Free The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer Allee Page B

her. She’d held her own with the council members, he’d give her that.
    Once she started talking about the theatre project, though, her reserve had dropped away and she’d become animated. Nick smiled. It was like the first time she stood in the theatre, and he had watched her transformation from hurt and guarded to open and excited.
    Nick's smile twisted downward. It was no wonder he was so confused. Dealing with Maura was like dealing with two different women. One was reserved, keeping her feelings to herself, not wanting to get close to anyone. The other was lively and vibrant, anxious to meet the task at hand. The problem was he never knew which one of them was going to show up.
    “Help me, Lord.” Nick prayed as he took up his pacing once more. “Help me focus on this sermon.”
    Husbands, love your wives.
    His feet stopped moving. The sermon had nothing to do with spousal relationships. Obviously, he was still distracted with thoughts of Maura.
    Nick was on the move again. “Help me focus, Lord.”
    Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
    “Colossians 3:18.” Nick sank onto the couch at the other side of the room. Grabbing a Bible, he looked up the verse, just to be sure. Yep, there it was.
    Nick stared at the pages of the Bible as it lay across his knees. Was this God trying to tell him something, or his own guilty conscious harping at him? Either way, he couldn’t ignore it.
    He read the verse again silently. Next he read part of it out loud. “Be not bitter toward them.” A hollow place formed in Nick's gut and was quickly filled with burning frustration. Wasn’t he entitled to some bitterness? He had loved Maura, but she’d walked out on him.
    Why did she leave?
    “You tell me.” The sarcastic answer came out of Nick so fast it surprised him. He winced, glancing up at the ceiling, waiting for a lightning bolt to slap him upside the head.
    Nothing. Just a quiet calm settled on the room, a peacefulness encouraging him to think.
    He put the Bible on the table and leaned back on the couch, sinking into the softness of the cushions. He and Maura hadbeen so happy once. Almost from the first moment he saw her, he knew they were meant for each other.
    He and a couple of college buddies had gone to Sullivan's because they’d heard the food was good and inexpensive. They got in line, but instead of reading the menu board, Nick couldn’t take his eyes off the pretty, dark-haired waitress behind the counter—Maura, according to her nametag.
    She looked at the customer ahead of him with a pleasant smile. “How can I help you, sir?”
    The tall, thick-waisted man wore a battered ball cap with the name “Bubba” stitched across the back. With his beefy hands splayed on the counter, he slowly looked Maura up and down.
    “Well now,” he said, “I can think of a few ways you could help me out, but I don’t think they’re on the menu.”
    “I’m sorry, sir,” she said. “I can only help you with items that are on the menu. May I suggest a corned beef sandwich with a side of coleslaw?”
    The man hitched his thumbs in his belt loops, dragging the waistband of his faded jeans dangerously low. “A sandwich sounds mighty fine, but is there something else I can get … on the side, that is?”
    Maura's cheeks turned red. Nick couldn’t take another second of listening to the neanderthal customer and doing nothing. He stepped around Bubba and leaned a hip against the counter. “You might want to try french fries. Or maybe a side of fruit. That's more healthy.” He turned his attention to Maura. “Do you have any fruit?”
    Her eyes grew wide. “Yes, we have fruit,” she answered. Then she looked at Bubba. “Would you like fruit?”
    Snickers twittered around every table. Bubba frowned and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Yeah, sure. Fruit.” Hetossed a ten-dollar bill on the counter, and sulked away to a table in the corner.
    A relieved Maura Sullivan looked up at Nick