by Donna Raider
##
Emily removed her phone from the charger and checked for messages. Except for a text from Ruth, there was nothing. She was about to clear the text when she noticed that a rather large recording was on her phone. Curious, because she hadn’t recorded anything, she played back the recording.
The sheriff sat silently after hearing the recording on her phone. It was the entire conversation between the priest and Amber. Emily knew this recording would totally put Leah’s mind at ease. She debated on whether she should erase the recording and hope that Amber would succeed in breaking up the couple or play the recording for Leah and reassure her that nothing had ever happened between the priest and Amber. She was surprised to find that she was relieved that nothing had ever happened between the priest and Amber. Shoving the phone into her pocket, she headed to the diner.
Leah was sitting in the booth she usually shared with the priest. Mika hadn’t arrived yet, so Emily slid into the seat across from the mayor.
Leah raised her eyebrows and scowled at the sheriff. Emily held up her hands, palms toward Leah, “Just listen to me before you turn me into a rat,” she said with a grimace. “I have something you need to hear.”
The sheriff placed her cell phone in the center of the table and pushed play. Leah’s heart stopped as she identified the voices on the recording as those of Mika and Amber.
Ruth heard the recording and realized it would cement Leah’s faith and trust in the priest. It made her happy. She moved out the back door of the diner and intercepted the priest before she reached the front door.
“Mika,” she called her. “Do you have a minute?”
Mika turned to smile at the attractive brunette. “I always have time for you, Ruth.”
“I…uh…” Ruth searched desperately for some reason she would want to talk with the priest. She needed to stall her so Leah could hear the entire recording. “I-I just wondered if you will be taking confessions today?” she stammered.
“Yes, of course,” Mika answered. “I’m meeting Leah for breakfast and then heading straight to the church. I would be happy to hear…”
“I’m not sure how it all works,” Ruth stalled. “I have never done it before. I understand there’s an entrance from the outside into the confessional. Could you show me where that is?”
Mika glanced toward the front door of the diner then back at Ruth. “Sure.” She led Ruth to the backside of the cathedral, to the walkway through the garden and finally to the door that opened into the confessional. “See, it’s very private and easy.”
As they walked around the church, back in sight of the diner, Ruth saw Emily pull away in her patrol car. "Thank you so much.” Ruth smiled then ran toward the back of the diner.
Leah sat motionless, deep in thought. She felt small, undeserving, and petty. She was ashamed of her jealousy of a woman who was obviously hurting because she, too, loved the priest. Like Amber, Leah wondered why Mika had chosen her. Most of all she wondered who had allowed Mika the choice of the Wicked Queen. Surely, no sane God would have given the priest to her.
The words from the ABBA song, “The Winner Takes It All,” ran through her mind.
As much as she refused to admit it, she knew Mika answered to a higher power than she had ever known. A chill went down her spine as she recalled Emily’s shocked exclamation, “She doesn’t know who you are, does she?”
She had thought that Emily was about to dash her world to dust and crush her in the process when the recording began to play. Then she realized it was Amber’s final words to the priest about her love for her. It was also a heart-rending confirmation of Mika’s love for Leah.
Emily turned off the recording. “I wanted so badly to erase this,” she said, “to leave you thinking there was something between the priest and Amber. Maybe give us another chance.”
Leah’s head snapped up and angry black eyes locked on the blonde’s green ones.
“But I realized I am still the same coward that let you down the first time,” Emily mumbled. “After all, I am the sheriff. How could I stoop so low as to love the Wicked Queen? People, my parents, everyone, expects more of me. I would be ostracized if anyone ever found out about our affair.”
Emily’s words should have stung Leah, but they didn’t. All she could think about was getting to Mika and telling her how much she loved her. The sheriff grabbed her cell phone and stomped out the door. Moments later, Mika walked into the diner, her eyes seeking Leah’s.
