One Way or Another by Rhonda Bowen Page A

meeting. Although small probably wasn’t the best word to describe it anymore.
    Suddenly her stove was looking very attractive. She tiptoed backward slowly, hoping that everyone was too busy in discussions to notice her. She was still hungry, but there was only so much she could endure for free food. This was definitely above her threshold.
    Her foot hit something that wasn’t carpet. Toni let out a tiny shriek as she lost her balance and began to fall backward.
    â€œWhoa, easy,” a voice said from too close to her ear. She felt firm arms steady her from behind, even as fourteen pairs of eyes turned to look at her from the living room.
    So much for a clean getaway.
    â€œYou okay?”
    She turned around and grimaced. “I’m fine.” She glared at Adam even as she pulled out of his grasp.
    â€œYou’re mad at me?” he asked incredulously. “I just saved your behind from hitting some hardwood.”
    â€œMaybe if your eyes hadn’t been on my behind you wouldn’t have walked into me,” she snapped.
    He shook his head. “You’re crazy.”
    â€œToni! You came!”
    Toni forced a smile as Jasmine ambled across the room to embrace her. There was no getting away now.
    â€œYeah, I guess I did.” How could she not realize it was Wednesday night? She never came over on Wednesdays. Never.
    â€œCome on.” Jasmine all but dragged her across the room. “We’re halfway through, but you can still join in.”
    â€œLucky me.” Toni glanced behind her, but Adam had already wandered off, joining a group of three guys and two girls sitting on hassocks in the corner.
    â€œHey, everyone, I want you to meet Toni,” Jasmine said, introducing her to a group of three young women sitting on the sofa. “Toni is Trey’s sister and one of my good friends.”
    â€œToni, this is ...”
    â€œ... Camille and Susan,” Toni finished. “What’s up, girls?”
    â€œNothing much,” Camille said with a smile so bright Toni wanted to reach for her sunglasses. “Haven’t seen you in a long while.”
    â€œYeah, well.” Toni sat down on the sofa as she resigned herself to her fate. “You know how it is sometimes.”
    Camille smiled but said nothing.
    â€œWell, it’s good to see you anyway,” Susan finished. “Hope it won’t be the last time.”
    It was Toni’s turn to nod and smile.
    â€œSo I grew up with these two, but I don’t think I’ve met you,” Toni said, turning to the third woman, who made up for her lack of pigment with her amazing silky auburn mane that fell to the middle of her back. Toni had felt more than seen the woman’s gray eyes watching her since she had joined the group.
    â€œToni, this is Sabrina,” Jasmine said. “She joined Immanuel a couple years ago.”
    â€œSo you’re Trey’s reporter sister,” Sabrina said. “I read your stories in the AJC all the time. You’re good.”
    Toni smiled. “I just get lucky, that’s all.” She gingerly shook Sabrina’s tiny soft hand, afraid she would break it.
    Jasmine clapped her hands together, clearly done with the chitchat. “Okay, so we were talking about forgiveness and mercy... .”
    Toni listened for a while, but got distracted as her eyes wandered around the room. When had the small group gotten this big? The last time Trey and Jasmine had tricked her into coming had been about two years ago and even then it was no more than five or six people. Now it seemed to be almost three times that number. And half the people Toni didn’t even know.
    She glanced over at Camille, who was nodding intently at something Sabrina was saying. She couldn’t believe Camille was still in church. When they were teenagers, no one had been wilder than Camille. She had been the one who snuck Smirnoff into their hotel room on their class trip to New York. She