Page 109 of The Confidant
She nodded. “I’m not sure what it’s for. My dad hasn’t said a lot about it. But I’m kind of wondering if my dad might be asked to be an Elder or something like that.”
“An Elder?” I asked. “Wow! That would be huge for him.”
She nodded. “He’s worked hard his whole life for something like that, so it would be really cool if it happened.”
“I bet.” Even if I didn’t agree with mortal men believing they had special authority over anyone else, I knew what a big deal it was to believers.
“And if that happens, it would make sense for why he has been spending so much extra time training Xander this year,” Scarlett said. “Like God was putting everything in place for my dad’s replacement without us even knowing.”
“Would Xander be able to take on the role of pastor while he’s still a student?” I asked. “I thought he still had another year at Yale.”
“I think they’d be able to work something out. Maybe ease their way into the transition.”
“And you think they might announce this on Sunday?” I asked.
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “If that’s even what’s going on. I mean, my dad hasn’t been super forthcoming with why the High Priest is visiting, but it might happen.”
“I guess you’ll find out on Sunday, anyway.”
“Yep.”
I looked out the train window in front of us, thinking about whether I should say what I was thinking about saying or not.
If I was going to make an attempt at returning to The Fold, going to church this weekend would probably be the most impactful since the High Priest would be speaking. If anyone could convince me to come back, it would be their most holy leader, right? He was the one steering the boat.
“What are you thinking about?” Scarlett asked quietly as the train passed the sign that said we’d be arriving at Grand Central in ten minutes. “Am I upsetting you by talking about the church?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m the one who brought it up when I asked about Xander.” I paused and swallowed before adding, “I was actually just thinking about going to the meetings on Sunday.” I dared to look at her. “Just to see how it feels after all this time.”
She gasped, and her whole face lit up when she realized what I’d just said. “You want to come to church with me?”
“Just this week,” I said, not wanting to get her hopes up in case it didn’t go well. “Just to check it out.”
But she didn’t seem to care that I was trying to be cautious about this because she just hugged me and said, “I’m so happy. This is all I’ve wanted all year. Just for you to give it another chance.”
“I’m not making any promises that I’ll be going next week though, okay?” I said, worried that I might have offered too much of my olive branch out to her. “Like, if I can’t do it, I don’t want things to get all weird between us again.”
“Okay.” She sat up straight again, her voice cautious once more. “I get that. I’ll try not to make this a big deal or anything.” She sighed, and I could tell she was trying really hard not to be too excited over the prospect of me coming back to church with her. “But I’m just glad that you’re willing to try it. It means a lot.”
“Just remember that it’s just a trial. I can’t make any promises about how I’ll feel afterward.” I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “But since I really want things to work with us, I figure I should at least give it one more shot.”
“Thank you.” She put her palm on my cheek and turned my face toward her. “Seriously, Hunter. Thank you. It really means so much.”
“You’re worth it, Scarlett,” I whispered before kissing her on the forehead.
36
HUNTER
Scarlett:Let me know when you get here. I’ll meet you at the gate so we can go inside together.
I looked at the text Scarlett had sent me a few minutes ago as I paced the sidewalk just outside the church gates.
When I’d told Scarlett that I wanted to join her for church today, I’d meant it. I’d wanted to show her I cared enough about her that I would be willing to try church out again and see if it felt better after almost a year away.
I’d assumed it would be a pretty simple endeavor. That I could just pretend like it was any other meeting I had in my schedule for the week. Just something I was going to or trying on for size.
What I hadn’t expected was the upset stomach I’d been fighting all morning or the tight ball of nerves that had my heart pounding harder with each minute that ticked the clock closer to ten a.m.
