Love always has a plan…

As a partner in a successful Houston ad agency, Danetta Harris can check one thing off her list of things to accomplish before she’s thirty. Now she can concentrate on getting married and starting a family. In spite of being burned before, Danetta’s now ready to risk her heart again and forget about the man she’s secretly loved for ten years. Fed up with pining for him, Danetta decides to do whatever it takes to find her Mr. Right, right now!

Caring, charismatic and sinfully sexy, Marshall Windham is every woman’s fantasy. But after years as a major player, Marshall’s had his fill of the single life. He realizes that the perfect woman has been in his life all along—and it’s Danetta. Unaware of Danetta’s get-love-now plan, Marshall unveils a can’t-resist proposal of his own. Will Marshall be able to win Danetta and convince her that they should be partners not only in business, but also in love?

Did Marshall just say that he’d dated a woman because she reminded him of her?

“What are you talking about, Marshall? Veronica and I don’t look alike. That woman is the flashy, model type you normally date. I’m nothing like that.”

Marshall pulled up in front of her house and turned off the car. He turned to Danetta and let his eyes roam the length of her. When he met her eyes again he said, “You definitely bring sexy back—that is the type you are.”

The silence was thick in the car as their eyes met and locked. Then they started leaning toward each other. They were about to kiss. Danetta didn’t know if this was such a good idea, but she couldn’t stop herself.

She’d dreamed about kissing him since the day they met. But never in a million years had she ever thought Marshall would look at her the way he was looking at her right now or that he would…

Marshall’s lips touched hers and all thought ceased. There was only the heat that radiated between them as his mouth devoured hers.

Vanessa Miller

is a bestselling author, playwright and motivational speaker. She started writing as a child, spending countless hours either reading or writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels. Vanessa’s creative endeavors took on new meaning in 1994 when she became a Christian. Since then, her writing has been centered on themes of redemption, often focusing on characters facing multidimensional struggles.

Vanessa’s novels have received rave reviews, with several appearing on Essence magazine’s bestseller list. Her work has received numerous awards, including Best Christian Fiction Mahogany Award and a Red Rose Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction. Miller graduated from Capital University with a degree in organizational communication. She is an ordained minister in her church, explaining, “God has called me to minister to readers and to help them re-discover their place with the Lord.”

She is currently working on a trilogy, For Your Love, for Harlequin Kimani Romance. Her Good Thing is the first book in the trilogy. She is also working on a historical set in the Gospel Era for Abingdon Press. Her first book in the Gospel Series, How Sweet the Sound, releases in 2013.

Her Good Thing

Vanessa Miller

MILLS & BOON

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Dear Reader,

The idea for Her Good Thing comes from a Bible verse that says, “The man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Well, I thought it would be fun to turn that verse upside down and have the woman try to find her good thing, rather than wait on the man to find her. But the truth is, Danetta Harris’s good thing has always been there, in the gorgeous form of her best friend and business partner, Marshall Windham.

Danetta has been in love with Marshall for years, but has finally given up all fantasies of the two of them walking down the aisle together. As Danetta starts looking for love in all the wrong places, Marshall begins to see what has been staring him in the face all along. But has he waited too long?

Her Good Thing is a part of a three-book series titled For Your Love, and it’s all about women going after their men. In the process they run into some funny situations that will make you laugh, but they also deal with a few gut-wrenching situations that just might bring a tear to your eye. I hope you will enjoy the stories of love, loss and adventure that the three women of the For Your Love series bring to life.

As you read this series I’d love to hear from you. Email me at vmiller-01@earthlink.net so we can chat about Danetta, Ryla and Surry.

Happy reading,

Vanessa Miller

To my grandson, Jarod Harris,

for all the joy you bring into my life.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 1

“We women are born nurturers,” said the speaker. “We tend to let the men in our lives take center stage while we stand behind them, doing all the work.”

Danetta Harris rolled her eyes as she received yet another urgent message from Marshall Windham, her business partner, and the poster boy for the message the speaker was delivering to the Women’s Empowerment group at that very moment. Marshall invaded Danetta’s dreams and he consumed her thoughts when she should have been concentrating on far more important matters. Because Marshall Windham was all wrong for her. The man had a brilliant mind for business and was Idris Elba fine. Not the Idris Elba who worked in a mechanic shop in Daddy’s Little Girls but the Idris Elba who was so fine in those gray pants with the black button-down shirt who strutted away from an exploding airplane in Takers. And that was the problem. Marshall was a taker and an unreformed ladies’ man.

The speaker said, “It’s time to enact your Get Success Now plan and get on with creating the life you were born to live.”

Another text from Marshall came in. Why haven’t you called me? I need you.

Danetta stood up and walked out from the back of the conference room. She sat down at a table near the bookstore and called Marshall. He thinks he can bug me at any hour of the day or night, she huffed. She understood that they ran a business together and therefore needed to make themselves available, but it was eight o’clock on a Friday night. What could be so urgent?

“Hey, where are you?” Marshall asked the moment he answered his phone.

“I’m at the symposium I told you about,” Danetta said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Why? What’s up?”

Marshall’s hearty laugh crossed the phone line and pierced Danetta’s heart. “That’s why you’re still single. I mean, really, Danetta, you take that I-am-woman-hear-me-roar stuff a bit too far and it is a major turn-off to most of the men I know.”

Most of the men he knew were Snoop Doggie-dogs. “Your text said urgent. So, what do you want?”

“Hey, no need to get your back up. I’m just looking out for your best interests. You’re not getting any younger.”

That stung. “Look, Marshall, I know you haven’t been blowing up my phone all evening just so we could talk about my love life. Now tell me what you want or I’m hanging up.”

“I’m packing for the retreat and I was hoping that you had changed your mind about attending it with me.”

The man was impossible. She had signed Marshall up for a business retreat that was notorious for being a “boy’s club” event. A few women attended, but unless they were multimillionaire businesswomen like the current CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Meg Whitman, or the former CEO Carly Fiorina, they were pretty much ignored. Danetta wasn’t worried; women had business retreats all the time. All Danetta wanted was the business that these companies could bring to their firm...and all Marshall wanted was someone else to do the networking for him. “I can’t help you mingle and network this time, Marshall. This is a men’s thing, remember?”

