Page 94 of A Surefire Love
“There were pictures online.”
Suspicion needled Anson. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Sure. Lots of things. I aced my algebra test. In band class, Jonah hit Melody in the back of the head with his trombone.” He mimed extending a trombone slider. “Mrs. Ratey was sick, and we had a sub for—”
“About the fire, Dylan.”
“Oh. Then no.”
Someone called Dylan back inside. With a hasty goodbye, he sprinted off.
Anson hefted his equipment bag onto the backseat of his SUV. Shrugging the kink out of his shoulder, he studied the school. Dylan knew something, but Anson wasn’t sure he could find out what without crossing Eric or the leadership board.
34
“Your church is off the rails.”
Blaze looked up from her phone to find David across the table. He wore the all-black of the waitstaff, so he was likely serving in the dining room. She had five minutes left of her break, so she motioned to a chair.
Instead of taking it, he leaned against her tall table and scanned the room as if to supervise those gathered for the Monday night show.
People sat at every table. As she’d made her way to this spot, she overheard at least three conversations about the church. Word of Anson’s dismissal spread right along with every imaginable theory about the fire.
It was no wonder David sought her out. He’d been disappointed when she became a believer. Had even called her a fool when she invited him to church. What was she supposed to say now, when the leadership board had proven to not be as trustworthy as she’d thought?
Then again, maybe David was talking about the fire. “Off the rails? How so?”
He scoffed. “Come on. Even the legendary Anson Marsh can’t make it work? That guy’s been a teacher’s pet and a religious fanatic since the day he got here. If he wasn’t good enough for them, how judgmental are those people?”
Her nose tingled with impending tears. If she admitted the truth—that she couldn’t defend the board’s choice—she’d be a blubbering mess. That’d probably scare David off, but how would that represent Christ to him?
God, help.
“The focus is on being more relevant.” Anson, as confident and immediate as an answer to one of her prayers had ever been, stepped up beside David and set a soda on the table. “Lessfanatical.”
David straightened like a gladiator eyeing a worthy opponent. “Here on a Monday? What’s your ex think of that?”
“Not my priority,” Anson said at the same time as Blaze said, “She’s fine with it.”
Both men turned her way.
Rather than add fuel to the fire, she shrugged. She didn’t mind filling Anson in on her conversation with Sydney, but David had come looking to stir up hard feelings. Best not to give him more ideas. Besides, she wanted to hear what Anson had to say about the church.
“Less fanatical, huh?” David lifted his chin toward Anson.
“That’s my understanding. Maybe you should join us some Sunday.”
“Us? I thought you were fired.” David’s question echoed her own.
“My beliefs haven’t changed. I’m taking a couple weeks off, but once the dust settles, I’m planning to go back. As an attender.”
She gaped. She’d encouraged Anson to lead with grace, but she’d never considered he might return to the same people who’d rejected him. She’d considered leaving herself.
David’s lip curled. “If this place fired me, I would not come back.”
“Maybe not if you only see it as a place to earn a paycheck.” Anson turned his head, scanning the room. “But if you see the people here as family, my guess is you wouldn’t stay away long.” A smirk lifted one side of his mouth. “Unless you got yourself banned on the way out.”
David snorted. “And you didn’t?”
