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“And you, Katie, are verytempting.”

Chapter 14

“So, is no one in a talking mood tonight?” Peter asked at Grief Group to break the silence. “Because I know you can’t go an entire week without a thing to say.”

Katherine glanced at Matthew, who didn’t look up from the thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle spread out across the counter. Instead, he made himself look busy by continuing to separate pieces by color, even though Katherine suspected he was concentrating on staying silent about their relationship.

“How can there be nothing new going on?” Peter persisted. “Did you two hide out at home all week?”

“Why does there have to be anything new?” Katherine asked, raising her mug and taking a long sip of chamomile tea to hide the giddy smile that threatened to give them away.

“Come on, you guys. What’s the four-one-one?” Peter insisted. “What’s the tea?”

Since Peter started meeting women through a dating app and striking out in a particularly speedy fashion, Katherine had asked Matthew if they could hold off sharing the news of their relationship until Peter had found someone he liked.

Though Matthew didn’t care one way, he respected the fact that Katherine was sensitive to Peter’s feelings. Especially since it was Peter, who had announced he wanted to date again, and Katherine, who had been adamantly against it.

“Don’t you think we should wait a little while?” she’d asked him after the first night they spent together. “I don’t want him to get discouraged because he hasn’t found anyone yet. And I want him to be happy for us.”

“He will be,” Matthew had said. “And for the record, I don’t think waiting will make that much of a difference.”

After a few persuasive kisses, Matthew finally agreed to keep their relationship a secret until Peter found someone who might become the new Mrs. Humble.

“Alright, fine…” Peter finally conceded. “Neither of you wanna talk about what’s new with you. But does anyone wanna hear about what’s new with me?”

“No!” they answered in unison.

“Hey!” Peter said. “That’s not cool.”

Hearing the genuine disappointment in the pastor’s voice, both Katherine and Matthew looked up from the puzzle.

“What if we agree to listen, as long as you agree to give us some kind of disclaimer before each story.”

“A disclaimer?”

“Yeah, like the rating system at the movies. You tell us if the story is PG or rated R. That way, we can prepare ourselves for what’s coming.”

“Oh yeah, that’s a good idea,” Matthew said. “A rating would protect us from listening to any more incredibly unsettling stories none of us need ever bring up again. And I think we all know which one I’m talking about.”

“Uh, yeah…” Katherine agreed. “There’s not enough bleach in the world to scrubthe story that shall not be namedfrom my memory.”

“I can do that,” Peter said eagerly. “But in all fairness, how was I to know that a first-grade teacher would be into riding her dates like a pony and hitting them with a crop? She certainly didn’t putthatin her dating profile.”

“Peter! Cut it out! Do you think I want that image in my head when she comes by The Copperwall with my sister?”

“No,” Peter sighed. “But in my defense, it’s not like I went along with it. I left the minute she brought out the tiny saddle.”

“Oh, dear Lord.” Katherine flinched, sticking her fingers in her ears. “Tell me when it’s over!” she shouted to Matthew.

“Alright, alright!” Peter shouted back, raising his hand to make a solemn vow. “May I be struck down by lightning if I ever tell that story again!”

“Promise?” Katherine asked, removing her fingers from her ears.

“I promise.”

“You know, it’s not that I don’t wanna see you happy. I really do.”

“I know,” Peter said. “I just thought you’d find a few of my stories interesting.”