Leah was in her arms, covering Mika’s face with kisses, hugging her so tightly that she couldn’t breathe. “I love you, Priest,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear and not caring if they did hear. “I honestly love you.”
“You know, I love you.” Mika smiled, her heart bursting. For the first time, Leah had admitted she loved her.
CHAPTER 11 - The Evil Lurking
Leah looked at the year’s planning calendar on her wall and wondered how October had gotten here so quickly. She smiled when she realized that every day on her calendar had a capital P on it, meaning she’d had an engagement with the priest.
As if to prove a point to herself, she pulled the previous year’s calendar from her desk drawer, unfolded it, and confirmed that every day on it also had a P. She realized that from the very first day Mika strolled through her town, she had been with her. Not a single day in the past eighteen months had gone by without them seeing each other.
She thought of the changes the priest had brought to her town. Mika had restored the cathedral to its former grandeur. She had formed a baseball league for both children and their parents. She had spearheaded the building of the ball fields that were considered the best in the seven-city league. She had been instrumental in bringing home the Winter Solstice Festival’s skating trophy, causing a new interest in the town’s winter skating rink. Several couples were planning to compete this year. Certainly, Richie wanted to try again. With Isaac’s father employed as chief groundskeeper for the cathedral, the family’s money worries had disappeared. Upkeep of the cathedral grounds required a four-man crew.
The priest had brought a long list of things she wanted to initiate in the community, but only if Leah agreed and they could do them together. They had funded a theater for local thespians. Leah had arranged funding for Jacob to get a combination bowling alley/roller skating rink, and she and Mika now bowled on a weekly team.
Membership in the priest’s church had increased to the point that she had been allowed a curate to assist her, Gloria Thomas, a Mika lookalike only a couple of inches shorter. People were always confusing Gloria with Mika.
Mika was also given permission to hire a secretary, an accountant, and a housekeeper. Mika had insisted Leah interview and hire her female employees so she wouldn’t be jealous of them. Leah smiled when she thought about how she had hired Martha, the most impeccable—but homely—housekeeper possible, and Angie, the most efficient and dedicated, but older, secretary she could find.
Overall, the church had been a boon for the town’s economy. The priest had certainly been a boon to her happiness.
She smiled at all the changes the priest had brought about in just eighteen months. For eighteen months, they had struggled with their attraction for one another with no word from the church on whether they could marry. She had decided it didn’t matter. She would take whatever time she could have with Mika however she could have it. As long as she could see her every day, she was happy.
Perhaps the biggest change had been in her. God knows she had learned patience, self-control, and sacrifice. The recent election had handed her the mayor’s office again, but the truly wonderful thing was that she won with ninety-five percent of the vote. Eighteen months ago, she would have been furious that five percent of the ungrateful voters had not voted for her, but today she was thankful for the ninety-five percent.
She chuckled as she recalled Mika insisting on her adhering to the “glass is half full” concept instead of the “glass is half empty” philosophy of her
mother. Her mother—Leah was amazed at how seldom she thought of her past and those that had haunted her nightmares for so many years, before Mika. All the horror of her past seemed to belong to someone else in another life, long, long ago, not Mayor Leah Anthal.
The townspeople treated her with genuine respect and friendship. She and the priest were included in every function, party, and wedding in the parish. Business leaders often visited her office to ask her advice on plans and ideas. Samson had even headed up a Mayor Leah Anthal Appreciation Day, and the City Council had approved it as an annual holiday. Even Delilah had become one of her supporters.
Richie was almost a teenager. Mika had been a wonderful influence on the boy, teaching him sports, skating, hard work, and religion. Yes, religion. Although she had never entered the church once it became consecrated ground, her son was a very active member.
Mika believed that idle hands were the devil’s workshop when it came to teenage boys. She was always looking for some project or activity to keep Richie busy. Leah knew Mika and Richie had been working on a major project for over a year. It was a surprise, they kept telling her whenever she inquired about it.
