Chapter 24 #2
“That’s okay. Sorry. I’ve never even had a boyfriend before, I’m not exactly girlfriend material.”
She giggled again and leaned closely. “Me neither.”
She shook her head with an amused expression and we both turned our heads at the sound of the jazz music abruptly stopping. Ms. Agrip, the manager of the facility, stood at the front of the room and called everyone’s attention.
“Today we celebrate the precious lives of each of our guests, whose warm bed and meals are all made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors. With the weather turning to winter, it is an especially important time for our found family here within these walls and we are honored to share this special meal with the Reformation Church and Reverend Kit Walsh.”
Ms. Agrip motioned with a big smile toward the entrance as the room broke into applause.
I turned my gaze to the doorway where the Walsh family stood.
I waited for some sort of power to radiate from him, something to give me a sense in my gut that this man was evil, but as he slowly made his way to the front of the room with a broad smile on his face, I felt nothing.
His smile felt genuine and the soft shoulder pats he gave to several women that greeted him on the way were nothing but sincere and gentle. Even his wife was the picture of sincerity, embracing Ms. Agrip in a hug, speaking softly in her ear and causing her to laugh.
I finally fixed my eyes on Theodore. Despite being objectively handsome, Theodore didn’t carry himself with a look of haughty disdain. He removed his suit jacket, placed it on the back of an empty chair and immediately began rolling up his sleeves.
I felt kind of bad. Carlos wanted me to deceive these people, wanted me to marry into this family for his own person gains, well, and those of the Los Siete Empire, and them seemed so innocuous, so…
pure. Would they really be corruptible? Would they really bend to Carlos’s ways when they, as Christians, were supposed to have a strong moral and ethical compass?
I watched closely as Theodore approached one of the staff members, smiling and touching her arm as he asked her something I was too far away to hear. Theodore followed her behind the door that led to the kitchen. Kit Walsh began speaking and I leaned over to Kelsey.
“Heading to the bathroom.”
She nodded, not taking her eyes away from Reverend Kit Walsh as he addressed the room rambling about humility and gratitude.
Using the main entrance down the hall, I slipped into the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when they both looked up.
Theodore and a woman I knew worked in the kitchen paused their actions to scan me up and down inquisitively.
“Did you need something?”
“Um,” I cleared my throat, glancing over at Theodore before smiling at the staff member. “Just came to see if you needed an extra pair of hands.”
“Yes, thank you,” she gushed. “There was an issue with one of the catering deliveries and I need to go—well, never mind, you don’t need an explanation. Can you help Mr. Walsh? He’ll explain what I need done.”
“Of course,” I nodded with another smile, and she quickly untied her apron and handed it to me.
“If you need anything, go find Ms. Agrip in the dining hall.”
We both nodded. She hesitated like she was about to say something else but shook her head and rushed out of the room. I stared down at the apron in my hands, my heart pounding against my rib cage with nerves. I was alone in the room with a man I didn’t trust but needed to act like I did.
“Hi. I’m Theo. What’s your name?”
I glanced up, noticing his gaze and quickly put the apron on as a distraction. “Olivia.”
“Well, come on then, Olivia. Veggies aren’t going to chop themselves.”
My stomach flipped and I let out a silent deep breath before crossing the room to take the now empty prep station across from him. Theo pushed a box of gloves at me, and I grabbed a pair, hoping he couldn’t tell how shaky my hands were.
“Escaping the crowd?” He suddenly asked, making me jump. He chuckled softly probably at my reaction and continued. “Sorry, I just could tell you’re an introvert like me.”
“Oh. Right.”
I closed my eyes and rolled them to myself for how fucking disastrous this meeting was going already.
I chewed on my cheek, letting the pain of it distract me while I picked up the knife and began chopping a carrot into large sections like the pile beside the cutting board.
We worked in silence for several minutes, nothing but the sound of the vegetables snapping and the knife hitting our cutting boards, with the distant chatter from the other room.
“How long have you been staying here?”
I was startled by the question but was glad he was going to lead a conversation because I was too much of a fucking coward to do it.
“Um, just a couple days.”
“And are you liking it here so far?”
I nodded, stilling my knife to glance up at him. His blue eyes met mine and his lips pulled down into a frown.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you, Olivia. Can I get you a tissue or a glass of water?”
“No, sorry. I’m fine. I’m not upset. Um…my eyes are just permanently like this.”
I watched as his brow furrowed with thought and he set his knife down, leaning forward slightly into my personal space. He shook his head, pursing his lips before picking his knife back up.
“You’re probably sick of people asking you about your eyes.”
“Maybe a little,” I laughed. “But I won’t hold it against you.”
“Is that why you’re hiding here in the kitchen?”
“Maybe. What about you? I didn’t expect to see you in the kitchen.”
He laughed, the sound deep and fitting to his polished exterior.
“Why? Because I’m a man?”
“Well, yes. Shouldn’t you be out there,” I motioned to the dining hall.
He laughed harder this time, his hand resting against his flat abdomen.
“You sound like my father,” he said when he’d finished. “Women in the kitchen, men at the office.”
I furrowed my brows, “You don’t agree?”
“I agree with the principle, but I don’t think it’s so black and white.”
