Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(12)

“Fine. I’m fine,” Noah said weakly. He’d been in his share of strip clubs, but not for a while. And he hadn’t had much female companionship lately, either. Until today, he hadn’t realized how much he missed that. “Now, try that pie.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Are you just doing this to be nice?”

“Pretty much. Are you conning me?”

“Out of a job that’s really hard and pays practically nothing?” she asked. “Why? So I can steal and hock a crucifix? Please. If I could figure out how to con someone, I’d go after that judge. What a jackass he turned out to be. Oops. Sorry. I’m going to have to work on my language, huh?”

“Probably,” Noah grumbled.

After finishing their pie, Noah and Ellie stood, shook hands, and she left. Noah took the empty plates and cups over to Jack at the bar.

“She seemed a lot happier when she left than when she came in, if you know what I mean,” Jack said.

“She assumed she wouldn’t get the job at the church,” Noah said. “Not exactly church-secretary material, I guess.”

“I guess,” Jack said. “Nice-enough girl, though.”

“She needs a job,” Noah said.

“That a fact?”

“What she needs is a break. And it turns out she has all the qualifications.”

Jack grinned. “I couldn’t help but notice.”

Noah sat on a stool. “Better give me a beer….”

“You bet. What’s your pleasure?”

“I’m flexible.”

Jack drew him a cold draft. “You gave her the job, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Noah admitted.

“Whoa, this is going to be fun.”

“For who, exactly?” Noah asked.

Jack laughed at him. “I only talked to her a minute, but she seems okay, don’t you think?”

“She could be a little rough around the edges for a church job.”

“Ya think?” Jack asked with a laugh. “So could you, Noah. But you’re an old softie. You sure she’s not just using you?”

“At eight dollars an hour? Come on. I’m going to have to pray for forgiveness all night for taking advantage of her.”

“Well, there’s a point.”

“But we’re going to have to do something about those…Maybe a shawl? A nice big, concealing shawl?”

“I don’t know, Noah. How about a tarp?”

“God help me.” Noah took a drink of the beer. “Jack, it’s been a real trip, getting to know you and the town. But when the locals get a load of the pastor’s assistant, I’m going to be run out on a rail.”

“Easy, Noah. This is Virgin River. We like things a little on the interesting side. You’ll manage.”

Noah took another drink of his beer. “Let’s hope so,” he muttered.

For her first day of work at the church, Ellie chose to wear something conservative. She dressed in overalls with a white, sleeveless tank top underneath that laced up the front. She slipped into sneakers, pulled her plentiful, curly, copper-colored hair up in a clip, lined her lips and eyes and off she went to Virgin River.

“I’m here,” she yelled as she walked into the church.

“I’m in the basement,” Noah yelled back.

She clomped down the steps, jumping off the bottom step. Noah was patching cracks in the unfinished cinderblock wall, a plasterer’s hawk with a mound of wet cement in one hand, a putty knife in the other. Lucy lay not far away on her bed, lifting her head and wagging her tail as Ellie came down the stairs. Noah smiled at her, then his smile froze. He looked her slowly up and down. And again.

“What?” she demanded hotly, hands on her hips.

“Nothing,” he said, turning away.

“No. What? What’s the matter?”

He turned back slowly, put his tools down on top of the ladder and approached her. “I don’t know how to say this. I think it would be in the best interests of both of us if you’d dress a little more…conservatively.”

She looked down at herself. “More conservatively than overalls?” she asked.

He felt a laugh escape in spite of himself. He shook his head. “Ellie, I’ve never seen anybody look that good in overalls before.”

“And this is a bad thing?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s provocative,” he tried to explain. “Sexy. People who work around churches usually dress a little more…What’s the best way to put this…?”

“Frumpy? Dumpy? Ugly?”

“Without some of their bra showing, for one thing.”

“Well now, Reverend, just where have you been? Because this happens to be in style. And I’ll do any work you give me, but you really shouldn’t be telling me what to wear. The last guy I was with tried to do me over. He liked me well enough when he was trying to get my attention, but the second I married him, he wanted to cover me up so no one would notice I had a body!”

“The husband?”

“The very same. It didn’t work for him and it’s not going to work for you. You didn’t say anything about a dress code. Maybe I’ll turn you in to the Better Business Bureau or something.”