22

Finn struggled not to stare at Darcy. She and Harper chatted as they washed the soup bowls and pans after their makeshift dinner. She had left her hair down, cascading soft curls over her shoulders and back. The small flame that had sparked on the roof with their first meeting yesterday was quickly becoming an overwhelming bonfire in him. But the idea of starting any kind of relationship with the beautiful, Don’t-Call-Me-Dr. Langston, was beyond complicated.

She was in the middle of a crisis of career—a process he was still in the midst of working through himself. He could commiserate, but from what he heard and saw this evening, she needed more than a buddy. Darcy needed a guiding light. Even if he could give her what she needed, her time in Gibson’s Run would be limited to Lulu’s healing process, and knowing his friend, she would break records. The idea of pursuing anything with the beautiful, quirky doctor was out of his reach.

Breaking his focus, he shifted his gaze back to the table and ran into the narrowed vision of his new obsession’s brother.

Bennett raised a single eyebrow as he lifted his water glass for a drink.

A trickle of sweat dripped down Finn’s spine. Shifting to sit a little taller in his chair, he rolled his glass between his palms. Darcy’s twin brother may be the Saint of Nashville his aunt claimed him to be, but at the moment Finn felt as if his temples were graying with each second of the protective stare.

Finn cleared his throat. “Umm. Your clinic sounds fascinating. What made you decide to take that route?”

“It’s not that interesting. Why don’t you tell me how you became a pastor? Seems like an odd choice for someone with a law degree.”

“Well, it’s a long story…”

“Snows still falling. We’ve got all night.”

Harper filled each of their glasses. “What are you gentlemen discussing?”

“Pastor Finn was just about to tell me about how he was called to the ministry.”

“Really?” Darcy slid onto the U-shaped bench beside Finn. “I’d love to hear.”

“It’s not that interesting.”

“Not what I hear,” Harper said, setting a plate of cookies in the center of the table. She scooted onto the opposite bench leaving Bennett at the head of the table in the only chair. “Tessa said your family was in quite the state of shock when you decided to chuck your six-figure job for the humble man of the cloth gig.”

His cousin Tessa just loved to tell stories.

“Your family wasn’t happy?” Darcy turned her entire focus toward Finn. Her dark gaze drew him in—and made him forget every logical reason he had to stay detached. “I would think having a son who is a pastor would fill every parent with the ‘my child’s a saint’ pride.”

“Not my parents. My dad’s a lawyer. He thought I’d follow in his footsteps. Take over the family practice he had taken over from his dad. And I tried. I went through undergrad and law school with every intention of stepping into his shoes, but when I graduated, I was offered a lucrative position with a sports agency and I accepted without consulting my dad. Strike number one. I wasn’t passionate about the law, but I’d always been in love with sports. Played all through college. I figured I could put my degree to good use being connected to something I cared about.”

“Wait…” Bennett’s eyebrows drew down and creased his forehead. “Are you the Finn Tarrington? MSU Finn Tarrington?”

He nodded. Only ten years later, but he didn’t feel as though he had ever been that Finn Tarrington.

“You were an amazing point guard. The darling of the dance. You busted my bracket, but you were fun to watch. I was shocked when you didn’t declare for the draft.”

Finn stretched his collar with his forefinger. “The NCAA tournament can be deceiving. Being a fourth year in a field of mostly eighteen-year-olds fresh out of high school can make a smart slug look like a hoopster. As much as I was loathe to admit it at the time, I never had half the talent of the rest of the guys. I was able to manage a game better than most, which made me useful to the team.”

“But that seems as if it would be important in the pros, too.” Harper’s tone invited him to add more details.

He shrugged. “After we lost in the Final Four, my dad sat me down and showed me a reel of my highlights, and then proceeded to show me the four other point guards who would likely declare for the draft the next week. He didn’t have to say a word. I knew I wasn’t good enough. I started law school in August.”

With one long drink, he finished the water in his glass. “During my second year of law school, one of my study partners invited me to vespers. She knew I was struggling with…” He lifted his gaze to Darcy’s. Her gaze was focused on him. Kindness, question, and a twinge of what he thought was sadness seeped from her wide-set eyes.

“I was ready to quit school. Nothing fit right. And my friend thought a night of quiet reflection would help. I was willing to try anything. I sat in the last pew of the campus chapel and listened to Father Rylee share the story of the rich man who left Jesus because he couldn’t leave the things of this world. The message latched onto me and for the first time in my life I felt a stirring in my spirit. John Wesley described it as a strange warming of the heart. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew I couldn’t leave school. I needed to stay if for no other reason than to keep going to vespers.”

Darcy’s forehead wrinkled into a dozen lines. “Wait…you stayed in law school to go to church?”

“I never said my journey was rational.” Unable to stop, he shared the disappointment his father felt when Finn chose to pursue sports management over the family firm, and then ultimately his disgust when he chose to turn his back on the family profession to follow his uncle into the ministry.

Finn didn’t often dwell on the frustration he caused his parents. He chose to focus on the ‘rightness’ of his life today. But whenever he shared the story, he wasn’t able to hide from the struggle his parents must have faced with the choices of their only child. Not only did he lose his relationship with his dad, but his Uncle Tom also lost his relationship with his only brother. Finn had made the right choice—being a pastor was who he had been created to be. He only wished his parents understood. Being right often left an emotional earthquake behind the righteous.

“Man, that’s quite a story,” Bennett said. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

Harper squeezed his hand. “I know Pastor Tom couldn’t be prouder of you if you were his own son.”

“It’s kind of wonderful you ended up at his church,” Darcy said.

Finn nodded. “Well, I have to admit I’m guilty of accepting a little nepotism. When I was finishing seminary, I was offered a couple different posts, but I mentioned to Uncle Tom I’d love to be close to him to continue to have him mentor me. He convinced the church board to hire me. I’m hoping they don’t regret the choice.”

“The LAS members clearly approve or you wouldn’t be sipping cocoa with Mrs. Penhearst’s niece and nephew. If the Ladies Aide Society approves you’ve got it made,” Harper said with a wink.