“Any examples?”
Mike thought a moment but couldn’t quickly retrieve a recent instance.
“Uh, the gifts for the house we received when I took the job.”
“That was almost three years ago!”
“That’s not the point. Don’t tell me you believe that nonsense about me becoming like Mrs. Miller’s husband?”
“You have dreams all the time.”
“But they don’t mean anything.”
“Maybe not, but she seemed like a nice old lady, and you treated her like a first-grade child.”
“If you thought I was out of line, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Would it have done any good?”
Mike hesitated. It was time to cool the rhetoric.
“Probably not.”
“That’s the most honest, sincere thing you’ve said in the past fifteen minutes! What a parting platitude—‘Your help comes from the Lord,’” Peg mimicked his voice.
“She agreed with me!” Mike protested, his voice getting louder again.
“But God uses people,” Peg said, pointing at his chest. “I’ve heard you say it many times from the pulpit. God initiates—”
“We respond,” Mike completed the sentence. “But do you really think I should represent this guy?”
Peg held up her hands. “That’s not for me to decide. But the way you cut her off was coldhearted. At supper last night, you made her husband sound like a nut. Why didn’t you mention that he told you about the baby? You’re still enough of a lawyer to recognize relevant information, aren’t you?”
“It didn’t cross my mind. As I was leaving the interview room, he made an off-the-wall comment about Isaac coming to visit us. I didn’t make the connection.”
“Maybe you should have paid more attention.”
Mike responded in a softer voice, “There’s no easy way to explain some of the things Sam Miller said to me, but the real issue is whether I want to represent him. If I did, there could be consequences. I’d need to get approval from the session.”
Peg shrugged. “Tell them it’s a pro bono project for an old man who may be mentally unstable but needs guidance through the court system. What are they going to do? Cut your salary?”
Mike couldn’t suppress a slight smile.
“Don’t you have a meeting with the elders tonight?”
“Yes.”
“You can put together a persuasive argument by then. How much time would you spend on a case like this? Didn’t you think it might be just an error at the bank?”
“Maybe, but you never know. And every conversation with Sam Miller will be twice as long as necessary.”
Peg relaxed against the love seat. “I’m fine with any decision you make so long as you apologize to Muriel Miller the next time you talk to her.”
Mike shook his head. “I always knew you would have been a better lawyer than me.”
Peg leaned forward and patted him on the cheek. “Don’t flatter me. Any woman could do what I do.”
THE ELDERS OF LITTLE CREEK CHURCH MET ON THE SECOND Tuesday of each month. Mike always prepared a written report on the state of the church and the items for discussion and action. He’d learned not to include specific recommendations in his report because a few members of the eight-person group opposed any new ideas merely for the sake of argument. So, Mike adopted a simple strategy. He didn’t offer an opinion on matters under consideration until after the elders tossed out ideas and criticized one another. Then, when someone made a suggestion close to Mike’s opinion, he threw his support behind it and subtly tried to maneuver the final outcome to a desired result. Occasionally, when a better idea came forth, he quickly jettisoned his own idea and praised the person who suggested the better alternative.
Mike usually didn’t go home for supper before the 7:00 p.m. meeting. He kept frozen pizzas in the church refrigerator and put one in the oven shortly after Delores left for the day. While he waited for the pizza to cook, Nathan Goode came into the church kitchen.
“What’s for supper?” Nathan asked. “Pepperoni or meat lover’s?”
“Hawaiian.”
“When did you go Polynesian?”
“It’s the pineapple. I have fresh pieces to put on when it comes out of the oven.”
“Big enough for two? I’ll eat fast and help clean the kitchen before anyone gets here.”
“Sure.”
Nathan rarely came to the session meetings. The music director had a basketful of hassles with the bureaucracy at the high school, and Mike didn’t want to add another layer of officialdom to the young man’s life.