Escape to Love Read online

  “I thank you in advance for everything You are about to do for Renee, believing that You will perform Your word in her life. I believe it because You’ve already shown me through Joy, Dontae and Ramsey that You are well able to bring them to the knowledge of God better than I could ever dream of. I don’t know how You are going to work things out, but I trust You. So, I’m calling on my Lord Jesus and a multitude of angels to bring Renee into the kingdom. Amen, in Jesus matchless name I pray unto You.”

  When she finished praying, she went back downstairs and found her husband and Renee at the kitchen table eating the roast she’d made for dinner. She kissed Ramsey. “I didn’t know you were home.”

  “I just got here. I’ve been listening to Renee. Did she tell you about her new job?”

  “Sure did.” Carmella fixed her plate and then sat down with her family. She said grace over her food and then asked Renee, “Do you start tomorrow, or do you have to wait until they do a background check?”

  “Jay really got me the hook up. I’m in, no waiting on drug or background checks. They put me to work today, so I have to go back bright and early tomorrow.”

  “You sound excited, sweetie,” Ramsey observed.

  Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Renee said, “I am, Daddy. I mean, earlier this morning I was feeling down about the time I’ve wasted, and about the fact that I was applying for an assistant position when I should be at manager or director level by now. But then I ran into Jay.” She hunched her shoulders. “And I don’t know... I guess it just didn’t matter anymore.”

  Ramsey turned to Carmella and said, “Jay and Renee were in youth group at our old church when she was a kid.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that. Renee only mentioned that they attended high school together.” Carmella turned toward Renee.

  With a look of guilty written on her face, Renee admitted, “I knew if I mentioned church, you’d swear that God was up to something. And I guess I just didn’t want to hear it.”

  Mmm, Carmella thought, sounds like she needed to go back to the throne room and pray about this guy named Jay.

  ***

  The next morning, Renee finally met her elusive boss, Dean Richards. The man fascinated her. Because he looked anything but the picture of success that Jay projected. Dean’s movements were awkward. His bifocal glasses didn’t seem to help him find blue prints and drafts that were on his messy desk. He was as unkempt as he was disorganized. The man was a genius who looked as if he needed directions to his own home. She understood why Jay was so desperate to get help for his business partner. The man was a genius who looked as if he needed directions to his own home.

  Dawn informed her that Jay was nervous about Dean’s disorganization because a lot of paperwork needed for the IPO was missing. When she applied for this position, Renee didn’t have any hopes of being able to put that MBA her father paid for to good use. But now that she knew an IPO was at stake, she worked diligently, gathering all of the paperwork from Dean’s office.

  The man had things piled in stacks or just thrown in a corner, in boxes or all over his desk. It would take her at least a week to get things to the point where she could start creating files for the documents and inputting the information into the computer. She wasn’t discouraged though, Renee was filled with a determination to do the best job she could. Jay was counting on her and she wasn’t going to let him down.

  By the time Renee felt that she had a handle on her work it was one in the afternoon and her stomach was growling. Dawn sat at the desk across from her. She must have heard her empty stomach because she said, “The graphic department ordered a bunch of pizzas for lunch. There’s still a couple of boxes in the break room if you’re hungry.”

  “Thanks, I am getting hungry.” Renee went into the break room, grabbed a paper plate and opened one of the pizza boxes. Pepperoni and sausage was in the first box. Renee was hungry but not hungry enough to eat meat on her pizza. She opened the next box and then the next. Finally she found the box that held the cheese only pizza. She took a slice and put it in the microwave.

  “Don’t tell me that you still don’t like pepperoni pizza,” Jason said.

  She swung around and saw that he was leaning against the wall. “How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough to see you rummage through every pizza box in the break room. I’m glad you finally found a slice to your liking.”

  She pulled her pizza out of the microwave and took a bite. “The best pizza is the simplest.” Turning toward Jason she asked, “And how did you remember that anyway?”

  He was still leaning against the wall studying her as if she were a Picasso. “I remember a lot about you.” Moving away from the wall to stand closer to Renee he added, “Like the fact that you and Rob Dukes were madly in love.”

  Smirking, Renee said, “Rob was madly in love with a lot of women. He broke up with me the first week of college. Said he needed to explore his options.”

  Jason’s nostrils flared. Shaking his head, he told her, “I wish I had known that he’d done that to you. I would have taken care of him for you.”

  Renee laughed. “I wouldn’t have asked you to do that.”

  Jason leaned back and looked into her eyes. “You don’t think I could have taken him, do you?”

  Still laughing, Renee said, “I didn’t say that. But you were a basketball player, you practiced dribbling in your free time. Rob was a football player and a wrestler, he swung people around and knocked them down for fun. And he had about fifty pounds on you.”

  “Okay, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to take him back then. But I’ve got a few muscles now.” He flexed in front of her. “I might just go find him now and teach him a lesson about leaving a beautiful woman to nurse her broken heart. You probably received terrible grades that first semester, right? Somebody has to pay for that.”

