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and I love it.”
    “Well, goody gumdrops. But you only love it so long as it is willing to bend its rules to suit you.”
    “Oh, go away.”
    Jake pulled her in for a kiss, but she turned her head. He dropped her hand and stood up. “I think Sean has a point. I don’t mean to be a jerk, but the guy is solid, and he had a point.”
    “So you think we should just run out now and get married?”
    Jake’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, obviously. But barring that, you should accept my proposal and we should get married as soon as reasonably possible.”
    She pushed him away. “Nope. It’s way too soon.”
    Jake shrugged. “I want you to be my wife, and I have wanted it since the day after my parents died and I woke up to find you in my kitchen. I’ll ask you again, and again, and again. But until then…”
    “Until then, all is well.”
    “Until then, I think I should back off a little with the whole missional community thing. I should hook up with the one in my hood and get intentional about outreach.”
    “Don’t be like that, Jake. Be on my side.” Even as she said it, she knew she sounded whiny and entitled. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m tired, sorry.”
    Jake kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. I forgive you for wanting me to hang out with you all of the time.”
    She held her hand out to him. “Gemma’s out attending a birth. Will you stay here so I won’t be scared?”
    Jake shook his head. “That’s another point Sean was right on. Let’s not keep giving people a reason to think the worst.” He kissed the top of her head one more time, and then let himself out.
    Jane grabbed a throw blanket off the floor and wrapped herself in it. She closed her eyes and began to pray. God was going to have to show her why this was so important to everyone else if he really wanted it to be important to her, too.
     
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Jane was at the Malachi house bright and early the next morning. She had slept longer, and better, than most nights, and felt more than a bit embarrassed about walking out on her missional community group. Of course Jake and Sean were right, but it stank. It also stank that she needed to call Sean and apologize. But there it was. She needed to show him that she wasn’t a spoiled brat and did care about the success of the Green Valley missional communities.
    Francine let her in at the back door and quickly pulled her into a utility room at the back of the house. “Today you’d better focus on cleaning, and making a good impression,” she whispered. “Once Christiana is completely sure of you, then you can start snooping. And in my opinion, you can’t start soon enough.” Francine’s hair was pulled back into a bun, but brown wisps were falling out in the back. She had dark circles under her eyes, and, unlike the day they had met, she was in blue jeans and a rumpled button-down rather than a tailored suit.
    “That’s not a problem at all.” Jane set her cleaning caddy on the small counter by the utility sink. “I can start now. Give me two and a half hours, I’d say.”
    “Fine, fine.” Francine’s eyes darted from Jane to the door behind her.
    “Is there something you want to tell me?” Jane kept her voice low.
    “The police called this morning and want me to come in for questioning.” Francine chewed her lip.
    “Have you contacted a lawyer yet?”
    The color drained from Francine’s face. “Do you think I need to this early?”
    “Yes, definitely. Don’t go without a lawyer.” Jane knew that much at least, from her classes. Though she wasn’t sure if telling Francine this was considered giving legal advice or not. She’d have to check.
    “Don’t you think that will just make me look guilty?”
    “Don’t let your mind play games like that. You can’t go in there vulnerable. Not when the case at hand is murder.”
    Francine nodded. “Okay. I’ll call. I…I don’t know who to call.”
    Jane nodded. She ought to have some kind of referral