feet. He threw a forlorn look at Beau’s mother, his step-grandma. Oh God, they had to be as embarrassed by her volatile behavior as he was.
“Come on, Mike,” Drew said. “Let’s get her to her car.”
One of them on each side, her sons escorted her out the front door.
Beau was left to look at most of his family. He faced a room of such oppressive silence, his ears rang. He met each pair of eyes. His mother was shaken, his brother’s pregnant daughter-in-law looked horrified, his sister Jeanette looked like she was contemplating murder.
“Well,” his mother said. “Lauren seems very nice. Shall we be sure this time?” she asked.
The room was filled with laughter.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Father Tim spent Thanksgiving evening serving dinner at the mission in downtown Oakland. He usually presided over mass on this holiday. Instead he was with Angela and her friends. They had nearly finished cleaning up the kitchen, saving some meals in the warmer for latecomers, but the rush was over.
He’d been talking to Angela a great deal since he’d brought her his last crop before Thanksgiving. He wanted to tell her what he was doing, that he was re-entering the secular life. That led to other discussions, including how he felt about her. And to his thrilled surprise, she returned his feelings. She admitted to being fond of him. He had spent every spare minute with her since.
“How was it to miss mass?” she asked him, wiping her hands on a towel.
“I’m sure Father Damien did fine.”
“Are you going to call him and check?” she asked.
He shook his head. “He’ll call me if there’s anything to report.”
“So, you’re still determined, are you?”
He nodded. “I’ve been sure for at least a year. I’ll be explaining my departure to the board right after Christmas. They won’t be surprised that I’m leaving—just the reason why. They’ve been expecting me to move to the diocese to work for the bishop. But I’ll be around until I find my next job. There will be parishioners with questions. Maybe concerns.”
“What will you tell them?” she asked.
“The same thing I told you. I’m not leaving God’s work or the faith or the church. I’m resigning from the priesthood, that’s all. And I was wondering if you had a date for New Year’s Eve?”
“Father!”
“Stop calling me that,” he said, laughing. “Am I too old for you?”
She blushed.
“To see you blush is quite a beautiful sight,” he said. He reached for her hand. “I don’t mean to put you on the spot.”
“It’s not that. It’s just that... You haven’t dated anyone in over twenty years. I don’t think I want to be your experiment. You’ll end up breaking my heart. You know how much I like you.”
He looked around, then he kissed her forehead. “I bet if there’s any heartbreaking going on, you’ll be doing it.”
“You’re not quite free...”
“Yes, I am,” he said. “I stopped celebrating mass, communion or hearing confession a while ago. I can still assist Father Damien if he needs me but he doesn’t need me.” He chuckled. “It’s all he can do to keep from grinning like a fool. His secret is he’s happy to have me out of his way.”
“Aren’t you close?” she asked.
“I like him,” Tim said. “He’s a good man. We’re driven by different things.” He held her coat for her to slip into. “It’s cold and wet. Let’s go find a quiet bar with a fireplace. I want to tell you about my applications.”
Her face lit up. “You did it? You applied for the international rescue mission?”
“Yes, I’m going to follow you around the globe. And I heard about some other groups I think we should look into. I’d love to talk about it. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee or glass of wine.”
“On Thanksgiving? Where?”
“I know a place close by, on the island. Just a little pub.”
“Listen, don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t think I want to be seen dating a priest...”
He laughed. “I’ll only hold your hand under the table.”
“I should never have told you I was attracted to you! You started it. Coming clean with me about your silly crush on me. Now look what we’ve got! I’m not exactly a virgin.”
“Me neither,” he said.
She gasped. “Father!”
He rolled his eyes. “Could you call me Tim, please? You inspire guilt where there is none. There were quite a few years before I took the vows, Angela. I admit, I examined my secular options.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “This is going to