Free Joyfully Yours by Amy Lamont Page B

perfect for her.  
    And if she pursued things, what’s the worst that could happen? It could fabulously crash and burn. But she’d never let fear defeat her before. And look at what she could end up with if she followed her heart with gusto, as her mother put it.  
    Michael’s face swam before her. And for the first time since she uttered the most stupid sentence of her life, a feeling of warmth and hope and excitement filled Faith.  
     
    The thing that sucked most about making life altering decisions at five in the morning was the long wait until the rest of the world was awake and on the same page. And if the wait wasn’t bad enough, the confusion could kill you.  
    After giving up on sleep and climbing out of bed, Faith paced her shoebox-sized apartment waiting until it was late enough to go see Michael. Punchy from the lack of sleep, she was up for two hours before it occurred to her she had no idea where to find him. Would he be at the church every day? Did he have a home nearby?  
    She spent the next hour showering and getting ready for the day and formulating a plan. He’d have to show up at the church at some point. She would camp out on the church steps until he arrived.  
    With this in mind, she bundled up for the chilly morning and stopped for a couple of steamy cups of coffee on her way. At best, she’d have fresh hot coffee to offer Michael as a peace offering. At worst, she’d be a jittery, over-caffeinated mess who sputtered incoherently until he called the police to have her removed.  
    Well, if she got arrested, she’d call Maddie to bail her out. Her sister owed her one.  
    She sat on the concrete steps and began her vigil. She admired the greenery adorning the front of the old stone church and the nativity scene on the tiny patch of lawn.  
    After a few minutes, she wrapped her hands carefully around her cup to absorb optimum warmth. The coffee wasn’t enough to ward off the cold, though, and it wasn’t long before the wintry chill began to seep through her layers. After about half an hour and both cups of coffee, she started to think she might need to come up with a new plan.  
    Just as she rose from the steps, she noticed a woman walking briskly towards her. In her fifties, with a no-nonsense air about her, the woman marched up to Faith.  
    “Dear, if you’re waiting out here for the soup kitchen, I’m afraid that’s only on weekends. I can direct you to the shelter down the street.”  
    “Oh, no, I’m not. I mean, I’m not homeless or…well, hungry.” Faith shook her head and started again. “I was hoping to see Father Michael.”  
    “Why are you sitting out here?” The woman strode up the steps, gesturing for Faith to follow. “Father Michael has probably been at work for a few hours.”  
    Faith rolled her eyes, annoyed at her own stupidity. It hadn’t even occurred to her to try the front door and see if anyone was around.  
    The woman led her into the rectory. “Father Michael! There’s someone here to see you.”  
    And then he was there, standing in front of her.  
    He eyed her cautiously. “Faith.”  
    “Hi.” She couldn’t take her eyes off him. It seemed like much longer than four days since she’d last seen him.
    “Was there something you needed to discuss with Father Michael?” The woman’s voice broke the staring contest.  
    “Faith, I don’t think you’ve met Helen yet. She’s the church secretary. We’d never get anything done without her.” Michael’s polite tone made Faith long for the warmth he’d shown her before. “Helen was away visiting family this weekend. Helen, Faith volunteered at the soup kitchen this weekend and filled in for Chris at mass on Saturday.”  
    “Mmmhmm.” Helen’s noncommittal sound along with the way her gaze darted between the other two made it clear she knew something more was going on here. “Why don’t you two step into Father Michael’s office for your discussion.”  
    Before Faith