Born with clout and money, Marshall was in his element around presidents and CEOs. He simply hated networking. He said it just seemed too much like begging to him and Marshall didn’t beg anyone for anything. “We both know why you’re not going, Danetta, and it has nothing to do with how many men attend the retreat.”

He was right. There had been countless times when they’d received invitations that were clearly meant for the head man in charge. Danetta would go anyway; she loved showing those self-important men that her pants fit just as well as theirs. But she also preferred to drive to the events.

“Why don’t you just get over your fear of flying and join me at this event?”

“I don’t have a fear of flying.”

“Then what is it, D, because I’d really like to have you with me this weekend.” The conference Marshall was attending was in New York and the flight from Houston, Texas, where they lived was just too long for her to stomach.

“I am not about to trust some pilot with my life just so you don’t have to mix and mingle.”

“The mix and mingle I have no problem with. I’m just not as good at asking for business as you are. And since when do you trust anybody with your life, let alone a pilot?”

Danetta gave a heavy sigh. “Drop it, Marshall.”

“All right D, if you’re dead set against going, then maybe I should take a date with me.” It was a tease. They had already discussed why he shouldn’t take a date.

“I explained to you why that was a bad idea,” she reminded him through gritted teeth

“Yeah, but when I told Veronica she couldn’t go, she broke up with me.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Because she thinks I’m taking another woman.”

Marshall was talking, but all Danetta heard was ruff-ruff-ruff. He was a dog and she was a fool. She couldn’t believe that she had wasted years of her life waiting for this man to change his ways so that they could finally be together. But she was done hoping and wishing for this man who treated women like accessories...picking whichever one matched his mood for the day. She didn’t even know who Veronica was. The last she knew, Marshall was dating a woman named Diane. “In case you forgot, the last woman you took on a business outing got drunk and threw up on our client.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, but she apologized.”

She threw up her hands. “Do what you want, Marshall, but if you make a fool of yourself this weekend, you’ll be looking for another business partner next week.”

“Calm down, Danetta. I’ll go alone.”

“Thank you,” Danetta said, and then hung up. She was about ready to go tickety-boom. And if the truth was told, she didn’t want to go back into that conference room to hear the speaker pronounce her a fool for desiring a man who wanted nothing to do with her. Yet, she had put her career in his hands. She would have left the meeting and gone home much sooner because her conversation with Marshall had drained all of her energy, but she had given her two best friends, Surry McDaniel and Ryla Evans, a ride. She couldn’t just abandon them, no matter that she was to the point of foaming at the mouth.

Why had she gone into business with Marshall Windham in the first place? Because he’s gorgeous and brilliant and you fell in love with him from the moment he walked into your art class at Howard University, Danetta reminded herself.

Okay, Danetta confessed, I might have been a real good Boo-Boo-the-Fool for Marshall, but even fools stop falling and bumping their heads at some point. Danetta had finally come to terms with the fact that Marshall would never stop chasing after women long enough to notice her.

“Girl, what has gotten into you?” Surry asked, as she and Ryla came out of the conference room and sat down next to Danetta.

“You missed the best part of her speech,” Ryla said, sitting down on the opposite side of Danetta.

Danetta smiled as her girls sat down with her. On the surface it appeared that Surry, Ryla and Danetta didn’t have enough in common to be as tight as they were. Surry thought that straightening combs were evil and that the relaxer was a diabolical invention by Satan, designed to damage the hair of every black woman in America. Surry wore her hair in an afro or braids, and her wardrobe was strictly Afrocentric. Ryla on the other hand wouldn’t walk to her mailbox without a fresh relaxer and a cute hair cut. Ryla was a stylish former beauty queen, prom queen and cheerleader, while Danetta was all business with eyeglasses, knee- or calf-length skirts and turtleneck sweaters.

“And why did you keep checking your cell phone? You normally turn that thing off. What if you were giving the presentation? You wouldn’t want people in the audience sending text messages and ignoring you altogether,” Ryla said.

They were right. This wasn’t the first time Marshall had sent her numerous text messages during a business meeting, lunch with friends or even when she was having dinner with Aunt Sarah. As a matter of fact, Marshall often wrangled an invitation to dinner from Aunt Sarah, so he didn’t have to interrupt her during dinner, because he was there, eating it with them.

At that moment she realized that she had made herself too accessible to Marshall, and she was tired of living on his terms.

“Well, I may have walked out early, but I think she said the most important thing before I left.”

“And what was that?” Surry asked.

“That we as women need to enact our success plan.”

“What are you talking about, Danetta? You’re already successful. After all, you are co-owner of a multimillion dollar advertising firm,” Ryla reminded her.

“I’m not talking about business success. I guess I’m just fed up with being single and feel that it’s time to enact my Get Love Now plan,” Danetta said with conviction in her voice.

“What did that mongrel do now?” Ryla asked, as she rolled her eyes heavenward.

From the moment Danetta had first spilled her guts about Marshall, Ryla had dubbed him a mongrel. She’d said that he was half human and half dog. Danetta had laughed at the time, but the way she was feeling today, Danetta wondered if Ryla was being too generous. As far as she was concerned, Marshall was a full-bred hound dog.

“Why would my discontent have anything to do with Marshall Windham?”

“Well, let’s see,” Surry pretended to be thinking. “You have been in love with the man for over a decade, and you bake up a dozen brownies and eat them with a bucketful of vanilla ice cream each time Marshall starts dating someone new,” Surry answered.

“I’m done with all of that.” Danetta stood up and grabbed her purse. “Come on. I’m going to take you two home, so I can get started on making new plans for my life.”

Ryla harrumphed. “You can’t plan out every detail of your life, Danetta. Some things just happen and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Ryla had learned that simple fact all too well. She was a twenty-eight-year-old single mother of an adorable seven-year-old princess.

“I planned out my business life, and if I do say so myself, I have become quite successful.” Danetta put her key in the ignition and started the car the moment Ryla and Surry closed their doors. As she drove out of the parking lot, she said, “What hasn’t been going so well is my love life, and that’s because I’ve been too busy with business and hanging with a bunch of women—”

“Hey,” Ryla protested.

