Page 32 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

He gave the congregation a warm smile, his eyes stopping briefly on Daisy, then Hunter.

In the front row, the woman from the coffee shop, the one who’d made Hunter so tense, sat in the front row, and Daisy realized with a start that she must be the pastor’s wife. Daisy peeked over at Hunter to see if he’d noticed the woman, but his eyes were focused on the speaker.

“I don’t know about you all,” he began, his voice carrying easily through the church, “but I’ve got a laundry list of things to accomplish this week.”

He pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, flipping it open with exaggerated movements. “Let’s see here…I need to mow the lawn, pick up groceries, finish that report for the church board, clear the gutters, help Holland with her Bible study prep, meet with the youth group, fix that leaky faucet in the kitchen…”

As he continued, his list grew more elaborate, drawing chuckles from the congregation. “…repaint the garage, learn to speak fluent Italian, solve world hunger, and maybe, just maybe, find time to sleep.”

He closed the notebook with a snap and a wry grin. “Sound familiar to anyone?”

Daisy found herself nodding along with several others in the church. She could practically feel the weight of her own to-do list pressing down on her shoulders, everything she needed to do if she was going to get her YouTube channel off the ground.

“In today’s world, doesn’t it seem like it’s always go, go, go?” The pastor continued, his tone becoming more serious. “That we’re always pushing for more, always striving to do something big with our lives, to succeed. It’s like we’re on this never-ending treadmill of achievement and productivity.”

He paused, letting his words sink in. “Society tells us we are the sum of what we do in life. Our jobs, our accomplishments, our social media presence—it’s all supposed to define who we are. But you know what? God is here to tell us that we’re so much more than that.” He leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of the pulpit. “And thank goodness for that! Because if who we are was determined solely by the things we did, we’d all be in for a nasty surprise.”

A ripple of laughter spread through the congregation. Daisy shifted in her seat, her shoulder brushing Hunter’s.

“Think about it,” Pastor Arnie said, his voice softening. “If our worth was based on our actions alone, on our successes and failures, our good deeds and our mistakes—where would that leave us? We’d all fall short. Every single one of us.”

“Fortunately for us, God’s grace is sufficient. He doesn’t tally up our good works. He doesn’t compare them against the saints, or the celebrities, or even our neighbors. He gives life we don’t deserve, out of a love we could never earn. Just because.”

The pastor’s eyes landed on Daisy, and she felt her breath hitch.

It wasn’t a foreign concept to her. Sure, for God so loved the world…But when it came down to reality, people always expected something. And frankly, that was a little easier to handle. There were social transactions she could follow. But when you pull works out of the equation of faith, you’re left trusting in God’s grace. Hoping that His love will still be there when you fall short.

No thank you. Daisy was happy with her terms and conditions.

“Today we’re going to continue our series on Ephesians, with a glimpse at the message behind Ephesians 2:8-9. Let’s open our Bibles…”

Daisy settled back and listened to the rest of message, but the words were like writing in the sand, each carefully crafted point washed away by waves of doubt.

When the sermon was over, she and Hunter stepped out of the church into the midmorning sun.

Daisy lifted a hand to shade her eyes, turning to her pseudo-fiancé. “So, what’s next?”

Hunter quirked an eyebrow. “Now you meet the rest of the Barrett Boys.”

* * *

Hunter’s truck pulled up to the modest ranch-style house on the outskirts of Port Joseph. He let out a tense breath, and Daisy noted the slight white of his knuckles against the wheel.

“Everything okay?” she asked when he strung a hand through his hair.

He gave a gruff nod and unbuckled. “I’m fine.”

He hopped out of the truck and came around for her door. He extended a hand to help her out, but he seemed miles away as he led her to the door.

They stepped up to the welcome mat that read ‘Go on now, git!’ and Hunter suddenly turned to her, his expression serious. “We’re Lions fans.”

Daisy frowned, an amused smile tugging at her lips. “Okay?”

“But more importantly, we hate the Packers. You see even a flash of green and yellow on that screen, you should be booing and tossing popcorn. Got it?”

Daisy let out a laugh and then, “You’re serious?”

“Of course I am.” Hunter’s expression remained stoic. “You’ll never convince them we’re in love if you don’t take thisveryseriously.”

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