Read Online The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer Allee - Free Book Online

chair across from him. “Do you have time to sit?”
    “Sure.” She sank into the chair and wrapped her hands around the mug. Neither one spoke for a moment. Finally, she laughed. “I guess Miss Hattie didn’t stop to think about this house having only one bathroom.”
    Nick shook his head. He’d been thinking just the opposite. The old gal probably counted on the close quarters to work to her advantage. “It will help if we work out some kind of schedule. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
    She took a drink of her coffee, waiting for him to continue.
    “I want to apologize for last night.”
    “Really?” She was so surprised, she nearly dropped her cup.
    “Really. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you. You do have to deal with the council, but I can understand why you wouldn’t want to.”
    She set the cup down and put her palms flat on the table. “Thanks, Nick. And I’m sorry I missed dinner. If I’d known—”
    He held up his hand. “It's okay. You couldn’t have known. But you bring up a good point. I think we need to be clear on what we do and don’t expect from each other during the next six months.”
    “I don’t expect anything,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to change your life to accommodate me.”
    He smiled. That was so far from the truth. His life had changed the minute he pushed the “open” button on that elevator door.
    Maura wrinkled her nose. “Maybe that approach is too simplistic. What I mean is we should consider ourselves roommates. We can come and go as we please. We’ll take care of our own meals. That kind of thing.”
    “You’re okay with that?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “And what about the morning bathroom situation?”
    She snatched up her coffee cup and took a gulp. “You’re absolutely right. We need a schedule.”
     

     
    Maura felt like a mouse entering a room of hungry cats when she walked into the Faith Community Church conference room. Her instincts told her to turn around and walk out, but before she had the chance a few people stood up to greet her. Derrick Nelson, who several days earlier had agreed to be her accountant and financial advisor, met her with a firm handshake and an encouraging pat on the back. Next came Chris, the associate pastor, and Lainie, the youth director, both of whom surprised her with warm hugs. The rest of the council members, not bothering to leave their chairs, simply nodded or said a curt “Hello.”
    “Pastor Nick will be with us in a moment,” Chris said, “and then we can get started.”
    Maura sat at the end of the long conference room table and busied herself by reading the framed posters adorning the walls. Each one was done in bright colors and showcased aBible verse. One particularly exuberant poster, quoting Psalm 35:9, exclaimed “Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, and delight in His salvation!” Ironically, Oren Thacker, head of the church council and the man sitting in front of the poster, looked like he was neither rejoicing nor delighted.
    And he wasn’t the only one. For people who were supposed to be full of the “joy of the Lord” a lot of them sure seemed cross.
    Maura knew many of these people from her previous life in Granger. Her memories of them, Oren in particular, were that they’d welcomed her effusively and fawned over her until discovering she wasn’t exactly the kind of pastor's wife they’d envisioned. The harder she tried to fit into their mold, the more it squeezed, until she burst out of their expectations all together. When she left Granger, she never thought she’d see any of these people again. Judging from their faces, they would have been perfectly happy with that.
    The door opened and Maura said a silent thank you when she saw Nick standing there. The sooner they got started, the sooner she’d be out from under the microscope.
    “Sorry I’m late,” Nick said as he entered the room. He shut the door behind him and took the empty seat next to