“—to develop a meaningful relationship with a man,” Danetta finished.

“Well, excuse us for inhaling the same air as you,” Surry said from the backseat.

“I know you’re not objecting to my wanting to find a man, Surry. You seem to have a new man every week.”

“That’s because I haven’t met one that I wanted to keep yet.” Surry corrected Danetta, “And it’s not every week...maybe every other week.”

“I’ve met some of the men you’ve dated. They seemed perfectly fine to me,” Danetta challenged.

“That’s until you dig a little deeper,” Surry said. “None of them are serious about righting the wrongs of blacks and most don’t even know who Marcus Garvey was. And what has really ticked me off lately with some of these so-called brothers is that most of them wanted to take me out, but didn’t want to help me canvas the streets for President Obama’s reelection campaign.”

“Don’t expect any tears from me. These men drool all over you, like you’re their Nubian queen and all you do is toss them aside.” And who could blame them, Danetta thought, even with all her eccentric behavior, Surry can’t hide the fact that she looks like the supermodel, Iman.

“Yeah, Surry, don’t expect us to feel sorry for you,” Ryla chimed in. “I can’t date because of all the mess I’m already in with my child who has never seen her father. So, I’m not trying to go down that road again.”

“And whose fault is that? You’re the one who left that man without so much as a word about your pregnancy,” Surry answered back.

“Okay,” Danetta held up a hand. “Let’s not get started on a subject that will take us someplace we don’t want to be.”

The three women agreed and then continued discussing Danetta’s Get Love Now plan. By the time she had dropped her friends off, she had pretty much convinced herself that a change of plans was exactly what she needed.

She stopped off at the bakery around the corner from her house and purchased two brownies. Yeah, yeah, Danetta mused, Marshall starting up with this Veronica chick does bother me, but I’m not going to spend an entire week eating a whole pan of brownies and a tub of ice cream. I’ll drown my sorrows tonight, but tomorrow I’ll learn to swim in a new pond.

Chapter 2

Yawning and stretching, Marshall eased himself into a sitting position. With his back against the headboard of his king-size bed, he rubbed his eyes as he looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was six in the morning and the doorbell was ringing. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and made his way to the front door. He unlocked the door and then opened it. He was surprised to see Veronica standing on his porch holding a small suitcase.

“I’m here,” she said with a bright and cheery smile on her face. “I’m ready to go.”

With her hair pulled back into a ponytail, Veronica looked more like Danetta than he’d noticed when they’d first met. Danetta, however, would never have just shown up on his doorstep after he’d already informed her that she would not be taking this trip with him. At that moment, Marshall felt the need to remind Veronica that they were no longer dating. “You do remember that you broke up with me, right?”

“I was just mad that you tried to cancel our trip, but I’m over all that now.”

She looked so cute with her honey-blond hair pulled back that he wanted to ignore Danetta’s request, get his overnight bag and ride out of town with Veronica. Danetta just didn’t believe in having fun anymore. But whether Danetta knew how to have fun or not wasn’t the issue. Marshall had promised her that he wouldn’t mess things up for their company, and he planned to keep his word. “Sorry, hon, I can’t take you on this trip.”

Veronica’s smile disappeared as she snarled, “You jerk. So, it’s like Diane said, huh? You really are going to take her on this trip instead of me.”

“Diane is just messing with your head. Now I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go, Veronica.” He closed the front door and headed back toward his bedroom. Two weeks after he and Diane had called their relationship quits, Marshall had accepted a dinner invitation from Veronica. Diane had gotten so upset that she’d been lying to her about him ever since. He’d unknowingly dated a pair of friends back when he was in high school, and it had ended badly: with the air being let out of his tires.

He would have taken the time to explain things a little more to Veronica and would have even let her in on the situation with the retreat, but Marshall was offended that Veronica would accuse him of two-timing her with Diane. He might date a lot of women, but Marshall had this rule to only date one woman at a time. And he never went back for seconds. Once he was done with a woman, that was it. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even like the idea of dating friends; that high school incident had taught him well. The only reason he’d even considered dating Veronica was because she looked so much like Danetta, but he probably needed therapy to uncover why that even made a difference to him. He went into the bathroom off his master bedroom, turned on the shower and got in. As the hot water steamed up the room, Marshall’s thoughts drifted to Danetta Harris, the only woman, besides his mama, that he’d managed to have a decent relationship with for over a decade. She was his buddy, his comrade. Their friendship had even survived a seven-year business partnership.

Marshall had been a junior and she had been in the second semester of her freshman year when they’d met. He’d thought she was one of the prettiest girls on campus. Not beautiful, but pretty and wholesome...the kind of girl his mother would have begged him to marry. That was the reason he’d kept Danetta in the friend zone. He had been too young to fall in love, and had no clue how to keep a woman like Danetta happy. So when Danetta had come to him one night after finals and confessed that she wanted to hook up with him, Marshall had told her that he liked her much better as a friend and didn’t want anything to spoil their friendship...like a marriage, three kids and a nasty divorce.

Even after that awkward evening, Danetta had stuck by him. Whatever he needed, she had always been there for him. And in return he’d made her a full partner in the company he founded. When he’d offered her the job, Marshall had told Danetta that he needed her to help him conquer the world. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but it was true. With Danetta as COO of Windham Enterprises, the company had tripled its profits within three years. As far as Marshall was concerned, he’d made a good call when he chose Danetta as a friend.

Slam...bang...boom!

“What the devil?” Marshall heard a loud crashing sound coming from his bedroom. He turned off the shower, put a towel around his waist and then opened his bathroom door. The first thing he noticed as he stepped into his bedroom was that his mirror had been shattered and the ceramic lamp Danetta had bought him for his thirtieth birthday was broken into hundreds of pieces and now lay in the middle of his floor. “Are you crazy?” he asked Veronica. “How did you get into my house?”

“Shouldn’t leave your door unlocked when you’re trying to be a player.” Her eyes darted wildly around the room as she looked for something else to throw.

“How am I playing you?” He was perplexed. He thought he was perfectly clear with her. “What are you talking about?”

“I just called Diane and she said that she was packed and waiting for you.”

