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“Not for a long time.”
“I was kidding, Steve. What’s wrong?”
“A bunch of the guys were talking in the cafeteria. I overheard them say something about the man you’re going to marry, and I couldn’t believe it.”
She eyed him frankly. “If you’re asking me if he’s an ex-priest, then the answer is yes.”
He studied her for a long time. “The man who came to class on back-to-school night? Whoa. He seemed cool.”
“He is.”
Through the junior ranger program she and Steve had grown to be good friends. “I can tell something else is on your mind. What is it?”
He hunched his shoulders. “Probably nothing.”
“But you’re not sure.”
“Linda Smoot has been telling everybody he’s going to go to hell for what he’s done.”
Sydney folded her arms.
“And there’s more. She said her dad’s going to get him fired, and your job’s in trouble if you marry him.”
What?
“I’m sorry, Sydney, but I thought you should know.”
“Thanks for coming to me, Steve.”
Furious over the gossip, Sydney whizzed home in her Jeep. Anxious to be on time for Jarod who was picking her up, she showered and changed into jeans and a ribbed, dark green sweater.
At first he was only a little late. But when it grew to be an hour and he hadn’t come by the apartment or phoned, she got in her Jeep and drove over to AmeriCore headquarters to talk to him.
“Hi, Maureen.”
The older woman at the computer nodded to Sydney. “I guess you heard.”
Sydney walked over to her desk. “What’s going on? One of my students told me something about Jarod’s job being in trouble, but I dismissed it as rumor.”
She eyed her compassionately. “I wish it were. He’s in his office with the company attorney. I feel awful about this because I’m the one who hired him. My job’s on the line, too.”
“Why?”
“Several people on the board of AmeriCore here in Montana have decided that an ex-priest shouldn’t have been allowed to fill the head counseling position.”
“That’s absurd! He’s been doing it professionally for ten years! His credentials from Yale and the ministerial college in Minnesota are impeccable.”
“That’s exactly why I picked him for the job. His qualifications far exceed what was required.”
“Who are the people on the board?”
“Among the most vocal are Tim Lockwood and Randall Smoot.”
Now it was all making sense.
“His daughter, Linda, is in my English class. She’s been spreading rumors at school.”
“I’m not surprised. With his money and influence, he wields a lot of power.”
