Free Black Girls and Bad Boys: Changing his Tune by Neneh J. Gordon

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curtains in the windows.
    She paused outside on the pavement. Would Wesley have a woman living
there now? A step-mother to help him push out all the memories of her Lewis had
left?
    “Are you ready?” Noah stood behind her, not quite close enough to
make her nervous.
    It felt good to have him with her. She wouldn’t have dared to come
on her own. “Not really.” Pushing open the gate, she held her breath as she
walked the short distance to the door. Perhaps she should have called first.
His number was still there in her phone. Unless he’d changed it.
    She took hold of the knocker and banged hard against the wood. The
noise echoed inside the house, but there were no other sounds of movement.
There was no one home. She didn’t know whether she was relieved or
disappointed.
    But then she heard a distant door thump closed and muffled footsteps
heading towards them. Her heart beat so hard it hurt her chest. The door swung
open and there was Wes. He was a little rounder in the face, and his hair had
more grey in it, but he looked essentially the same.
    His eyes widened when he saw her. He took a step back, his lips
opening just a touch. Then he set his mouth in a tight line and drew his brows
into a frown. He didn’t need to say anything – his expression asked the
question all by itself.
    “Hello Wesley. I wanted to talk to you about Lewis.”
    He looked her up and down, then turned his attention to Noah.
Disapproval lifted the corner of his mouth in a sneer that passed as quickly as
it came. “He’s not here.”
    She didn’t know why, but she felt in her heart he was lying. “That’s
okay. I just want to talk.” Inside, she was screaming. Inside, she was tearing
herself apart with the effort it took not to run into the house and shout out
her baby’s name. But she had to do things on Wesley’s terms.
    “Aren’t you going to invite us in?” Noah asked.
    “Who’s this?”
    “He’s a friend. Noah Trent. Noah, this is Wesley.”
    Neither of them made any attempt to shake hands.
    “Lewis isn’t here. You don’t have any right to see him anyway.”
    “That’s why I’m here. I haven’t touched a drink in two years, Wes.
I’ve got a good job. I want to see him.”
    “Out of the question.”
    “Please. Doesn’t he ever ask about me?” She’d promised herself she
wouldn’t let him get to her, but the more time she spent on his doorstep, the
smaller she felt.
    “You need to leave now.”
    Noah stepped up from behind her and put his foot in the door just
before Wesley moved to close it. “She made a mistake. She knows that. She just
wants to see her kid.”
    Wesley bunched his hands into fists and made a very visible effort
not to lose his temper. “Move your foot.”
    Noah tensed beside her. She put a hand on his arm, willing him not
to start any trouble. Wes didn’t need much of an excuse to lose his temper.
    “Your son deserves to see his mother.”
    Wesley’s face clouded over. “Get your foot out of my doorway.”
    Noah looked over at Angelique. She shook her head and he moved his
foot out of the way.
    Wesley shut the door hard enough to rattle the knocker.
    “Don’t worry.” He moved to put his arm around her. She flinched and
hated herself for it when he backed away. “We’ll sort it. You’ll see him.”
    “I’ll go on tour with you.” She blurted out the words, afraid that
she’d lose her nerve.
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. I’ll go.” She wasn’t sure if The Cloister would hold her job
open a second time, but she had to do whatever was necessary to see Lewis
again. She couldn’t give up. Not after getting so close. He was in that house.
She could feel him.
    Noah headed back to the car. After one last look behind her, she
went too. She could feel eyes watching her. But was it Wesley looking out from
behind the curtains, or someone else?

CHAPTER 9
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    T he next couple of days sped by and then it was time to get on the
tour bus. The budget was tighter