was my plan.” He turned around and backed down the walk. “I don’t want to make you late. You’re obviously on your way somewhere. A girl like you has a boyfriend, doesn’t she?”
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” She didn’t want him to know the truth, so she gave him The Eye, as her brother called it. “A girl like me?”
“Pretty. Together. Smart.”
“You are a shameless flatterer. My last boyfriend talked like you at first. He was good with compliments, but not so good with kindness and respect and following his Christian values, or so I found out.”
“Hey, I don’t want to pay for his mistakes.” He came to a stop at the curb and winked at her. “I’m perfectly innocent.”
“No guy is perfectly innocent.”
“Well, you got me there, but I’m living my faith. My Christian values.” He wanted to be clear about that. She’s all right, he thought, and he liked that she made him laugh. He’d had a long day and a tough one. It felt good to smile. “You let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be happy to come to your rescue.”
“Like that’s a comforting thought. I’m trying to stay out of trouble.” She had happy eyes and a mouth that said she smiled often.
He liked that, too.
She was really lovely with those delicate features and heart-shaped face and the sleek, dark fall of her brown hair. It was hard to miss the gold cross dangling on a fine chain around her neck.
Faith was important to him, too. “You haven’t answered my question. If you’re not going on a date, then where are you headed?”
“And that’s your business, because…?” She arched one slim eyebrow at him, as if she were taking careful note of his personality flaws.
He wasn’t fooled. Not one bit. He’d been inside her place. Sure, he’d noticed the cross-stitch that was sitting half-finished on the coffee table, and the Bible and devotional on the kitchen table. He wasn’t snooping, but a guy couldn’t help noticing. It wasn’t as if he could close his eyes and not see anything, right?
“It’s not my business,” he had to admit. “Just curious.”
“Didn’t curiosity get the cat into trouble?” She slipped through the door.
“Who said I wasn’t trouble?”
“Yep, that’s just what I thought about you.” She grabbed her purse and keys and shut the door. “I’m babysitting for my other sister and her husband. They have a date night tonight.”
“That’s nice you do that for her. So family’s important to you.”
“Absolutely. What about you?” She squinted at him. “It’s only fair that you answer a question. How do you know Ephraim?”
“He and I have been summer buddies since we were six.”
“Summer buddies?” she asked with a quizzical look as she turned the dead bolt.
“When my mom and dad wanted to get rid of me for the summer, they sent me to my aunt and uncle’s.” He saw the question forming on her expressive face and kept talking; he tried not to mention his parents if he could help it. Too complicated, too painful, too everything. “Ephraim lived next door to Uncle Calvin. He came over and offered me a Popsicle and the rest, as they say, was history.”
He liked the way she seemed to be in a good mood, even on a day of doom, as she’d claimed. She had the prettiest sparkles in her cinnamon-brown eyes that shimmered with warmth and humor.
“A Popsicle tends to cement the important relationships,” she said. “Especially a grape one.”
He chuckled, his heart just…feeling. He didn’t know how to describe it, only that it was nice. Real nice. “That’s where I’ve been wrong in the past. I neglected to offer a Popsicle.”
“A fatal mistake.”
She was one of those totally organized girls who seemed completely together. Although she was dressed casually, everything was coordinated and that purse she had over her shoulder was no cheap knockoff. His aunt had one almost like it. That, along with her spring-sunshine goodness, made Rebecca McKaslin an awesome combination. She slipped her keys into the outside pocket on her purse and descended the steps like a cool breeze.
He really should go. So why weren’t his feet taking him farther down the walk? “How old are your nieces or nephews?”
“Isn’t it my turn to ask the questions?” She dug her sunglasses out of her purse. “Are you serious about the Bible study group?”
“Wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
“Why aren’t you going to Ephraim’s group?” She slipped the glasses on, pausing to study him hard for any obvious flaws. She really wanted to find some flaws.
“I have obligations on Friday evenings.”
“A girlfriend?” Now, why did she ask that? She was teasing him, because he’d been just a tad curious about her. She leaned through the doorway to grab the bag she always carried to church with her. Inside was the flyer with all the group’s specifics. She handed it to him, realizing he was blushing.
Blushing. She didn’t know guys did that. Maybe the decent ones did. What did she know?
“Uh—” He looked flustered. “Currently, no.”
“See how personal that question can be?”
“I do. You’re making a point.”
“Yes. You are a smart guy.” She decided that a guy whose ears turned pink when asked about a girlfriend had to be okay. “Will I see you there?”
“Count on it.” He waved the flyer for confirmation.
“Good, our group has been losing numbers lately. A lot of us graduated last May. Well, I’ve got a pizza waiting.”
“Pizza. Sounds good. Is it for your niece? Nephew?”
“One of each.”
“Must be nice to have family.” He joined her on the walk, his gait easy and athletic, his voice amicable.
“It is.” She paused at the end of the walkway, where the sidewalk would take her left to the driveway, where her car was parked. “I don’t know what I’d do without my family. I have one older brother and five older sisters.”
“Sounds like heaven to me. I’m an only kid.”
“Was that a little lonely growing up?”
“Sometimes.”
It was hard not to feel for him. “As a kid, I always had someone looking out for me and someone to do things with. I was hardly ever alone. It’s probably why I like spending so much time alone now.”
“I
