Faith Brown was mystified, and made somewhat uncomfortable, by the mischievous grin on her husband's face. It was as if he knew something that she didn't. It seemed furthermore that what he knew had something to do with her. He'd been looking at her that way for—she considered—three weeks now.
"What are you smirking about?" she asked with a touch of irritation.
Goodman's eyes became a little less intense. "Darling, I am not smirking, I'm smiling."
"Uh huh." She looked at him suspiciously over her morning coffee.
"And I'm smiling because I love you."
Faith took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, my love. I have to get to work. What do you want for dinner?"
"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you, there's a meeting tonight at the church. And I really need you to come." Goodman looked like he was barely suppressing a laugh.
"You need me to come," she repeated. She looked at him with disbelief bordering on mistrust. What was going on?
"Yes, I need you to be there."
Faith considered her husband's request and decided to try tugging back. "What if I have other plans?"
"You can't!" Goodman bit out the words sharply, then retreated a bit. "I mean, please, Faith. We've been members of this church since we were kids and, you know the church has been growing so much lately. It's important that you attend tonight's meeting."
"How come I never heard about it from anyone else? Why hasn't it been in the church newsletter?"
"It was planned at the last minute and Orton asked me to let you know." Goodman looked hopeful that this explanation would dam up her questions.
"All right." Faith rolled her eyes. "I feel like there's something you're not telling me. But as it's for the church, I'll do it."
Goodman strolled over to her place and hugged her. He pressed his lips into her hair. "My wife Faith, my faithful wife. My true love, for all my life." He often recited the little poem he had made up for her.
She wiggled away and looked in her husband's eyes. That odd gleam was still there. Something was definitely going on.
Faith put on her trench coat and picked up her purse. Autumn weather had put a chill in the air. Her place of employment, the small town's general store, was half a dozen blocks away.
As she walked toward work, friends and neighbors greeted her along the way. Many people complained about living in a small town, but to Goodman and Faith, it felt like home. They were both twenty-nine; Faith would soon be thirty. They had grown up together in the church and the local schools; they were not king and queen of the prom, but they were perfectly happy in their lot as middle class members of the small community.
"Good morning, Faith." Mrs. Johnson was walking her dog, or rather, the yellow lab was walking Faith's neighbor.
"Hi, Sheila. How's the new puppy working out?"
"He's about ready for obedience classes!" The lady called over her shoulder as the dog pulled her down the sidewalk. For a moment it seemed like Sheila Johnson was trying to escape. Of course, that was silly. Faith laughed and waved good-bye to her friend.
Next she saw two teenagers on their way to school. Jimmy and Cleecy were long-time sweethearts. Their wedding was planned for June.
"Better get along, you don't want to be late for school," Faith came up behind them.
"Hi, Mrs. Brown," squeaked skinny Cleecy. "We won't be late."
For just an instant, Faith was startled. Was there some kind of odd look in the high school senior's eye? The women's eyes met: Faith questioned, and Cleecy knew. What did she know...?
Jim took his fiancée by the arm. "Come on, Cleecy, the bell's gonna ring. Have a nice day, Mrs. Brown."
The sickly grin on the young man's face didn't make Faith feel any better.
Her commute proceeded in the same fashion. Either she was going crazy, or everybody in town seemed to know something she didn't. Even the groundskeeper who waved from his riding mower looked her up and down. His greeting was friendly, but also — thoughtful? Leering? Faith couldn't be quite sure.
By the time she reached the general store, Faith was beginning to feel testy. It was her turn to open up and mind the place for the day. She figured a five-minute lapse in opening the doors would be forgivable, and further reasoned that she needed to get her head in the right place to be a good servant of the Lord today.
She lingered for a moment in the employee breakroom and pulled out a tiny book of Bible verses. In a quiet voice she read aloud the words of comfort and meditated upon them for a few minutes before putting the book away. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
Faith felt renewed as she left the little room and opened the main door to the public. For a little while she occupied herself straightening the dry goods. Then the bells jangled, signaling a customer.
Faith popped out from behind the flour and smoothed her hair back.
"Good morning, what can I do for you?" To her amazement, the man was someone she didn't know. A stranger in town! His eyes were an odd grey-brown behind glasses with thick black rims. A brushy brown crew cut topped his head. His jacket and trousers were the slate grey of river rocks.
"I'm new in town." The man's gravelly voice made her think of Jack Nicholson.
"I could use some basic supplies, and directions to a good hotel, if you could," said the man.
"Certainly, mister..."
"Mack. Devlin Mack."
"Welcome to Meritsville, Mr. Mack."
Faith shook his hand. The stranger's hand was cool and dry. Maybe he hadn't been wearing any gloves. Was it really all that cold outside?
The gentleman grinned. "Call me Dev, please."
"Dev." Faith smiled. The man's name was pleasant on her lips, the way the vee sound at the end made a soft vibration. She liked him.
There wasn't anybody else in the store, so she grabbed an empty picnic basket and walked with him, chattering like a little tour guide about the local preserves, meats and cheeses.
Devlin paused at the dessert case. "What have we here?"
Behind the glass was an assortment of cakes, pies, and other delectables. Faith beamed with pride. Many of them were by her own hand.
The visitor seemed to sense her thought. "Did you make these, little lady?"
A big smile spread across Mrs. Brown's face. "Most of them."
"What do you recommend?"
"Well, different people like different things but I think ... for you, the devil's food. If you're a chocolate lover, it's the best."
"I'll take the cake," he declared.
Faith threw back her head and laughed. What a charming gentleman! "Surely you don't mean the whole cake."
"Yup, the whole cake, if you please. Can you do that? Is that all right?" Suddenly he seemed concerned about staying within bounds.
"Certainly it's fine, I can make another one."
The amused woman extracted the sweet from its place and carefully carried it behind the counter, where she wrapped and boxed it up. She tied a set of pink hair ribbons from her personal belongings around the box. The pink and white package looked like innocence incarnate. The sinful treat inside would bring her new friend a great deal of pleasure.
With a spring in her step, Faith bustled about, bagging Mr. Mack's purchases with a neat and careful hand.
"Will that be everything today?"
"At least for now. Thanks for being so generous with your time this morning."
"Not at all." Faith watched him go with a smile on her lips. Mr. Mack had certainly brightened her morning. The thought had crossed her mind to ask him for lunch. But she dismissed the notion quickly. A married woman ought not to be out gallivanting with a single man, especially a stranger in town. It would be unseemly.
Instead, she followed her usual custom, locking the door at noon and slipping into the back room for lunch. She read her Bible some more and munched on simple meat, cheese and bread; no soda pop, for she was watching her figure.
This part of her day was usually a calm lull after a busy morning, but Faith had trouble feeling serene. The stranger occupied her thoughts. Dev. She said his name softly, just to feel the vee sound of her front teeth on her lower lip. Devlin. The letter L in his name curled her tongue like a sensuous French kiss.
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