Once again, his voice awakened her thoughts. “You seem distant, Nat. What’s up with you?”

“Oh, uh…It’s pretty late. Just tired.”

“On your prom night?” He chuckled.

She joined in. “I know, right?”

She followed him down the back staircase that led to her family’s kitchen. The slight smile forming on her face was almost unnoticeable. During a sudden moment of realization, it had also become unwelcome in her mind. But it did not disrupt her mysterious comfort being held by his grip. Stepping down into the kitchen, Joseph never took notice of Natalie’s conflicting transition.

“Where’s your mom?” He asked her as he led her to her own kitchen table.

“She walked across the back to yall’s house. Probably chatting with your mama. Didn’t you notice her?”

“I haven’t really noticed a whole lot tonight besides you,” he revealed in a tone, so mellow that she could only respond with a silent look into his eyes. He pulled a chair out for her as if they were back at the fine restaurant, where they had dined before the prom dance. “You never looked so pretty the whole time I’ve known you.”

Natalie giggled and gave him one of her cornered-eye looks, with which he was fondly familiar. “You’ve seen me dressed up plenty of times. And you never noticed?”

A sense of bashfulness seemed to overwhelm him, she noticed. Joseph blurted a quick, final chuckle with a shrug before turning his attention to the layout of food that covered the kitchen counters. “Man, I sure am hungry.”

“Still?” She expressed slight surprise as she noticed him make his way toward the buffet which her mother and Angelica Reyes had lain out for the company of teen girls.

Homemade fried chicken strips, fried catfish fish cuts, small corn-on-cobs, melon slices, and mini chicken salad sandwiches filled dishes that were surrounded by smaller finger foods. The best iced tea always expected in the countryside was accompanied by fresh slushes of fruit drinks that remained in the chill of three different blenders – from three different fruit blends. Joseph had developed an appetite just from the view of the food.

“I hope you don’t eat all that,” Natalie playfully confronted her friend. “You know, that’s primarily for the girls’ sleepover tonight. I heard the guys have all the barbeque at your house.”

“It’s going to be kind of hard eating with a bunch of guys I just barely met tonight. Not to mention, they’re all sleeping at my house. I’ll bet some of them might have plans to sneak over here with your friends.”

“And for that reason, my mama has some coffee brewing for the entire night. She ain’t going to sleep.”

They laughed. Although they had shared humor numerous times during previous moments for years, their mutual delight was unfamiliar. Standing over the food, Joseph connected his gaze to hers once again.

The boisterous laughter outside forced them both to refocus their attention on their existing friendship, which seemed to persistently defy any possible development that entire night. To distract herself from any possible disappointing hopes, Natalie cleared her throat to continue their amiable conversation.

“Anyway, Vivian told me she and Chad wanted to spend the night together,” she informed him. “I hope they don’t try anything. Vivian needs to go to church with me some time.”

Joseph placed an entire small square of chicken sandwich into his mouth before returning to the table. With a full mouth, he said to her, “Nat, going to church won’t change her if she doesn’t know the reason for going to church.”

“Well, church changed me. You should know that more than anybody. You’re the only person I confided in about my past relationship and…you know, what I did with him that I’ll always regret.”

“Yeah, I have my own regrets, too. All the trouble I’ve been in. But church didn’t save me from it. Jesus Christ did.”

“Oh, I know all that now. I mean, I’m more involved in Sunday School and other activities at church than I’ve ever been.”

Joseph chuckled and took his seat. “You don’t want to hear what I’m saying, Nat. Nothing good you’re doing can make you saved. Do you know you can do every thing right in your own eyes and still won’t be prepared to stand before God? Your good deeds and all your commitment to church can’t save you from the wrath He has reserved against sin on the day of Judgment.”

“Well, I know we’re all just human, Joseph.”

“And human nature is going to lead to eternal damnation for everybody who does not surrender to the One Who saves us from human nature. Human nature eventually leads to sin. The bad in human nature is offensive and the good in it is self-righteous. It’s all offensive to God. So, He sent His only begotten Son to die as the Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. Only in Jesus Christ do we have eternal life. We don’t have any eternal life in the good deeds that we could boast about.”

“So, then, what?” She shrugged. “What I do at church doesn’t matter?”

“Not now. No. You’re able to boast about what you do and find reasons within yourself why you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Surrendering your life and your proud self-view to Him is what He wants you to do. Then, when you do your good deeds with Him as your sole Reason through faith in Him alone as Savior, without seeing reason to pat yourself on the back, you’re showing the fruit – meaning the proof – that you’re truly a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.”

“And this isn’t just jailhouse religion that you’re giving me?” Natalie blurted before realizing there was resentment brewing within her heart. She looked away to avoid his eyes. She knew that she could have hit a nerve within him. A chill sprang through her body at the thought of Joseph possibly retaliating against her comment with silent distance from that point.

But the warm heat from his hands taking hers reassured her otherwise. “I guess you’d think so since I told you that’s where I learned about God. I had a whole lot of time to just read my Bible, Natalie. So, I’m just sharing with you what I learned from reading. Jesus got into it with the Pharisees all the time for their self-righteousness. He wanted them to see their sinfulness and their pitiful need for salvation. And they wouldn’t do it.”

“So, you’re comparing me to the Pharisees?” Natalie snapped as she snatched her hands from his.

Joseph paused and landed his sincere brown eyes one her. Finally, he swallowed hard before replying, “Yes.”

“Why would you tell me something like this?

“Because I care.”

Natalie scoffed. What she had long ago suspected in her annoyance was painfully confirmed, she realized. “I could never give my heart to Joe Junior,” she told herself.

* * *