Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
“A re you sure I can’t get you something to drink? We have tea and coffee, or if you prefer something cold, there’s iced tea or soda.”
Rayna used the wrench to make one final turn on the pipe before sliding out from under the sink. She climbed to her feet and dropped the wrench in her toolkit as she smiled at the pretty church secretary. “I’m finished, actually.”
“Oh, really? That didn’t take long at all.” The secretary gave her a pleased look.
“Just a small leak that replacing a section of the pipe solved the issue,” Rayna said.
“Great, well, thank you so much. If you want to give me your invoice, I’ll get it to our accountant for payment.”
“Sure.” Rayna studied the secretary, her gaze dropping to the woman’s bare left hand before deciding to go for it. They needed more bachelorettes, and Zuri had been handling the lion’s share of the work to find them. It was time for Rayna to do her part.
“Hey, uh, Nora, was it?” Rayna asked.
“Nola,” the receptionist said.
“Right. Nola. Sorry. Weird question, but are you single?”
Nola blinked at her, one hand reaching up to clutch the neckline of her cardigan together. She looked to be about Rayna’s age and was very pretty, but she certainly dressed the part of a church secretary with her dowdy cardigan, ankle-length skirt, and a shirt that buttoned up to her neck.
Oh, please, like you’re any fashion expert, girl.
Her inner voice made a good point, but while Rayna didn’t have a clue what the latest fashions were, she also didn’t dress like she was sixty-five years old.
Unkind.
Seriously unkind, and Rayna inwardly scolded herself fiercely as Nola said, “Um, why?”
“I run an animal rescue called Little Whiskers Rescue,” Rayna said.
“I know,” Nola said. “You helped one of our parishioners, Mrs. Garrety, find a new home for her cat when she had to go into assisted living last year.”
“Ah, okay. Well, anyway, we do fundraisers throughout the year, and one of the fundraisers we’re doing this year is a bachelor/bachelorette auction, and we’re looking for a few more bachelorettes.”
Nola’s hand tightened on her cardigan. “You want me to be a bachelorette?”
“Yes,” Rayna said.
“But why?” Nola looked herself up and down. “I look…bad. No one would bid on me.”
More guilt rushed through Rayna, and she said, “You’re gorgeous, and you’d have so many bids.”
“What…uh, what happens if someone bids on you?” Nola asked.
“They win a date with you. What you do on the date is up to you. If you decide to do this, I’ll get you in touch with Zuri, who’s running the auction. She’ll get all of your pertinent information, and you can let her know what you’re offering as a date activity.”
“Date activity,” Nola repeated.
“That’s right. For example, one of our bachelorettes is offering a dinner at The Gilded Fork.”
Nola’s eyes widened. “That place is, um, kind of expensive.”
“It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy,” Rayna said hurriedly. “Another bachelorette is offering a homemade dinner and a beginner lesson in whittling.”
“Whittling,” Nola said.
“I know, right? Wild. Anyway, your date can be anything you want it to be,” Rayna said. “When it’s your turn, Zuri will announce your date night plan and if a guy or… girl?”
“Uh… I’m into guys,” Nola said, her face turning pink.
“Okay. If a guy is interested, he’ll bid on you.”
“I don’t really have anything to offer,” Nola said. “I’m a very boring person.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Rayna said. “Why don’t I give you my card, and if you’re interested in participating in the auction fundraiser, you can text me and -”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Nola’s face paled, and she took a step back from Rayna as a man with silver hair and a fat belly stepped into the kitchen. He wore a navy blue shirt that had to work hard to stretch across his stomach, and a white strip of paper was tucked into his collar. He stared furiously at Rayna. “I am paying you to fix the pipes, not to encourage my daughter to model your whorish ways.”
“Daddy!” Nola gasped.
Rayna stared steadily at him. “It’s actually the church who’s paying me, not you, isn’t that right, Reverend?”
The pastor’s face turned bright red, and he huffed out a snort. “Expect me to be speaking to your supervisor about your attitude, Miss…?”
