lot of great ideas, and it's wonderful that you’ve already got someone on board to work with. Rachel's a good woman.”
Nick's casual statement set off warning bells in Maura's head. Rachel's a good woman, the kind who supports her husband and looks after her children. The kind who would never abandon her family. The kind you can depend on. Not at all like you.
She pressed her lips together tightly and looked down at her bowl. What was left of the pie had become a congealed mess of soggy crust and melted ice cream. It wasn’t nearly soappetizing now. She stood up and took their bowls to the sink to rinse them out.
Get a grip , she scolded herself. Rachel is a good woman . And you’re doing the best you can.
“It's not just Rachel,” she said over her shoulder. “Her husband Derrick's a CPA. Of course, you already know that. Anyway, I’ll definitely need financial and tax advice, so I’m going to meet with him later this week.”
As if on autopilot, she loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. She washed her hands, dried them on a towel hanging from the oven handle, and turned back to face Nick. An odd expression passed over his face. Was it yearning, or maybe sadness? Whatever it was, it was gone nearly as fast as it came.
“Hiring Derrick is a good strategic move,” he said. “Not only will he be a great advisor, but it will give you an ally on the church council.”
She leaned back against the sink and crossed her arms. “Why do I need an ally on the church council?”
Nick cocked his head to one side, his mouth twisting in amusement. “In order to carry out the conditions of the will, you’re going to have to meet with them to coordinate having a church function at the theatre.”
A moment of panic gripped Maura. She’d never attended a council meeting before, but she’d had dealings with the council members. Each one had their own idea of what a pastor's wife should be like, and Maura hadn’t been able to live up to any of them. The last thing she wanted to do was meet them as a group. “Is it absolutely necessary for me to meet with the council?”
“I think so.” Nick was all business now. “There's a certain chain of command at a church. In order to organize your program, you’ll have to meet with the heads of the different areasof ministry, and the best way to do that is to attend a council meeting.”
Maura shook her head. “I have no desire to put myself under the scrutiny of the council again. In fact, if Miss Hattie hadn’t made this ridiculous performance provision, I wouldn’t set foot in that church again. Why can’t I just work out all the details with you?”
She never should have said that. Nick's eyes grew hard. “Yes, avoidance would be so much easier for you.” An unfamiliar tone of sarcasm crept into his voice. “Unfortunately, we don’t always get to do things the easy way. Maybe you should—”
He stopped in mid-sentence and pulled his cell phone from its belt clip. He must have had it on vibrate because he looked at the display on the front and frowned. “I’ve got to take this.” He flipped the phone open as he headed out of the kitchen. “Hello. Hold on a second.” He stopped in the doorway and turned back to Maura. “I’ll arrange a special council meeting next week to address this will business. If I were you, I’d spend some time getting ready.” He did an about-face, put the phone back to his ear, and resumed his conversation with the person on the other end. His voice grew fainter as he walked to his study. The door closed with a dull thud, leaving Maura standing in the silence.
Well, that was it. It had taken longer than it used to, but this night ended up just like so many others had, with Nick dismissing her to take care of someone else. Maura was blind-sided by the disappointment lodged in her heart.
She stood alone in the kitchen, her arms still wrapped around her sides. She’d been foolish to forget for even a moment that she was an
Nick's casual statement set off warning bells in Maura's head. Rachel's a good woman, the kind who supports her husband and looks after her children. The kind who would never abandon her family. The kind you can depend on. Not at all like you.
She pressed her lips together tightly and looked down at her bowl. What was left of the pie had become a congealed mess of soggy crust and melted ice cream. It wasn’t nearly soappetizing now. She stood up and took their bowls to the sink to rinse them out.
Get a grip , she scolded herself. Rachel is a good woman . And you’re doing the best you can.
“It's not just Rachel,” she said over her shoulder. “Her husband Derrick's a CPA. Of course, you already know that. Anyway, I’ll definitely need financial and tax advice, so I’m going to meet with him later this week.”
As if on autopilot, she loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. She washed her hands, dried them on a towel hanging from the oven handle, and turned back to face Nick. An odd expression passed over his face. Was it yearning, or maybe sadness? Whatever it was, it was gone nearly as fast as it came.
“Hiring Derrick is a good strategic move,” he said. “Not only will he be a great advisor, but it will give you an ally on the church council.”
She leaned back against the sink and crossed her arms. “Why do I need an ally on the church council?”
Nick cocked his head to one side, his mouth twisting in amusement. “In order to carry out the conditions of the will, you’re going to have to meet with them to coordinate having a church function at the theatre.”
A moment of panic gripped Maura. She’d never attended a council meeting before, but she’d had dealings with the council members. Each one had their own idea of what a pastor's wife should be like, and Maura hadn’t been able to live up to any of them. The last thing she wanted to do was meet them as a group. “Is it absolutely necessary for me to meet with the council?”
“I think so.” Nick was all business now. “There's a certain chain of command at a church. In order to organize your program, you’ll have to meet with the heads of the different areasof ministry, and the best way to do that is to attend a council meeting.”
Maura shook her head. “I have no desire to put myself under the scrutiny of the council again. In fact, if Miss Hattie hadn’t made this ridiculous performance provision, I wouldn’t set foot in that church again. Why can’t I just work out all the details with you?”
She never should have said that. Nick's eyes grew hard. “Yes, avoidance would be so much easier for you.” An unfamiliar tone of sarcasm crept into his voice. “Unfortunately, we don’t always get to do things the easy way. Maybe you should—”
He stopped in mid-sentence and pulled his cell phone from its belt clip. He must have had it on vibrate because he looked at the display on the front and frowned. “I’ve got to take this.” He flipped the phone open as he headed out of the kitchen. “Hello. Hold on a second.” He stopped in the doorway and turned back to Maura. “I’ll arrange a special council meeting next week to address this will business. If I were you, I’d spend some time getting ready.” He did an about-face, put the phone back to his ear, and resumed his conversation with the person on the other end. His voice grew fainter as he walked to his study. The door closed with a dull thud, leaving Maura standing in the silence.
Well, that was it. It had taken longer than it used to, but this night ended up just like so many others had, with Nick dismissing her to take care of someone else. Maura was blind-sided by the disappointment lodged in her heart.
She stood alone in the kitchen, her arms still wrapped around her sides. She’d been foolish to forget for even a moment that she was an
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