She laughed. “I’m glad you enjoyed the meatballs, because you’ll be eating them again tomorrow.”
Jase wiped his mouth with his napkin, then wadded it and tossed it onto his empty plate. “Oh? Why’s that?”
“It’s what we’re serving for the youth supper.” She rose and stacked their plates. “Spaghetti is an easy way to feed a crowd, and when that gang of teenagers swoops in at six for supper, it feels like a crowd.” She turned in the direction of the kitchen doorway.
Brother Kraft held his hand toward her. “Leah, can you hold off washing those dishes? We need your thinker for a problem Jase has.”
She returned to the table, set the plates in front of an empty chair, and sat. She fixed her gaze on Jase. “What’s wrong?”
Jase scratched his jaw, holding back a laugh. “Nothing. I mean, Brother Kraft thinks there’s a problem, but I’m really okay.”
Her attention shifted to her husband. “Well?”
Brother Kraft patted her wrist. “I’m sorry I made it sound more troubling than it is.” He explained the starkness of Jase’s office. “Can you come up with ways to spruce the place up? Make it feel less like a closet?”
Sister Kraft’s white brows pulled down. “I’ve forgotten. Why did the deacons set him up in the storage room?”
“Because it was the closest room to my office.”
“Isn’t there a Sunday school room we could use as Jase’s office?”
“Now, Leah, you know those rooms are all in use.”
“Of course they are, but could a couple of classes be combined to free up a room for Jase?”
Jase sat quiet and still, shifting his eyes from speaker to speaker. The pair seemed to have forgotten he was with them. Their easy way of tossing comments back and forth with hardly a pause for breath reminded him of how he and Rachel used to talk. As if they didn’t even really need to think so much as respond instinctively. He’d thought they were unique in the ability, but maybe all couples possessed this ease. He wasn’t sure if he appreciated or resented the realization.
“No, I don’t think so.” Brother Kraft puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. “There really isn’t anyplace else to put him. So we’ll have to make the storage room work. Somehow.” The minister’s final word was tinged with gloom and doom.
“Pffft…” Sister Kraft waved her hand and pursed her lips. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” She turned to Jase. “Do you need to use your office tomorrow night when you’re teaching the youth?”
Jase shook his head.
“Well, then, after we get the supper mess cleaned up, I’ll take a couple of the kitchen team members to your office and we’ll do some brainstorming.” She grinned. “If we get all our heads together, we’ll come up with something. But, Jase…” Her expression turned serious. “There’s not a window in that room, so the door is the only way to see in or out. When you’ve got someone in there with you, you need to leave the door open.”
He frowned. If he was counseling someone, they’d want privacy.
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a good judge of character, and I don’t see you as the kind of young man who would take advantage of anyone.”
Heat blazed in Jase’s face. He understood her concern, and guilt smacked him, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I also don’t think any of our youth are the kind who would make a false accusation, but to protect yourself as well as any of the young people who might come to your office, leave the door open when you have someone in there with you.”
Brother Kraft cleared his throat. “And it’s probably best to schedule any one-on-one sessions when either Leah or I are also in the building.”
Sister Kraft nodded hard. “Yes. Merlin doesn’t even meet alone at the church with someone. I make sure I’m at my church-secretary desk the whole time.” She reached across the table and put her hand over Jase’s. “In this day and age, it behooves one to exercise caution. Remember what Jesus told His disciples—we’re to be as wise as serpents but as innocent as doves. This especially applies to young, single, attractive youth ministers. There’s no sense in giving cause for speculation, right?”
Jase gave a stiff nod. “Absolutely. Right.”
“Good.” Brother Kraft stood. “Let’s go the living room and you can tell me what you have planned for tomorrow night.” He gave his wife’s shoulder as a squeeze as he passed behind