“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.
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.”
Evie threw Lucky an angry glance. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means she’s not my type,” Lucky stated, obviously confused by why Evie was becoming angry.
“If she’s a woman, she’s your type,” Evie said snidely.
“That’s not true. I like a particular type of woman. I like—”
“Women who are thinner? Prettier?” Evie was breathing fire at the clueless brother by that point.
“She’s not a slut,” Shade answered with what Lucky was being too polite to say.
“What?” The fire in Evie extinguished.
Shade nodded when Evie turned to him. “He likes sluts. The sluttier, the better.”
Lucky looked pained at Shade’s explanation.
“Willa isn’t a slut,” Lucky answered, damning himself with his own words.
“No, Willa isn’t a slut,” Evie agreed, leaning back in her chair, her shoulders beginning to shake.
“What’s so funny?” Lucky asked, finding the anger Evie had was now lost and believing she was making fun of him.
“How in the hell did you stay celibate for all those years?”
“It wasn’t easy,” Lucky admitted with a smile. “When I see myself settling down, it’s with a woman who’s like Jewell or Bliss.”