Page 132 of Sinful King
It’s him.
My gut said so.
“One of the reports dates back to February twenty-fifth of that same year.”
He leaned back and sighed, apologetic eyes meeting mine.
Too fucking late.
THIRTY-FIVE
sean
I couldn’t avoidmy grandda anymore and found myself darkening the doorway of what used to be Nathaniel’s study.
“Arna dhéanamh ag seachaint?”done avoiding?
I stepped into the room fully and shut the door behind me, walking over to the bookcase and removing the camera Blair had hidden but forgot to take back once he took over.
“When’d you notice it?” I asked, ignoring his question.
Our eyes met as he leaned back and regarded me.
“Did a sweep on day one, figured it was there for a reason and left it be.”
I nodded.
“Kind of crazy he never thought to sweep this office.”
My grandda tsked.
“Nathaniel’s problem isn’t that he’s incompetent, but that he’s arrogant. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned over the years?”
I took a seat before responding.
“There’s always somebody with something to lose. Always somebody with more power. Never underestimate a man or overestimate yourself.”
It didn’t make you weak to pick and choose your battles; what you got was longevity in an otherwise unpredictable environment.
“No one taught him that,” he said, closing the bible it front of him. “Having a hard time with my first sermon. Glad you finally came to sit down with me.”
Part of me still wasn’t sure why I’d been staying clear. It’d been easy to sit with him over the years but now that he was home, like we’ve always wanted, I was…uncomfortable.
“You know the answer to whatever is bothering you, why keep holding it inside?”
I sat back.
“Not sure what you mean by that. Tell me why you feel stuck on your sermon?”
He regarded me for a long while, but I wouldn’t budge on changing the topic.
“What do you say to a congregation who’s been neglected for so long, some more than others.”
Now who was pretending they didn’t have the answer to their own question.
“You tell them the truth,” I said. “Moving forward won’t be easy but it’s possible. Healing is challenging but it’s doable. Prayer helps. Seeking God gives you peace of mind if you really believe.”
Blair made me a believer, because even after what she endured in this place, she never stopped praying. She was steadfast in her belief that it wasn’t God who was the problem, but his followers who used and abused his word to their advantage.
