The Small Town Preacher's Fake - Lucy McConnell Page 0,24
have to give me credit.” She winked and moved into the lobby, walking just in front of the wheelchair.
The sounds of people turning around in their seats and settling faded away as they got into the foyer.
“You two are a cute couple,” said the nurse. “I’m Terri, by the way.”
“Evie. It’s nice to meet you.” She unlocked the office door and moved to the side, holding the door so it wouldn’t swing shut on the wheelchair.
“So can anybody come to your church, or do you have to pay a fee or something?” Terri pushed the wheelchair around and maneuvered the occupant up to the desk as if he were going to write a letter.
Evie shook off the image of him coming to life and typing out an email. At least his eyes were closed. “Everyone is welcome.”
“Well, I might just bring my Scott by. He could use some straightening up. Your preacher’s story was real pretty.” She crossed the room. “I’m going to crank up the AC. Don’t want him to stink up the place.”
Evie chewed her lip. Exactly how long did it take for a body to start decomposing? Wasn’t there a three-day rule of thumb on that? “H-how long do you plan on leaving him?”
“Just until the coroner gets here.” Terri fished out her phone. “I’m calling now.”
“Okay, but we have a strict ‘no dead bodies overnight’ policy,” Evie joked.
Terri glanced up from her screen. “Shoot. I’d better get going, then.” The way she said that made Evie grateful she’d created the policy just then. She hesitantly wondered what other kind of odd rules they should make—and did they need to post them in the lobby?
She stood there for a moment, not sure what the proper etiquette was in this situation. Every time she looked at the dead man, she felt like she was invading his privacy, so she let her eyes roam over the bookshelves. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine.” Terri started talking to the person on the phone.
Evie slipped out the door and breathed a sigh of relief. After dithering for a moment, she finally decided to skip back home and down a diet soda to give her the strength to get through the rest of the afternoon. “Storing corpses wasn’t in the job description,” she mumbled to the Lord as she slipped out the door.
The warm spring sunshine did wonders for her case of the heebie-jeebies. The poor dead man—she didn’t even know his name—hadn’t meant to freak her out. He was just passing from this world to the next, minding his own business, when he’d inadvertently tripped into her life.
Lord, everything happens for a reason, so I’m awfully curious what you’ve got up your sleeve here.
She’d just opened the fridge door when someone pinched her side. She shrieked and flipped around, shoving her backside into the open fridge. “Seth Powell!” she scolded.
He laughed, tipping his head back and looking far too good for any man of God. “Sorry. I saw you sneak over here.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be preaching?” she scolded, removing herself from the fridge. Lucky for him, the Jell-O salad was still intact.
“Aren’t you supposed to be babysitting a dead guy?”
She smacked his chest. “Don’t disrespect the dead.”
His mouth hung open. “He started it.”
“How?” she demanded, her hand on her hip.
“He literally died of boredom in the middle of my sermon. If that’s not an insult, I don’t know what is.” Though he was joking, there was a hint of insecurity behind it.
Evie grabbed his arms and squeezed, trying to convey a sense of strength and belief in him. “I think your sermon was so beautiful that it opened the pearly gates and he just walked right through.”
Seth’s eyes warmed, and his hands came up to cup her elbows. “Evie,” he whispered. “Sometimes you say the sweetest things.” His eyes dropped to her lips.
Without thinking, she moistened them. Her heart sped up, and her breath became hot.
He dropped his hand. “I don’t want rumors to start that I have the key to the pearly gates—our regulars will be too afraid to show up.”
She rolled her eyes. “You—”
Her retort was interrupted by Ryan Porter pounding through the back door. He was the other teenager in their congregation. A good kid, wiry in build, he wore thick glasses and a ready smile. “Pastor Powell,” he panted. “The closing hymn’s almost over. If you don’t hurry, everyone will know you snuck out.”
“Shoot.” Seth dropped his hold on Evie and burst out the door at a