He held up his hands in frustration. “She’s lying. If I had wanted Diane, I would have never started seeing you.” Marshall had dated Diane for about two months and then Veronica for three...about a month longer than he should have. But he enjoyed companionship on his business trips, and Veronica had been fun to hang out with. So, he’d kept the relationship going a little longer than he should have.

“Yeah, right. Then why aren’t you taking me to this retreat?”

As far as Marshall was concerned, Danetta look-alike or not, he would never take this woman anywhere again. But she had that mad-black-woman look in her eyes, so he wasn’t about to let her in on his little secret. He just wanted to keep the peace, and get her out of his house. “It’s business, Veronica. That’s why I’m not taking you. There’s no other reason.”

She picked up one of his Italian leather shoes and threw it at his head. “You’ve taken me on business trips before,” she said, as she ran out of the bedroom.

He ducked like former President Bush and then, Marshall thought about running after Veronica, but he needed to figure out how to maneuver his way around the room without getting broken glass in his feet. He jumped on his bed and then climbed down on the opposite side of the room. He really didn’t want to go after Veronica. The only reason he was even attempting to find her was in case she was in his kitchen grabbing a butcher knife. He’d seen Fatal Attraction and all those other some-man-did-me-wrong-and-I-done-lost-my-mind movies. “Veronica, where are you?”

She didn’t answer, but he heard footsteps that were headed toward his living room. He just hoped that she didn’t decide to break up any of the valuable antiques in that room. Most of the antiques and portraits in his living room had been purchased during trips outside the country. So, it wasn’t as if he could just run over to Italy or England and replace the stuff. “You’ve got it all wrong, Veronica. I’m not taking you to the retreat because my business partner doesn’t think it’s a good idea. I’m not taking anyone else either.” He tried to smooth things over before his mad black woman went Madea on him...found his electric saw and then cut his leather couch in half. Even though the guy in that movie was completely wrong for the way he’d treated his wife, Marshall had still cringed when Tyler Perry’s Madea had started tearing up the house. No man wants the stuff he’s worked hard for to get torn up. And every guy he knew could think of at least one woman with reason enough to tear his stuff up.

“Liar,” she screamed as she opened the front door and slammed it behind her.

Marshall pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!” he said, as he heard the door slam. But he wasn’t taking any chances. He rushed over to the front door and locked it before going back to his bedroom. He grabbed his cell phone off the nightstand and called his cleaning lady. She agreed to come back to the house and take care of the bedroom. He then threw on some clothes, pulled his overnight bag out of the closet and grabbed his keys. When he stepped outside and saw the key marks on his midnight black Cadillac SUV, he simply shook his head. This wasn’t his first time dealing with a woman who couldn’t handle the end of a relationship, but he hadn’t gone through this kind of drama since his late twenties. At thirty-two, dealing with a scorned woman was getting a bit old.

* * *

Danetta had done five miles on her treadmill. Two was the most she normally did in the morning, but after eating both of those brownies and half of her bucket of ice cream last night, she figured she needed those extra miles. She towel dried her face and neck as she stepped off the treadmill, and then walked upstairs to her home office.

On Saturday mornings she normally kicked back and tried to relax after her workout but she had work to do today. Today’s work had nothing to do with the advertising agency. Although, maybe some of the skills she’d acquired as an advertising executive could help her out with her manhunt. After all, she was skilled in product placement and creative design. Some of her knowledge would come in handy for the task at hand.

Opening her file cabinet, Danetta searched for the file labeled Husband Material. As she pulled it out, a picture of her and Marshall tumbled out and fell to the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, a smile crept across her honey-toned face. They had been hugging as they sat on the steps that led to the Howard University student library and a friend had snapped a picture of them. Danetta’s head lay on Marshall’s chest, while he put his arms around her and drew her closer to him. Danetta had hoped that Marshall would open his eyes and see her as more than a friend. But the night she threw herself at him, he’d made it abundantly clear that he was just not that into her.

Humiliated after that crushing blow to her self-esteem, Danetta had gone from one man’s bed to the next, trying to take back her heart. But none of the men she’d dated had measured up to Marshall Windham, and her heart remained broken. So, she finally stopped trying to date and just concentrated on her career.

And now she needed to move on with her life. She opened the file and began reading the list she had created about five years ago that detailed her perfect man. At the top of her list was the fact that she wanted to spend her life with a man that she could trust with her heart.

“So why’d you keep this picture of Marshall inside your Husband Material file?” she wondered out loud. Marshall was his own number-one fan and couldn’t possibly do right by her. But as she read the rest of the list and was reminded that she wanted a man who would be about his business, charming, handsome, adventurous, financially secure and someone who was able to make her smile...who enjoyed the same things she did, she realized that Marshall fit every characteristic but the first one.

Then Danetta got to thinking about where she had gone wrong. She reasoned that no one was perfect, and if she continued to wait for a man who satisfied her every hope and dream, she might be alone for a long time to come. But what if she threw away her list and just began to date men whom she found interesting. She jotted “lose the list” on the notepad on her desk.

She stood up and began pacing the floor. “Okay, I can forget about everything but my number-one item. I have to be able to trust the man I marry...bottom line.”

She walked into her bedroom and stood in front of the full-length mirror. Danetta knew she wasn’t beautiful or what men would consider sensual or alluring by any means. She had long hair that she mostly put into a ponytail or in a tight bun atop her head. It was just too much trouble and too time consuming to worry about styling her hair every morning. Since she had just finished her morning workout, Danetta was wearing a jogging suit, but her normal attire was business casual with an emphasis on below the knee or calf-length skirts or loose-fitting navy blue, black or brown pants.

Her face was devoid of makeup. In fact, Danetta rarely wore anything more than her favorite Crème d’ Nude lipstick from M.A.C. and a little mascara. She’d never understood how or why women took the time to put all that war paint on their faces, when they would just have to wash it all off later that evening.

The longer she checked out her image in the mirror, the more confused she became. Danetta had no clue what men were looking for in a woman. It had simply been too long since her last date. She needed help from an expert.

Her phone rang. She saw that it was Marshall so she picked it up. “Hey, whatcha doing?” he asked.

