Page 89 of Desert Thorns
A throat cleared, drawing us apart. Father Cruz stood in the entrance with a kerosene lamp and a wide smile on his face.
“Father Cruz.” Kingsley rubbed the back of his neck. As if remembering himself, he took a step forward, hand extended. “Thank you for allowing us to come.”
The abbot gripped it and slapped Kingsley’s shoulder. “I would hug you, but with your back and all . . .”
“Excuses, excuses.” Kingsley grinned.
Warmth enveloped my heart. That they still had such a good relationship wasn’t to be taken for granted. Things could’ve ended on a sour note.
Father Cruz turned to me. “It’s good to see you again, Harley.”
“You, too.” I returned his smile and slight nod.
“Before we go inside,” he said to Kingsley, “I want you to know that Brother Matthew is no longer part of our community. He confessed everything. I can’t have monks or priests here who are confused about their feelings. Not when we have kids and teens around all the time.”
Kingsley nodded. “How did he take it?”
“He agreed, although I could tell it was hard on him.”
What had I missed? Clearly something big.
Father Cruz gestured at the monastery. “Let’s go inside. The others are eagerly awaiting you.”
Sensing Kingsley slipping back into his rigidness, I squeezed his hand as we followed Father Cruz through the monastery’s main entrance. He squeezed back.
Four monks plus Father Andrew stood outside the main building.
“What did Brother Matthew do?” I whispered to Kingsley as we approached them.
His jaw hardened. “He had feelings. For me.”
“Oh.”
“He . . . tried to kiss me.”
My jaw practically dropped to my chest. “Wow! Okay . . . I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Trust me, I didn’t either.”
What a loss for the community, though. I felt like Brother Matthew had brought a lot of joy and color into it.
The monks and Father Andrew gave us a warm welcome, some even cracking jokes. Kingsley’s posture relaxed as he exchanged a few words with them.
“It was good catching up with you guys,” he finally said. “Harley and I have something else to do.”
Father Cruz gave us a nod, then Kingsley escorted me out of the building.
“Where are we going?” I asked when he didn’t head to the entrance, but to the path leading through the field to the woods.
“Patience. C’mon.” He broke into a jog, tugging me with him. Although the moonlight allowed us to see where we were stepping, I struggled to keep up on my block heels.
I laughed. “Why can’t you just tell me?”
“Why can’t you just wait for another five minutes?”
“I’ve already been waiting for a whole hour.”
“Exactly. Waiting for another five minutes is easy-peasy.”
