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Emily decided it was time to go to church. Not forsaking our own assembling together and all that.
As she sipped her morning coffee, she dug around till she found the map Chloe had drawn her, and then tried to make sense of it. When she thought she had at least figured out where she was on the map, she headed up the spiral staircase to get dressed.
But she had no idea what to wear to an island basement house church meeting. After a bit of ado, she decided on one of her tried and true church dresses. Three-quarter-length-sleeves, hem just below the knee, with black pumps and a string of pearls. She checked herself in the mirror and thought, Not bad.
She was so overdressed.
But no one seemed to notice.
The twenty-two people crammed into the modest basement made her feel like a long-lost family member who had just decided to come home. Noah gave her a big welcome wave, not seeming to feel the least bit awkward having his new teacher in his cellar. Chloe was positively beaming, especially when she introduced Emily to her Uncle James. When the man turned around to face Emily, she gasped, and then immediately wished she hadn’t. She rapidly stuck out her hand to make up for her faux pas, but she could feel her face flushing.
Bible-dashboard-guy smiled, graciously ignoring her unreasonably awkward social behavior, and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Emily. Welcome to our little church.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” she said and then stood there staring up at him, smiling. He was far more handsome up close. She wanted to keep him talking. How could she keep him talking? “So you live on the island?” She wanted to die. Of course he lived on the island. No one would catch a ferry to go to a basement church.
He didn’t even blink. “Born and raised.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I fish.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant lobster or actual fish, but she thought probably lobster. She wished she’d paid more attention to the kids’ lobster banter—she didn’t even know the language yet. “That’s nice.” She wished a giant hole would open in the floor beneath her feet and suck her in.
He smiled.
“So why a house church?” she asked. She meant, Why do you guys have church in a basement? Can’t you find a church building? Where did you all come from? But all those words seemed so far away, lost somewhere between her brain and her lips.
He seemed, somehow, to know exactly what she was asking. “Well, a few years ago, I just really felt God telling me I had to do something here on the island. There was a spattering of believers, but we were really disconnected. Some of us were going to the established church on the island, but most of us weren’t. No disrespect to that group of people—they’re a good bunch of people, but they don’t seem to focus on Jesus much there. So anyway, I wanted to help people focus on Jesus. We started out in my house, but it is tiny, and we quickly outgrew it. So Abe here”—he nodded at a man near the front of the room, a man she assumed to be Noah’s father—“and his wife Lily, she’s around here somewhere, they welcomed us into their home, and here we are.”
“You’re the pastor?” she said, sounding so incredulous it came out mightily impolite.
He didn’t seem offended. “No. We don’t really have a pastor. We certainly have leaders, who just sort of took that role organically, and I suppose I’m one of those, but I’m no pastor.” He leaned closer to her. “Not really into public speaking.” He looked around the room and laughed. “Though I suppose this isn’t very public.”
She followed his gaze around the room, and finally started to relax. A little.
“Oh look,”—he touched her elbow. Oh my word, he just touched my elbow!—“I think we’re going to get started. Let’s find a seat.”
She followed him to the second row and then shakily sat beside him. She knew she was grinning like a lunatic, but all self-control seemed to have fled the scene.
The man named Abe welcomed them and then started to pray.
Emily bowed her head and closed her eyes, and then physically jumped when Chloe leaned forward to whisper something in her ear. “Cute, isn’t he?”
Emily’s cheeks got hot. Suddenly, she was so overwhelmed with gratitude she thought her chest might crack. And as Abe prayed, Emily silently thanked God—for Chloe, for James, for her new job, for her new kittens, for her new home, for the island.
