Love, Honor, and Betray Roby, Lawson (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📖

a couple of hours.That way you’ll be home pretty early.”

Charlotte debated what she should do and finally said, “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“Miss Charlotte!” Agnes screamed up the staircase. “Miss Charlotte, come quick.”

“Michael, something’s wrong. Our housekeeper sounds upset, so I’ll call you later.”

“Talk to you then.”

Charlotte dropped her phone and purse onto the bed and ran down to the kitchen. Agnes was hysterical. “Miss Charlotte, look.It’s Matthew’s school!” She pointed at the television.

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open and she wanted to die. There was a breaking news report plastered across the screen: Gunmanholding students hostage at Mitchell Prep Academy. Then the announcer said, “The gunman is believed to be Harold Rush, thewell-liked history teacher who was recently arrested because of child molestation allegations.”

“Oh my God, Matthew!” Charlotte exclaimed. “Oh my God. He just tried calling me.”

She rushed back up the stairs and checked to see if he’d left her a voice message. But he hadn’t. So she tried calling himback. His phone rang and rang and rang until his outgoing message began, so Charlotte picked up her handbag and flew backdown to the kitchen.

“Agnes, I’m going to the school, and please call me if you hear from Matthew or anyone.”

“I will. And what about Mr. Curtis?”

“I’ll call him while I’m driving.”

“Try to stay calm, Miss Charlotte, and please be careful.”

“I will,” she said and was out the door and inside her car in seconds. When she left the driveway, she dialed Curtis’s cellphone immediately, but he didn’t answer. So she called Lana’s number directly.

“Pastor Black’s office. Lana speaking.”

“Lana, it’s Charlotte. Hey, do you know where Curtis is by chance?”

“He had a counseling session and then a phone conference, so now he’s out taking a late lunch. He should be back in an houror so, though, because he has another meeting.”

“We have to get in touch with him. There’s trouble at Matthew’s school, and some students are being held hostage.”

“Oh dear Lord,” Lana said. “And where are you?”

“I’m on my way there, so if you hear from Curtis before I do, please tell him to meet me.”

“I will, and you know I’m going to start praying as soon as we hang up.”

“Thanks, Lana.”

Charlotte pressed the End button and dialed Curtis’s cell phone again, but when he still didn’t answer, she yelled out loud,“Curtis, where are you?”

She was so frustrated and wondered where he was. She waited a few seconds and then pressed Redial. As the phone rang, shestepped on the accelerator and said, “Come on, Curtis, you have to answer this time. I really need you.”

*  *  *

When Curtis glanced at his phone and saw that Charlotte was calling him, he clicked Ignore and slipped his phone back insidethe inner pocket of his blazer.

“So who was that?” Sharon asked.

But Curtis didn’t respond. He had tried his best not to call this woman again or come see her, but once Bruce and Stephaniehad left his office and he’d found himself thinking way too much about Raven, he’d decided to contact Sharon. His hope hadbeen that if all he did was talk to her, it would take his mind off physi­cally being with Raven. But one word had led toanother and the next thing he’d known, Sharon had talked him into coming to visit her. They’d spoken by phone for maybe ahalf hour, and she’d promised him that if he wanted, they could take things very slow, chat like old buddies even, and simplyenjoy each other’s company. This, of course, had sounded fine to Curtis, and so far, talking was in fact all they’d been doing.He was also glad she was sitting on the love seat adjacent to the sofa he was relaxing on.

“So I guess you don’t want to tell me who’s blowing up your phone, as my girlfriend’s son would say,” Sharon said.

“It’s not important,” Curtis said, noticing how capti­vating her light brown eyes were and then admiring how thick her hairwas. It was almost the same color Charlotte had been dyeing her hair for the past couple of years, except Charlotte had beautifulhighlights mixed through hers and Sharon’s was all one shade.

“You sure I can’t get you anything?” she said.

“Positive. I stopped and grabbed something to eat on my way over here.” Curtis looked around the place. It was small and quaint,but immaculate. “So, did you decorate this yourself?”

“Every bit of it.”

“You have excellent taste.”

“Thank you.”

There was silence, but when Curtis’s phone vibrated again, he scooted to the edge of the sofa. “Well, I really need to getback to the church.”

“But you’ve only been here for maybe thirty minutes at the most.”

“True. But just the same, I need to get going,” he said and his phone vibrated again. When he pulled it out, he saw that itwas Charlotte and that she also must have left him a voice message the last time she’d called, because his message alert symbolwas displayed. He wondered why she was all of a sudden calling him, because right now, he really didn’t want to be bothered.Especially since she hadn’t tried calling him once when she’d been vacationing like a queen miles and miles away. Actually,the only reason he kept checking his phone was because he’d missed a call from Matthew during his drive over to Sharon’s.It had happened when Curtis had called Sharon to double-check the directions she’d given him. Curtis had typed her addressinto his navigational system but since she lived in the country, one of the roads she’d mentioned hadn’t shown up. After he’dhung up with her, though, he’d tried calling Matthew back, but he hadn’t answered.

“Wow, looks to me like somebody needs to speak to you pretty badly,” Sharon said.

Curtis stood up. “It’s nothing, but I really do need to go.”

Sharon got up as well. “I really wish you would stay.”

“I wish I could, but I can’t. I do appreciate you inviting me over, and I enjoyed our conversation.”

Still, Sharon moved closer to him. “Look, Curtis. Why are you trying to fight these feelings you know you have for me?”

Curtis gazed into those pretty