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Pippa eyed the little boy in her arms. “Are you here for the story hour?”
“Si. Aren’t we, mijo?” Mia jiggled her son.
He laid his dark curly head against her chest, as if shy.
“So precious. We’re about to start, so you might want to grab a seat.”
Remy and Mia walked away, their little boys in tow. Another gust of wind danced over her skin as the door opened and Aaron, the owner of Hope Facility and the one who’d put her in touch with Miss Marsha Divine, came in.
“Hey, nice to see you again,” Pippa greeted him.
Aaron towered above her as his gaze flicked over his shoulder and then back to her. “Nice to see you too. Did you know there happens to be a preacher out there passing out pamphlets to anyone who will listen on their way in about ‘sins of the flesh’?”
Pippa’s stomach sank as she turned her attention to the two men outside dressed in suits. Not again. “No, I didn’t. Thanks for letting me know.”
She peeked over her shoulder. Troy was busy scanning a customer’s books into the register, and Miss Marsha was answering questions from eager little kids about her pronouns.
“I’m going to go talk to them.” Pippa walked towards the door.
“Do you want me to come?” Aaron asked.
“Actually, yes.” Pippa motioned to Lady. “Walk left.” The dog slipped to her left side as Pippa opened the door into the warm summer air, a definite difference from her air-conditioned shop.
“Good afternoon. Would you be interested in hearing about the love of God today?” the pastor asked.
A young man stood beside him wearing a button-up shirt and brown khaki pants, each hand holding a different pamphlet.
“Pastor Calvin, I thought you agreed to do this somewhere else?” Pippa asked as politely as she could as she ground her teeth.
“But this sidewalk is public property, and even the least of these people deserve to hear about the love God has for them. They just have to turn from their sin and they will see the glory of God,” Calvin answered, his smile never faltering.
“We both know why you chose this time to be in front of my store.”
He leaned in, glancing at Aaron before returning to her. “I don’t know what you mean. I just want to spread the love of God and save these sinners from eternal damnation.”
Pippa sighed. She respected a person’s choice to believe in whatever god they wanted, but pushing that belief on another or using it for shame was a different story.
“Leviticus 18:22 says, ‘Thou shall not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is an abomination.’ Homosexuality is not natural and it is a sin,” Pastor Calvin said.
“Leviticus also says that eating lobster is a sin. That wearing clothing of more than one fabric is a sin.” She motioned to his suit jacket. “That getting a tattoo is a sin. Planting more than one seed in the same field is a sin. That a man trimming his beard is a sin.” She pointed to his clean-shaven face. “It would stand to reason that if those are all okay, then ‘lying with mankind’ should be too. Which was changed in nineteen forty-six, by the way. The original translation meant pedophilia, and it was an abomination.” She took a deep breath. “Don’t you believe Jesus died, making the old laws obsolete?”
The young man looked on with wide eyes as the preacher smiled. “You know your verses.”
She gave him a curt smile. “I would really appreciate it if you guys did this somewhere else than in front of my store.”
“We can do that. You two have a lovely day. Come on, Peter. Let’s head to Green Park,” Calvin said, nodding to the young man beside him.
Peter followed him, turning back to glance at her and Aaron before he scrambled to catch up to the fast-moving preacher.
Aaron chuckled next to her. “Damn, girl. You know your scripture.”
“You can thank my very Catholic mother for that.” Pippa’s smile wavered as memories of her mother flashed in her mind.
“I’m sure Marsha has already started. We should get back.” Pippa led the way into the shop.
Aaron headed straight for the back where Miss Marsha had begun reading. Giggles came from the circular table in the back corner. She peeked around the corner as three familiar faces came into view. Aspen and her friends were huddled over the newest release of Selfie.
“I wish I could have superpowers,” one of the girls commented.
