Bewitching Fire

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  She shouldn’t have been so afraid. Being alone with Devin on a boat out on the open water should have been the best date idea in the world. The water was his element. After all, he loved to fish and this was a chance for her to immerse herself in something that he enjoyed. They could do so much out there and she felt that rush of heat through her body at just the thought of it.

  “Hello, ladies,” she heard from across the table.

  Krystal turned and hoped her skin hadn’t flushed a shade of red that was too noticeable for Father Frank.

  The girls returned his greeting and she couldn’t help but notice that he certainly looked better than he did the morning before when he walked into the coffee shop. The dark circles weren’t hanging around his eyes, and there was a bit of that usual spring in his step. How much zeal did Alexa give him in that cup of coffee?

  “The festival is a real hit this year, isn’t it?” he said, smiling to one of the families passing by the booth. Yep, he got a pretty big dose.

  “It is,” Alexa replied. “Has the pumpkin carving contest started yet?”

  “No,” he said excitedly. “It will soon, though. I’m just waiting for the little ones to pick out their pumpkins. Taylor was so generous to donate this year.”

  Krystal slipped a cup from one of the stacks and prepared his hot chocolate. “She was. She knows how much your events like the pumpkin carving and Trunk-or-Treat help the kids in the town.” Father Frank only shrugged. “I’m just doing what I can. My congregation is the life of this town, not me. If I didn’t have their support and volunteer work, nothing would ever get done. I’m so grateful for them.”

  It wasn’t hard to admire a figure like Father Frank. Though they might have disagreed on theistic theories, he had a kind and caring heart. In her book, he was aces for that alone. She wasn’t about to go rub elbows with him or confess her sins, but she could certainly respect him.

  “How’s that sermon coming?” she asked as she sprinkled on the mini marshmallows for the final touch on his hot chocolate.

  Father Frank clasped his hands together and if it were possible for his smile to get any bigger, his lips would tear open. “Excellent. That extra boost of coffee really helped me to focus, I think. I went home and the ideas just kept pouring out. I’d love for you ladies to attend Mass tomorrow, so you can hear it.”

  Krystal gave him a helpless look. “I’m sorry, but we open the shop early on Sundays, so your congregation can get their morning pick-me-up before they come to the church. I know you wouldn’t want them falling asleep in the pews.”

  “True, true,” he said with a nod. “Well, I’ll just stop by and give you three a brief version after the service. Though, I’m sure I don’t know how I’ll be able to be brief when I’m so on-fire for this message.”

  Alexa capped his hot chocolate for him. “Sounds like it’s going to be great,” she said with the right amount of interest that would make her true indifference pass under the radar.

  “It is. In fact, after I was done writing the sermon, something came over me and I just couldn’t stay at home. The Lord told me I needed to go out. So, I did and do you know what happened?” Krystal smiled, though she couldn’t imagine how much longer he was going to talk. “I ran into Elizabeth Thatchman.” The two girls exchanged looks.

  “Elizabeth Thatchman?” Krystal clarified.

  “Yes,” Father Frank continued. “She was at the grocery store getting some things and the Lord told me I needed to speak to her. So, I did. I didn’t talk about what she does or anything, and she admitted that she had been meaning to come and see me.”

  Sliding a glance to Alexa, she saw her friend’s brows wrinkle with confusion. “Elizabeth Thatchman wanted to come and see you?”

  Father Frank leaned over the table to get closer, probably thinking that they weren’t hearing him. They heard him perfectly well. They just couldn’t believe it.

  They had gone to school with Elizabeth Thatchman. She had her problems at home with her father and older brother, but at the time, they thought it was completely unrelated to the way she slept around with their senior class and even with some of the guys from the community college who came to visit for the summer.

  Habits didn’t die in high school and she had been working at The Torn Sails Bar and Grill to the south of town. She served drinks and offered other services on the side. Everyone knew about her and Krystal hated it when mothers would use her as an example to their daughters of what could happen if they made the wrong choices in life.

  “Yes. In fact, I’m meeting with her here, at the festival. We agreed that meeting in private wouldn’t be prudent, so we decided that a very public, crowded place was perfect for a nice conversation.”

  The preacher looked so proud and Krystal couldn’t discredit that. There were plenty of stories about how sinners came to the Christian god and found salvation through forgiveness and Krystal respected those values and teachings. There was nothing wrong with them and there was nothing wrong with Father Frank’s efforts to mend the brokenness that had consumed Elizabeth’s life. With luck, maybe she could leave her job at the bar and go on to do something more respectable. Sierra did say she had a certain knack for styling her own hair, so maybe Krystal could put a good word in for Elizabeth.

  “I’ll admit that I haven’t seen her,” Alexa said. “If we do see her and she’s looking for you, we’ll send her your way.”

  Father Frank took the hot chocolate from her and gave her a quick nod. “God bless you both. I think today’s going to be a great day.”

  “And hopefully there will be a party in heaven, right?” Alexa said.

  “Lord willing – and I know He is, then yes. There will be a party in heaven.” With that, Father Frank walked away and disappeared into the crowd, though Krystal could still hear him greeting people and shaking hands all the way.

