Georgia whispered, “How’d you find us?”
“I saw Lake leave, told everyone I had to check on snacks and followed him instead.”
Lake snickered, and Georgia smacked Evan. “Evan Lovett! I am disappointed in you!”
“But not me?” Lake asked.
Georgia narrowed her eyes. “You,sir, are predictable, but Evan, you're the youth pastor! Cheating at a youth event in the church building where you shepherd our youth… for shame,” she teased. “Is this where you wanna be when Jesus comes back?”
Evan quipped back, “I don’t know, Georgia. Do you wanna be caught in the dark, makin’ purple with my baby brother when Jesus comes back?”
“I’m eleven months younger than you, Evan,” Lake said.
“May as well be eleven years, bro.”
“Unimportant, Lovetts,” Georgia interrupted. “We wereNOTmaking purple.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Evan whispered and waved her off. “Holding hands. Googly eyes… As you pointed out, Iama youth pastor with experience here, and it's all purple, Georgia.”
Georgia huffed and folded her arms over her knees. She was about to argue more when the door opened again. They all froze, and Ginny crept in. “They’re in here,” she called softly, but loud enough for three of her friends to join her, effectively ending that round of sardines as youth trickled in quickly and the group grew larger.
After what felt like hours of sardines, they separated boys and girls into different rooms for bedtime—no purple on Georgia’s watch—and the other youth counselors drifted off to sleep in various dark corners of the church building.
Georgia had made a pallet in the hallway between the boys’ and girls’ rooms, when Lake approached, dragging a light couch down the hall with him.
“I thought you might be more comfortable here,” he said.
“Oh. Thanks.” She grabbed her blanket and gratefully accepted the couch, knowing she wouldn’t have gotten much sleep on the floor, and despite the late night, she had a shift to work the next day at Good Start.
Lake stood beside the couch. “Do you… um… Do you mind if I keep you company? I can help take watch,” he asked, almost shyly.
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” She scooted to the far side. When they’d each curled up on opposite ends of the slightly putrid smelling, plaid couch, they dove into easy conversation.
“Twenty questions?” Lake asked.
“Sure. That’s one.”
He rolled his eyes. “Major in college?”
“Marketing and a minor in communications. You?” she asked.
“Social work. Minor in public health.”
“Really? That’s so cool. I never would have thought you would study social work, but… after the soup kitchen… it makes sense.”
“That’s one for you. And, yeah, I um… I decided on it about a year after high school. Looking for a job here, but I haven’t managed to grab one yet.”
“Why social work?”
“I wanted to make a difference. Help kids in the system or kids like me who needed… help or guidance to do more with their lives.”
Georgia thought on that for a minute. Surprised by how unsurprised she was at his response. She had, after all, always imagined there was more to Lake than what met the eye… than what others expected of him.
“Where were you? After high school, I mean,” Georgia asked.
“Utah, mostly. I was there for a few years, went to school, lived with Griffin, worked and came back here. Where were you?”
“School, then Atlanta.” Georgia shrugged, as if her life could be summed up in just a couple simple phrases.
