I nodded, but my mind hadn’t left what he’d said. Maybe I should call Mom and Dad. They had connections. They’d know.
They’d also laugh at me and say my imagination had run wild again.
Plus, they got the feds to run background checks on all the guys Claire and I dated. If something fishy were going on with the Abrams, they’d already know about it.
Landon tilted his head as he watched me. “Pastors aren’t usually super suspicious, you know. I don’t think you need to worry about it so much.” He grabbed the water from in front of me, and his lips closed over the straw.
That was just in my mouth. Should gross me out, shouldn’t it? Why wasn’t my stomach turning queasy?
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “When was the last time you talked to a pastor, anyway? You seem really jumpy.”
Of course I was nervous, but the reasons were too obvious to mention, so I didn’t. Plus, I didn’t really want to admit how long it had been since I’d gone to church. Nothing against God or His body of believers, of which I was still whole-heartedly a member.
But…how could I put this?
I’ve heard church compared to a hospital before. Fitting, right? Even Jesus said the sick need doctors and He came to call the sinners. But the thing is, I don’t want to go to a hospital for a cough and come out with some other infectious disease. Or be looked at like I have the infectious disease because I’m divorced and my ex-husband is gay. Two taboo topics that have everyone in a congregation not only looking at you cross-eyed but avoiding you like you have leprosy.
So I’ve adopted more of a home-healthcare system. I worship, pray, and read my Bible, but more on a one-on-one basis with the Teacher instead of together with a whole class.
I’ve just switched my metaphors, haven’t I?
Oh well, you know what I mean.
I glanced up and caught Landon looking at me with a peculiar expression. How long had we been sitting there while I’d gone off on my mental tangent?
I dug into my paisley bag and pulled out Harper’s notebook. Clicking a pen open, I poised it over lined paper. “Tell me about yourself.”
He leaned back in his chair and crossed an ankle over the opposite knee. “Ladies first.”
I clicked the pen closed. “Let’s see. I graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English Literature from the University of Washington, after which I immediately got hired on as a faculty member at King County Community College. I’ve been working there for the past—”
His head lolled to the side, a fake snore emitting from his open mouth.
“What?” I crossed my arms.
He blinked twice, long and slow, then grinned at me. “You and Harper are pretty much my mom’s entire social life. That isn’t fictional, I mean. I’ve been hearing about you two for the past year. Besides, you can do better than reciting your resume, can’t you?” A hint of challenge tinged his voice.
“Fine.” My back teeth ground on the word as it came out. I lifted my chin and met his eyes. “I…”
I, what? Think, Ashleigh, think!
“You…” he prodded with a smile.
Nothing. My mind was blank. Argh. Why couldn’t I have a quick reply ready like Elizabeth Bennet? “It’s not easy coming up with something on the spot,” I huffed. Case in point, my poor attempt at living room yoga. “You try it.”
“How about this?” His fingers fiddled with the muffin wrapper, folding it in intricately tighter triangles. “How about we make it into a game?”
“What kind of game?” Now I was the suspicious one.
“Would you rather take a vacation to a secluded mountain cabin or a luxury hotel and spa?”
On the one hand a secluded cabin—
“Nope.” Landon interrupted my consideration. “Gut reaction. No deliberation. You have to say the first thing that pops into your mind.”
“Secluded cabin.”
He grinned. “Would you rather be hot or cold?”
