Chapter 1
Jesse
With one last deep breath, I pull up to Lexie’s duplex. My chest tightens, not with doubt but with the hope that this will mean as much to her as it does to me. She’s never come to church with me before, so I’m looking forward to gaining that deeper connection with her.
We’ve been dating for a few weeks and things have been good. She’s not very religious, so I make sure not to push her into it or anything. I told her when she was ready to take that step that I’d be happy to take her… so here we are. She also willingly did a Bible study with me last night and it went well. She had some good questions.
“Lex? I’m here,” I call out, shutting her front door behind me.
I notice it’s slightly messier than normal; she has a lot of clutter. I can’t say I blame her—the kitchen and living room are within the same fifteen-by-fifteen-foot room. Upstairs, although I’ve never been up there, has only one bedroom and a bathroom.
She lives in an older farmhouse that’s been split down the middle. She rents out one half, and there’s a neighbor on the other side.
Quick footsteps move across the ceiling and a voice echoes down the stairs. “Coming, I just need to switch my purse.”
As she comes down, I mentally pick apart the entire outfit before she even gets to the last step. The neckline is too low, the pants are too tight, and the boots are too high.
I hold my breath for a second. “Lexie, you can’t wear that to church, sweetheart,” I say and realize those words have never come out of my mouth before.
She looks down at herself. “Why?”
“It’s church, not a club.”
“Yeah, and? It’s cold out today. I’m not wearing a dress.”
“You don’t have to wear a dress. Maybe just put something under that sweater and change the shoes? Do you have a long skirt maybe?” I suggest nicely.
She scoffs. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, you can’t walk in there like that. You don’t want people talking in this town.”
“Let ’em talk!” she argues, stomping back upstairs. Did I mention she’s a little stubborn? You could chain her to a boulder, and she’d drag it uphill just to prove a point.
I sigh. “Lex—”
Cutting me off, she argues, “I’ve never even been to church but shouldn’t everyone be more worried about praying rather than my outfit?” Her sarcasm strikes a nerve inside me. While I understand what she’s saying, it’s just how it is.
“Lexie … that can’t be your attitude, babe. Please just trust me?” I say as she continues to storm around upstairs without responding.
Church isn’t the place for showing off or provocative outfits, it’s about God, worshipping him. I don’t know how to explain it to her without sounding judgmental. I guess her not growing up in the church like I did is going to be a learning curve for me. It’s going to take me a minute to gain some extra patience.
“How’s this?” She comes down in shorter boots and an oversized, green knit sweater. My body loosens up, the tenseness disappearing.
“Good. That looks great,” I say and reach for the doorknob.
“Sorry for freaking out. I just don’t take criticism very well.”
“That’s okay,” I say, and she grabs her phone from the counter before heading out to my truck.
The first couple minutes of the drive is quiet until she breaks the silence. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to get rid of my style or clothes because of this.”
“Why would I think that?” I ask.
“Because I don’t want you to think you’re going to change me.”
“I don’t want you to change. You know what I remember my mom telling my little sister a few years ago? When she came downstairs dressed for church in something that was not gonna fly?”
“What?”
