“I know I need to at least get my Masters, but I feel this pull.”

“I know the board may not see me as a leader yet, but I feel this pull.”

All I did was nod and listen, letting him get it all out. My goal was to leave him tonight feeling calmer, but hoping that he would realize this was crazy. Even though I felt this was the craziest idea in the history of crazy ideas, I wasn’t going to tell him that. He’d have to arrive at that conclusion himself.

He said, “There’s never been a time in my life when God’s voice has been clearer to me.”

That worried me a bit because I knew Jeremy heard God, just like I did. But still, I played my role — the friend with the listening ear that he’d given to me so many times.

The sun had long set, the apartment was dark except for the dim light from an outside street lamp, Keyshia, Jazmine and Mary J. had sang more than a couple of times on repeat, and I’d had about five Diet Cokes before Jeremy took my hands into his.

“You have been so wonderful today, Ginger.”

“What did I do?”

“This.” He waved his hand in the air. “You listened to me all day, just let me go on and on, repeating the same things.”

“This is what we do. Isn’t that what friends are for? You just needed to talk it out.”

“I did. I haven’t come to any conclusions about what I’m going to do about Pilgrim’s Rest, but....” He paused. “I’ve decided something else.”

I tilted my head. I didn’t know there had been anything else on his mind.

He said, “I want this all the time.” He stopped and twisted. Even through the darkness, I could see him searching in my eyes.

My heart thumped because I knew where this was heading. But to give myself a couple of more seconds, I asked, “What do you mean?”

“I want this, I want us. We have such chemistry, Ginger and I don’t know what we’re waiting for. I don’t know who we think we’re fooling. I really want to see where this goes with you because I’m thinking we are already more than friends....”

I wanted to hold up my hand as a stop signal. I wanted to tell him, ‘No, let’s not mess up this perfect friendship; plus you want to be a pastor!’ But then, he edged toward me. It was three seconds that felt like three lifetimes before his lips touched mine. As Mary J sang one of my favorite songs, we kissed. And every laden emotion that I’d pressed down within me, began to ascend from my toes through my center and settled right there on my heart.

When Mary J sang, “Too hard to fake it...” I knew what Jeremy and I had was real. Like the boo Mary J sang about, I didn’t want to be without Jeremy. I wanted to stay in this place with our lips connected forever....