"Want a ride?" Luke offered. "Might be easier since I don't know the address, and I'm not sure you'd know the landmarks."
"Just don't laugh at me when I don't know the songs," Cy told him.
Luke leaned over the bar, right next to that Bible. "Cy, a lot of people in this town don't care for Southwind."
"They don't like me," I said, speaking up.
"It's more than that," Luke told us. "Mr. Simmons makes this place sound pretty bad. He asked for a prayer at church last weekend. To chase the devil out of this place."
"Even more reason to go," Cy pointed out. "Look, my feelings aren't going to get hurt if you don't wanna admit you know me. I get it. I'm also not going to let that man lock us on the grounds here. That he's trying to use a church to do it? I'm not ok with that."
"You're actually Christian?" Luke asked, almost like he was still trying to come to terms with that. "How?"
"Because I'm a heathen?" Cy countered. "Or because I'm into men?"
Luke chuckled at that, knowing there was no good answer. "Let's go with both."
"I'm a very casual Christian," Cy explained. "Found religion in med school. First went because it was research. I wanted to see what it was that made people so reliant on it. Kept going because I figured it out. So, yeah. I'm not an every Sunday kinda guy, but I go."
Luke looked over at me. "You don't have a problem with this?"
That wasn't at all what I was expecting. "Why would I?"
His brow furrowed. "I dunno, because God doesn't seem to be your thing."
"I'm firmly agnostic," I told him. "I believe there's something more. I have no idea what it is, but I don't think it's as judgmental as that book makes it out to be. It's also none of my business what you think, or Cy, or Ash."
"What about me?" Ash called down from the second floor.
"Do you believe in God?" I yelled at him.
"Fuck no," Ash said. "If there was a God, then the world would either be a much better or much worse place." Then he appeared at the top of the stairs with nothing but a towel around his hips. "And I'm not giving you shit for refusing to pick sides. Why?"
"Cy's going to church with Luke," I told him.
Ash nodded. "Good."
I had to shake my head to make sure I heard that. "Good?" I asked.
"Yeah. You didn't notice the Bible reference on his shirt the other day? The numbers?"
We all looked back at Cy. "Romans 3:23. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ We did a fundraiser for the homeless last fall to buy blankets before winter hit. I didn't even think about it. Just grabbed a shirt for working outside." Then he looked up to where Ash was grinning at him. "You're too damned observant."
"Yep. And she hasn't eaten tonight." Ash stepped out of sight, calling back, "I need pants. Someone figure out what we're cooking!"
"Sounds like you're going to church, Cy," I teased.
"And making dinner." He headed for the kitchen. "You helping, Luke?"
"Always," Luke promised.
Chapter Fifty
Iwoke up early the next morning to shave and clean up. I'd checked with Luke for the general dress code, so I had on a white button-down shirt, a clean pair of black jeans, and my boots. I was just finishing up when a light tap came at my door.
"Come in," I called back.
Luke leaned in, then paused. Slowly, a smile took over his lips. "Don't think I've ever seen you dressed up before."