  She shook her head. “Straight As my first and second semester. So, Rob didn’t cause much heartache after all. He was all wrong for me.” She shrugged. “And believe me, I have a long history of picking the wrong guys.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that. I always thought you deserved the very best. I knew that Rob wasn’t the right guy for you, but I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  Trying to keep the mood light, Renee told him, “You were too busy dating every available girl in sight to worry about me.”

  “Not fair. I only dated those girls because the one girl I wanted wasn’t available. She was too busy waisting her time with a meat heat.”

  Renee took a bite of her pizza and stepped away from the fire. Every inch of Jason Morris was divine. He was a chocolate coated pretty boy with hazel eyes that seemed to suck in. And that captivating smile of his was killer. However, Marlin had been handsome and pleasing to her eyes as well. Her brother had once told her that in a room full of good, she had a knack for finding bad. But this was a new day and she wasn’t falling and bumping her head so quickly this time. “I better get back to work.”

  Renee spent the next hour working with Dawn to get a handle on the telephone system. Dawn had an afternoon appointment so she needed Renee to take messages for both Dean and Jason who would be in meetings the rest of the afternoon.

  By 4 o’clock Renee had taken several business calls for both Dean and Jason, but she had also taken a call from Marlene and Nina. Both those calls sounded very personal and left Renee feeling as if she’d made the right decision in backing away from Jason in the break room.

  Jason’s phone rang again. “Pro-site, Jason Morris’s office, may I help you?”

  “Yes, is Jay in, This is Tiffany?”

  Why was this woman calling him Jay. Everyone always called him Jason. Renee had been the one to shorten his name to Jay when they were in youth group. “Mr. Morris is in a meeting. Can I take a message?”

  “Yes, please tell him that I cleared my calendar so I’ll be able to make our date tomorrow night after all.”

  Yep, Renee thought
as she hung up the phone, you made the right decision this time, girl... Just keep dodging those bullets. She finished up her work and tried to put Jason the playboy and all of his women out of her mind. By the time she packed up and left work for the day, Renee was feeling good about all that she had been able to accomplish. Jason would be happy to know that Dean was well on his way to be the picture of organization.

  But as she stepped outside and saw Marlin leaning against the bumper on her car, a chill went through her so deep that it caused her bones to ache. She started to run back into the building, but then Marlin yelled. “I’m not going to leave until we talk.”

  She knew it was true, he’d hang out there all night just to get under her skin. Marching over to her car she said, “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

  Marlin got in her face. “Nothing but death will ever part us. You belong to me, and I don’t let go of what’s mine so easily.”

  “Have you lost your mind? After everything you did to me, do you honestly think I’d be stupid enough to come back to you?”

  Confusion shaped his brows. “I don’t think that would be stupid at all. We were good together.” Marlin reached out and touched a strand of Renee’s hair. “You’re the one for me and I’m the one for you.”

  Renee smacked his hand away. “Yeah, I used to feel that way... right up until the time you beat my baby out of me.”

  “That was an accident, and you know it. You’ve done things to me too Renee. But I’m not throwing any of it in your face. I have forgiven you.”

  “Mighty generous of you, especially since I never did anything to you. But if you’re waiting on some forgiveness from me, it will be a long time coming.”

  “You’re talking crazy. You started that fight when you threw that drink in my face.”

  He couldn’t even look her in the face as he told that lie. From the moment she told him she was pregnant, he’d wanted to beat her. She saw it in his eyes that night. Evidently being pregnant spoiled all his plans for her. “Just stay away from me. Go back to Charlotte and find someone else to treat like dirt.”

  She attempted to walk away from him and he grabbed hold of her arm, yanking her back. “Don’t you walk away from me.”

  She’d heard the same snarl in his voice the night he attacked her. The last thing she wanted was for her new co-workers to see her being attacked. So, she tried to defuse the situation by saying, “Calm down Marlin, we’re in a public place. You don’t want to go to jail do you?”

  “Stop acting stupid and there won’t be a reason for me to go to jail.” Pulling her towards his car, he said, “You’re coming with me.”

  “No... no!”

  “What’s going on out here?” Jason said as he approached them in the parking lot.

  “Mind your business, this doesn’t concern you,” Marlin said as he tried to open his passenger door.

  “He’s trying to kidnap me. Help!” Renee screamed.

  Jason reached them in one second flat. He grabbed hold of Renee and pulled her away from Marlin, while shoving her behind him. “I suggest you get out of here before I call the police and report this incident.”

  “You shouldn’t put your nose where it doesn’t belong,” Marlin said as he jumped in his car. As he was leaving he rolled the window down and yelled, “This isn’t over.”

  “It’s been over,” Renee yelled back and then fell into Jason’s arm as the tears fell down her cheeks. What was wrong with her? How could she have ever fallen for someone as abusive as Marlin. Her brother tried to warn her about him, but she hadn’t listened and now she couldn’t get rid of him.

  “I’m calling the police. You need to file a report.”

  “No, please. I don’t want to get the police involved.”

  “Who is that guy? Why don’t you want to call the police on him?”

