Nobody’s Child (New Life Tabernacle Series Book 1) (4 page)

O
nce inside the sanctuary
, Robin looped her arm in Makayla’s and insisted she sit with her during the service. And though the front pew would have normally been the last place Makayla would’ve chosen to sit, it turned out to be the best Sunday morning she could remember having in a long time.

After her grandmother died, Makayla hated Sundays and church services. The combination only reminded her of all she’d never have again. Tight hugs, greens and cornbread, a safe place where she belonged.

Those things had been no more than memory since she was eight and if anybody had told her she’d get to have something even better one day, she never would’ve believed it.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Sitting next to Robin made Makayla’s heart feel like it was floating up and around her chest like a joyful, chirping bird. They were so close, their arms touched and Makayla couldn’t stop staring down at the hands that looked so much like her own. Each time the choir sang, she got to hear Robin sing, too. And every time Pastor Thomas said something funny, Makayla savored the sound of her laugh.

In the short span of one church service, Makayla was able to experience almost every single thing she’d ever dreamed about as a child. And with each moment that passed, she became even more convinced she’d made the right decision to tell the truth. While she was still nervous about the conversation she and Robin were soon to have, she was also more excited than she’d ever been in her life.

O
nce the service
was over and Robin quickly became surrounded by other church members, Makayla took the opportunity to steal away to the restroom. While she was looking forward to how her life was about to change, it didn’t prevent her from being apprehensive about it.

She just needed a few moments alone to take a breath. Gather her thoughts. Make a plan. She still wasn’t sure how to actually start the conversation. She certainly didn’t want to just blurt it out. After that morning, she’d already shocked Robin enough.

No sooner than Makayla rounded the corner into the ladies’ lounge, her bright mood was dampened. That was due to the flawlessly dressed, perfectly shaped, not-a-hair-out-of-place, twentysomething, appreciating herself in the full-length mirror.

How was it, out of the hundreds and hundreds of people who attended New Life Tabernacle, Makayla kept crossing paths with
her
?

She didn't know the girl’s name. The last time she'd seen her, was the Sunday before, when she'd run up to Robin to hug her. But that wasn't the first time. Before meeting Sister Turner, Makayla had intended on befriending someone her own age. When she saw the bubbly girl with the cropped hair talking to some friends, she approached them and introduced herself. Bad idea. The girl looked Makayla up and down and walked away, her friends close behind.

Smarting from the memory, Makayla walked past her and in to one of the stalls, without a word. Hopefully, the girl had been too wrapped up in conversation to notice her. And if she did, so what? There were much more important things to be concerned with.

After locking the door, Makayla rubbed her hands over her face and took a deep breath. She didn't know if she was more nervous or excited. The anticipation made her feel as if every muscle fiber in her body was twitching. She'd come to Dallas to hurt her mother, not reunite with her. That was a dream she'd given up long ago. But maybe her grandmother was right. Maybe there
was
a God and maybe He
did
listen. Even to people like her.

Makayla took another deep breath and stood up straight. She was ready. Well, as ready as she'd ever be. She put her hand on the stall lock, but just before she slid it to the open position, she stopped.

"… maybe she's her niece.”

Makayla wasn’t an eavesdropper. Her grandmother had cured her of that little habit by age six. But people whispering, especially in her presence, made her antenna go up. She’d had enough experience with mean girls in school to know that whispers were never a good thing.

"She can't be. Robin doesn't have any brothers or sisters."

Makayla put her ear to the gap in the door. Were they talking about her?

"They gotta be related somehow. She kinda favors her."

The first girl scoffed. "Um, no. You need to get your eyes checked, boo.”

Makayla looked at the ceiling. Although the girls were whispering, she could hear what they said loud and clear. She couldn't figure out whether they were being ratchet and doing it on purpose or if they were really too simple to realize even whispers carried in a room covered in tile.

"I don't know. Sister Jones seems to know her pretty well. Did you see them when they came in?"

"Girl, please. You know how Robin is. She's always doing some kind of charity work. She's probably trying to help her out or something. I’d bet she picked her up through that homeless program her and Miss Tink run at the outreach center."

Makayla's mouth dropped open. No, the skirt and blouse she wore weren’t designer label. And yes, she lived off a steady diet of Ramen noodles. But homeless? No.

Hood? Oh, yes.

And if she didn't already have Robin waiting on her, Makayla would've come out of the stall and taught Little Miss Suburb the difference in an up-close and personal way.

"I don't know. Vonda told me that last Sunday she—“

Whatever was said got lost amongst the squeals and giggles of two little girls coming into the bathroom with their mother. The three of them squeezed into the stall next to Makayla's, making any further eavesdropping impossible.

Makayla came out of the stall to find the two, whispering young women still standing at the upholstered bench at the end of the room.

