Jeremy nodded and when I saw he was cool, I was glad for the way he was taking this. But then a second after I had that thought, he slammed his hand against the steering wheel so hard it made me jump. "That's what's wrong with these old churches. They see my youth as a negative. If anything, it's a positive. It's what we need to grow."

"I agree," I said rubbing his back and keeping my voice soft and soothing. “But Reverend Harwood isn’t that old.”

“He isn’t old compared to Reverend Robinson,” Jeremy huffed. “Harwood is about forty, I think. So yeah, he’s twenty years younger than Reverend Robinson, and I’m twenty years younger than him. If they want to move forward, they need someone younger, someone who has a vision on how to take the church deep into this millennium.”

“Well,” I said, trying to measure my words, “they didn’t have your vision, but that doesn’t mean you can’t implement it.”

He frowned when he looked at me.

I said, “Reverend Robinson believed in you. I believe in you, and yes, I would like to see you continue to at least getting your Master’s because that was all you talked about before Reverend Robinson stepped down. But I believe you would be an amazing pastor. And so maybe you don’t have to sit on someone’s staff. Maybe you don’t have to wait until your turn. Maybe you just go and make it happen. In your own church. One day.”

He nodded slowly as if he was pondering my words. But then, a smile came to his face. A smile that was genuine, a smile that rose all the way to his eyes, a smile that I hadn’t seen since all of this Pilgrim’s Rest drama had started.

“You may be right. I may have been too big and too much for Pilgrim’s Rest. I may be too big for any church. I may have to do this myself.”

I hadn’t said all that, but all I did was nod.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he continued. “And anyway now may not have been the best time for me to be appointed.”

“You think?”

He chuckled. “I know.” He paused. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“That’s what best friends do.”

“Best friends who are in love,” he said.

I was startled by his words but I didn’t show it.

When he continued with, “And anyway, we have other things to think about,” I smiled because he’d taken away the pressure of me having to tell him that I loved him, too, and I knew what he meant by us having other things to think about.

“That’s right. Graduation. For both of us.”

“And the celebration begins tomorrow.”

“What’s happening tomorrow?” I asked.

“Oh nothing. I just mean it’s the beginning of our final week in school.”

“Yup. We’re about to head into our future.”

“You got that right.” He pushed the car’s gear into ‘Drive’, then squeezed my hand. “Remember when I told you it was gonna be a hella ride with me?”