The Confession

He turned and scanned her cautiously. “Morning.”

“You’re up early.”

“Habits of a farmer.” He shrugged.

Despite the fact she was fully dressed, he seemed uncomfortable. Because they were alone?

“Did you sleep?” she asked.

“Some. Thank you.”

He cast his gaze back to the coffee, as if it held all the secrets of his future. Or as if he didn’t know what else to do.

Suddenly knowing he’d have to spend the rest of his life without his wife and daughter must be like a bulldozer to his heart. After missing Seth so much, Heavenly would have sworn she didn’t have any more capacity to hurt for anyone, but she ached for him. “Can I make you some breakfast?”

“Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll be fine.”

Something else occurred to her. “Do you know how to cook?”

He hesitated, looking like he wanted to set her at ease. Instead, he snapped his mouth closed and sighed. “Not really.”

“I can give you a quick lesson in eggs and toast if that sounds good.”

Zach’s smile was faint but real. “That would be helpful.”

“Let me grab some coffee and we’ll get started.”

He swallowed more from his mug and rose. “I appreciate it.”

After Heavenly put together her own cup of nirvana and took a few swallows, she turned to Zach, now looking out the glass door to the back patio, seemingly lost in thought.

“Do you wonder if they’re looking down on you?”

“I’m sorry?” He turned back to her.

“Faith and Joanna. Do you wonder if they’re somewhere, watching over you?”

“It’s crossed my mind. The notion that your loved ones are still with you in some way is tempting to believe. The Chosen frowned on the idea of spirits lingering in the earthly realm. A less selfish man would wish them to be resting peacefully in God’s arms.”

She cupped his shoulder. “But you need more time to let them go. I understand. I’m sure whatever God you believe in understands that, too. Ready to get started?”

“Sure.”

It took a while to explain the mechanics of the stove and toaster, then to walk him through the cooking, but fifteen minutes later, they sat to a light breakfast. The silence was awkward, so she tried more conversation. “Any thoughts about what you’d like to do today? Tour of the area? Take in a movie? Go for a swim?”

“Gideon—I mean Beck—said something about shopping. Not my idea of a good time, but I understand it’s necessary since I didn’t leave Messiah City with much. Other than that… I’ve never seen a movie, and I don’t know how to swim.”

Heavenly tried not to gape. Somewhere along the way, she remembered hearing that outside influences were frowned upon in Messiah City. Of course he’d never had a chance to visit a theater. But swimming? Wow.

“Let’s rectify that, then. We have a bunch of cable channels and streaming services.” She reached for the remote and flipped on the big TV affixed to the wall. “What interests you? Sports? Documentaries?” She intentionally avoided the news, and he wouldn’t have the faintest idea what a sitcom was. “Or I can just flip around until something appeals to you.”

He had no interest in morning shows, home improvement, or reality TV, but something bright and flashy that made lots of clinking noises got his attention. “Stop. What is that?”

It wasn’t familiar to Heavenly at a glance except in the most general sense. “It’s a game show.”

Zach’s brows furrowed as he stared in concentration. “What does that mean?”

“Um…people register to play games on TV to win prizes, like trips and cars and cash.”