She hugged herself as she thought about how happy she was. She knew that everything good and wonderful in her life was tied to the astonishing woman she had fallen in love with eighteen months ago. She smiled as she thought of how everyone now called them the town’s power couple daily.
“Hey, pretty lady.” Mika stuck her head around the door. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” She tried to hide her joy at seeing her, but failed miserably and finally added, “But do close and lock the door.”
She was in Mika’s arms before she could step away from the door. Mika looked down at her and smiled. “I thought I would stop by and see if you would join me for lunch. No, the truth is I couldn’t stand another minute without kissing your wonderful lips.”
Mika kissed her gently before pulling her closer and seeking Leah’s tongue with hers. Their tongues danced a slow, languid waltz of taste and desire.
“Whoa, cowboy,” Leah said hoarsely. “We don’t need to go down that road again.”
They both jumped when the priest’s phone rang. “Yes, this is Mika.” Holding the phone to her ear, she leaned down to kiss Leah again. “Yes. Yes, I understand. Thank you for informing me. No. Dinner will be just fine. So, six of you at six.”
A frown wrinkled Mika’s forehead as she spoke to Leah. “The bishop will be here for dinner tonight. He wants to dine with you and me.”
The look of fear in Leah’s eyes made Mika sad. “Don’t worry, Leah. We will dine in the rectory. I never consecrated it.” She wished she knew why Leah shunned consecrated ground.
Relief washed over Leah, and she exhaled slowly. “What can I do? How can I help? I am scared, Mika.”
“How about we discuss this over lunch?” She kissed her again. “You know, I consider my day a total loss if I don’t get to kiss you at least twenty times.”
Leah laughed out loud and relaxed. She knew Mika would handle whatever was about to come their way.
As they walked to the diner, Mika called Martha and informed her of their impending visitors. She told her to do whatever she needed to do to have a nice dinner for their guests. “Bring in your sister and daughter or anyone else you need to help. There will be nine of us dining at the rectory at six. Oh, and Martha, use the best china and silver. Okay?”
She then called Gloria Thomas and invited her to dine with them. Leah knew she had done this to give the young priest an opportunity to make an impression on the bishop.
Amber and Emily were having lunch and greeted them when they entered. Leah arranged for Emily to pick up Richie from school and keep him overnight. Ruth smiled her genuinely friendly smile as she placed their drinks in front of them. “Want to try the special or the usual?” she asked.
“Our usual.” Leah returned her smile.
“I know you are nervous.” Mika took her hands and kissed each of them as a peacefulness spread throughout her body. “The bishop is just another representative of God. And heaven knows you have certainly had experience handling a representative of God.” She grinned as if they shared a secret joke and, in fact, they did. Leah smiled back, her concern washed away by Mika’s calm, soft touch.
“I know nothing of your religion,” she said softly. I don’t even know how to greet him.” I would know how to kill him. Been there, done that, she thought briefly, realizing that once, a long time ago, she had simply destroyed anything that caused her discomfort instead of trying to confront difficulties. She shook her head, clearing the disturbing thoughts that were rearing their ugly heads. She concentrated on what the priest was saying.
“When you greet him, simply say, ‘Your Excellency,’ bow slightly on your left knee, and kiss his ring,” Mika instructed.
“Bow and kiss,” she growled. “I’ve never bowed and kissed anyone’s anything. I’m not about to start now.”
People always bowed to me, she thought. I was the Queen. The feared Wicked Queen. Again, she shook her head, wondering from where these thoughts were coming from. She hadn’t experienced these thoughts in a long time, but then she hadn’t felt threatened in a long time. She wondered if she would always revert to the Wicked Queen when she felt jeopardized.
Mika watched her beautiful face turn dark and menacing. A haughty look of disdain had replaced her usual amiable smile. Her already regal posture seemed to straighten more, almost painfully, and her chin lifted as if everything in the diner was beneath her. The thought flashed through Mika’s mind that Leah looked possessed. The scary thing was that she found her magnificent and incredibly desirable. She knew why those who had known her for a long time often addressed Leah as “Your Majesty.” She looked like a queen.