Danetta grabbed the remote and hurriedly turned on her television. “Nothing much, just watching TV.”

“Whatcha watching?”

She hit the guide to see what channel her TV was on. “The Hallmark Channel.”

“One of those love movies, huh?”

“What if it is?” Rolling her eyes, even though Marshall had watched these movies with her on more than one occasion, he thought the whole thing was a joke and that the kind of love they showed on television didn’t really exist. Although she could swear that she heard him sniffling during An Affair to Remember.

“Don’t get testy. I was just asking. Which one is on today?”

“It’s called Love Begins. I read the book. It was written by Janette Oke.”

“So, why watch the movie if you know how it ends?” Marshall asked.

Irritated by the question, especially since she was only pretending to watch the movie, she said, “Was there a reason for your call?”

“I always call you when I’m out of town...well, unless I’m having a real good time.”

“Yeah, I know all about your real good times. Look, I’ve got to go.”

“All right... I was just checking on you.”

Danetta wanted desperately to ask him how a woman would go about finding a man, but she was too embarrassed to let Marshall know that she had lost her groove on the dating tip, so she just hung up and called Ryla.

Her best friend was not only beautiful and savvy when it came to business matters, but she knew how to handle men. Lately, all Ryla did was turn men down, but she even did that with panache. Danetta picked up the phone and dialed her friend’s number. When Ryla answered, she said, “I need your help.”

“What’s up, girl? I was just about to take Jaylen to her ballet class.”

Danetta took a deep breath and rushed out her request. “I need to know how to get men interested in me.”

“What... What did you say?”

“You heard me. I told you last night that I was going to adjust my plans. And my new strategy is to go on as many dates as possible. But I have to get someone to ask me out first, and I need help with that.”

“It sounds like you need Surry; she’s the serial dater.”

“Yeah, but I’d never get away with wearing some of the outfits she puts on. And besides, I need help finding a man to settle down with. Surry isn’t interested in that.”

“Wow,” was all Ryla could say.

“Stop acting as if this is some big deal. I just need to figure out how to get men interested in me.”

“I’ve known you for five years, and you’ve never gone after men. I mean, you’ve seen Marshall naked, and you can’t even look him in the eye and tell him how you feel.”

“I’ve only seen Marshall’s bare chest, and that’s it. And anyway, this has nothing to do with Marshall.” Danetta nearly screamed those words at the top of her lungs.

“Don’t kid yourself, Danetta. Everything you do has something to do with that mongrel boy.”

“Okay, well let’s just say that what I’m doing now is about moving on with my life and finding someone who wants to be a part of it.”

“I’ve never seen you bat one eyelash in another man’s direction. So, are you really telling me that you are now ready to go find you a man?”

Ryla had a point. Danetta was definitely stepping outside of her comfort zone. She’d always been shy when it came to the opposite sex. Especially after being shot down by Marshall, Danetta made sure to never approach a man...every date she’d been on, the man had asked her out. And that was the problem, because no man had asked in quite some time. “That’s why I need you, girl. You know how to flirt. You know how to attract a man’s attention. I haven’t tried to do anything like that in so long that if I started winking and blinking, the guy would probably think I had a nervous tick or something.”

Ryla laughed. “Girl, shut up. Okay, if this is what you really want to do, I’ll help you. Matter of fact, meet me at Adorable Hair and Nails at one o’clock this afternoon.”

“What’s going on there?”

“I have a hair appointment, but I’m going to reschedule with Marlene and ask her to do you up instead.” Ryla sounded excited.

Danetta frowned. “I don’t know if I need to spend all that time in a hair salon. I was thinking that you could help me put a few outfits together. I have tons of clothes, but I don’t think I’m wearing them in a manner that will attract men.”

“You can say that again, Ms. Baggy Pants. And just the fact that you don’t understand the value of pampering yourself at a hair salon lets me know that I need to be charging for my services ’cause this is going to take a while.”

Chapter 3

Marshall ran into another scorned woman during the retreat. He’d been having lunch with a couple of Fortune 500 CEOs, regaling them with tales of his college misdeeds, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned in his seat and immediately plastered a smile on his face as he stared at the mocha-chocolate beauty in front of him. “Well hello,” Marshall said, thinking that his weekend retreat just got a bit more interesting.

“Hello, Marshall, it’s been quite a while,” the woman said.

Her voice was so sexy that all conversation stopped at his table as the other men turned and stared. Marshall was flattered that out of all the powerful men in the room, this chocolate goddess chose him. But she spoke his name with familiarity, and he honestly didn’t remember her.

At his silence, she continued to speak. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“I’d like to know.” He turned back to the men at the table and said, “Would you all excuse me for a minute?” He stood up, placed his hand on the woman’s back and walked toward the lobby with her. “So, would you like to tell me where we met?”

She sat down on the couch in the lobby, ran her hands through her long coal-black hair and waited for Marshall to sit down next to her. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

He wished that he could tell this woman that he not only remembered their meeting, but he’d kept the memory of her close to his heart. But he got nothing when he looked into her face. He met beautiful women all the time. He shook his head in defeat.

“Five years ago I met you at a conference just like this one. You took me out to dinner, whispered in my ear and then we went to your hotel room and you made love to me. I wouldn’t normally consider a one-night affair to be lovemaking, but I honestly thought we had connected in a special way.”

Marshall wanted to rub his hands together in sweet anticipation. He was about to get his freak on. He was about to ask if she wanted to go to his hotel room now and share a little afternoon delight with him, but she interrupted his thoughts.

“At least I thought we had a special connection. But after waiting by the phone for the call you promised to make, a call that never came, I realized that you don’t have a heart. And you had only been playing with mine.”

“Now wait a minute. You’re trying to make me out to be the bad guy, but if you just met me that weekend and went to bed with me, then you knew what time it was,” he argued.

Her voice rose. “You promised to call me.”

Marshall shrugged. He couldn’t understand what the big deal was. Five years ago his motto had been “love ’em and leave ’em, no strings attached”. And he made sure every woman he got involved with understood that. If this woman hadn’t received the memo, he didn’t know what to tell her.