Instead of avoiding their eyes like before, she looked right at them. When they gave her saccharine sweet smiles as they approached, she didn't smile back.

Makayla turned on the faucet and lathered up the soap in her hands. She glanced up at the mirror’s reflection to see one girl standing just behind her, while the other came next to her.

"You're new here, right?"

Makayla couldn't help but notice Miss Suburb’s voice was at least one octave higher when she was being bougie versus when she was talking trash behind someone's back.

"We’ve met before."

Suburb raised her eyebrows. "We have?" She waved her hand through the air. "I'm sorry. I’m just so active here at the church and meet so many people—“ She lowered her eyes, bashfully. “Well, you know how it is."

Makayla turned off the water and shook her hands out over the sink.

"I'm Shauna. And you are?"

Makayla glanced at Shauna’s extended hand, but reached past it to take a paper towel from the dispenser. She smiled as she dried her hands with it.

"Charity."

"Charity?"

"Yeah, you know. The kind Robin Jones likes picking up."

The girl’s face blanched. Her friend suddenly became very interested in her own shoes.

Makayla put the damp paper towel in Shauna’s still outstretched hand.

"Could you do me a favor and toss this? Thanks, boo."

Shauna visibly recoiled at the used paper towel in her hand.

Makayla walked out of the bathroom, pleased with herself. Interactions like that used to make her feel bad for days. During her school years, she’d endured name-calling and taunts, all because she didn’t have parents or anybody else who wanted her.

Not anymore.

To Suburb Shauna and people like her, Makayla was a nobody. But that was
this
Sunday.
Next
Sunday, she'd be returning as the daughter of Robin Caroline Jones.

Or so she thought.

B
y the time
Makayla found her way back to Robin, most of the church folks had gone and she was alone with a young man. As Makayla approached, Robin put her hand on his back and nudged him forward.

“Trey, this is Makayla."

He offered his hand, a huge grin on his face. He had well-kept, shoulder length dreads and was cute, in a preppy sort of way, but he was also taking up precious seconds of her time with Robin.

“Makayla," Robin continued. "This is my godson, Trey."

Godson?

That bit of information made him a tad more interesting. Especially since he looked to be around Makayla's age. That fact brought up a whole new set of questions. But even they weren’t interesting enough to distract her from her impending conversation with Robin.

“Nice to meet you.”

Robin picked her handbag up off the pew. "All right, then. Are you two ready?"

Makayla looked at Robin like she’d just spoken Japanese.

You
two
? As in Makayla
and
the godkid?

Exactly.

T
urned out
, the day before was godson Trey’s birthday and Robin was taking him out for dinner. She thought since he and Makayla were both college students, it would be a good idea for them to meet.

Makayla disagreed. Of course, she didn’t say so. As much as having to spend her afternoon with Trey annoyed her, she was willing to endure it until the meal was over and Robin dropped him off.

Makayla sat in the front seat of the car, her arms folded, occasionally eyeing Trey through the rearview, silently despising him.

"Makayla is new to the city, so I want you to keep an eye on her for me." Robin looked at Makayla and smiled. "Introduce her to some new people and make sure she doesn't spend all her time studying."

Trey grinned. “I can definitely do that.”

"In fact," Robin said, “maybe you two could study together.” Robin turned her head slightly in Makayla’s direction, while keeping her eyes on the road. “I would brag about his impressive academic achievements if he didn’t embarrass so easy.”

Robin angled her neck to look in her rearview and wink at Trey. Makayla turned her face to the window and rolled her eyes. From what she could tell, he wasn't all that quick. No matter how many times she tried to make it clear she didn’t want to speak to him, he kept trying.

Is this your first semester? What classes are you taking? Are you staying on campus?

Her curt and cold, one word answers did nothing to dissuade him. If she hadn't been in the front seat and too far to reach him, she wouldn’t have been able to keep herself from punching him in the face.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant parking lot, Makayla was wound so tight, she couldn't get out of the car fast enough. And no surprise, Trey was right behind her, asking about her class schedule.

As it was, she'd been making stuff up the whole ride over. If she kept answering his stupid questions about things she knew nothing about, she was sure to slip up and get caught in her lie.

Makayla pretended she didn’t hear him as she cut around another car and darted ahead to avoid any more small talk. But when she tried to skip up on the curb, the toe of her shoe caught on the edge of the sidewalk and she tripped, lunging forward and slamming her knees and palms in to the concrete.

Before she could stop them, Robin and Trey were on the ground and at her side. Robin fussed over her scraped hands and knees, asking if she were all right.

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

Makayla couldn't care less about the scrapes and scratches on her hands. What she
did
care about, what made her body cringe and her cheeks burn, was seeing the contents of her bag spilled across the pavement. She leaned forward to use her body as a shield, hoping to stash her things into her bag before anyone noticed.