Jokingly, Mika leaned across the table and kissed her lightly. “A lira for your thoughts, my queen,” she said, much more sensuously than she had intended.
Leah snapped her black eyes to Mika and seemed to come out of a trance. “Oh, I-I…um,” she stammered.
“It’s okay, darling,” Mika assured. “Everything will be okay.”
##
Dinner was a friendly affair, with the bishop congratulating them on the success of the church in their parish. He noted that it was always a tremendous asset to have the parish’s mayor working so closely with the local priest.
After dinner, the bishop, Mika, and Leah moved to the parlor, where Martha had a warm fire burning and sherry set out for them. The rest of the party remained at the table for dessert. Leah served the sherry then sat quietly beside Mika on the sofa.
“I’m sure you know why I am here, Mika,” the bishop said, taking control of the conversation.
Mika nodded.
“You have petitioned the church to marry the woman seated next to you.”
Mika nodded again.
The bishop studied Leah for a long time. He couldn’t help noticing her beauty. She was exquisite. She was obviously well bred and schooled within an inch of her life. Her presence was almost commanding, yet she deferred to him when necessary. She hadn’t kissed his ring, but she had bowed and greeted him properly. Yes! He could see how a woman would trade her soul for a woman like Leah Anthal.
“Do you love Mika Cross?” the bishop finally spoke.
“With all my heart,” Leah answered without thinking, “she is the anchor for my soul.” As the words came from her mouth, Leah knew they were the truth. Without Mika, she would be irredeemably lost.
“Mika, do you love Leah Anthal?”
“Yes, Your Excellency. I have always loved her,” Mika whispered reverently.
The bishop rose from his chair and moved to stand in front of the couple. Taking a hand from each of them, he placed them one on top of the other and then held them between his hands. “I bless you and give you permission to marry,” he said softly, but clearly.
Mika’s heart soared. She knew she could fly if she tried. She fell on her knees
before the bishop and kissed his ring once more. “Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you.” Tears filled her eyes. Mika would have married Leah anyway, but she was glad the church had sanctioned their marriage.
Leah’s heart sank to unknown depths. This wasn’t supposed to happen. How could any church sanction her marriage to anyone, especially a priest? My God! She was the Wicked Queen! Did these people of God know nothing? Did they have no insight, no intuition? Couldn’t they feel the lurking evil of her former self?
After the bishop and his entourage left, Mika led Leah back into the parlor and poured her a glass of sherry. She was ecstatic, but Leah was extremely subdued.
“We can set a date for the wedding,” Mika said, beaming.
“Mika,” Leah caressed her name as it escaped from her lips, “we must talk, but not tonight. I’m too tired and I need to think. Marriage is an irrevocable step.”
“Irrevocable?” Mika whispered in astonishment. “Of course it is. I thought you wanted that.”
Leah watched as disappointment spread across Mika’s lovely face and hurt filled her blue eyes. She loved everything about this woman. It hurt her to cause Mika even a moment’s distress.
Mika knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Leah had gone from being elated, prior to the bishop’s visit, to being morose. She didn’t pressure Leah. “I’ll walk you home,” she said as she helped Leah put on her coat.
A light snow had started to fall. Early this year, Leah thought.
At the door of the mansion, Mika tilted Leah’s head up so she could look into her eyes. “I love you,” she said softly. “I know something is wrong. I don’t know what it is, but we can overcome anything if we are together. Please don’t shut me out.”
Leah parted her lips, inviting a kiss, and Mika complied. She gently moved her soft, full lips against Mika’s, causing her to moan. “That’s what I mean,” she whispered. “I can’t live without this.”
“We don’t have to set a date or anything,” Mika continued. “We can just be engaged for as long as you like, but please don’t take this away from me. We just need to talk.”
