looking into his eyes. “Jack, Jack Kirtz. I met you on the beach in San Diego.”
That jogged Millicent’s memory. It had been several weeks; she was surprised he remembered her name. She took a step back, then stopped herself from giving him a head-to-toe once over. On the beach that day, he’d worn casual slacks with a large pullover. He looked quite different in workout clothes! “Pastor Kirtz?” she asked.
“Only if you insist,” he replied in a friendly manner, grabbing the towel around his neck with both hands. “For you, I’d prefer Jack.”
Millicent was immediately on the defensive. “Why for me?”
“I don’t know,” Jack countered easily. “I’m casual like that, I guess.”
What did that mean? She didn’t know why Jack made her uncomfortable, but he did. The pastor title, maybe? If he’d been a regular guy, she may have been attracted. As uneasy as she felt, she’d checked, and found, no wedding ring. She stared around him.
To her dismay, he turned and started walking beside her. “You come here often?”
Millicent started to lie but knew that could backfire, so she told the truth. “I just joined but yes, I’m here three to four times a week.”
Jack whistled. “That’s commitment.” He refrained from blurting out what he was thinking: and boy does it show! He appreciated her lean, toned body with long waist and legs. Something about Millicent turned him on, ever since he’d seen her gazing out over the beach, a myriad of emotions playing across her face. The feeling hadn’t diminished as she’d tried to brush him off at the sidewalk café. In fact, that had for some reason or other intensified his interest. “The offer I made you to visit our church, Open Arms, still stands,” he said as they reached the parking lot.
“Thank you,” Millicent said. She’d reached her Infiniti.
He stepped in front of her to open the door. “I’d really like to see you there,” Jack continued. “Our church can use more women like you.”
“You don’t even know me,” Millicent said flippantly, moving to get into her car.
“I don’t, but God does,” Jack replied. And with a wink, he was off.
Millicent watched Jack stride over to the fitness center entrance. His body was lean, calf muscles pronounced, buns tight. At the door to the club, he stopped and turned around. Millicent hurriedly closed the door and started the car, embarrassed he had caught her staring. That’s the last thing I need. She further comforted herself with the fact that she’d thrown away his business card. She didn’t even know where the church was. But the image of tight buns and friendly blue eyes stayed with her all afternoon.
13
Personal Matters
Cy sat back in Derrick’s well-appointed pastor’s suite. It was April, two months after the wedding, but it was still taking him a while to get back in the groove after his honeymoon. In fact, a part of him hadn’t wanted to return to Kingdom Citizens at all. It wasn’t the church itself. He enjoyed his role as associate minister and financial advisor. And he loved the brother on the other side of the desk, appreciated Derrick’s spiritual depth and biblical intellect. It wasn’t even the fact that this is where, almost a year later, he was still the brunt of “Millie gone mad” jokes regarding the Millicent debacle.
No, it wasn’t any of those things. It was Hope. She’d reinvigorated him in ways he couldn’t have imagined. He’d found his niche in California, found a wonderful spiritual family in Kingdom Citizens. But now he wanted something more, something different. The time he’d spent in the Cayman Islands had revived his love of travel, his desire to see every inch of the planet and make it a better place to live. Hope was just as adventurous, told him she’d be glad to traipse through the jungles of Africa, ride a rickshaw in China, or gaze upon the Taj Mahal. She’d not been able to travel as he had, and he wanted to be the one to
That jogged Millicent’s memory. It had been several weeks; she was surprised he remembered her name. She took a step back, then stopped herself from giving him a head-to-toe once over. On the beach that day, he’d worn casual slacks with a large pullover. He looked quite different in workout clothes! “Pastor Kirtz?” she asked.
“Only if you insist,” he replied in a friendly manner, grabbing the towel around his neck with both hands. “For you, I’d prefer Jack.”
Millicent was immediately on the defensive. “Why for me?”
“I don’t know,” Jack countered easily. “I’m casual like that, I guess.”
What did that mean? She didn’t know why Jack made her uncomfortable, but he did. The pastor title, maybe? If he’d been a regular guy, she may have been attracted. As uneasy as she felt, she’d checked, and found, no wedding ring. She stared around him.
To her dismay, he turned and started walking beside her. “You come here often?”
Millicent started to lie but knew that could backfire, so she told the truth. “I just joined but yes, I’m here three to four times a week.”
Jack whistled. “That’s commitment.” He refrained from blurting out what he was thinking: and boy does it show! He appreciated her lean, toned body with long waist and legs. Something about Millicent turned him on, ever since he’d seen her gazing out over the beach, a myriad of emotions playing across her face. The feeling hadn’t diminished as she’d tried to brush him off at the sidewalk café. In fact, that had for some reason or other intensified his interest. “The offer I made you to visit our church, Open Arms, still stands,” he said as they reached the parking lot.
“Thank you,” Millicent said. She’d reached her Infiniti.
He stepped in front of her to open the door. “I’d really like to see you there,” Jack continued. “Our church can use more women like you.”
“You don’t even know me,” Millicent said flippantly, moving to get into her car.
“I don’t, but God does,” Jack replied. And with a wink, he was off.
Millicent watched Jack stride over to the fitness center entrance. His body was lean, calf muscles pronounced, buns tight. At the door to the club, he stopped and turned around. Millicent hurriedly closed the door and started the car, embarrassed he had caught her staring. That’s the last thing I need. She further comforted herself with the fact that she’d thrown away his business card. She didn’t even know where the church was. But the image of tight buns and friendly blue eyes stayed with her all afternoon.
13
Personal Matters
Cy sat back in Derrick’s well-appointed pastor’s suite. It was April, two months after the wedding, but it was still taking him a while to get back in the groove after his honeymoon. In fact, a part of him hadn’t wanted to return to Kingdom Citizens at all. It wasn’t the church itself. He enjoyed his role as associate minister and financial advisor. And he loved the brother on the other side of the desk, appreciated Derrick’s spiritual depth and biblical intellect. It wasn’t even the fact that this is where, almost a year later, he was still the brunt of “Millie gone mad” jokes regarding the Millicent debacle.
No, it wasn’t any of those things. It was Hope. She’d reinvigorated him in ways he couldn’t have imagined. He’d found his niche in California, found a wonderful spiritual family in Kingdom Citizens. But now he wanted something more, something different. The time he’d spent in the Cayman Islands had revived his love of travel, his desire to see every inch of the planet and make it a better place to live. Hope was just as adventurous, told him she’d be glad to traipse through the jungles of Africa, ride a rickshaw in China, or gaze upon the Taj Mahal. She’d not been able to travel as he had, and he wanted to be the one to
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