Arizona Pastor (14 page)

“Mom,” Mel whined. She reached over from her chaise longue and took the invitation. “The holes don't match. You've got to punch both papers at the same time. See how the words are showing.” Mel touched the bright violet page. “The photo and pink paper are big enough to cover the information on the purple paper if you position the holes right.”

Leah pointed to Kristy's three other failed attempts at putting the homemade invitation together. “But look how much better you're doing. The next one will be perfect.”

Her condescending tone grated on Kristy's nerves, and
she pushed away from Mel's father and stepmother's dining room table. “I think I need to use the ladies' room.”

Leah motioned down the hall. “Third door on your left. You may have been there before, but we just redid it recently and moved a few things around.”

Noting the pile of thirty or more perfectly completed invitations in front of Leah, Kristy scowled as she walked down the hall and into the bathroom.

She hadn't wanted to make invitations in the first place. She was all thumbs when it came to crafting. And yet she had to admit it had given Mel something to do while she heeded the doctor's orders and lounged for a few days. Her obstetrician agreed with the ER doctor's diagnosis of breakthrough bleeding. For two days, Mel had remained on her left side, but she wasn't one for sitting still, and the invitations were keeping her hands busy.

Kristy turned on the light and mumbled, “You've got to be kidding me.”

The half bathroom was as big as her master bath. White chair railing split the walls in half. Both top and bottom were painted a faux-marble style using tan and gold colors. The dark tile floor matched the circular mirror with ornate trim, and the brown bowl sink sat on top of a mahogany table. Orchids and three pillar candles decorated each side of the basin. A large gold-framed picture of a yellow floral design hung above the toilet. She glanced down at the baseboard. Even the baseboards were stately.

Kristy brushed her finger across the top of the picture frame and then curled her lip. Not even a speck of dirt. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, noting the stress blemish that had formed on her chin. “I hate her,” she whispered. “God, I know I'm not supposed to hate people. I'm supposed to love and pray for my enemies...”
She closed her eyes. “But I really, truly, one hundred percent can't stand her.”

She washed her hands using deliciously scented lemon soap, then dried them on the soft, fluffy gold-trimmed hand towel, which boasted a large gold A. “She has everything I wanted.”

Adding guilt for her mean thoughts to her already wounded ego, she headed back to the dining room.

“Leah and I came up with an idea,” said Mel.

Leah passed Kristy a stack of envelopes and a notebook. “You write down addresses while we finish invitations.”

Kristy nodded. She liked that idea much better than trying to figure out how to line up those two pieces of paper and punch the holes just right.

“Mom, I haven't talked with you much since our last counseling sessions,” said Mel.

“How are those going?” asked Leah. She leaned forward and placed her hand on Mel's arm. “I know the pastor requires them, but are you finding them helpful?”

Kristy bit her tongue. Of course a little counseling would be helpful. She and Joel were practically babies themselves.

“We really like it,” said Mel. She grinned at her mom. “I guess you figured out I don't want to postpone the wedding like Aunt Carrie suggested.”

“Postpone?” Leah furrowed her brows. “Goodness, no. We already have a caterer. We've ordered the cakes.”

Mel's expression begged Kristy not to respond. With great effort, Kristy pinched her lips together and gripped the pen tighter in her hand.

“We're not postponing, Leah. Joel and I are still getting married in twenty-four days.”

Kristy pressed the calendar on her smartphone. Was
the date really that soon? It didn't seem possible, but Mel was right. Only three and a half weeks.

Mel lifted her finger. “There is one change of plans I think you'll be happy about, Mom.”

“We can't change the date.” Leah shuffled in her seat like a chicken that had got her feathers ruffled. “We're working on invitations as we speak.”

“I promise the date is the same,” assured Mel. She looked at Kristy with a twinkle in her eye. “But we have decided I'm going to attend the community college this fall.”

Kristy's heart leaped in her chest. She opened her mouth, but Leah clicked her tongue. “Do you really think it's safe to put so much stress on your body while you're pregnant? Especially with the bleeding.”

