Book Excerpt
My mother strides out toward him. His eyes bulge, and I wouldn’t be surprised if something else didn’t, too.
“Dr. Deering. I’m Raphael. My dad sent me in his place. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Why would I? I’m sure your father has taught you his business well, and you’ll provide an adequate assessment. But, if you don’t mind, I need to run over to one of the neighbor’s for a quick chat.” She smiles at me, and then turns back toward Raphael. “I’ll be back shortly. My daughter can answer any questions you have. She’s brilliant and knows about this home and the history of the neighborhood better than I do. She gets that from her father.”
“That’s fine. I’ll keep walking the grounds with her, and I’ll wait for you to return so that we can go over the assessment.”
“You can go over that with my daughter as well.”
“I’ll wait.”
My mother waves and floats away, and Raphael’s eyes follow her. She’s fifty-four years old and gets more attention from men than I do.
“Did you have any questions for me?” I ask, trying to snap his attention away from my mother and back to me.
“Your mother is—for lack of a better word—beautiful. Damn. But I guess you hear that a lot, don’t you?”
“All the time.”
“And is that all her hair?”
“Yes.”
“Damn. At least now I have a vision of exactly how I want my wife to look.” His eyes assess me as if I’m one of the hedges in the backyard that needs shaping. “You must look like your father.”
“Just like him. My sister looks exactly like my mother.”
“Where is she?”
“In Boston. Married.”
“Of course she is.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to finish showing you this lot and quickly go around to the other. I have plans, and I can’t be out here all day.” I’m ready for my chocolate cake and milk. I’m used to men falling out over my mother. I’ve always been in the shadow of her and my sister.
Well, maybe not always. I had that kind of attention, once, when I was a child. My hair was once almost as long as my mother’s. The length of a woman’s hair can be a great source of power, and it’s not my fault that I lost mine. But I’ve managed to compensate for it in other ways. Just not physically.
My mother strides out toward him. His eyes bulge, and I wouldn’t be surprised if something else didn’t, too.
“Dr. Deering. I’m Raphael. My dad sent me in his place. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Why would I? I’m sure your father has taught you his business well, and you’ll provide an adequate assessment. But, if you don’t mind, I need to run over to one of the neighbor’s for a quick chat.” She smiles at me, and then turns back toward Raphael. “I’ll be back shortly. My daughter can answer any questions you have. She’s brilliant and knows about this home and the history of the neighborhood better than I do. She gets that from her father.”
“That’s fine. I’ll keep walking the grounds with her, and I’ll wait for you to return so that we can go over the assessment.”
“You can go over that with my daughter as well.”
“I’ll wait.”
My mother waves and floats away, and Raphael’s eyes follow her. She’s fifty-four years old and gets more attention from men than I do.
“Did you have any questions for me?” I ask, trying to snap his attention away from my mother and back to me.
“Your mother is—for lack of a better word—beautiful. Damn. But I guess you hear that a lot, don’t you?”
“All the time.”
“And is that all her hair?”
“Yes.”
“Damn. At least now I have a vision of exactly how I want my wife to look.” His eyes assess me as if I’m one of the hedges in the backyard that needs shaping. “You must look like your father.”
“Just like him. My sister looks exactly like my mother.”
“Where is she?”
“In Boston. Married.”
“Of course she is.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to finish showing you this lot and quickly go around to the other. I have plans, and I can’t be out here all day.” I’m ready for my chocolate cake and milk. I’m used to men falling out over my mother. I’ve always been in the shadow of her and my sister.
Well, maybe not always. I had that kind of attention, once, when I was a child. My hair was once almost as long as my mother’s. The length of a woman’s hair can be a great source of power, and it’s not my fault that I lost mine. But I’ve managed to compensate for it in other ways. Just not physically.
About the Book
Title: Until Ray
Author: Cheryl Robinson
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Two people in the same city but worlds apart.
Until Ray is an unconventional love story of how two young people transitioning into adulthood find each other and develop a bond that will be tested through three decades.
HE IS LOST…
Ray lives in northwest Detroit in a four-family flat with his mother. When he’s not at home, Ray’s either at the mall selling women’s shoes or in the club. In both places, he’s focused on one thing—picking up women. Dissatisfied, dysfunctional, and leagues behind his peers, Ray’s ready for a change but isn’t sure how to make it happen.
THEN SHE ARRIVES…
At twenty-four, Sarita has an MBA, is a CPA, and works in upper-level management at GM. But all that success comes at a cost: she’s lonely and craves the one thing she’s never had—attention from men. Until now. Dr. Graham Emerson wants to marry Sarita, and her parents expect her to, but Sarita isn’t convinced he’s the one for her. On a blind date, she meets Ray Saint and is immediately drawn in by his good looks and sense of humor. But his reputation for being a ladies’ man raises several red flags. Ray swears he’s changed. Is giving up a sure thing for a maybe worth the risk?
Set in the mid-eighties, Until Ray explores life and love through the lenses of colorism, classism, and family dysfunction.
Title: Until Ray
Author: Cheryl Robinson
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Two people in the same city but worlds apart.
Until Ray is an unconventional love story of how two young people transitioning into adulthood find each other and develop a bond that will be tested through three decades.
HE IS LOST…
Ray lives in northwest Detroit in a four-family flat with his mother. When he’s not at home, Ray’s either at the mall selling women’s shoes or in the club. In both places, he’s focused on one thing—picking up women. Dissatisfied, dysfunctional, and leagues behind his peers, Ray’s ready for a change but isn’t sure how to make it happen.
THEN SHE ARRIVES…
At twenty-four, Sarita has an MBA, is a CPA, and works in upper-level management at GM. But all that success comes at a cost: she’s lonely and craves the one thing she’s never had—attention from men. Until now. Dr. Graham Emerson wants to marry Sarita, and her parents expect her to, but Sarita isn’t convinced he’s the one for her. On a blind date, she meets Ray Saint and is immediately drawn in by his good looks and sense of humor. But his reputation for being a ladies’ man raises several red flags. Ray swears he’s changed. Is giving up a sure thing for a maybe worth the risk?
Set in the mid-eighties, Until Ray explores life and love through the lenses of colorism, classism, and family dysfunction.
Author Bio
Cheryl Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan, the youngest in a family of five. She grew up in Palmer Woods, a residential historic district that is now one of the settings in her forthcoming novel, Until Ray. For the past fifteen years, she has been busy writing contemporary women’s fiction. For Penguin/NAL, Cheryl wrote six novels: If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Like That, Sweet Georgia Brown, In Love with a Younger Man, When I Get Where I’m Going, and Remember Me. Cheryl is now an independent author and the owner of Rose Colored Books. With her company, she has published The One, Like Mom, and the forthcoming Until Ray Trilogy.
Cheryl currently resides in Florida.
To learn more about Cheryl and the Until Ray trilogy, please visit www.untilraytrilogy.com
Links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Smashwords
Cheryl Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan, the youngest in a family of five. She grew up in Palmer Woods, a residential historic district that is now one of the settings in her forthcoming novel, Until Ray. For the past fifteen years, she has been busy writing contemporary women’s fiction. For Penguin/NAL, Cheryl wrote six novels: If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Like That, Sweet Georgia Brown, In Love with a Younger Man, When I Get Where I’m Going, and Remember Me. Cheryl is now an independent author and the owner of Rose Colored Books. With her company, she has published The One, Like Mom, and the forthcoming Until Ray Trilogy.
Cheryl currently resides in Florida.
To learn more about Cheryl and the Until Ray trilogy, please visit www.untilraytrilogy.com
Links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Smashwords
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