Read Online Second Sunday by Michele Andrea Bowen - Free Book Online Page A

and let everybody know he looking after her.”
    They sat quietly for a few seconds, until George said, “What’s your impression of me?”
    “You seem like a decent man,” Sheba answered.
    “Seem?”
    “That’s what I said,
seem.
But to be fair to you, Rev. Wilson, I do get a good feeling from you. So I’m going to trust my feelings and give you some
     advice. You will not become the pastor of this church if you do not meet with the women this week. I know the men think they
     can hire a pastor without the women’s approval. But I can tell you that will not happen.”
    “So how do I get a meeting with the women, Sheba?”
    “Call Bert Green and he’ll work it out for you.”
    “Sounds good to me,” he said. “Will you be at the meeting?”
    “You can count on it, Reverend. I want to make sure that what you walking around dressed as is real and not sheep’s clothing
     tailored to camouflage a wolf.”
    Sheba stood up and looked around for the waitress, who was so slow that the expression “slow as molasses” was way too fast
     for her.
    “I was hoping you’d eat lunch with me,” George said. “Figured you might want to check me out a bit more.”
    “I wish I could,” Sheba said. “But I’ll have to take my sandwich with me, because my lunch hour’s almost over.”
    “Where do you work?” George asked.
    “Down on Market Street at the Main Post Office. I work in the back, sorting out the mail. Not a fancy job, but I’m happy with
     it. The pay and benefits ain’t bad, either.”
    “I hear you,” George replied. Good, steady jobs were hard to come by.
    “I’ll see you at the meeting, Rev. Wilson,” Sheba said as she gave the waitress her money for the sandwich. She held out her
     hand and gave him the sweetest smile.
    George held her hand a moment. “I’m looking forward to it,” he answered in a voice that was so sexy Sheba had whispered “Oh
     my” before she could shut her mouth. She pulled her hand out of his and hurried from the restaurant, hoping she hadn’t made
     a fool of herself.
    Once George was certain that Sheba wouldn’t catch him checking her out, he watched her walk out of Pompey’s and on down the
     street. He thought she had a nice round behind sitting up on her little thin-shaped self. George smiled inside of himself,
     thinking it had been a long time since a woman inspired a sparkle like that inside of him.
    Sheba attended every one of the meetings Rev. Wilson held with the women at the church. And the more she saw of him, and heard
     what he had to say, the more she found herself liking this man. First and foremost, George Wilson was just a plain old nice
     guy. But more important, he clearly had given his life over to Christ. He was, as Nettie’s mother, MamaLouise Williams, said,
     “not ashamed to let folks know that he had the Holy Ghost.” And that, all of the women agreed, was an essential credential
     for a preacher trying to become the pastor of your church.
    Furthermore, the ladies were relieved that Rev. Wilson believed they deserved a more visible role in the running of the church,
     and that they even had a right to be ordained if they were called into the ministry. For the most part, they were ready to
     hire him, but Nettie, Viola, and Sylvia wanted to get Sheba’s final report on him first.
    This time they were at Sheba’s house and gathered around her kitchen table, their mouths watering when she served a piping-hot
     peach cobbler that filled the whole room with the smell of peaches, cinnamon, and brown sugar. And there was vanilla ice cream
     to top it off.
    “Is Katie Mae gone make this meeting, Nettie?” Sheba asked as she poured everybody some coffee and then put fresh cinnamon
     sticks in each cup.
    Viola leaned forward and inhaled the aroma of her coffee. “Ummmm, this smells heavenly.”
    Nettie got some peach cobbler and put a scoop of ice cream on top before answering, “She’s not coming because we’re meeting
     at your