But it was too late. She knew that the moment Trey and Robin became quiet and exchanged looks.

Makayla wasn't surprised. That was the usual reaction when people saw what she carried in her messenger bag. It wasn't the regular stuff like car keys, a cell phone or makeup. She didn’t own any of that. But what she did have, always and wherever she went, were three things: packaged tuna, plastic forks, and bottled water.

She hoped Robin or Trey didn't laugh or make a joke, but even if one of them did, she'd be all right. What she couldn’t stand, what she silently begged them not to do, was ask about it.

Robin had already looked at her with pity once that day. Makayla didn't know whether she could stand to have her do it twice. She
hated
when people felt sorry for her. And as far as Trey, she’d known him for all of a half hour and he was already one of her least favorite people.

Makayla shoved the items into her bag, dusted off the front of her skirt and walked to the front doors of the restaurant as if nothing had happened. Robin and Trey followed, thankfully, without saying a word.

Once inside, Robin confirmed their reservation with the hostess and they sat in an alcove at the entrance to wait for an available table. Makayla would've been fine with the awkward silence, but apparently, Trey wasn't.

"So what classes are you taking?"

He and Robin looked at her, waiting. She really,
really
didn’t like the godson.

"Oh, you know, the usual,” she replied, not looking at him.

Trey laughed as if she’d told a joke. She cut her eyes at him.

“And what’s your major?”

With every moment that passed, Makayla more and more regretted her decision to come. She should’ve made some excuse the moment she realized the whole afternoon was about Trey. She wasn't sure how much longer she’d be able to maintain an air of civility. It was getting harder and harder to be polite.

"Why do you ask?"

“Uh…” Trey glanced at Robin, then back at Makayla. “Well, earlier you didn’t really say, so…”

Makayla stared at him until he became uneasy and looked away. Then she said, “You ask a lot of questions.”

Throughout it all, Robin sat between them, looking increasingly uncomfortable.
Serves her right
, thought Makayla.
Why in the world did she think I'd want to spend the afternoon with some dude I've never met?

A well-dressed couple exited the main dining room and walked past them to the door. At the last second, the woman stopped and spun around.

"Robin? Robin Jones?"

"Yes?"

"Oh my God! It's me, April!"

Obviously, the name didn't ring any bells for Robin, who just raised her eyebrows and offered a weak smile.

“Delta Sigma Theta!” The woman shrieked. She made a triangle with her hands over her chest.

Makayla’s eyes darted back and forth. Apparently she was the only one shocked to see a grown woman throwing what looked like gang signs in a public place.

Robin's jaw dropped. "April Dunham?" She stood and hugged the woman. “My goodness! I can’t believe this! How long has it been?"

April looked up at the ceiling and tapped her finger on her chin. "Well, I was twenty-one, so…what? Twenty years?"

"That long?"

"Yeah, girl! I even remember the month because we were all trying to figure out what happened to you. You just up and disappeared."

Makayla sat up.

"I didn't disappear…"

April put her hand on her hip and gave Robin a no-nonsense look.

"Oh, yes you did. One day we were the four hottest things on campus, the next day, you were gone. No explanation, no goodbyes, no nothing. Even when your dad came to clean out your room, he never said a word about what happened. Nobody did. Granted,” April said, lowering her voice, “there was a ton of gossip—not any that I participated in, of course. But you know…"

When she said that, she looked at Makayla pointedly, eyeing her up and down.

“Regardless, it all worked out for you, didn’t it? I couldn't believe it when I saw you on Oprah. I was calling everyone I knew, like, I know that girl! That’s my soror!” April laughed and the false note in it reminded Makayla of Suburb Shauna.

“Oh, I’m doing all right."

“All right? From what I understand, you're doing better than all right! I mean, it's not like I'm Googling you or anything, but I hear things. I didn't know you had kids though. Introduce me.” April pointed at Makayla. “This one looks just like you."

Robin turned and looked at Makayla, as if seeing her for the first time.

"Actually," Trey cut in, saving a speechless Robin. "We all just go to the same church."

“Really?” April's face puckered like she’d tasted lemon. "Oh," she said, obviously disappointed. "Me and my big mouth…" She chuckled and turned to Robin. “Well, anyway, we should get together some—“

The hostess interrupted. "Ms. Jones, your table is ready."

April fished in her handbag for her phone. “Hold on. Lemme get your number and—“

"It was nice seeing you,” Robin said, patting April on the shoulder as she passed her and followed the hostess. “Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."

Makayla didn’t even try to hide her smile.

Even when she was shutting someone down, Robin Jones was spectacularly polite.

T
heir waiter was
with them minutes after they were seated. After some mulling over the menu, he took their orders and they were once again left in awkward silence.

And, once again, Trey took it upon himself to break it.

