The Small Town Preacher's Fake - Lucy McConnell Page 0,57

into the lettuce and heaved a sigh.

Maisie dabbed her napkin at the corner of her lips. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“No, it’s not.”

Maisie’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

“I didn’t want to fall in love.”

Maisie leaned forward and placed a hand over Evie’s. “As your friend, I think you should tell him. If you want more, he needs to know about it. Men aren’t mind readers. Heck, half the time they can’t figure out what we want when we say it outright. But that doesn’t mean we don’t give them their best chance.”

Evie smiled. She’d resolved to lay her heart at Seth’s feet, but since that moment of strength, she’d wavered. “But what if he doesn’t love me back? It would be so awkward—until death do us part—if he wasn’t attracted to me. We’ve both had guys who liked us more, and it’s always a recipe for disaster. I don’t want an annulment, because I love him too much.”

Maisie shook her head. “This has got to be the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had.”

“Well, I’m the weirdest friend you’ve ever had.”

“Truth.” Maisie went back to her salad.

Evie picked at hers for a moment. There was something else on her mind. “I think you’d really like our ministry. You should come next Sunday.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Maisie’s response was so flippant that it didn’t give Evie much hope. But one invitation did not a convert make. She’d invite again, and again, as a friend. And even if Maisie never came, she’d still have the best friend ever. Who else would stand by her as she married a man she’d never met and then listen as she cried because she loved him?

She drove home, listing all the reasons why she couldn’t tell Seth that she was in love with him. She played a hundred scenarios out in her mind, and only one of them was satisfactory. But a 1-in-100 shot wasn’t the kind of gamble she was willing to make.

Seth waved from the front lawn. He was picking up the debris from the storm. His constant care for the grounds was a sign of his dedication to making this ministry better than he’d found it.

She waved back and headed inside to change into some gardening clothes. She didn’t have anything pressing, except her crochet project, and that was easy to put off. Mrs. Farmly had been disappointed with her progress, until she’d watched her crochet. She’d ripped out every one of Evie’s painstakingly made rows and told her to try again. It was depressing.

She stopped in the kitchen for a drink when Seth’s phone rang. He must have left it in the front room when he’d gone outside. She hurried, knowing he had a three-ring limit before the call went to voicemail. Mr. White’s name appeared on screen.

“Hello?” she answered. Mr. White rarely called, so it must be important.

“Mrs. Powell?”

“Yes.”

“We’re having an emergency board meeting to determine if your husband will continue with Life of Grace Ministry in five minutes. I suggest he be there.”

The line went dead, and she stared at the phone. A what now? Her brain grasped a few of the words. It was slower than her feet, which were already out the door. “Seth!” she practically screamed. She held his phone out in front of her like a snake ready to strike.

Seth came around the corner where the tool shed lay. “Evie? Is everything—”

She cut him off. “There’s no time.” Two cars pulled in the parking lot. She gulped. “There’s an emergency board meeting right now. Mr. White said they were discussing firing you. What’s going on?”

Seth’s face drained of color.

Car doors slammed, and two more vehicles pulled in. The board members went inside without looking their way.

“I’m sure it will be fine.” He dusted his hands off on his jeans. “Shoot, I don’t have time to change.”

She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair to get it to lay right. “Has there been trouble?”

“No. Everything is fine. I’m sure it’s just a review.”

“Seth, we’re supposed to be in this together.” She locked eyes with him. They were supposed to be honest. Of course, she was holding back some pretty big information from him. Love was the biggest news of all. Still … she sensed there was more to his denial.

“We are.” He smiled, though the brightness didn’t go all the way to his eyes. “I’ve got to go.” He patted her hand, which was still on his cheek, before hurrying away.

Evie watched the church doors shut behind him.