“Pot roast sound good? I made it Thursday night.”
I gave Enoch a nod and took a seat at the island across from where they were standing.
“After lunch can you drop me home?”
Enoch held my gaze for a long moment before smiling softly, “Yeah, of course.”
I nodded, the awkward lull of silence broken up by the sound of the food bubbling on the stove.
My body still felt sluggish, and I decided some caffeine was needed. I hopped down from the stool and grabbed a soda from the fridge.
“So, uh, how was church?” I asked in an effort to make things less weird. If we were going to avoid mentioning everything that happened yesterday, we needed an ice breaker. I cracked open the can and returned to my chair.
“Good. There was a guest pastor today. His sermon was about what it means to be obedient as a Christian.”
My heart skipped a beat.It’s not him. It’s not him.
“What was he saying?”
Enoch and Jae both gave me a strange look, but I gestured for them to speak.
“Um, well, he was talking about how our culture promotes arrogance and because of this we think we know everything. And that leads us to disobey God and not follow Him.”
Shit.
I took a sip of my soda to unclog my throat. “Oh.”
Jae tilted his head as he studied me with a curious expression. “Do you go to church?”
I swallowed the thick saliva pooling in my mouth. “No. Not anymore.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Yeah.”
“Just not a fan of church or what?”
I shrugged, letting my finger run up and down the condensation on the outside of the soda can. “You could say that.”
“Yeah, I used to feel that way too. What made you stop going?”
“God so commands us to obey His laws. And in obeying His laws we will become Christ-like, fulfilling our purpose as God’s creation and obtaining eternal life in Heaven.”
My gaze strayed to the young woman sitting at the desk beside me. She was copying everything Elder Paul said. I glanced down at the blank notebook in front of me and quickly picked up my own pen.
“God is very clear when He describes each of our roles in this world He created. And He is very clear when He describes exactly how to fulfill those roles. It all goes back to obedience.”
My jaw clenched with tension as I copied his words.
“Miss Olivia.” I looked up with a start. “Please, come stand and read for us the highlighted scripture.”
I blinked, my stomach tensing with knots. I made sure to keep my hands by my sides, well-aware of the fact that I was sweating with nerves, as I stood from my desk and approachedElder Paul. He smiled at me broadly, his hazel eyes tracking my every moment.
“Emory?”
“Forgive me for—,” I muttered immediately before stopping myself, shaking my head and blinking back to reality.Fuck’s sake. I will break that habit.
I took a sip of my drink, focusing on Enoch who was serving the stew into bowls.
