Be Careful What You Pray For

“Well, as far as the seminars and coaching go, I’m all for it and can’t wait to get started,” Minister Payne said. “I’m ready and willing to do whatever you need.”

“And you, Glenn?” JT asked.

“Whatever you need.”

“Good. I really appreciate both of you, and of course, the more the church grows, the more your salaries will increase as well.”

“That’s nice to know, but I’m just thankful for what I’m already earning now,” Minister Payne commented.

“Well, I look forward to any raise that might come out of all of this,” Minister Weaver said matter-of-factly, and JT wasn’t sure he liked the tone Minister Weaver was using and wondered where it was coming from.

But he decided to ignore it and said, “Well, I think that’s it for now, so unless the two of you have something else-”

“Actually, there is something I’d like to speak to you about…in private,” Minister Weaver said, and looked at Minister Payne.

“Oh, so what you mean is you want me out of here,” Minister Payne said, chuckling and standing up. “I’ll see you later, Pastor.”

“Take care,” JT said, and Minister Payne left the office. Then JT returned his attention to Minister Weaver. “So, what’s up?”

“I need more money.”

JT leaned his body forward, pretending to be interested. “Okay. Can I ask why?”

“Minister Payne and I and all of the other ministers and deacons are working our behinds off trying to keep up with our responsibilities, and I don’t feel we’re being compensated for it. Then, on top of that, you’ve got all these other plans you were just talking about today, which are only going to add even more to our plates.”

JT was a bit taken aback, specifically because of how serious Minister Weaver was looking. “First of all, I think you get paid very well, and I know for a fact you’re being paid more than many other assistant pastors who are employed by churches similar to the size of this one.”

“I disagree. And we certainly don’t earn anything near the half million dollars you take home, not to mention the other couple of hundred thousand a year you collect from member love offerings, speaking invitations, and from other sources-we certainly can’t afford to buy twelve-hundred-dollar suits the way you do on a regular basis.”

JT folded his arms and realized he was going to have to put this man in his place and remind him of whom he was talking to. He’d just had to put Carmen in her place yesterday because of the outlandish demands she’d been trying to make, so he wondered if maybe they’d both been stricken with the same kind of insanity.

“I earn what I earn because I founded this church and have done everything I can to make a name for myself here in Chicago and in a few other cities and even states. I also built up this congregation from a small storefront location, not far from here, with only fifty members.”

“Yeah, I know all about the fifty members and how you turned those fifty into five thousand,” Minister Weaver said, sounding unimpressed and like he was tired of being reminded of it. “But I’m still barely earning eight thousand dollars a month, and sometimes I work more hours than you do.”

“We all work a lot of hours. We have different responsibilities, but we all work more than we would like.”

“Maybe, but what you need to do is either hire a few more ministers or pay the ones you have a whole lot more than what we’re getting now.”

JT took a deep breath and tried calming his emotions, because if he didn’t, this discussion was quickly going to turn worse, and Minister Weaver would find himself in the unemployment line.

“I guess I didn’t realize you were so unhappy with your job.”

“I’ve been pretty displeased for some time now, but I kept hoping things would get better. Either that or I thought you would at least recognize and acknowledge all the work the rest of us are doing around here. What I thought was that you would eventually see that every one of us helped turn this church into what it is today.”

“I do recognize it,” JT said, still realizing it was best for him to end this dialogue before he said something he might regret. “And over the next month or so, I’ll reevaluate everyone’s salary and responsibilities.”

“That’s all I’m asking, Pastor, because I think once you do that you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Is there anything else?”

Minister Weaver got up. “No, that’s pretty much it, and thank you for taking the time to hear me out.”

“No problem,” JT said, but as soon as Minister Weaver left and shut the door behind him, he added, “I’ll reevaluate your salary when hell freezes over and not a second before that.”