Fire flared in her eyes as she stood up. “You’re so smug and confident. It probably doesn’t bother you at all that I dreamed about you that night.”

He leaned back and stuck his chest out. “Thank you,” he said with a smile that said, oh yeah, I’m the man.

She smacked him.

That took the smile off his face, but he didn’t retaliate. He didn’t believe that a man should hit a woman under any circumstance, but Veronica and this woman right here were seriously trying his patience.

“One day some woman is going to break your heart. She’s going to use you, and then discard you as if you’re nothing. After that, maybe you’ll finally be housebroken.” And with those lovely words she turned and strutted off.

* * *

The thing Danetta loved most about Houston was the subtropical weather. They were ten days into February and it was sixty-one degrees. As Danetta got out of the car at Adorable Hair and Nails, she left her jacket in the car and allowed the cool breeze to move her forward. Ryla, Marlene and a few other workers in the salon were standing outside holding balloons in their hands. As she approached, they each let go of the strings, and the balloons floated heavenward. “What’s up with the balloons?”

“Girl, we are celebrating the end of that tired ponytail you wear almost every single day,” Ryla said.

“Whatever,” Danetta said, as she walked into the salon. “I like my ponytail. It’s quick and easy.”

“And unattractive,” Marlene countered.

“Did I come here to be insulted or to get my hair done?” Danetta asked.

“Girl, just sit yourself in Marlene’s chair so we can tell you how this is going to go,” Ryla said, as she grabbed Danetta’s arm and guided her to the shop chair.

Danetta sat down. “Now what do you have up your sleeve?”

Ryla grinned as she looked at Marlene and then back to Danetta. “Here’s the deal. I’m paying, so I don’t want to hear any complaints.”

Danetta shook her head. “I can’t let you pay for my hairdo. I’ve got this.”

“Oh no. I know how cheap you are—”

Danetta held up a hand. “Frugal...not cheap.”

“Okay, Ms. Frugal. I’m paying because you are getting a cut and color. You’re also getting your nails done, a pedicure and that bush you call eyebrows waxed. I’m going to drop Jaylen off at my mom’s, and then I’ll be back, so don’t try to chicken out of anything,” Ryla said, as she pulled the keys out of her purse and headed toward the door.

“Ryla already picked the style and color that she thought would look best on you. So, the question is, do you trust your girl or not?” Marlene asked.

Danetta looked at her reflection in the salon’s mirror. She was tired of her ponytail also, but just didn’t know what hairstyle she wanted. “Since I have no idea what hairstyle will look best on me, I guess I’ll have to trust her.”

“Yea!” Marlene clapped her hands like a giddy schoolgirl. “Let’s get this party started.” She pulled the rubber band from around Danetta’s ponytail and threw it in the trash. She then put a cape around Danetta and a plastic bag with holes in it on her head.

As Marlene began pulling strands of Danetta’s hair through the holes in the plastic bag, Danetta scrunched up her face. “That doesn’t feel so good. Why do you have to pull my hair through those tiny holes?”

“Girl, haven’t you ever had highlights before?”

“What’s that?”

“Danetta, Danetta, Danetta, what am I going to do with you?” Marlene asked while shaking her head. Then she began to explain, “I’m going to put this golden-bronze color in your hair. Since your hair is a dark brown, this color is going to lighten your hair up quite a bit, so we’re not going to do a full head of color. I’m pulling the strands of hair through the holes, because I’m only going to color the hair on the outside of the bag. All the rest of your hair will mostly remain the same color. But the colored strands will highlight your hair in a dramatic way.”

It took all the strength Danetta had to stay glued to her seat. She wasn’t sure if she could handle anything dramatic. And what would her clients say when she showed up at work with golden-bronze highlights?

“You look nervous, hon. What’s up? Speak now, before it’s too late,” Marlene warned.

“This just seems like such a drastic change all at once,” Danetta admitted.

“From what Ryla told me, it sounded as if you were looking for a change. Is that right?”

No, that’s not right, Danetta wanted to scream. She wanted a man, not a new hairdo. But maybe Ryla didn’t think she’d be able to get a man unless she made a drastic change to her appearance. Plus, she did ask for Ryla’s help. She leaned back in her seat. “Yeah, I guess that’s right.”

For the next few hours, Danetta moved from one salon chair to the next, getting color, a cut, a French manicure, a pedicure and her eyebrows waxed. When Ryla walked back into the salon, she did a double take as she stared at the vision in front of her.

“Danetta, girl, you are smokin’ hot.”

Danetta touched her hair as she glanced in the mirror, then she moved her head from side to side. The cut was an improvement from the ponytail she’d been sporting. It brought out the intensity in her eyes. Danetta didn’t just look like another pretty face, the style was boardroom savvy and she liked that. But she wondered if the cut was too much about business and not enough about her as a woman. “You don’t think she cut off too much of my hair?”

“The layered look fits you. And your hair is not short at all. It’s shoulder length.”

“Yeah, but my hair used to flow down my back. I thought men liked women with long hair?”

Ryla received the bill and then paid the receptionist. She turned back to Danetta and said, “Trust me, you still have enough hair to make any man happy.”

“What about the highlights? Do you think it’s too much? Should I get it toned down a bit?” Danetta peered in the mirror. She didn’t know if she could get use to the shimmery color that caught the sunlight every time she moved her head.

“Don’t change a thing,” Ryla argued. “You’ll see just how much this new ’do suits you, once we get everything else in place. Now come on, we’ve got some shopping to do.”

“Shopping? Oh no, Ryla. You know I hate shopping,” Danetta complained. “I wanted you to come over to my house and help me mix and match some outfits in my closet.”

“Girl, we are going to throw some of those tired, old, granny clothes in the trash. Now, come on. You can ride with me, and then I’ll bring you back to get your car when we’re done.”

Danetta hesitated. “I’m not so sure I need to go this far.”

“Look, you’ve got the dinner cruise coming up. And take it from me, girlfriend, upgrading your wardrobe will be like bringing the honey to the bee,” Ryla said while snapping her fingers. “And anyway, the dinner cruise is an old-school event, and I know you don’t own anything from the ’70s or ’80s.”

“I’m going to wear this flower-child dress I wore to a costume party a few years ago.”

