Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
I was impressed to see a cross. However, I think my dad focused on the snake coiled around it, and he might have read into it as yet another abomination of God.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Pete.”
Wesley cleared his throat, giving Isaac a raised eyebrow.
Isaac tried to hide his reaction, but I didn’t miss the slight upturn of his full lips despite his apology. “Sorry, Pastor Jacobson.”
My dad’s name was Peter. Most everyone called him Pastor Jacobson. My mom and grandparents called him Peter. But no one called him Pete.
I pressed my lips together to hide my amusement, and Matt narrowed his eyes at me like he didn’t understand what had me fighting a grin. But Isaac knew, and the way he looked at me with a deviant twinkle in his eyes suggested he was doing it just for my reaction.
“Mom, can I go to Erin’s house?” Eve asked, tugging on the shoulder of my mom’s canary yellow sundress with three-quarter sleeves and her grandma’s double-string of pearls around her neck.
Mom brushed her bangs away from her face before stroking the back of her silky brown mullet. “No, Eve. We’re having dinner with the Corys.”
“But, Mom—”
“Eve,” Dad said with his signature deep tone that kept every sheep in line, and that’s all it took to end the conversation.
Eve couldn’t help but roll her big brown eyes and sigh with a grumble. She was sixteen going on twenty. I was the oldest, but not nearly as rebellious as Eve, who was supposed to be the even-keeled middle child, according to my grandma Jacobson. My opposition to authority was more subtle because I had the people-pleaser gene.
Eve would spit out food if she didn’t like it; I’d hide mine in a napkin and give it to the dog after dinner. Gabby, however, swallowed anything with a smile. She was fourteen, trying to be a pleaser child like me, or so she led everyone to believe. But I knew she was just biding her time before showing our parents that she could suck the patience from them and test their faith tenfold. Never mind that she scribbled poems inside her Bible during every Sunday service while our parents thought she was diligently following the sermon and making annotations.
“Matty, you didn’t mention you were dating the preacher’s daughter,” Isaac murmured to Matt, ruffling his hair until he batted away Isaac’s hand.
“Knock it off. It doesn’t matter.” Matt released my hand and retreated from our circle, joining some of his baseball buddies in the grass along the north side of the pristine white church with a gold steeple.
Matt was a pitcher, a basketball point guard, the homecoming king, and most likely to be valedictorian at our upcoming graduation.
My parents adored him because he never kept me out past curfew and always made it to church on time. He had no intention of doing more than kissing me or holding my hand, and he rarely used inappropriate language, even when adults were nowhere in earshot.
Matthew Cory was a true disciple and a real catch. I knew it, and so did everyone else.
While my parents were being pulled in the opposite direction to shake a few more hands, Gabby followed Eve to the car. Before I could move, Violet and Wesley stepped aside to visit with the Vanderleests, leaving me alone with Isaac and his wandering gaze.
“You grew up,” he said while scratching his jaw.
I buttoned my cardigan with fumbling fingers. “You’ve been gone for six years; what did you expect?”
Wetting his lips, he slowly shook his head. “I don’t know, but not this.”
Embarrassment crawled up my neck in waves of stifling heat. “How was your Cadbury egg?” It wasn’t much of a comeback, but it was all I had.
“Sweet, warm, and moist. Just how I like things,” he said.
I couldn’t decide if the Army failed to help Isaac grow up or if he grew up too much. Where did sexually suggestive language fall on the spectrum of maturity?
“Funny,” I said, faking a confident grin.
“Are you and PC getting married? I bet our parents would love that.”
“PC?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Perfect Child,” Isaac replied with a wink.
I ignored his nickname for Matt, except for an eye roll before clearing my throat. “We’re still in high school. I don’t think anyone’s talking about getting married.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Our parents had dropped plenty of hints.
“We could be family,” Isaac said. “Wouldn’t that be interesting?”
“Interesting” was an interesting word, especially given how Isaac smirked.
“Hey, Sarah, want to go to Joanna’s house later? Her parents will be gone for the evening,” Heather said, looping her arm around mine and pretending to ignore Isaac.
But she was far from ignoring him, and Heather knew I wasn’t allowed to be at a friend’s house if their parents weren’t there. She also knew that we’d had matching crushes on Isaac Cory as preteens who didn’t know better.