“Well…the other day you told me that we were doing this, so…”
He lowered his voice. “I was inside you at the time.”
“And that negates the promise how…?” I reached over to pat his hand. “I hate to say it, but you’re going to have to get used to my crazy plans.”
He smiled. “I already love your crazy plans—even if they scare the hell out of me.”
I looked over the gathered townsfolk, my heart warming at the ragtag group we’d put together. The Ward family, formerly cursed, now growing...Loretta Evers, the natural matriarch of our little congregation, bringing all her righteous rage and a lifetime of fighting for equality. The church ladies flanking her, ready to march with their best friend.
This was church. This was God.
This was holy.
“It doesn’t have to be scary,” I said, looking back at the man I loved. “All these wonderful folks have our back. We’re not alone.”
Silas was still nervous—I could see the fear written all over his face—but he nodded. “I know.”
And really…we’d never been alone.
Even when it felt like things were darkest, Amelia had been there.
I took a deep breath and stood, carefully setting an emptyplate littered with lemon bar crumbs on my chair. All eyes turned my way and I cleared my throat, looking around.
“I just wanted to start this out by thanking y’all for coming,” I said. “I..hm. I know this isn’t what most of y’all expected when you heard we were bringing the church back to Willow Grove—and I sure didn’t think I’d be preaching here, especially not like this.”
A few chuckles rippled through the room.
“But here we are,” I continued. “And I’ve got to say…it feels right, doesn’t it? To be here in fellowship with you all, with this common goal of maintaining peace and openness in our little town. Making it a great place to live.Keeping it that way.”
Loretta fixed her eyes on me and nodded, encouraging me to keep going.
“I’m new to this town, of course, but I grew up in a church like the Remnant Fellowship,” I said. “So I know…they push you. They force you to be a certain kind of way, a certain kind of person, a certain creed and color. They make you think loving is wrong, and they shame you when you make choices they don’t agree with. And to me…that is not godly. I think, to all of you, it’s not godly either.”
A quiet murmur of agreement passed through the circle—Delilah huffing out a pissed off breath and crossing her arms, Rhett tipping his chin. Flora, who was still standing at the edge of the room, watching and listening closely.
I’d presented the problem; now they were waiting on the solution.
“So we’re going to show them they aren’t welcome,” I said. “Not using their methods…not using terror or anything like that. We’re gonna go to their revival, outside town. We’ll be there together. If you don’t feel safe…I understand, and you don’t have to come. The sheriff’s office has been notified, and they agreed to send a deputy out, but…I know not everyone here has a great experience with the county police, so I get it, I do. But I’ll be there, and I hope a few of you feel safe enough to join me.”
I paused for a breath, letting the silence settle. A few folks nodded, some exchanging easy uneasy glances like they weren’t sure how exactly this would help.
“And…” I continued. “This is the part that doesn’t leave this room. While we’re there…a few of our more enterprising friends are going to poke around. Look for some stuff we believe might finally give the sheriff what he needs to shut them down for good.”
Whit snorted. “Enterprising, huh?”
Delilah shoved him. “Just take the compliment, you fuckin’ criminal.”
Francine let out a big belly laugh, shaking her head. “Finally putting Whit Ward and Delilah Jessup’s talents to good use, huh?”
“I have other talents!” Delilah interjected.
“I distinctly remember you havingverysticky fingers when it came to Hazel Ward’s jewelry box,” Francine shot back.
Delilah grinned and wiggled her fingers. “What can I say? I’m resourceful.”
“You’re a menace,” Birdie muttered affectionately, passing her a napkin. “A very cute menace, but a menace all the same.”
I smiled at the back-and-forth but lifted my hands to quiet them. “All right, all right. Let me be clear—none of y’all are being asked to do anything but show up. That’s it. You come, you sit through the revival, and you let them see your face.”
