Thirty and a Half Excuses by Denise Grover Swank

she’d said slipped in. “ Oh .” No, she was wrong. “Mason and I are just friends.”
    She laughed. “That’s how it starts. Then the next thing you know…” She walked outside, leaving her sentence unfinished.
    Just minutes ago, she had hurt me for sport. Was this comment any different? When had she become this person? Where was the loving, supportive person who would have done anything to protect me?
    Watching her through the window as she returned to her customer, all sweetness and sugar, I wondered again if I knew her at all.

Chapter Eight
    When I got back to the church, I was surprised by how much progress Bruce Wayne and David had made. They were about finished with digging up the weeds and turning over the soil. I’d brought them deli sandwiches, chips, and lemonade, and they sat under the shade of a mimosa tree to eat their lunch and enjoy the breeze that had kicked up.
    I took advantage of some time alone. I grabbed a shovel and finished turning over the ground before we added fertilizer and planted the flowers.
    “I see you’re hard at work. I thought that was what those boys were here for.”
    I jumped at the sound of Jonah Pruitt’s voice and spun around to face him. “Reverend Jonah. You caught me by surprise.”
    “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. You were very intent on your job.”
    “Oh, I love working with the dirt and plants.”
    “Nothin’ wrong with being one with God’s creation.”
    That was one way to put it. “Yeah.”
    “I noticed your necklace this morning.” He pointed to the base of my throat where the cross laid. “You weren’t wearing it yesterday. I hope this means you’re considering coming to church on Sunday.”
    I reached up and grabbed the crucifix self-consciously. What was I going to tell him? Thankfully, he plunged on without waiting for an answer.
    “The boys made tremendous progress,” Jonah said. “I had to force them to take a water break a little while ago.”
    “Bruce Wayne is determined to do a good job.”
    “I can tell,” Jonah cast a glance at the guys under the tree before turning back to me. “I found his desire to impress you rather curious. It didn’t seem to be something as innocent as a crush.”
    I wasn’t sure why his announcement ticked me off so much. Perhaps because Bruce Wayne’s motivations weren’t any of Reverend Jonah Pruitt’s business.
    “I can see I’ve upset you, Rose. That wasn’t my intention.”
    I exhaled, trying to keep my cool.
    “It’s my business to know what makes people tick.” He paused. “I know it seems nosy, but that’s how I figure out what people need.”
    “I’m not sure why you care what his reasons—”
    Jonah’s voice lowered. “Rose, a pastor takes care of his flock. To do that, I have to know how they’re hurting. Otherwise how can I heal them?”
    “With all due respect, Jonah, isn’t it the Lord’s job to heal them? And technically neither of us are part of your flock.”
    To my surprise, he laughed. “You are like a breath of fresh air, Rose Gardner, just sayin’ what you think.”
    I wasn’t so sure about that.
    He sobered. “I know about your connection to Bruce Wayne Decker.”
    My chest tightened. “What does that mean?”
    “I know you were responsible for getting the murder charges against him dropped.”
    I felt like my privacy had been invaded, but I wasn’t sure why. It was public knowledge. Jonah had moved his church to Henryetta at about the time of Bruce Wayne’s trial. For all I knew, he remembered the trial. But it was far more likely he’d been snooping.
    Jonah sensed my train of thought. “Rhonda made the connection. I swear I wasn’t prying. But I confess that I did do a bit of investigation after I found out.”
    I spun to fiddle with the shovel some more.
    “Can you tell me why you did it?” He asked, his voice softer and more anxious than I’d expected. “You were put in jail for trying to prove his charges should be dropped. What convinced