“Hm. So, what exactly do you think is the role of men and women in a relationship?”
We both resumed chopping before he answered.
“Well, for starters, I think the man’s responsibility is to take care of his family.
That means working, not only outside the home, but also performing any tasks that need doing.
When I’m married, if my wife needs help in the kitchen or cleaning up after our children then it’s my responsibility to assist. I’ll take care of my family in whatever capacity is needed. ”
I didn’t know how to respond. His views were nothing like what I had expected them to be, and I wasn’t sure what the right move was.
“It’s not often I render women speechless,” he said with a smirk.
I bit my lip, focusing on moving the carrots to a baking sheet, but I could feel myself blushing involuntarily. He finished spreading his pile of cut potatoes onto a baking sheet and leaned against the tabletop, his forearms bulging against the tightly rolled sleeves of his white button down.
“So, tell me Olivia. What’s your story? What’s a young and beautiful lady like yourself doing here in a shelter?”
Fucking hell. This man was really laying the charm on thick.
“It’s not exactly small talk worthy. But if you really want to know I’ll tell you.”
“I do,” he said seriously, holding my gaze.
“There was a house fire. That’s how my eyes became…well, like they are now. My family didn’t survive,” I paused, looking away. Fuck me, I’m fucking this all up.
“And you didn’t have any other family or friends to go to?”
I shook my head, staring down at the tabletop. “I’ve just been bouncing between friends and shelters since July.”
I flinched when his hands landed on top of mine and he squeezed. My stomach flipped with uneasiness, and I forced myself not to peel my hands away. I glanced back up to meet his gaze and gave him a small smile.
This was my shot. My chance to feed him my sob-story, the one they’d sworn would give me an invitation to the church.
“I miss them. I miss having a family that guides me and supports me. I just feel so lost…” I looked away, chewing on my lip. Fuck, did that sound rehearsed? I internally cringed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overshare.”
“No, please. Don’t apologize. I’m glad you shared that with me. I think maybe I can help you. Our church community is strong and like one big family. I really feel like you might fit in there. Are you…are you a Christian, Olivia?”
I shook my head, “Well, I was never baptized but I believe there is a God. My parents just didn’t take us to church very often.”
He gave me a smile that made his eyes light up.
“Our church meets on Wednesday nights for a family supper of sorts. My brother and his wife are hosting me this week. You should come and check it out. I think you would really enjoy being around a welcoming church family.”
I licked my lips in thought, and he squeezed my hands again. This was too fucking easy. Was God finally giving me a reprieve?
“Okay, um, if you’re sure I won’t be intruding.”
“Definitely not,” he said with conviction. “You will be most welcome.”
I nodded. “I’ll have to figure out how to get there. Could you write down the address?”
“No need, Olivia. I’ll pick you up at four. Here,” he paused to grab a card from his wallet in his back pocket. “Just in case you need to reach me. That’s my personal cell on the bottom. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything at all.”
I tried to hide my smile and nodded. He released my other hand and took both trays to put them in the oven.
With his back to me, I shook out my hands and quickly wiped them on my pants.
“Um, Theo?”
“Yes?” He asked, turning around expectantly.
“What’s the dress code? I want to make a good impression.”
He smiled, quickly scanning me from head to toe.
“Come as you are. It’s casual.”
I nodded and thanked him for the invitation. Ms. Agrip suddenly entered with Reverend Kit and his wife.
“There you are, Theodore. What are you doing back here?” Kit Walsh’s voice was level as he flicked his gaze between me and his son.
“There was a mishap with the catering, and Olivia and I volunteered to help finish some food prep while staff sorted out the problem.”
“I see,” he said, clearing his throat and smiling. “That’s very generous of you, son. Ms. Agrip, my wife would be happy to step in for my son here and assist you in whatever capacity you need.”
“Yes, of course. Olivia, was it?”
I nodded at Mrs. Walsh as she walked past me and shooed Theo away.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Olivia.”
I met Theodore’s bright eyes and smiled with a nod before his father swept him away from the kitchen.
Fucking hell.
“So, Olivia, what can I do to help?” Mrs. Walsh’s perfume was so thick and sweet I forced myself to breathe through my mouth.
“We’re waiting on the vegetables in the oven. But it looks like everything else still needs to be dished onto the serving platters.”
She adjusted the apron Theo had been wearing before grabbing a pair of gloves and beginning to scoop the massive pot of mashed potatoes onto a serving platter.
Olivia filled the silence with small talk, asking similar questions to Theodore and she too invited me. Only her invitation was to their church on Sunday.
“That sounds lovely, thank you. Theo actually invited me to a small group?” I raised a brow at her, unsure of what it was called.
Her brows rose with surprise, but she quickly covered her shock with a smile. “Did he? Well, um, yes. We have weekly small group worships with our church family. You must have made quite the impression, dear. We don’t usually invite people to our property unless they are a member of our church.”
I wrung my hands. Shit. Was this bad?
“That’s not to say that we’re discriminatory,” she added at my lack of response. “It’s just a surprise is all. I’m delighted to hear that you’ll be able to enjoy an evening studying The Word.”
I nodded, looking up to give her a smile. “Thank you.”
I sighed silently with relief when the woman returned to the kitchen and excused me back to the party.