“I’m Kelsey, in case you forgot. It’s Olivia, right?”
I nodded, forcing a shy smile, taking note of the holes in her nose and lips where I assumed piercings once were. They weren’t allowed in the facility. We couldn’t even use razors for shaving. Not that I had one with me anyways, but still.
“Apparently, this church comes to volunteer here once a quarter, but today is something special because it’s almost the holidays. According to Ms. Conners that is. I guess their pastor is going to be here and I heard his son is coming, too. Ms. Conners pulled a photo of him up on her computer yesterday and he’s kinda cute if you’re into that polished, rich, white boy vibe.”
I bit my lip, looking down at my plate and shrugging.
She bumped my shoulder and smiled conspiratorially. “Oh my gosh. You’re adorable. I’ll cause a scene and make sure you can get a minute with him, if you want?”
I looked over at her sincere face, unsure if it was wise to bring attention to the fact that I wanted to spend time with Theodore.
“Sorry, I’m sure that’s like the last thing on your mind when you’re in a homeless shelter. But you never know, it could be a cute wedding story one day,” she giggled. “Boy meets cute and lonely girl while volunteering at a homeless shelter…”
She trailed off, probably reading the uncomfortableness radiating off me, and apologized again. A moment of silence passed, and she fidgeted with the napkin on her place setting. I internally groaned, not wanting to seem like a bitch to her when she was innocently trying to help.
“That’s okay. Sorry. I’ve never even had a boyfriend before, I’m not exactly girlfriend material.”
She giggled again and leaned closely. “Me neither.”
She shook her head with an amused expression and we both turned our heads at the sound of the jazz music abruptly stopping. Ms. Agrip, the manager of the facility, stood at the front of the room and called everyone’s attention.
“Today we celebrate the precious lives of each of our guests, whose warm bed and meals are all made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors. With the weather turning to winter, it is an especially important time for our found family here within these walls and we are honored to share this special meal with the Reformation Church and Reverend Kit Walsh.”
Ms. Agrip motioned with a big smile toward the entrance as the room broke into applause. I turned my gaze to the doorway where the Walsh family stood. I waited for some sort of power to radiate from him, something to give me a sense in my gut thatthis man was evil, but as he slowly made his way to the front of the room with a broad smile on his face, I felt nothing.
His smile felt genuine and the soft shoulder pats he gave to several women that greeted him on the way were nothing but sincere and gentle. Even his wife was the picture of sincerity, embracing Ms. Agrip in a hug, speaking softly in her ear and causing her to laugh.
I finally fixed my eyes on Theodore. Despite being objectively handsome, Theodore didn’t carry himself with a look of haughty disdain. He removed his suit jacket, placed it on the back of an empty chair and immediately began rolling up his sleeves.
I felt kind of bad. Carlos wanted me to deceive these people, wanted me to marry into this family for his own person gains, well, and those of the Los Siete Empire, and them seemed so innocuous, so…pure. Would they really be corruptible? Would they really bend to Carlos’s ways when they, as Christians, were supposed to have a strong moral and ethical compass?
I watched closely as Theodore approached one of the staff members, smiling and touching her arm as he asked her something I was too far away to hear. Theodore followed her behind the door that led to the kitchen. Kit Walsh began speaking and I leaned over to Kelsey.
“Heading to the bathroom.”
She nodded, not taking her eyes away from Reverend Kit Walsh as he addressed the room rambling about humility and gratitude. Using the main entrance down the hall, I slipped into the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when they both looked up. Theodore and a woman I knew worked in the kitchen paused their actions to scan me up and down inquisitively.
“Did you need something?”
“Um,” I cleared my throat, glancing over at Theodore before smiling at the staff member. “Just came to see if you needed an extra pair of hands.”
“Yes, thank you,” she gushed. “There was an issue with one of the catering deliveries and I need to go—well, never mind, you don’t need an explanation. Can you help Mr. Walsh? He’ll explain what I need done.”
“Of course,” I nodded with another smile, and she quickly untied her apron and handed it to me.
“If you need anything, go find Ms. Agrip in the dining hall.”
We both nodded. She hesitated like she was about to say something else but shook her head and rushed out of the room. I stared down at the apron in my hands, my heart pounding against my rib cage with nerves. I was alone in the room with a man I didn’t trust but needed to act like I did.
“Hi. I’m Theo. What’s your name?”
I glanced up, noticing his gaze and quickly put the apron on as a distraction. “Olivia.”
“Well, come on then, Olivia. Veggies aren’t going to chop themselves.”
My stomach flipped and I let out a silent deep breath before crossing the room to take the now empty prep station across from him. Theo pushed a box of gloves at me, and I grabbed a pair, hoping he couldn’t tell how shaky my hands were.
“Escaping the crowd?” He suddenly asked, making me jump. He chuckled softly probably at my reaction and continued. “Sorry, I just could tell you’re an introvert like me.”
