Jack listened on the phone as one of his elders updated him on a maintenance issue. The water pump on the outdoor fountain had quit working, and Donald Warren was collecting bids on its repair. Jack authorized Donald to contract with the lowest bidder and hung up, running a hand over his face.
His sermon preparation was slow going today with a million interruptions. Gloria was out sick so he was fielding calls, and he felt he needed to answer them all. It wouldn’t do to have one of his congregation in need and no one responding. As it happened, though, he’d only found himself dealing with inquiries about VBS, youth camp forms, bulletin announcements, and maintenance issues.
His eyes locked onto the computer, where he’d barely begun his notes. He minimized the document and clicked on Safari instead—what was one more distraction?—going to the Flutter website. His pulse skittered as he logged in. He’d had many second thoughts about his response to Daisy last night. When his profile opened, his eyes flittered across the page and he saw a notification.
She’d already read his message. It was too late for second thoughts now.
Had she written back? He gave the page a good hard look—he was new to the site, after all. There. By an envelope icon there was a bright red number one.
Bingo. He couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. He could hardly wait to see how she’d responded.
He clicked on the icon and his smile fell. The note was from some other woman. It was brief and gracious, but disappointment sliced through him. Wasn’t she required to nudge him first? Weren’t those the rules? He didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but he wasn’t interested in anyone but Daisy.
A knock sounded on his door and he jumped. He promptly closed the website, mortification filling him at the thought of being caught on a dating website in the middle of a workday. This was so unlike him.
“Yes?” he called as he moved around his desk and approached the door.
“Pastor Jack? It’s me. Daisy.”
Daisy. His hand paused on the doorknob at the distress in her voice.
Oh, dear God in heaven, he thought as a possibility presented itself. What if she’d somehow found out he was TJ? What if she knew that letter was from him? Her pastor?
There was a filigree window cutout in the old wooden door, but it was above Daisy’s line of sight. He glimpsed the top of her blond head, panic setting in.
Another knock sounded. “Pastor Jack? Please, I have to talk to you. Do you have a minute?”
The rising alarm in her voice did nothing to assuage his fears. It was true. He’d made some kind of error on the app, and somehow she knew. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard.
You’ve really done it now, McReady. Time to face the music.
He forced himself to open the door. Her hair was windblown, and she still wore her pink Oopsy Daisy apron, but it was the look on her face that hit him like a sucker punch. Her eyes were bloodshot, worry pinched her brows, and she was looking at him oddly.
Of course she’s looking at you oddly, you imbecile. You’re her pastor and you hit on her.
You hit on a member of your own flock.
“I’m sorry to stop in unannounced. Gloria’s not in her office. Do you have a minute?”
“Of course.” He ushered her in, leaving the door wide open as he always did, even though today there was no one else in the church. He vaguely thought of their cars, just the two of them, out in the parking lot for anyone to see. A pastor had to be careful with his reputation. But he had bigger, more immediate fish to fry.
As he rounded his desk, he mentally punched himself in the face. Twice, because he deserved it. How could he have let Noah talk him into that ridiculous dating site? How could he have participated? He’d jeopardized their friendship—if that was even what they had. More important, he’d undermined his position as her pastor.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name—
“Pastor Jack, are you all right?”
He realized he’d been sitting across from her with his eyes closed—maybe because he’d been praying, or maybe he just was attempting that whole ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand thing. Obviously not working.
“I’m fine.” He had to address this head-on. Apologize profusely and hope their relationship, such as it was, could survive this awkward blip.
“I—Listen, Daisy . . . I can explain.”
She gave him a perplexed look. “You’re overworked and tired, there’s nothing to explain. Plus Gloria’s not here, so the phones are probably ringing off the hook. Is she on vacation this week?”
“What?”
“Gloria . . . She usually visits the grandchildren in May, right?”
“Ah . . . yes. But not till the end of the month. She’s home sick today.”
Jack gave Daisy a speculative look. Was it possible she was here on some other issue? The Hope House fundraiser perhaps? He was no idiot. He was going to find out before he shot off his big mouth. Then tonight he was going to get on that website and delete his account for good.
