Page 140 of Halo

I’m about to give her more shit when I turn around, and the words die on my tongue.

Up here, we’re practically face-to-face with this stained-glass window. From the pews, it was impressive. Standing this close, it’s enormous, stretching high above us in panes of cobalt blue, crimson, amber, and gold, all arranged around the cross at its center. Sunlight pours through the glass and washes the little space in color, catching across Leah’s face as she watches me take it in.

“Jesus …” I blink. “I mean—”

“Literally.” She points at it.

I whistle, stepping closer to see the etching and design. “I'm sure this was a pretty penny.”

Chewing on her lip, she slowly nods. “Half a million dollars.”

My head whips toward her. “For a window? Who pays for that?”

“The offering plate.”

I stare up at it again. “So somebody drops twenty bucks in the plate thinking they’re feeding the homeless, and instead they’re buying Jesus a five-hundred-thousand-dollar window?”

“To be fair, they're pretty transparent about they're spending.”

“I mean, they'd have no choice. Look at the size of this thing.” My finger touches the solder lines. “Do you think Jesus would want something like this?”

Leah sighs. “Jesus preached wherever people were. Boat docks. Hillsides. The desert. People’s homes.” She looks up at the window. “He spoke against greed and cared a whole lot more about a giving heart than appearances. This?” She shakes her head. “It doesn't seem like something he'd want.”

“Hrm.” I study the baptistry. “So how does this actually work?”

“You’ve never seen someone baptized?”

“Not from the splash zone.”

Laughing, she motions toward the center. “Okay, get down.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re too tall. Get on your knees.”

I obey, mostly because I’m curious where the hell she’s going with this.

“Normally there’s water, obviously.” She steps behind me, placing one hand against my back. “Then whoever’s baptizing you asks something like—” she drops her voice several octaves—“‘do you believe Jesus died for your sins?’”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Stop. I’m being serious.” She fights a smile as she reaches around me. “Then I’d have you hold your nose, support you here, and lower you backward into the water.”

“You’d drown me.”

“I’d bring you back up.”

“Why do I feel like I'm drinking the Kool-aid?”

She pinches my nose between her fingers. “Ready?”

Before I can answer, she starts tipping me backward.

Her boot slips against the smooth floor, and she loses her balance with a startled yelp. I grab for her waist on instinct, but my weight is already shifting backward, taking both of us with it.

I hit the floor first, and Leah lands across my chest with a squeal before laughter bursts out of her.

“The Lord knew,” I joke.