“Possibly,” I said, thinking about what my mom was saying. Hunter definitely was the type of person who made choices carefully. So I guess it was possible he’d actually put in a lot of time and effort into his decision.
He was thoughtful about everything he did.
“Plus,” Mom continued, “after what happened with his parents, he probably didn’t want to rock the boat and risk losing you, too.”
I nodded. “You’re probably right.”
And if that was the case, I’d done the exact thing he’d been trying to avoid.
I’d completely iced him out when he needed me most.
Man, I was a crappy friend.
* * *
I gotto church early the next day. After shaking my dad’s hand—something he did with everyone as they walked through the front doors—I walked into the back of the chapel and found Xander standing there, chatting with Brother and Sister Morris.
Did he come here every Sunday? I thought for sure he attended the congregation in New Haven while away at school.
I was just looking for an empty seat near the front when Xander seemed to notice me. He flashed his dashing smile, and after finishing his conversation with the Morrises, he stepped up by my side and said, “What a pleasant surprise this is to see you here. I didn’t realize you were in town.”
“I came to check out Columbia with my mom yesterday,” I said. “And since the closest congregation to Eden Falls is in New Haven, I figured I’d catch today’s service in person before heading back to school.”
“Well, it’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too,” I said. And I didn’t know why it happened, but for some reason, I blushed every time I was around him.
Okay, so my blush probably had something to do with the fact that he was super hot and older, and I still didn’t understand why he’d agreed to go to the dance with a high school senior like me.
He must have noticed my blush because he said, “I forgot to ask, but did you ever get those flowers I had sent to you after the dance?”
“Oh yes, I did,” I said, realizing that I’d totally forgotten to thank him for the Valentine’s Day flowers in my excitement to go on a date with Hunter. “I can’t believe I forgot to say anything, but thank you. They were so beautiful.”
“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl.” He winked.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about his flirtatious wink—it didn’t feel the same coming from him as it did from Hunter. But I managed to smile anyway.
A few more families entered the chapel. As the pews started filling up, Xander asked, “Mind if I join you for the sermon? I noticed you sitting alone a few weeks ago and was hoping you’d like some company.”
“S-sure,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure about it. But when he walked to the pew that was front and center in the chapel, I followed and sat next to him anyway.
The service started the same as usual. There was an opening hymn, followed by a prayer, followed by another hymn to help us prepare for communion. The Lord’s Supper—small pieces of bread and juice—was then passed around on trays by teenage boys. We each took the offering, and for the next few minutes, I pondered on the meaning behind this tradition and thought back to the sins I needed to repent of from this past week.
I hadn’t done anything huge. I was pretty good at staying away from thebigsins.
But I probably should have turned off one of the songs I’d listened to on my train ride from Eden Falls since it had cursed a few times and the message of the song had been hovering right on the line of promoting lustful thoughts.
I probably also shouldn’t have watched those last few episodes ofThe Officeeither, with some of the characters really pushing it with their suggestive jokes as well.
If only it wasn’t such a funny show and they hadn’t hooked me with Jim and Pam’s storyline, I could have quit watching it a long time ago.
Everyone had their vices, and apparently, PG-13 TV shows and songs were mine.
I’d just have to try to do better next week.
Once everyone had received communion, my dad made his way to the pulpit to introduce the special guest who would be addressing us today.
My dad did the sermons three-fourths of the time, but at least one Sunday a month was reserved for one of the special leaders of The Fold.