“I haven't had any more trouble. I'm going to rest like the doctor said, but I should be fine when the fall semester starts,” said Mel.

“Of course she'll be fine, and my Mel can handle whatever stress comes her way.” Kristy fought to keep her voice low and her pitch even. “She's one of the strongest young ladies I know.”

Mel beamed at her mom's praise, and Kristy realized she genuinely meant what she'd said. Mel was smart, and she was strong. Since finding out about the pregnancy, she'd determined to give her mistakes over to God. Like Timothy in the New Testament, Mel had a lot of wisdom, and Kristy praised God she was going to college.

* * *

Wade melted butter in a large pot and then added diced carrots, onion and celery, along with some salt and thyme. He stirred while the vegetables softened in the pot. The last thing he'd planned to do on the Fourth of July was make chicken noodle soup. And yet here he was.

He'd called Kristy earlier to see if she'd like to go to the rookie league baseball game at the Surprise Recreation Campus, but she'd been up the whole night before with a stomach bug. She'd sounded so groggy and weak that he'd headed straight to the store for the ingredients for the soup his grandma had always fixed to make him feel better when he was a kid.

Adding broth to the vegetables and seasoning, he turned up the heat until the soup boiled. He added egg noodles and set the timer for five minutes. Once the pasta was tender, he added cooked chicken and some cayenne and salt and pepper. Turning the heat to simmer, he cleaned up the kitchen and then took Bo for a walk around the neighborhood.

Once back at the house, he scratched Bo behind the ears. “We'll go to the dog park tomorrow.”

He grabbed a couple sleeves of saltine crackers and the warm soup and headed to the car. When he reached Kristy's home, his heartbeat sped up. Today would be the first time he'd seen her since he'd admitted his true feelings to himself. He hadn't said them aloud, but what if they were somehow written into his expression? What if she didn't feel the same way?

Rolling his eyes at his own insecurity, he knocked on the front door. He wasn't some high school student with a teenage crush. He was a forty-year-old man. Kristy's minister. The one who guided her and the rest of the church members to a closer relationship with God.

His stomach flipped with new anxiety. If she didn't feel the same way and he shared his feelings, his admission would make things very challenging for both of them. She might not want to attend a church where the minister had fallen head over heels in love with her.

What am I thinking, Lord?
He started to turn around,
but his conscience kept his feet planted. He couldn't run away now. He'd already knocked. Already heard shuffling inside the house.
Get yourself together. You'll just give her the soup as a concerned brother in Christ. Then you'll hightail it out of here.

The door opened to a pale, puffy-eyed Kristy, with brown hair sticking out at odd angles around her head. “Wade?” she mumbled as she trailed her fingers through her wild mane. “What are you doing here?”

He held the pot higher, and the bag holding the crackers swayed back and forth from his wrist. “Brought you some soup.”

A low groan seeped from her lips. “I don't want you to see me like this.”

“What? You look great.”

Kristy's eyes widened, and she grabbed her stomach and ran away from the door. Wade pursed his lips. What should he do now? The poor woman was obviously making a mad dash for the bathroom. With a shrug, he decided he couldn't leave the soup on the porch, so he let himself into the house. He took the pot and crackers to the kitchen. Moments later, Kristy appeared in the doorway, wearing a pink robe and an Arizona Razorbacks ball cap.

He chuckled as he pointed to her head. “A hat?”

She snarled, “My hair's a wreck. What's a girl supposed to do when her good-looking, single pastor comes to visit and she's been retching all night?”

His insides warmed that she found him attractive
and
that she wanted to look good for him. Maybe she shared his feelings after all. At least to some degree. He glanced around the kitchen. “Do you need anything? Some lemon-lime soda or an energy drink?”

She scrunched her nose. “I hate to ask you.”

“That's what I'm here for.”

“I'm dying for something bland and fizzy to settle down this queasiness.”

Wade lifted his keys. “You got it. I'll be back in five minutes.”