“Look, Danetta,” Ryla said firmly. “Every one of your clients purchased an extra ticket to give to a business associate of their choice. Simply put, your future husband could be attending this event. And since I’m the party planner this year, I refuse to let you attend this event in a flower child’s dress.”

Ryla worked full-time at an energy company as director of the marketing department. However, a year ago she started a party planning business on the side. So, Danetta decided to help her friend out by providing her with some business. For the past four years, she and Marshall had been hosting a Valentine’s Day event for their clients. The event also served as an annual fundraiser, from which the proceeds went to the local charity of Danetta’s choice. This year, Destiny Home for Girls would be receiving the funds collected.

Every year, Marshall arrived with a beautiful goddess on his arm. Since Danetta hadn’t been asked on a Valentine’s date in years, she normally brought Surry or Ryla so that they could get their networking on. The fact that this event would be held the weekend following Valentine’s Day, eased a bit of the I-need-a-special-occasion-date pressure. However, watching Marshall play with his latest black Barbie doll always made Danetta feel frumpy and dumpy. But Danetta was throwing frumpy off a cliff this year. She couldn’t wait to see Marshall’s reaction to her new look. “All right, let’s go,” she said as she got in Ryla’s car.

Chapter 4

What was wrong with women these days? Marshall wondered as he stretched out on the king-size bed in his hotel room, completely alone. He had high hopes of meeting up with a fine sistah and spending about twelve hours of quality time with her. But he’d been knocked off his game and didn’t have the energy to pursue another woman.

First Veronica busts up the ceramic lamp Danetta bought him for Christmas, then the crazy woman keyed his car just because he was okay with her breaking up with him. What was he supposed to do, cry over her...call and beg her for another chance?

Then this woman whose name he couldn’t even remember hauls off and slaps him just because he hadn’t bothered to call her after they’d spent one night together. Who does that? I mean, come on. If a woman slips up and sleeps with a man the first day they meet, does that woman really believe that any man in his right mind is about to rush home and call her? Marshall considered himself to be a polite man whose mama raised him right. So, he was sure that he thanked ol’ what’s-her-name before she left his hotel room. “Abalit, balit, that’s all folks.”

He was no different from any other full-grown, unattached man. He liked the ladies but he liked to keep things free and loose—he wasn’t a puppet, so he made sure that no strings were attached to him. As long as everyone was having a good time all was fine. What he couldn’t deal with was the keying cars and slapping-brothers-in-public type of women.

He put his hands behind his head as he mused that maybe he’d slipped up on his application process with those two, or maybe the game was just growing old. After all, he was thirty-two years old and his mother had started throwing hints about grandchildren. Maybe it was time for him to settle down. He just needed to find one woman and make it happen. In truth, Marshall had dated hundreds of women, but not one of them came to mind when he thought of the woman he’d like to have a few babies with.

* * *

Danetta and Ryla spent the rest of the day looking for clothes that didn’t make her look, as Ryla said, like “a tired old granny.”

“If you want a man to be interested, you need to let him see what you’re working with,” Ryla said as she put back a dress that Danetta thought was perfect.

“What’s wrong with that dress?” She pointed at the shapeless cloth hanging on the hanger.

“It’s too long and it billows out at the waistline,” Ryla criticized. “Need I say more?”

As if a lightbulb finally came on, Danetta smiled, saying, “No one would be able to see my curves in that dress.”

“Exactly. Now this little number is designed get a man’s attention in a hurry.” Ryla lifted a black nightclub dress off the rack. The fabric was stretchy and designed to be formfitting so it would show off every curve. The quarter-length sleeves and one side of the hem had been slashed so many times, the dress could have been made by Freddy Krueger.

Danetta’s eyes widened as she said, “Ryla Evans, if you don’t put that dress back, I’m ending this shopping trip right now.”

Laughing, Ryla put the dress back on the rack. “Hey, I was just trying to see how desperate for a man you really are.”

“Would you wear something like that?”

“Not in this life,” Ryla admitted.

“Then why on earth would you think I would go anywhere in a dress like that? It’s way too revealing.”

“You’re the one looking for a man,” Ryla joked. “The last thing on my mind is some knuckleheaded man, so I don’t have to worry about dressing to impress.”

“Ryla, everything you wear is stylish. And whether you know it or not, you attract men to you all day long. Why do you think I asked for your help?”

Ryla put her finger to her chin as she took a moment to think. “Okay, then I’m going to take you to Galleria Mall. My mom and I shop there every time she comes to Houston. You’ll love it.”

They drove over to Galleria Mall and Danetta got excited when she found a two hundred and fifty dollar Donna Karan dress that had been marked down to fifty dollars. The dress enhanced her curves, but did not make her look like a stripper. She rarely found deals at the Galleria, so she snatched that dress up real quick. Then they went to Stein Mart, and Danetta found several other outfits. When she was tired of shopping for clothes, Ryla told her that they needed to make one more stop.

As they stood in front of the cosmetic counter, Danetta thought about changing her mind. She thought that if she needed to change that much just to get a man, then maybe she was okay being alone for the rest of her life. Just then a woman pushing a baby stroller walked past her. Danetta looked inside the stroller and watched the baby cooing as she lifted her chubby little legs in the air. That was all it took. She felt like she didn’t have very many baby-making years left, so she wasn’t going to waste her time complaining about a little makeup if that’s what it took to attract her husband.

Danetta’s face held no blemishes whatsoever, which was one of the reasons that she’d never bothered with foundation. So she asked the makeup artist, “Do I really need foundation if I don’t have any freckles or blemishes to cover up?”

The woman smiled. “Foundation serves as a base for all the other makeup that we will put on your face, it helps to smooth everything out. And you are correct that you don’t need a heavy foundation. But we have a light coverage that will work for your face. Would you like to try it?”

“Yes, she would,” Ryla responded before Danetta could answer. “The foundation she needs should have a natural finish with golden/olive undertones.” Ryla spoke as if she’d worked as a makeup artist herself.

The correct shade of foundation was applied to Danetta’s honey-toned skin. Then came the eye shadow, blush and a pinky-brown lip gloss. All the things that Danetta felt were so unnecessary for daily living. However, when the makeup was applied, and Danetta held the mirror and looked at her reflection, she was stunned at the vision she saw. “I-I look beautiful!”