  “He’s just an ex-boyfriend who doesn’t want to put a period on it and move on. But I’ll take care of it. I’ll make sure he know that he can’t come to my job.”

  “He looked pretty aggressive to me. And you were terrified. I could see it all over your face.”

  Walking back toward her car, she said, “I’m fine. It’s no big deal.”

  He reached out and grabbed her arm, Renee flinched as if she thought he was about to hit her. Jay released her arm and stepped slowly stepped back. Jay stared at her for a moment as his eyes filled with knowledge he said, “You need to file a restraining order against him. No man has the right to put his hands on a woman.”

  What kind of fool was she? Why hadn’t she taken out a restraining order against Marlin already? But even as she chastised herself for being so foolish, she knew the reason. It was the same reason she didn’t want the police called now. She had been ashamed of what Marlin had done to her and thought that taking out the restraining order might alert her family to everything she’d been through. She took a deep breath, realizing that it was time to stop hiding and start fighting back.

  Glancing at her watch, she said, “You’re right. I should have done that a long time ago. The courthouse is closed by now. But if Mr. Richards won’t mind I can file it first thing in the morning.”

  “He won’t mind. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “Thanks Jay.” They stood there for a moment staring into each others eyes again. Renee began wondering if Jay was in fact one of the good guy or just another bad boy in disguise? “Well, I guess I’ll head home now.”

  But instead of going home, Renee drove to Carmella’s bakery. On Tuesdays her step-mother normally stayed late doing bookkeeping and handling any other details that needed her attention. If she was going to finally put that restraining order out on Marlin then she needed to confide in someone about what happened to her while she was with him. Renee trusted Carmella and knew that anything she shared with her would stay between them.

  “Hey, what brings you by the store today?” Carmella said as Renee walked in.

  “I was hoping that you could spare a few minutes for me.”

  Carmella was in the middle of wiping down the tables. She put the towel back in the bucket and said, “Of course I have time. Sit down and let’s talk.”

  “Do you mind if we talk in your office?”

  Carmella gave her as look that said, she’d been waiting for this moment. “Come on,” she said as Renee followed her to the back.

  “Sit down hon. Do you want me to call your father? Or is this conversation strictly between us?”

  Even though her heart was heavy, Renee smiled. Carmella never let her down. “I just want to talk to you. I don’t think I could handle telling Daddy any of this.”

  “I thought things were going well for you. But you look so hurt and lost right now that I’m getting a little worried about what you have to say.”

  Sitting across from Carmella, Renee began, “Do you remember how I told everyone that I had been bullied in middle school?”

  “Yes, I remember that. It was the same day we found out what happened with Dontae and his coach.”

  “Well, I feel like I’m being bullied again.” Tears cascaded down her face as she detailed the nightmare she had experienced with Marlin. “I never admitted it, but you all know that Marlin beat me and caused me to loose our baby.”

  Carmella nodded.

  The tears kept coming as Renee said, “What I’ve tried to keep from you and daddy was the reason it happened. But I can’t keep hiding.”

  Carmella was crying with her. She wiped away the tears on Renee’s face. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I can see how hurt you are over this.”

  Renee vehemently shook her head. “It’s gone too far. I need to file a restraining order against Marlin. The only reason I haven’t done it yet, is because I’ve been so afraid that he might tell all of you what he did to me. And I never wanted anyone to know.” Carmella handed her some tissue. Renee blew her nose and then continued. “Marlin wanted me to sleep with one of his business associates.”

  “My dear Lord, I had no clue
that Marlin was so evil.”

  “He’s worse than that. He once spiked my drink and then let another one of his business associates sleep with me. I don’t remember doing anything with the guy, but I woke up in bed with him. The night he beat me was because I refused a drink he tried to serve me. He had another man waiting downstairs that he wanted me to entertain.”

  “That’s just sick. What in the world would make Marlin think that kind of behavior is okay?”

  “He’s the very spawn of Satan if you ask me,” Renee said as she wiped her tears away. “He tricked me into believing he was a loving, kind and generous man when all the while he was nothing like that. Anything I got from Marlin, I paid dearly for it.”

  “In my day, if a man passed you off to one of his friends, that was a clear sign that he didn’t want you anymore. But you’re telling me that he hasn’t stopped harassing you.”

  “He thinks he owns me or something. But I’ll never go back to him. I would kill him first.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Now, I’ll go with you to the courthouse in the morning so that we can put out a restraining order against him.”

  “Please don’t tell Daddy. I know I’m asking a lot because the two of you don’t keep secrets from each other. But I can’t bear for him to know what happened to me.”

  “That is a tough one. What I can promise you is that I will step aside and give you the time needed to talk to your father about this. But I think you will find that your father is more understanding than you know.”

  ***

  At that moment Ramsey was standing just outside Carmella’s office. And he was anything but understanding. A rage was building in him that he’d never known before. someone had hurt his child in the most vial way possible. If he got his hands on Marlin Jones, Renee wouldn’t have to worry about a restraining order, that’s for sure.