  “A party in heaven?” she questioned to her friend.

  Alexa shrugged. “I was scrolling through the channels one night and heard an evangelist come on, so I listened a bit and that was just something he said.”

  She hung her arms around her friend’s shoulders. “At least you try,” she laughed.

  Alexa returned the embrace and they enjoyed the lull in business. Everyone was too preoccupied with getting their barbeque from Mr. Coleman’s smoker to get hot chocolate right then.

  Traffic would pick up after lunch, and it was a good thing Alexa went to refill the water barrel.

  “You know, you’ve been a lot happier lately,” Alexa said as they watched the crowds amble by. Little kids tugged at their parents’ hands to get them to move faster toward the bouncy house, while laughing teenagers loitered in the middle of the street.

  Krystal had to nod to Alexa’s statement. “You know what? I have been.”

  “I presume we have a certain cop to thank for that?” she wiggled her hips suggestively. “Did you two do anything last night? I thought I heard you talking about going out yesterday.”

  She let out a sigh. “No, we didn’t go out. Not in the physical anyway.” She turned to face away from the crowds and leaned against the edge of their table. “I couldn’t stop dreaming about him, though.”

  Alexa mimicked her posture and a fresh giddiness flooded over her. “Dreams? Oh, do tell.”

  “I’m not going to tell you what I dreamed about,” Krystal laughed.

  “You’re blushing, so I guess it was something good.” Alexa shot her a cunning smile. “May all your dreams about Devin come true.”

  It was a simple wish, not a charm or even a premonition, but it meant the world to Krystal that Alexa did want happiness for her and Devin. Valerie, who was back at the coffee shop, didn’t seem that enthusiastic. Though, Krystal could only guess that it was because she thought there would be more shift switches in the future, if Devin were to ask her out more often.

  If she could help it, that wouldn’t be an issue. Devin seemed to respect that fact that she was a working woman, and as long as she co
uld keep her head on straight, Perfect Books and Brews wouldn’t fall to ruin just because she was falling hard for the new cop in town.

  Chapter Seven

  Devin had to admit that he wasn’t sure what to expect when he and Aaron sat down in the hard pew next to other complete strangers in the church. Well, they were strangers to him, but not to Aaron. Dozens of people, men and women, young and old, came by to greet Aaron. Devin’s handshaking habit came in handy when he was introduced to teachers, deacons, lawyers, and other members of the Goldcrest Cove community that he hadn’t had a chance to meet previously.

  They were a friendly bunch, and Devin expected nothing less. He hadn’t seen a frowning face in days and Goldcrest Cove seemed to defy all the typical conventions of city life. There were bound to be a few sour faces, even in a town this small. Yet, when they walked down the sidewalks or when he stood in line at the grocery store, they were all eager to prove themselves friendlier than their neighbor. Devin couldn’t figure it out.

  This wasn’t the only church in town, but every pew was filled from end to end with families, married and unmarried couples, single churchgoers, and elderly patrons who seemed to migrate to the first few rows.

  Just when he thought he would have a little elbow room, a young man scooted his way past a single mom with her two daughters, bumping into their legs and feet as he went. For whatever reason, Devin felt compelled to study this guy. There was nothing in his mannerisms or his attitude that would suggest he was a threat, but something didn’t feel quite right.

  He sat down heavily and pulled down his vest that was fastened over a dress shirt. A colorful tie with a paisley print peeked out from his unbuttoned jacket. The stiffened strands of his gelled hair were smoothed back away from his face. There was nothing sinister in the way he watched the congregation. Yet, there was a slight nervous glint in his eyes that told Devin this might have been his first time in the cathedral too.

  In a move that he didn’t quite expect of himself, Devin offered out his hand to the man. “Good morning,” he greeted.

  The stranger appeared slightly startled, but recovered quickly and shook Devin’s hand. “Good morning.”

  “You new too?” Devin asked, hoping he didn’t come across as too pushy. At least with his uniform off, people could breathe easy around him. If he asked a lot of questions, they might have just thought he was inquisitive instead of interrogative. People were nervous around cops for some reason.

  “How could you tell?”

  Devin shrugged and laced his hands in his lap before casually leaning against the back of the pew. “You’ve got the same look I did when I first walked in, and no one is saying hello to you like they’re old friends.”

  The stranger huffed and looked around with a slightly cynical grin. He must not have been into the religious scene either. “Yeah, it seems like everyone is really friendly around here. I just moved here. I met Father Frank the other day at the grocery store and he invited me. I thought about brushing it off, but I didn’t have anything better to do. Plus, he was so insistent and excited in that weird, contagious way. Everyone in town seems to be.”

  “I’ve only been in Goldcrest Cove for a couple of weeks and I’m still not used to it.” He ended on a bit of a laughing note. “I’m Devin Daniels, by the way.”

  The stranger nodded his acknowledgement. “Jacob Nathanson.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Devin was about to start in on asking if he was adjusting well enough, despite the effusive friendliness of the townspeople, but the procession of altar boys and the priest made their way down the center aisle toward the front. There would be plenty of time for talk afterward.