“Oh, Pastor Jack . . .” Daisy’s eyes teared up, glossing over as she stared so pitifully at him.
His chest ached at the sight. She opened up to him a lot, it was true, but she wasn’t given to weeping. Whatever this was—please, please let it not be my fault—her heart was breaking before his eyes.
“I don’t even know where to start.”
He unconsciously pulled a tissue from the box on his desk and handed it to her. Now he was in his element. Sitting in his office chair, a big, safe desk between them.
“How about at the beginning? That’s usually a good place.”
“Thanks.” She took the tissue and dabbed at her eyes. Then it all began to spill out: a woman who’d purchased flowers, Daisy finding the bouquet at her father’s grave site, the conversation with Shirley from the Clip ’n’ Curl, and finally today’s run-in with Julia.
At first Jack’s shoulders had sunk in relief as he realized he wasn’t responsible for Daisy’s distress. But then, as the story unfolded, he scolded himself. This was so much bigger, so much more hurtful than his lapse in judgment. She’d potentially discovered the terrible indiscretion of someone she loved dearly.
He leaned forward, wishing he could pull her into his arms and comfort her. “I’m so sorry this is happening, Daisy.”
She was questioning Julia’s motives and the truth of what she’d said. But it sounded to him as if the woman had no reason to lie. However, it might take Daisy a while to come to grips with reality.
“It can’t be true, right?” she asked with a sniffle. “You knew my dad. He was a good man.”
Jack gave her a compassionate smile. “From everything I saw, he was a devoted husband and father.”
“Exactly! He’d never do this to my mom.”
A long pause ensued as she locked onto Jack’s eyes, searching for something. Hope, maybe. The moment stretched, and he watched as uncertainty flared in her eyes. Then her chin slowly crumpled, her forehead furrowed, and tears sprang to her eyes again.
“But she was so . . . sincere. And she didn’t seek me out—I had to press her to tell me who she was. And once she did tell me, she seemed almost . . . hurt about the way I responded. What if it’s true, Pastor Jack? What if my dad really did do this? What if I have a sister I didn’t even know about?”
He folded his hands on his desk. “Well, let’s say you knew for sure that what she’s saying is true. How would you feel about that?”
A tear tumbled down her cheek. “I don’t know! It’s not just me I have to worry about, it’s my mom. There’s no way she knows about this . . . this affair, if it really happened at all. She’d never stay with a man who—did that. And if I explore this further and find out it is true, it would only hurt her. I couldn’t do that to her. She shouldn’t have to find out something like this, especially not after he’s gone and it’s too late to even confront him.”
“It’s also possible that it’s not true at all. That Julia’s mom lied to her about all of this. Or maybe your dad did have the affair but isn’t really Julia’s father.”
Daisy sniffled. “I guess that’s possible. She seemed so sure though.”
“Let’s talk about you, Daisy. How would it be, finding out so suddenly that you have a sister?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve been an only child so long I can hardly even imagine it. And an older sister, besides.”
“That would be quite a change and quite a challenge I would think, with the family dynamics.”
“It would upset the apple cart in so many ways.”
“The question is, can you live without knowing one way or another? How do you feel about letting Julia leave and never having your questions answered?”
Daisy stared back. She was leaning forward, her elbows propped on the desk, her fingers shredding the tissue. “I don’t know if I can do that. But I don’t know if I can hurt my mom either.”
“And yourself.” This would be a tough truth for Daisy to swallow. She looked up to her father so much. Perhaps had him on a pedestal. It was easy to do, especially after the death of a loved one.
“Yes, and myself.”
“But the test could also be negative.”
“That’s true. But what if it’s not? What if she really is my half sister?”
“Would you like to pray about it?”
“Yes, please.” The words came as a sigh of relief.
Jack took her hand and led them in a heartfelt prayer, asking for God’s wisdom and guidance. Asking for Him to comfort Daisy during this confusing time. Daisy sniffled throughout, and when he finished she squeezed his hand before drawing away.
“Pastor Jack, if I take the DNA test . . .” Her sad green eyes just about did him in. “How will I know if I’ll be able to live with the repercussions?”
He wished he could tell her what she should do. But that wasn’t his call to make. “Only you can answer that question, Daisy.”