Page 27 of Glad You're Here

I almost mentioned the secret handshakes Levi drunkenly told me about the night we met but chose to change the subject instead. “What do you guys want to do when you finish your missions?”

“Video game design,” Elder Benton answered immediately.

Elder Smith shot him another disapproving look. “I will do whatever the Lord wants me to do.”

How could one kid hold so much disapproval in his tiny brain? Is that how Levi’s family always looked at him now? I chose to ignore Elder Smith and instead addressed Elder Benton. “Dude, that’s awesome. What sort of games do you like to play?”

“My family and I are all huge Mario nerds. We used to have these March Madness Mario Kart tournaments with our aunts, uncles, and cousins. Even my grandparents would get into it!” Elder Benton lit up for the first time since they’d knocked on my door. His smile was adorable and genuine. It reminded me of Levi’s smile.

Everything reminded me of Levi. Constantly.

The sun could shine, and it would remind me of how Levi stood in the sun while Jo’s kids raced around him in the train museum parking lot. A raindrop could fall, and it would remind me of our fight in the rain outside Dark Horse and how that fiery, passionate moment made me want to kiss him.

The Station reminded me of Levi.

The Durango Inn reminded me of Levi.

My house reminded me of Levi.

Apparently, it was time to move.

“Are you an artist?” Elder Benton blurted out, distracting me from my angry thoughts.

Elder Smith shot him a glare. Holy fucking hell. Someone needed to pull the stick out of that kid’s ass.

I nodded to Elder Benton. “I paint.”

He looked like he wanted to ask more questions but squirmed under his companion’s watchful eyes.

“Do you paint?” I asked as I plated the pasta.

“No.” Elder Benton quickly shook his head and looked down at the table. “My girl—” he sighed, “Ex-girlfriend is an artist.” He glanced at the enchanted forest I’d painted a few years ago. Fairies played in the treetops, and nymphs danced by the sparkling water. A great, dark wolf with glowing yellow eyes lurked in the shadows. Elder Benton finally said, “She would love that painting right there. She’s obsessed with fantasy stories.”

“I prefer the truth,” Elder Smith said, lifting his copy of the Book of Mormon.

I ignored him and addressed Elder Benton again. “Why is she an ex?”

He swallowed and blinked, looking like he was trying to put on a brave face. “Uh, she got engaged to some lucky guy that already got home from his mission.”

Elder Smith made an irritated noise again. “This is exactly why we’re counseled not to steady date until after our missions. Our time on our missions belongs to the Lord. We shouldn’t be distracted by—”

“I’m sorry, dude.” I cut off the asshole as I placed dinner on the table. I looked right into Elder Benton’s kind blue eyes. “That must be hard. How much longer before you can go home?”

He tried to smile but failed. “Sixteen months.”

The poor kid so clearly didn’t want to be here. His heart was back home with the girl he loved. “And you can’t go home early to kick the other guy’s ass?”

This time, Elder Benton managed a full smile. “No.”

I took a bite of pasta, watching Elder Benton.

“We’d like to say a prayer to bless the food.” Elder Smith interjected.

“No,” I shot back without looking at him.

Elder Benton stifled a grin, and Elder Smith gaped at me before bowing his head in silent prayer.

“You know,” I addressed Elder Benton again. “My friend who was Mormon left.” I didn’t elaborate because I remembered Levi’s story about Mormons being angry if you tried too hard to remove their blindfolds. I only wanted to plant a seed for this good kid, to let him know other paths existed.

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