First (Wrong) Impressions: A Modern Pride & Prejudice by Krista D Ball Page A
Authors: Krista D Ball
Ads: Link
handshake firm. “You should be very proud of yourself.”
“Thank you.”
He looked at the donations, gave a little smile, and walked out. Lizzy watched him go.
Luke turned to Charles. “Want to help us unwrap our gifts?”
“I’d love to!”
And so the three settled down to unwrap what turned out to be over ten grand in useful, needed donations—which would grace the new kitchen perfectly.
A new kitchen!
Chapter 11
October 8
Thursday turned out to be a rather huge day.
It started with the merger announcement between The Faith and Calgary’s Lighthouse of Hope. Lizzy enjoyed The Faith’s independence, but even she had to admit that combining forces with another agency in the province was good business and an excellent use of limited resources. The Faith didn’t have an accountant on staff; Ed did their books and then they hired a firm to look after everything. The Lighthouse had someone on staff who could take over, thereby saving money and, incidentally, Ed’s sanity.
And because The Faith had three executives—Lizzy, Luke, and Melissa—they were able to offer more assistance and leadership to the Lighthouse, who only had an Executive Director and a bunch of part-timers and volunteers. Melissa would retain control over The Faith for the time being, too, which suited Lizzy just fine.
Then, Pastor Liam Collins pranced into The Faith promptly at eleven. Lizzy was only there to introduce herself and catch up on a pile of paperwork before George Wickham arrived. She hated coming in before noon, but had to catch a glimpse of this new pastor of theirs.
Pastor Liam seemed short for a man, but maybe that was because Lizzy had been around Luke, Darcy, and Charles and had grown used to craning her neck. He sported khakis, a black turtleneck, an Argyll-pattered sweater, and comfortable shoes. He had thick, black glasses that made Lizzy wonder if they were meant for fashion as opposed to function. His brown hair was cropped tight, but still stylish somehow.
“Luke, I am so very happy to meet you! And you, Melissa. Oh, and you must be Elizabeth,” he said by way of introduction and continued before anyone could reply, “I am absolutely thrilled with being able to work here for the next month. How God lays things out for us, so that His work can be achieved to the greatest advantage. When Catherine de Bourgh, my main patron for God’s Refuge in Vancouver, announced that we needed to close for two months to fix the foundations in the new building, I was devastated. How would I help the good and noble people that are in need of a hot meal and God’s love, I asked? Let’s also not forget the small things, such as paying my rent, which I assure you is not cheap in a city like Vancouver.”
He took a breath.
“But then! God and Catherine de Bourgh smiled upon me. The foundation would continue to pay my salary, even though I wasn’t working, allowing me the time to come home to visit my parents. Then, arriving here and discovering that you good people needed assistance! Oh, my blessings are great, indeed, are they not?”
“Indeed they are,” Melissa said, and Lizzy knew her well enough to know that she was teetering dangerously close to laughter, but she had a better poker face than most. Lizzy, for her part, had to look away, pretending to hear something in the kitchen. Luke remained silent, smirking.
Pastor Liam prattled on about his job in Vancouver and the fabulous work his organization was doing. He was very proud of both his position and his humility.
“I’ve been so fortunate to be the pastor of such a forward-thinking church. Just preaching was never what I really wanted to do, as I’ve always wanted to help. Get my hands dirty, you know?”
Luke smiled. “I know.”
“My hands are dirty every time I walk into this building,” Lizzy quipped, which got her a wink from Luke and a reproachful glance from Melissa.
It took Pastor Liam a moment to clue in, but he chuckled, looking around.
“Thank you.”
He looked at the donations, gave a little smile, and walked out. Lizzy watched him go.
Luke turned to Charles. “Want to help us unwrap our gifts?”
“I’d love to!”
And so the three settled down to unwrap what turned out to be over ten grand in useful, needed donations—which would grace the new kitchen perfectly.
A new kitchen!
Chapter 11
October 8
Thursday turned out to be a rather huge day.
It started with the merger announcement between The Faith and Calgary’s Lighthouse of Hope. Lizzy enjoyed The Faith’s independence, but even she had to admit that combining forces with another agency in the province was good business and an excellent use of limited resources. The Faith didn’t have an accountant on staff; Ed did their books and then they hired a firm to look after everything. The Lighthouse had someone on staff who could take over, thereby saving money and, incidentally, Ed’s sanity.
And because The Faith had three executives—Lizzy, Luke, and Melissa—they were able to offer more assistance and leadership to the Lighthouse, who only had an Executive Director and a bunch of part-timers and volunteers. Melissa would retain control over The Faith for the time being, too, which suited Lizzy just fine.
Then, Pastor Liam Collins pranced into The Faith promptly at eleven. Lizzy was only there to introduce herself and catch up on a pile of paperwork before George Wickham arrived. She hated coming in before noon, but had to catch a glimpse of this new pastor of theirs.
Pastor Liam seemed short for a man, but maybe that was because Lizzy had been around Luke, Darcy, and Charles and had grown used to craning her neck. He sported khakis, a black turtleneck, an Argyll-pattered sweater, and comfortable shoes. He had thick, black glasses that made Lizzy wonder if they were meant for fashion as opposed to function. His brown hair was cropped tight, but still stylish somehow.
“Luke, I am so very happy to meet you! And you, Melissa. Oh, and you must be Elizabeth,” he said by way of introduction and continued before anyone could reply, “I am absolutely thrilled with being able to work here for the next month. How God lays things out for us, so that His work can be achieved to the greatest advantage. When Catherine de Bourgh, my main patron for God’s Refuge in Vancouver, announced that we needed to close for two months to fix the foundations in the new building, I was devastated. How would I help the good and noble people that are in need of a hot meal and God’s love, I asked? Let’s also not forget the small things, such as paying my rent, which I assure you is not cheap in a city like Vancouver.”
He took a breath.
“But then! God and Catherine de Bourgh smiled upon me. The foundation would continue to pay my salary, even though I wasn’t working, allowing me the time to come home to visit my parents. Then, arriving here and discovering that you good people needed assistance! Oh, my blessings are great, indeed, are they not?”
“Indeed they are,” Melissa said, and Lizzy knew her well enough to know that she was teetering dangerously close to laughter, but she had a better poker face than most. Lizzy, for her part, had to look away, pretending to hear something in the kitchen. Luke remained silent, smirking.
Pastor Liam prattled on about his job in Vancouver and the fabulous work his organization was doing. He was very proud of both his position and his humility.
“I’ve been so fortunate to be the pastor of such a forward-thinking church. Just preaching was never what I really wanted to do, as I’ve always wanted to help. Get my hands dirty, you know?”
Luke smiled. “I know.”
“My hands are dirty every time I walk into this building,” Lizzy quipped, which got her a wink from Luke and a reproachful glance from Melissa.
It took Pastor Liam a moment to clue in, but he chuckled, looking around.
Similar Books
