Chosen (Available on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited and Paperback)

Chapter 1-7

Chapter 1

"Miss Astor?"

Mia looked up from the Facebook feed on her phone and met the spectacled gaze of the receptionist sitting behind the church office desk. She gave a thin smile and nodded.

"Pastor Cam will see you now," the woman said with a kind smile that showed off yellowing teeth.

"Thanks," Mia said, her voice unusually high. Dismissing the stab of nerves that bubbled up in her stomach, Mia got up from the hard church pew she'd been sitting on for the past fifteen minutes and tucked her cell into the back pocket of her jeans. Her hand went to the thin strap of her purse and fidgeted while she waited for the receptionist— Martha if the name plaque was correct— to extract herself from behind the meticulous desk.

"In here dear," Martha smiled and opened the door to the pastor's office. Standing back for Mia to pass, the older woman watched her through the red-rimmed reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Mia smiled and brushed past her into the small office.

"Mia!" Cam pushed back from the cluttered desk with a big smile on his face and edged around the furniture to pull her in for a quick hug. "How are you doing?" he asked, holding her at arm's length as the door closed behind her. "How are your parents? I haven't seen them in a while." Mia smiled at her pastor with genuine fondness; Cam was the kind of person you couldn't help but feel good around. He had the sort of energy that lit up a room and made you feel as if he really saw you. That was probably how he'd managed to stay the pastor of Times Square Church for so long. Everyone loved him.

"They're doing good!" Mia said, "Dad is super busy with work and Mom's still teaching, so yeah, good. Busy but good."

"That's great," His green eyes were bright in his tanned face as they stood staring at each other. "Well, come take a seat," he said after a pause, "we have lots to talk about." He turned his back to her, edging his large frame around two uncomfortable looking chairs to get behind his desk.

"For sure," Another flutter of nerves kicked up as Mia lowered herself onto a cushioned seat and looked around the small room for the first time. Cam's office was plain compared to the rest of the building's extravagant decor. Natural light poured in through two small windows on the back wall; a potted money tree stood in the corner, soaking up the sun. Every inch of available wall space was covered with book-stuffed shelves and artwork. The small space smelled of "church," like old musty Bibles.

"So," Cam said, drawing her attention back, "how have you been Mia? What's new?" He sat across from her, elbows propped on the desk, pointed chin resting on his knuckles as he regarded her with keen eyes. Mia couldn't help but smile back. Cam was ten years her senior and married with three kids, but he had the open, eager expression of someone much younger.

"Um," Mia began, at a loss, "Well I'm still working at Starbucks. I've had to pick up some extra shifts lately. That's why I haven't been at service for the past few weeks." She grimaced. Cam didn't seem to notice.

"So you're still planning to go to Canada then?" He asked, sitting back in his chair with a creak of old springs.

"Yeah," Mia answered, grateful for the change of topic. "I mean, I hope so," she amended quickly, "I'm still waiting to hear if I got in at UBC."

"For engineering, right?"

"Yeah," She was surprised he remembered the detail at all. It had been a long time since Mia had last spoken to Cam about her plans to move to British Columbia. The University of British Columbia had an excellent engineering program, and it was far away from New York, which was exactly what Mia wanted. "That's why I think this trip to Africa would be a really good experience for me," She said, meeting Cam's eye, "building sustainable housing is a huge part of what I want to do and I'd get to give back, you know?"