  When the service started, the congregation hushed and listened to the words of Father Frank Sellers. If anyone had been careless enough to drop a pin, it could have been heard pinging against the stone floor from across the sanctuary. Devin was almost afraid to move, lest he break the sacred silence that descended.

  Once the first opening welcomes were out of the way, the rest of Mass continued. Though there was plenty of ritual in the Mass, Devin found himself enjoying the music that echoed off the high rafters of the stone cathedral. He guessed this building had to be as old as Krystal’s house. The stained-glass windows were a breathtaking piece of artwork alone, not to mention the carved statues of saints and crucifixes on the walls.

  Devin had intermittently gone to church as a child. When his father wasn’t hung over on Sunday mornings, he’d dress nice for a change and take him and his sister, Alana, to the nearest Methodist church. Each time they reunited with their dad after the service was over and Sunday School was let out, both Devin and Alana had the same thought. Would dad see the light and stop drinking? Would something in what the pastor said change him this time?

  No such luck.

  After a few days, he’d be right back into the same routine and they wouldn’t get a chance to return to Sunday School the following weekend.

  Devin didn’t go to church much as an adult, and neither did Alana. That might have had something to do with the choices she made later in life, the decisions that drove a wedge between her and the rest of the family.

  Sitting in the pew now, listening to Father Frank talk so animatedly about the Old Testament laws and former punishments for sins committed against the Lord, it was a wonder his father didn’t repent the first time they attended a church service. Then again, they didn’t have Father Frank for a preacher.

  Even Devin, who never considered himself to be an unrighteous man, found himself moved by the message, and it wasn’t even halfway through the service yet. He wasn’t the only one. Women all across the sanctuary began to sniffle. Men’s brows furrowed with concentration as they soaked up everything Father Frank spoke. The guy beside him that he had met before Mass began, Jacob, seemed to be deeply stirred by the sermon.

  He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and fingers laced in that prayer-like manner while he listened intently to the priest. Devin occasionally glanced his way and after a while, he could see silent, glistening tears wet the newcomer’s face.

  Beside him, Aaron nodded along to everything Father Frank said.

  There was absolutely no doubt that a revival energy permeated through the congregation. Even the children, who would have been fidgeting and restless by now, found themselves sitting still and listening alongside their parents. Teenagers were no longer looking at their phones, but had their eyes fixed on the altar and reverent image of the crucified Christ behind Father Frank.

  The priest paced across the carpeted platform, around the podium, and down the steps a few times as his speech became more animated, more lively, more convincing.

  Those silent tears from Jacob turned into quiet sobs that mingled in with the other sounds and signs that he wasn’t the only one whose soul had been touched.

  Perhaps Devin was too jaded by his experiences as a youth to let Father Frank’s charisma infect him, but he simply didn’t feel the same way that the others did. Much of what he said made sense, but he wasn’t about to start shouting or praising as some did.

  He checked the time on his phone. It had only been twenty minutes.

  Suddenly, Jacob shot up from his seat at the pew and shuffled past the families. They hardly seemed to notice the interruption, but Devin watched the way the man nearly stumbled into the aisle and jogged out the back doors.

  No one else was getting up to leave and there was still at least another forty or so minutes left of this sermon to listen to. Surely, Father Frank hadn’t even reached the point of his message. What kind of emotional outpouring would occur when he did reach his climax?

  Jacob Nathanson never came back into the sanctuary, and Devin somehow wished he could have left too. All this mawkish sentiment was making him slightly uncomfortable. But, out of respect for the priest and his partner next to him, he stayed glued in his seat.

  With Valerie perched on top of the counter next to the espresso machine and
Krystal sitting with her legs crossed in a chair she pulled in from the lobby, Alexa read off their daily horoscopes from her phone. Perfect Books and Brews was completely empty at ten o’clock in the morning, which was typical for a Sunday. And since Father Frank had spread the news about his amazing upcoming sermon, she was pretty sure the cathedral was packed that morning.

  That was just fine for Krystal, because it meant they had some downtime before the big after church rush. They made a daily habit of reading each other’s horoscopes before they flipped the open sign in the morning, but they had a line waiting for them even before Krystal unlocked the doors. It might have been warmer than the day before, but there was no reason to keep them standing on the sidewalk, shivering, and waiting for six-thirty to roll around when they opened the shop early for Sundays.

  To Krystal, these horoscope readings were purely for amusement. Despite what Alexa, Amber, and her mother always told her, she didn’t believe that the stars predicted one’s future. There were only general coincidences. She was fairly confident that she could take any of the horoscopes from the astrological signs and twist it around to pertain to her or anyone else she knew. They were always written so ambiguously.

  “Today is a fairly quiet day for you,” Alexa read to Valerie, who was a Capricorn, “to keep your head down and get on with your work. You are developing your talents and building on your skills, and even if your progress is slow, it is always steady. It's likely that you value hard work and tangible results, and are very self-reliant.”

  Valerie sipped on her café mocha, the first she had drank all morning since they arrived. They had been far too busy serving the early-bird customers to fix their coffee earlier, so they took the time to do so now. “Well,” she said, “I think they got the self-reliant part right.”

  Krystal set her cup on the counter after she downed the last drop of chai tea latte goodness.