Seeking Sanctuary by Susanne Dietze

Author:Susanne Dietze
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-02-04T20:42:46+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Kellan usually sat near some friends from his Wednesday morning Bible study group, but today he followed Trudie and Gran to the pew of their choosing. The opening hymn was joyful and uplifting, but the tension between him and Paige didn’t ease much during the worship service. Paige sat as far from him as possible, with Trudie and Gran between them on the pew. If she wanted the other parishioners to know she and Kellan weren’t an item, she was doing a great job of it.

They didn’t even seem like friends.

Nevertheless, that was how he introduced her to Benton, the pastor, after the service. “Meet my friend, Paige Faraday.”

“Paige, welcome.” Dark-haired and fit, Benton was in his midthirties and single. Which made all the church ladies get ideas about introducing him to their daughters or nieces. But Benton was focused on tending his flock, not looking for a spouse. He shook Paige’s hand and grinned. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Her free hand fluttered, like it wanted to cover her rounded midsection. “You have?”

“Kellan’s a good friend. He tells me you’re working at Open Book.”

That was about all Kellan had told him, though, other than she was Drew Faraday’s sister.

Appreciative of Benton’s warm welcome for Paige, Kellan clapped his shoulder. “The sermon hit me harder than usual today, Ben. You obviously put a lot of preparation into your messages.”

“Indeed,” Gran said. “But we’ll let you finish up here so you can hurry over to the parish hall to bless the food.”

“Every bachelor pastor like myself loves a good potluck. I’m not as good a cook as Kellan is. See you all in there.”

“That’s not true,” Trudie told Paige. “He’s a far better cook than Kellan. No offense.”

“None taken.” If Kellan had remembered the potluck was today, he’d have brought chicken tenders from the deli. Or maybe a salad. Nothing that required a recipe.

Paige didn’t smile at the exchange, though, and she stuck close to Trudie in the fellowship hall while they mingled with other parishioners. Once Benton arrived and said grace, she sat on the far side of her aunt during lunch, apparently still determined to keep a distance between herself and Kellan. When Kellan rose to grab another helping of food, Gran followed after him, unable to hide the disturbed set of her jaw.

“What is going on with you and Paige?”

“Nothing, Gran.”

“Posh. You’re in the middle of a lover’s quarrel.”

“Quarrel maybe, but there is nothing romantic going on between me and Paige.”

“Don’t fib, now. You two were holding hands in your office the other day. In a romantic and cozy pose.”

What? He and Paige had never held hands—

Wait. She said it was the other day? In his office?

He rubbed his forehead. Gran was referring to the lip gloss incident.

“This story came from Jane? It couldn’t have been anyone else.”

Gran’s cheeks pinked. “She didn’t tell me, specifically.”

Great. Small-town gossip at its finest. “Well, Jane misinterpreted what she saw. Paige smacked into me on accident and while our hands were technically touching at the moment Jane came into the office, there was no holding going on.

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