Making a straight dash to the convenience store a few blocks away, he picked up a twelve-pack of soda and a few different flavors of sports beverages, then drove back to Kristy's house. He knocked on the door again. This time, Carrie answered. A full smile covered her face. “Come on in, Pastor Wade.” She opened the door wide. “I couldn't believe it when I walked in and smelled the delicious scent of homemade chicken noodle soup.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Only someone who truly cares about a person makes homemade.”

A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. He had nowhere to hide, and no one who would walk up and interrupt any questions Carrie might have. “Where's Kristy?”

“She's trying to clean up a bit.” She pointed to a sack of groceries sitting on the coffee table. “I came over to warm up a couple cans of soup. Make sure my sister was comfortable. Never expected someone would beat me to it.”

Wade shuffled his feet. He'd placed himself in an unfamiliar, awkward position. He'd always loved his church family and worked hard to encourage and teach them to follow the Lord, but he'd also kept any potential girlfriends at arm's length. Until Kristy.

Carrie intertwined her fingers and rocked back on her heels. “All teasing aside, I'm glad you care about her.”

Before Wade could respond, Kristy called for her sister from the other room. He waited until Carrie came back to the living room. “She's still feeling pretty sick. I'm going to make her a bowl of your soup and take it to her bedroom.”

“I can stay and help.”

“She doesn't want you to see her like this.”

“But—”

“Pastor Wade.” Carrie pushed him toward the door. “Let me spell it out for you. When you first start really caring about someone, you don't want them to see you barfing all over the place. Do you understand?”

Excitement stirred within him. She did like him. He nodded as he turned to the door. “I'll just call her later.”

“Perfect.”

With the entire holiday open, Wade took Bo to the dog park, grilled hamburgers for one on his back deck and then watched fireworks from the backyard. Having thought and prayed for Kristy all day, he called her when the fireworks ended.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Much better.” She still sounded weak but nowhere near as groggy. “Your soup was wonderful.”

“Thanks.”
Just spit it out. You're too old to spend your days and nights thinking about her but never doing anything about it.
“I wondered if you'd be willing to go to dinner and a movie with me. When you feel better, of course.”

“I thought you'd never ask.”

K
risty studied her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. She wore a denim-colored plain cotton sundress with a square-cut neckline. Though she'd had the dress for several years, she'd added a large yellow flower clip to one corner at the top and a thin white belt around her waist. The yellow-and-white wedges she'd bought at a clearance sale at one of her favorite shoe stores matched perfectly.

After trailing her fingertips through her short waves of hair, she pinched her cheeks. She might need to add a bit more blush. Though she felt better after spending a day vegging out in front of the television after her awful bout with the stomach bug, her complexion was still pale.

Carrie had called more times than Kristy could count since her big sister had shared the news of a first, official date. Thankfully, Mel had left the house early to spend the
day with a few of her bridesmaids. She had no idea of her mother's plans for the evening.

The doorbell rang, and after one last glance at the mirror and a long exhale, she headed for the door.
It's okay. First date you've gone on in more years than you'd like to think about, but you can do this. It's just your pastor.

The thought made her want to race back to her bedroom and slam the door. She shook her head and willed the fluttering butterflies to flit out of her stomach.
Too late for that.

She opened the door. Wade looked handsome in a navy blue polo shirt and khaki pants. A full smile spread across his newly shaved face. She bit her bottom lip when she saw the bouquet of red, orange and yellow roses in his hands.

“You look beautiful, Kristy,” he said, and then his face flushed like a young teen going on his first date. He handed her the flowers.

“These are lovely.” She motioned him inside. “Come in. I'll put them in a vase, then we'll be on our way.”

A memory of one of the first times Mel and Joel had gone out raced through her mind. He'd brought her a bouquet of wildflowers, which Kristy had deemed very sweet. Mel had giggled and then pulled her phone out of her purse. “Come on,” she'd said. “We'll take a selfie with them, and I'll post it online.”