House on Fire (ARC) by Bonnie Kistler

Author:Bonnie Kistler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2019-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Hey there, Padre,” the elderly proprietor called out when Stephen came through the diner door. “The usual?”

“Not tonight, Nick.” He spotted Leigh in a booth and gave her a wave. “I’m trying to impress my lady friend here, and it won’t do to dribble a gyro all over my tie.”

The proprietor laughed, but he gave Leigh a careful once-over, and so did the waitresses behind the counter. She could see that Stephen was not only known here, but he was also liked, and they were protective of him. They knew his history, too, she suspected. His terrible personal tragedy.

He slid into the vinyl bench across from her. “Are you hungry?” he asked as he opened the laminated menu. “Public speaking always makes me hungry. Which is a real occupational hazard when you’re both a preacher and a teacher.” He gave a rueful pat to his stomach.

They were both overdressed for the diner, Stephen in his suit and Leigh in her silk dress. The young people crowding into the booths around them probably thought they’d met on SeniorMatch.com and were trying to impress each other on their first in-person date.

“I enjoyed your talk tonight,” she said. “Though the topic was a surprise. I thought you were going to talk about the one-percenters.”

He gave a shrug as his eyes skimmed the menu. “Lecturer’s prerogative. I tend to talk about whatever’s most on my mind at the moment.”

“Lying’s been on my mind a good bit, too.”

His gaze rose to her face. “Did I say something to upset you? I was afraid— I thought you looked troubled when I saw you in the audience.”

She was spared a response when the waitress presented herself for their orders. A spinach pie for Stephen, an egg white omelet for Leigh. She changed the subject as the waitress bustled back to the kitchen. “I have a confession to make. I didn’t actually see a poster for your lecture. The truth is, I googled you.”

“Oh?” He shook out his paper napkin like it was cloth and placed it on his lap. “What’s the internet saying about me these days?”

“Nothing bad, I can tell you that. You have quite a loyal following. In fact, I sat next to one of your groupies tonight.”

“Oh, the girl with the, uh—?” With a grin he drew an imaginary streak through his hair.

“I can only imagine how devoted your parishioners must be.”

“They’re a little impatient with me, to tell the truth. My sabbatical’s already lasted longer than any of us contemplated.”

“You don’t want to return to your church?”

“Someday, of course. But for now, my extracurricular work seems more important than preaching to two thousand comfortable souls in Chevy Chase.”

“Two thousand!”

“Don’t be impressed. They’re not all regulars. Many of them we see only twice a year, at Christmas and Easter. And quite a few we see only three times in their lives.” His mouth twitched. “You know the saying? We hatch ’em, match ’em, then dispatch ’em.”

Leigh gave a guilty laugh. That expression more or less described her own church attendance record over the last many years.

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