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Anonymous, or Gamblers Anonymous she could go to. He’d referred some of their church members to a couple of those affiliations, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard of anything that could help people who couldn’t stop shopping.
    Or maybe it was time he confided to Curtis what was going on with his daughter, because there had been a couple of instances while they were dating when Phillip had heard Curtis telling Alicia that she liked to shop just a bit too much and that at some point she was going to have to think more about her future. He’d even told her that once she was married, he was ending her monthly allowance because he wanted her to become a lot more responsible and a lot less dependent on him. Of course, Alicia hadn’t cared about her father’s comments or concern in the least, but still, just remembering what Curtis had said led Phillip to believe that Curtis was starting to think she might have a problem or was eventually going to.
    When Phillip heard a knock at the door, he looked up. “Come in.”
    “Hey,” Curtis said, entering the office and taking a seat in front of Phillip’s desk.
    “Hey, how’s it going?”
    Phillip smiled when he saw the tailor-made, navy blue suit Curtis was wearing because it sort of explained, just a little, as to why Alicia had such expensive taste in clothing. Curtis always looked tip-top, and Charlotte was the exact same way, so in at least some fairness to Alicia, Phillip understood why she did some of the things she did. She’d gotten used to what she’d gotten used to, and it was hard for her to change that.
    But the thing was, she’d spent the majority of her childhoodgrowing up with her mother and stepfather, and they certainly didn’t have a lavish lifestyle. They did live in middle-class comfort, but that was pretty much where it ended with Tanya and James—they were normal people. But even so, Alicia had somehow adopted the same tastes as her father and stepmother.
    “I’m well, and how’s everything with you and my baby girl?”
    At that very moment, Phillip wanted to tell Curtis about the difficulties he and Alicia were having and how he didn’t know how to go about fixing them. But he didn’t. He debated whether he should or not but instead he said, “We’re good.”
    “I’m glad to hear it. You’re a fine man of God, and while I know I’ve told you this before, I’m proud to have you as my son-in-law.”
    “I appreciate that and of course I’m proud to have you as my father-in-law and as my pastor. I often wonder how I’ll ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me. I mean, first you blessed me with this wonderful opportunity to serve as your assistant pastor and then you offered me your blessing when I asked for Alicia’s hand in marriage.”
    “That I did, but you don’t owe me a single thing. All I want is to see you continue to grow as a minister and be a good husband to my daughter. That’s all I ask and nothing more.”
    “And I will. I’ll do my best all around.”
    “I know you will. I have no doubt about it. I love the people of this church, and I love my baby girl, and that’s why I’ve entrusted you with both of them.”
    Phillip was glad Curtis had so much confidence in him, but now he knew he couldn’t tell him about the trouble he was having with Alicia. He wanted to, but he couldn’t chance the outcome. For all he knew, Curtis might somehow think his “baby girl” was right and Phillip was as wrong as wrong could be, andhe didn’t want Curtis holding any animosity toward him. He didn’t want him reconsidering the position he’d given him or the approval he’d given him as his son-in-law. So, no, it was better to pretend that life couldn’t be better between him and Alicia and to simply leave well enough alone.
    Phillip repositioned his body in his chair. “So, the elder board meeting is still on for tomorrow, right?”
    “It is, and it’ll be good having the architects join us so they can give