Chapter 9

The day had finally arrived. Alicia had just sent off her revised manuscript a couple of hours ago and couldn’t have been happier. She’d been thinking she would have it finished by last week, but when she’d realized there were a few new scenes she wanted to add, she’d spent a few extra days working on them. Now, though, it was well on its way to New York City, thanks to FedEx’s overnight shipping service, and Alicia felt like celebrating. She was excited and relieved, and it was the reason she was now walking through the dress section of Neiman Marcus at Oakbrook Center. She hadn’t been shopping in over three weeks, since right after she and JT had returned from their trip to St. Thomas, but she had to admit she’d gotten just about everything she wanted. Or at least she’d bought enough suits to wear to church for the next six Sundays and had also gotten a really great deal on them. They hadn’t been St. John, which she loved, but they were made by some of the other top designers she admired, and they’d only cost around six hundred dollars each. Neiman’s had had a rare sale that day and JT had insisted she take advantage of it, so that was the reason she’d purchased so many outfits at one time. Well, actually, he’d purchased them, but he’d made it pretty clear that his money was her money and that she should never think otherwise.

“What’s mine is yours, and I don’t ever want you to forget that, okay?” he’d told her.

“I won’t,” she said.

“Because what I want is for you to look good at all times and eventually be able to get anything you want.”

“Well, if you want to know the truth, I sort of already feel like that right now-like I have everything.”

“Maybe, but it’s not like we have a Bentley to drive around in, and we definitely don’t have the kind of house a first lady like you deserves to be living in. Sixty-five hundred square feet is respectable, but what we need is a house that’s at least as big as your father’s. Or larger.”

Alicia loved how ambitious JT was and how he was never satisfied with the existing conditions. She loved his unwavering hunger, his desire to succeed, and his drive toward being the best, and she knew one day he really was going to give her all that he promised and so much more. If only Phillip had had the same personality, things might have worked out so much better between them. JT never complained about her love for shopping or the amount of money she spent, so why couldn’t Phillip have felt the same way? Instead, all he’d done was swear she had some sort of addiction and there hadn’t been a thing she could say to change his mind about it. She couldn’t deny that she’d run up a few credit card balances behind his back, a number of cards that were in his name only, but still, Phillip could have been a lot more understanding than he had been. Especially since Alicia had really loved him and he had claimed he loved her just the same. But if she’d said it once, she’d said it a trillion times: Sometimes love just wasn’t enough.

After Alicia had strolled around in Neiman’s and hadn’t found anything that caught her attention, she went outside and walked down to Nordstrom. First, she looked at a pair of four-inch-heeled sandals, which she purchased, and now she was in the handbag section, picking up a small, pure-white Kate Spade tote. She turned the purse around to the other side, realizing she sort of liked it, but then put it down when a woman walked up to her.

“Alicia Valentine, right?”

“Yes,” Alicia said, feeling as though she’d seen the woman before.

“Hi, I’m Donna,” she said, shaking Alicia’s hand. “I used to be a member of New Life Christian Center until a few years ago. But I did come visit the Sunday your father was the guest speaker, and I said hello to you and your stepmother on my way out.”

“Yes, I thought you looked familiar. There were a lot of people there, but I rarely forget a face. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise. So, how does it feel being first lady of such a large church?”

“Wonderful. Everyone has been so kind and that makes a huge difference in itself.”

“I can imagine.”

“I’ve been working on a project at home, but now that I’m finished with that, I’m really looking forward to getting more involved with the women’s ministry. I’d also like to begin bringing in a featured female speaker every month and then hold open discussions afterward.”

“That sounds like a great idea. When I was there they had a pretty organized women’s ministry, but when the former first lady passed away, they stopped sponsoring so many events,” she said, looking at Alicia with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry. Was Michelle a friend of yours?”

Donna sighed and then said, “Hey, I know we really don’t know each other but just the idea that you and I would bump into each other out of the blue, not to mention in the middle of a department store on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, well, I just don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in fate and that every single thing that happens is somehow in God’s plan.”

Alicia wasn’t sure where Donna was going with this conversation but kept listening.

“I hope I don’t regret this, and my prayer is that no matter how negatively this might affect your marriage to Pastor Valentine, I’m doing the right thing by telling you the truth.”

“Telling me the truth about what?”

“Pastor Valentine’s first wife and how she may not have been killed accidentally.”

“What?”

“Some people think she was murdered…and that Pastor Valentine was behind the whole thing.”

Alicia frowned, immediately taking offense to what this Donna woman was saying. “If that’s true, then why haven’t I heard anything about it?”

“Probably because when the police did their investigation, they found no evidence of foul play and had no choice but to rule it an accident.”

Alicia’s heart beat faster. “Well, if that’s the case, then why would anyone think otherwise? And who are these people you’re referring to?”

“Some of her friends and also her parents and siblings.”