a time. At least we’re going forward together, Tim thought.
“Did you say something?” she asked.
“I didn’t think I said it out loud—Together.”
Sometime in the future, hopefully the not too distant future, they would blend their special skills to form the right kind of team. They weren’t sure which resource they would attach to—it could be one of any of the many wonderful organizations committed to easing hunger and disenfranchisement and pain. But they would find the right mission as a team.
“God, I’m so grateful for you,” he said.
“Dios, I’m about to spend the night with a priest,” she said.
He laughed. “Not exactly. Ex-priest.” And then he thought, it was a very good run. In twenty years he’d done some good. He’d had some rewarding experiences. And when Beau heard about this new adventure he was going to mess his pants, for sure. “Wait till I tell my best friend.”
“I thought you had!”
“No, I told him I was moving in a new direction. He’s going through a nasty divorce and I apologized and told him he might need me and my head could be elsewhere. I spent the evening before mass with him and his family. He has a very nice woman in his life and his sons seem to be supportive and in a stable place. I haven’t told him about you yet, but I don’t think it will surprise him. When I finally catch up with him and tell him everything that’s going on, he’s going to flip. I should be sure you’re with me. It’s fun watching Beau freak out.”
It was early in the morning but still dark when they got to Lake Tahoe. Tim asked for a champagne breakfast to be sent to the room. Then they sat in their hotel robes with their room service breakfast, curtains open to catch the rising sun in a couple of hours. They clinked glasses, fed each other small bites of omelet and crepes between kisses.
And finally they tumbled onto the large bed and clumsily touched, caressed, kissed and eventually made love. When both of them were exhausted and satisfied, Angela gasped and said, “I think you’re lying about your chastity. That was excellent!”
“That’s the thing about love, sweetheart,” he said, brushing her thick dark hair away from her brow. “No practice required. It’s pretty natural.”
* * *
Angela slept in his arms, her head on his shoulder, one leg thrown over his hip. For the first time in a long time he felt at home, at peace. He had never strayed from his vows, though he’d felt the occasional temptation, as any man would. He had exercised a lot of denial and struggled with control—hormones, that’s all it was. It was when he saw Angela for the first time after telling His Excellence that he’d be leaving the priesthood, that’s when he felt something more. This wasn’t just hormones; it wasn’t just a man struggling with his God-given urge to mate. This was perfection.
He didn’t expect this to happen. He thought maybe someday he’d meet someone. He knew he was open to the idea when he was no longer a priest.
He toyed with her dark hair and she stirred against him. The right woman, a woman who shared his passion for being of service, a woman who shared his faith and his drive and his love for humanity. Angela had been doing God’s work for years and in her, he would find his way. Hopefully in him she would find her completeness.
He pulled her closer and his lips touched her brow. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “I hope I can make you as happy as you’ve made me,” she said.
“We’re a work in progress as a couple,” he said. “Every day will be a new canvas. If you just hold my hand, we’ll do the right things. Can we get married right away?”
“You in some hurry, Tim?” she asked.
“It’s my nature, I think. Once I decide, I take an oath. Don’t let me rush you if you need time to think it over.”
“Tim, I wouldn’t be here now, like this, if I were unsure. But I’d like to be married by a priest. It might be old-fashioned, but it’s how I roll.” She grinned and ran her fingers through the hair that fell over his ear. “Will we have a honeymoon, do you think?”
“Probably not a typical one. I still have things to clear out of the rectory and I’ll have to spend a little time