“Abrams,” Rayna said. “Rayna Abrams. That’s Rayna with a y. I’ll write my boss’s number on the invoice so you can call him.”
His nostrils flaring, the pastor gripped Nola’s arm. “See that you do, Miss Abrams.”
He stared at his daughter. “What will Abraham say when he finds out you offered yourself up like a common whore?”
Nola looked like she was about to cry. “I wasn’t going to participate in the bachelorette auction, Daddy. I swear. Please don’t mention this to Abraham.”
“Actions have consequences, and Abraham deserves to know how easily his future wife was tempted by sin. Come to my office once you’ve escorted Miss Abrams from the building, and we will pray for God’s forgiveness for your sins.”
“I took the afternoon off today. Remember?” Nola said timidly. “I’m meeting Sarah for lunch and then helping her paint the nursery. I won’t be home until dinner.”
Her father made a loud snort. “If you would rather spend your afternoon in leisure rather than hard work, that’s your choice, I suppose.”
“Painting a nursery isn’t exactly an afternoon of leisure,” Rayna said.
The pastor looked like his head might pop off the top of his neck like an overripe tomato. “Mind your business! Nola, pay Miss Abrams and make sure she leaves her boss’s number with you.”
Nola cringed as her father stormed out of the kitchen. There was a moment of awkward silence before Nola, looking like she was about three seconds from crying, said, “I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Rayna said.
“I should have told you right away that I had a boyfriend,” Nola said.
“No big deal,” Rayna said. “So, you’re engaged?”
“No,” Nola said quickly. “I mean, we will be, eventually… we’re very committed to each other, but Abraham hasn’t proposed yet.”
“Okay,” Rayna said.
“There was another moment of awkwardness before Rayna said, “I’ll get you that invoice and clean up my tools so you can get out of here. Sound good?”
“Yes,” Nola said. “Thank you, Miss Abrams.”
“Call me Rayna.”
* * *
Rayna stopped the van at the end of the church’s long driveway and blew on her hands as she waited for the traffic to clear. Christ, her work van’s heater was on its last legs, and if Doug didn’t approve the work order to get it fixed soon, Rayna would go on damn strike.
You’ll be lucky you don’t get fired once that asshole pastor talks to Doug.
Rayna snorted and cranked the useless heater up another few degrees. Despite his inability to approve a work order in a timely manner, Doug was a damn good boss who wouldn’t give one shit about the pastor’s little temper tantrum. Of course, it also helped that Doug was an animal lover and his wife, Judy, was one of Rayna’s most dedicated volunteers at the rescue. Finding out Rayna was trying to recruit people to her auction for the rescue during working hours wouldn’t even be a blip on Doug’s no bullshit at work policy.
She blew on her hands again before her gaze landed on Nola standing on the sidewalk in front of the church. She stood next to a bus stop sign, and despite being dressed warmly in a thick winter jacket with a knitted hat and mittens, Rayna could see her shivering wildly. The snow had finally stopped, but a bitterly cold wind blew.
Not surprised at all that the asshole pastor wouldn’t give his daughter a ride, Rayna pulled out onto the street and stopped in front of Nola. She buzzed down the passenger window and leaned over. “Hey, you want a ride?”
Nola blinked at her. “What?”
“Where are you going for lunch?” Rayna asked.
“Nan’s Diner,” Nola said, before looking away.
“Well, hop in. I’m driving right past it.”
“Oh no, that’s okay,” Nola said. “I don’t want to trouble you.”
“It’s no trouble,” Rayna said. “C’mon, it’s better than freezing your ass… uh, I mean butt off waiting for the bus, right?”
Nola hesitated a moment longer before suddenly yanking open the door and climbing into the passenger seat.
Rayna rolled up the window as Nola clicked her seatbelt into place and smiled at her. “Thank you so much, Miss Abrams.”
“It’s Rayna, and you’re welcome. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure my work van is that much warmer than outside. The heater is on its last legs.”
She pulled back out onto the street as Nola gave her a smile that lit up her face and turned her pretty features into something strikingly beautiful. “This is much better than waiting for the bus. Thank you.”