“Marcus knew of his mother’s dreams for him and after she died it was as if he was trying to honor her memory by doing everything that she’d wanted. He was always at the top of his class, and I never had to remind him to do homework. He tried so hard to please me because I think in his mind, pleasing me meant pleasing his mom as well.”
“And then here comes Miss Tiffany….”
Chance chuckled again and in her mind she could actually see a smile lighting up his eyes. “Ahh, yes, here comes Miss Tiffany. But before Tiffany came football. I hadn’t wanted him to play. I had played in school and I knew how grueling practice could be. I wasn’t sure Marcus could handle it and still keep his grades up. I think that was the first time the two of us butted heads.”
After a pause he said, “Luckily he had his uncles on his side. It took my brothers to make me see that I was being unrealistic and that it wasn’t all about making good grades. Marcus had a few more years in high school to go, and kids these days need to be well-rounded and I was keeping him from being that.”
“So he started playing football?”
“Yes, and the girls started calling…and calling and calling. My phone was a regular hotline. But I think they annoyed him more than captivated his interest. At least until Tiffany.”
“Tiffany used to call your house all the time?” Kylie asked, somewhat surprised.
“No, and that’s what’s so strange. I can’t recall her ever calling. That’s why I was taken aback when I found that note and was stumped further when Marcus told me, in no uncertain terms, just how he felt about her. It was as if she appeared one day out of the clear blue sky.”
Kylie nodded. It was as if Marcus had appeared out of the clear blue sky as well. He’d definitely been one well-kept secret.
“Now it’s your turn.”
“My turn?” Kylie echoed.
“Yes, to tell me all about Tiffany so I can be prepared.”
Kylie’s lips tilted into a smile. “I don’t think anyone can ever get fully prepared for Tiffany. She’s smart, funny and extremely outgoing. An extrovert if you’ve ever seen one. I think that’s why she’s having trouble making friends at school since we moved here. I don’t think the kids know how to take her. They see her genuinely exuberant nature as being insincere and phony.”
Kylie’s smile then widened. “There is, however, something that I do think you should know.”
“What?”
“I told Tiffany that as Marcus’s father you would want what was best for him.”
“And?”
And she feels certain that you’re going to like her when the two of you meet because she is definitely the best.”
Chance laughed. “Sounds like a person with a lot of confidence.”
“A little too much at times. It comes from her dad’s side of the family.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having an overabundance of confidence.”
“Remember you said that when you meet her on Sunday.”
There was a hint of amusement in Chance’s voice when he said, “I will. And by the way, is there anything you need for me to bring?”
“Yes, a lot of prayer just in case Tiffany and Marcus don’t want to go along with our plans for them.”
“Hello.”
“Marcus, are you awake?”
Marcus clutched the phone as he buried his head back underneath his pillow. “Tiffany, it’s Saturday morning. Nobody gets up before eight on Saturdays.”
“I do. Some of us have chores to do and the earlier they get done the better. I only called this time of the morning because you said your dad always plays basketball every Saturday morning with his brothers, and you told me to call if I had anything to report.”
Marcus removed the pillow. She had gotten his attention. “And you have something to report?”
“Yes. Your dad called here last night. And it was late.”
Marcus lifted a curious eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“Your phone number showed up on our caller ID this morning and it showed the time as close to midnight. That means our parents are talking after-hours. That’s a good sign.”
“But what if he just called to get directions to your house or something?”
“At midnight? Think positive, Marcus.”
“Okay. But we should be able to tell if anything is going on when we see them together tomorrow, right?”
“I hope so, Marcus.”
“Yeah, I hope so, too, considering how much of a pain in the butt I’ve been to my dad over the past week.”
Chapter 5
By the time Chance and Marcus arrived at Kylie’s home on Sunday evening, Chance was chomping at the bit to see her again.