"So you went to school here for a while? I didn't know that."

“Mmm hmm.” Robin responded, taking a sip of her water.

"Why did you transfer out?"

For the first time since she’d met him, Makayla thought maybe she'd been too quick to take a dislike to godson Trey. Perhaps he could get the answers she'd been wondering about all week.

Both looked at Robin, waiting for her response. She stared down at her ice water, lips pressed together. She took the linen napkin off the table and wiped the condensation off her glass.

"Plans change."

Two words. That was it. And the way she said them invited no further inquiry. Even her body language seemed closed off. Trey's expression told Makayla it wasn’t a side of Robin he was familiar with.

Makayla leaned back in her chair, disappointed. She didn't know what she’d expected. It's not like that simple question would've led to what she really wanted: a full-out confession explaining why she’d been abandoned. People didn't talk about their deep dark secrets in the middle of crowded restaurants. No matter how much you needed them to.

But still, she'd hoped at least—

"What made you come here for school, Makayla? Are you from another town here in Texas or out-of-state?"

Robin looked up from her glass of water and her gaze was so intense, Makayla couldn’t help but fidget in her seat.

No, she'd been right the first time. She didn't like godson Trey. At all.

She knew she needed to think fast. To come up with some story that didn't mention where she was from or her grandmother's name or anything else that would cause Robin to put two and two together. Because if and when she did tell Robin, she didn't want it to be like this.

Makayla opened her mouth, still not sure what lie to tell, when the waiter appeared beside her, his arm outstretched to put a basket of warm bread on the table.

Trey didn't waste a second ripping a roll in half and smothering it with butter.

“Finally! I’m starving!"

Makayla was watching him destroy his bread and counting the ways in which she loathed him, when she realized Robin was watching
her
.

But no sooner than she noticed, Robin looked away.

H
aving not yet learned
his lesson, Trey spent most of dinner trying to converse with Makayla. And she spent most of dinner making it hard.

It got to the point she started having fun. Seeing how creatively she could stump him or answer his question without really answering his question, was far more enjoyable than she ever could’ve imagined.

But even doing that, she noticed, more than once, Robin watching her. Whenever Makayla caught her staring, she’d quickly look away or act as if she were looking at something just behind Makayla.

Was it because of what April said? Did they really look alike? It was the second time Makayla had heard it that day. She thought she’d noticed a resemblance when she first saw Robin, but she had no way of knowing if it were real or only wishful thinking.

But that brought up another concern. If they did resemble one another and Robin recognized that, had she also figured out who Makayla was?

She was certainly being quiet. Though, that wasn’t hard with as much as Trey talked. Maybe today wouldn’t be a complete loss. Maybe after they got rid of the godkid, Robin would be the one to initiate the conversation Makayla had been so anxiously waiting for.

"Makayla?"

"What?"

Robin chuckled. "This boy has been talking to you nonstop for the past five minutes and he just now realized you weren't listening."

Trey curled his upper lip. "Oh, I noticed. She's been sly way ignoring me since we met. But I think this is the first time she’s actually blocked me out."

Makayla smiled, not caring how insincere it looked. "I didn't block you out. I was just lost in my thoughts."

He nodded in Robin’s direction. "That makes two of you. You did the same thing to me just a few minutes ago."

Robin frowned. "Oh, no. Did I? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

“Awww, don't worry about it."

He leaned over and kissed Robin on the cheek. Makayla knew she didn’t like him, but even she was surprised at the sudden urge she felt to throw her ice water in his face. He remained leaned in toward Robin, his hand on her arm.

"Thank you for dinner and for introducing me to Makayla. Even if she doesn’t like me.” He glanced at Makayla, a playful glint in his eye. She sneered at him. “I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present."

"You thought this was your birthday present?"

"It's not?"

Robin sat back and folded her arms. "Now, you ought to know me better than that. Your birthday present is at the house, waiting on you. The sooner you stop running your mouth and finish your dessert, the sooner I can take you to it."

Makayla tossed her napkin on the table. So much for the conversation…

Trey turned expectantly to Makayla. "Are you coming, too?"

Makayla had had enough of the happy-go-lucky godson.

"No. I should get home. I have a lot to do tomorrow."

Makayla watched Robin for any reaction. With the way she’d been looking at her throughout dinner, she obviously had something on her mind. If she did have suspicions about who Makayla might be, she’d want her to come along too, right?

"Oh, come on…” Trey nudged Robin. “I bet she’d come if
you
asked her.”

There was no question he wanted her to join them, but it wasn't his invitation Makayla was interested in.

“Trey, would you please stop pestering her? If the girl wants to go home, let her.” She grabbed his chin and shook it. “She probably can’t wait to get away from you!”

Apparently, it was the one invitation Makayla wasn't going to get.