“If Marshall Windham could see you now, he’d turn in his playa card and become a do-right man,” Ryla said, with a knowing glint in her eye.

“Don’t kid yourself. Marshall has seen me dressed for awards banquets and business dinners. The man wants nothing from me but friendship.”

“He hasn’t seen you like this, Danetta. No one has.” Ryla took her digital camera out of her purse and snapped a few shots. “Don’t get the big head, but girl, you clean up real good.”

Danetta felt herself blush. “Thanks, Ryla. I never had on this much makeup before, and I never imagined that a new hairdo and some makeup could make this much of a difference.”

“Come on,” Ryla said, “We’ve got one last thing to do before I can get back home to my child.”

Danetta purchased all the cosmetics that were used for her makeover and then turned to walk out of the store. Two men were in front of the store having conversations with the women who were with them as Danetta and Ryla walked out. As if by sheer force of nature, both men stopped talking and turned their heads, staring in Danetta’s and Ryla’s direction.

“See what I mean, Ryla...those men will even risk the wrath of the women they are with just to stare at you.”

Ryla looked over at the men and laughed. “I don’t know how to break this to you, Danetta, but those men aren’t staring at me; they’re looking directly at you.”

Unable to fathom that any man would be staring at her while Ryla was with her, Danetta turned to see for herself. One of the men winked at her and the woman he was with punched him in the stomach and then turned and started screaming at Danetta.

Ryla grabbed Danetta’s arm, and they ran to her car. Once inside they looked at each other and began laughing hysterically. As they drove off, the woman was still fussing. “Can you believe she is mad at me? I didn’t tell her man to wink at me,” Danetta said.

“You didn’t have to. I told you before, these mongrels do just what they want to do.”

“Ryla, don’t you think it’s about time you stopped calling every man you meet a mongrel? There are some good men in this world.”

“Well, I don’t know any of them,” Ryla said and then held up a hand to halt the conversation. “But don’t let my bitterness dissuade you. If a man is what you want, then I will help you find one...mongrel or not.”

Shaking her head, Danetta leaned back in her seat. It amazed her that Ryla was so beautiful and yet so bitter at times. Danetta knew that Jaylen’s father had something to do with her friend’s attitude toward men, but Ryla never talked about him and she didn’t want to pry.

Ryla dropped Danetta off at the salon so she could pick up her car. “I’ll meet you at your house, so we can work on the final phase of our little Get Love Now plan.”

Danetta drove home anxious to discover what Ryla had planned next. If the changes her friend had suggested so far were able to garner her stares and a wink, she wondered what the final phase would bring. Danetta had high hopes that it would bring the husband and the baby carriage.

“Okay, so what’s next?” Danetta asked, once she had brought all of her new clothes and cosmetics into the house.

“Turn on your computer,” Ryla instructed.

“Has it been so long for the both of us that we need to research how to find a man?” Danetta joked as they sat in front of her computer.

“Oh no, my sistah, I know how to find a man. And I am going to show you just how to do it quickly.” Ryla turned to Danetta and asked, “You did say that you didn’t have much time to waste, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, then the first thing I need is a USB cable so I can download the pictures I took of you at the mall.”

Danetta opened her desk drawer and produced the cable.

Ryla then downloaded the pictures of Danetta from her camera onto her computer. “Sign in to Facebook.”

“What for?” Danetta asked.

“You’ll see once you get there.”

Danetta did as she was told and then relinquished her seat to Ryla. Ryla then uploaded the picture of Danetta that showed her all dolled up, to replace the one she currently had on her profile. Her previous profile picture showed Danetta with no makeup and her usual ponytail. She was holding a briefcase, looking like she was posing for Business Woman of the Year or something. Ryla updated Danetta’s info page to say that she was single and interested in men. She also changed her status to say, “Today I’m single, tomorrow...who knows?”

“Why’d you do that? Now I’m going to have a bunch of men bothering me.”

“I thought you wanted to be bothered?” Ryla lifted an eyebrow, daring Danetta to make more of a fuss.

“Well, yeah, but there’s no need to advertise that fact, is there?”

“If you want to find a man quickly, we need to advertise. As a matter of fact, we are getting ready to sign you up on BlackPeopleMeet.com.”

Danetta began shaking her head. “I don’t think I can do that, Ryla.” She stood up. “I don’t know, maybe this is too much...too fast.”

Before Ryla could respond, an instant message popped up on Danetta’s computer from someone named Frank. He said hello and informed Danetta that he liked her new picture and would like to get to know her better.

Danetta’s mouth hung open as she looked at the message. “What is wrong with this man? He doesn’t even know me.”

“Welcome to the digital age. This is the way people meet in the twenty-first century.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve met men at the grocery store or in a parking lot,” Danetta replied.

“And how’s that working out for you?” Ryla could barely keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “How many dates have you been on with the men you’ve met in parking lots or at the grocery store?”

Danetta thought about that for a moment. When she came up with a big fat zero, she leaned in to her computer and checked out Frank’s picture. “He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?”

“Sure is. Can I respond to him?”

Being more decisive, Danetta said, “Yes, ask him where he works.”

Ryla shook her head and rolled her eyes at that suggestion. “That’s something you can ask later. Right now we want to know if he lives anywhere near Houston.” So, Ryla asked if he lived in Texas.

Frank turned out to be an Ohio resident, and Danetta felt that he was just too far away. So, they logged out of Facebook and went to BlackPeopleMeet.com. Ryla uploaded Danetta’s picture and filled out her profile. She then turned to Danetta and said, “Okay, you should begin getting some hits on Facebook and BlackPeopleMeet.com tonight or tomorrow. All you have to do is decide which of the respondents you want to go out with.”

Danetta bent over and gave Ryla a hug. “Thank you so much, Ryla. I don’t think I could have done any of this without you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You could end up married to some brother who can’t even see the letters j-o-b without having a panic attack.”

Danetta laughed. “Go on somewhere with that kind of talk. My Aunt Sarah spends too much time praying for me for something like that to happen.”

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