“No problem. I care about Lily and Beth, too. I don’t want to hurt them. I’ve waited a long time to live my life, but I can get what I need without throwing it in Lily and Beth’s faces.”
“What about Winter?”
“That’s up to Viper.”
Shade nodded his understanding.
“If that’s it, I—”
“It’s not.” Shade stopped him from leaving. “We need to talk about Merrick Patterson.”
Lucky frowned. “What about him?”
“I like to keep track of my enemies. Fortunately, most of mine are six feet under. Unfortunately for you, I became caught up in club business and Lily and let one slip through my fingers.”
“How does this affect me?”
“I have some history with his wife. Pick someone else to take over for you.”
“I can’t; it’s too late,” Lucky told him. “He resigned from his other church, and his wife’s in Atlanta, putting their home up for sale. Besides, Beth and your wife were on the pastor search committee. They hired him.”
“Fuck.” Shade set his beer down on the counter.
“What does it matter? If you fucked his wife, it’s not like you’re going to be in church staring at her every Sunday.”
“I never fucked her. You have no clue of the woman she is. She’s an evil bitch, and that’s being nice referring to her that way. She’s a fucking psycho.”
“I have friends who are, too.”
Shade sighed, ignoring his jab. “This doesn’t only concern me. She’s hurt Evie in the past and will again. She’s dangerous,” Shade warned.
“Dammit.” Lucky went to the refrigerator, taking a beer for himself and opening it. “Shade, it’s too late. Merrick has already moved into the church, and his wife will be there in a week or two. There’s nothing I can do.”
As the men stared silently at each other, Evie came into the kitchen, carrying a laundry basket.#p#分页标题#e#
Shade looked at her curiously. Since when did Evie start doing her laundry during the Friday parties?
Evie, seeing where his eyes were, shrugged. “I need to get caught up with the clothes so I can pack. Penni wants to leave Tuesday.”
Shade took a deep breath. He was going to have to tell her. “Let’s sit down.”
Evie, Lucky, and Shade all sat down at the table.
“This doesn’t seem to be good news.” Evie stared back and forth between him and Lucky.
“It’s not,” Shade said grimly. “You know the pastor taking over for Lucky?”
“He came to the church to do a ‘in view to a call’ sermon, but I didn’t take the time to meet or speak to him directly, so I only vaguely remember him. He was a chaplain who worked with Lucky before I was discharged.”
“That’s right, but there’s something about him that you don’t know. He’s married to Brooke.”
Evie’s face whitened at his words. “You have got to be shittin’ me.”
“I wish I was,” Shade replied grimly.
“She’s my evil twin,” Evie told Lucky.
Shade silently agreed. Truer words had never been spoken.
“I’m sorry, Evie. I didn’t know,” Lucky apologized.
“It’s not your fault,” Evie told him before her face dropped even more. “Crap. I told Lily and Beth I would go to the church tomorrow to meet the pastor.”
“She won’t be there. She’s in Georgia, closing up the sale of their house.”
“Thank God for small miracles. Brooke didn’t come with him when Merrick came for his interview sermon. I overheard Merrick say his wife had wanted to make sure he was given the job before she came to Treepoint. I’ll be leaving on Tuesday, so I can avoid her. When I come back, I’ll find another church to attend. Maybe I’ll try the one Willa’s gone to a few times.”
Lucky frowned. “I wish I knew why she didn’t like me as her pastor.”
“Other than you’re too good-looking for a pastor and single, and she’s really shy?” Evie said, rolling her eyes at Lucky.
“You mean…?”
“That she has a crush on you.”
Shade laughed at the reddish tinge which came to Lucky’s face at Evie’s sarcastic voice.
“I didn’t know.”
“No shit, Sherlock. You’re the only one who didn’t. You’re as blind as Lily was. I think, in both cases, neither one of you wanted to see what was right in front of your face,” Evie said shrewdly.
Lucky stiffened. “I know how women act when they want to attract a man. Hell, she did everything she could to avoid me. It’s not like I would notice, otherwise.”