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I hated him.
I stretched my hand toward him reflexively, trying very hard to rearrange my face any way that didn’t flash an angry redstay awaywarning, but I was probably failing. Inside, my primal urges were screaming something completely opposite.
“My boots are still pretty muddy. I’d better not.” He gestured to the mat beneath him, so I came closer. He took my hand and pumped it twice. Warm and not overly firm in a way that was vying for dominance. “Chris Carter. What Decca means is that I consult in forensic odontology. Normally, I’m just a regular dentist.” He smiled, showing off his own perfect set of blindingly white teeth through a charmingly lopsided smile.
I bet his brand of geeky handsomeness went over well with women. Good for him.
The question was…did it go over well with my wife?
“He’s being modest. Chris travels the world solving cold cases. He teaches at the dental school at Tennessee and at the FAC, and in his spare time, he helps with cleft palate surgeries in developing countries.” She held his forearm proudly, beaming at him.
That was it. I was done for. Forever doomed to having an unrequited crush on my wife.
I didn’t want to hate this man and his brilliant smile, brilliant mind, brilliant eyes framed with cool-guy tortoiseshell glasses. Jealousy flashed like a fierce green flame inside me. I tamped down my urge to rip her arm away from his.
I resigned myself to a night spent in prayer to make up for it. In the meantime, I would use every resource at my priestly disposal. I straightened my shoulders. Until I could love him as a priest should, I would pretend to love him as God would.
Sometimes I hated being a priest.
“I invited Chris to stay for dinner. He rented the car to drive us back, since the helicopter that flew us out didn’t stick around to bring us home.” She turned to him, and their eyes communicated something I wasn’t privy to, Decca’s sarcasm hinting at yet another connection they shared. “His parents live in Nashville, so he’s going there after.”
“I don’t want to impose. I can keep going now. It’s not too late. I didn’t realize Dec had a...” He gestured to me as he gave her a reprimanding look. Another thing that highlighted their familiarity with each other. I rolled through the catalogue of every conversation I’d had with Decca, trying to locate the name “Chris” somewhere in my mental files. Was there a reason she’d never spoken of him before? Obviously, they were close. Was he more than just a friend to her? Were they more than friends now?
“Chris, this is my... husband,” she said after an awkward pause. “Father Constantinos Smythe.”
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. All the wind had been knocked out of his sails.
Oh, fuck.
They were definitely more than just friends. Or had been at one time. By the look in his eyes—like he was now the one tamping down the urge to drown me in the river (after expertly pulling out every one of my teeth so they couldn’t identify my body)—he’d like to be more than friends still.
“Father?” His voice cracked.
“Just Gus,” I said.
“He’s a Greek Orthodox priest,” Decca said, as if that was all the explanation needed.
“And… yourhusband.“ He tried to play it off, but from the clench of his teeth, the word was bitter on his tongue.
Ah, the tides have turned, Chris the Dentist.
“Uh, yep.” Decca turned away, kicking her own boots off and ignoring the feral cat atmosphere she’d created. “That’s okay, right, Gus? If Chris eats with us.”
“Of course. There’s more than enough.” Finally, I had the upper hand and could play the magnanimous host.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. More on that later.
“When were you going to tell me you got married?” His voice was higher pitched and light. Good for Chris. He was playing off her betrayal well.
“I thought I did.” She avoided eye contact with both of us. “Take your muddy boots off before you trudge whatever’s on the bottom all over the house.”
Chris bent to untie his laces, but didn’t take his narrowed eyes off her.
“That’s news. That should have been the first thing you said when the chopper picked you up. ‘Hey, Chris, I met and married the love of my life!’” he teased.
“It’s not... I mean, we’re not—” Decca’s eyes shot to me, then down to the floor.
“I can’t believe you didn’t invite me. How did I not make the cut?”
