The few block walk always seemed longer after dark, but Regan was armed, as usual, with a can of mace in her purse, and her knuckle-ring key ring tucked tightly in her fist. Hey, you could never be too careful walking alone in the city. She didn’t want to invite trouble, but if it happened to come knocking, she was ready.
She wished she could say the same about her trouble of a different variety—her preacher man, Josh. Something about the guy had gotten under her skin. When she’d seen him this evening, she’d felt like an awkward teenager. Her pulse raced at the sight of him; she had a crazy urge to touch his unruly blond hair, push a lock back off his forehead. She had to use all her restraint not to. When he’d asked her for another date, she’d almost blurted out a “yes” right away. Because she’d love to go out with him again.
She’d like nothing better than to spend more time in his company. To talk to him, laugh with him, ride behind him on his motorcycle. And that kiss of his was enough to drive her to absolute abandon.
But it wasn’t a good idea. He was so … good.
She supposed that’s what it came down to—he was too good to be true. He served God for a living. How could she compete with that? Here she was, in all her imperfect glory. What could he possibly see in her? And how long would it be before she screwed up?
So, her mind made up that when she saw him she would decline his date offer, but feeling so excited about seeing him that she didn’t have a clue what to do about it, she snorted. She was in serious trouble.
A little before nine, she approached the big church, stepping over some broken cement on the sidewalk. It was always windy in Chicago (hence its nickname, The Windy City) and tonight was no different—the brisk breeze behind her seemed to push her toward the front door. She made her way up the steps, through the big wooden double doors and headed for the large side room Luke had disappeared into with the stack of pizzas a few hours earlier. A gaggle of red-cheeked, smiling teens were there, their combined sounds of laughter and conversation flooding her like a tidal wave.
She stepped in and looked for Luke—yes, there he was—in the middle of the crowd, his friend, Brad, right behind him. His happy smile looked to her like a searchlight shining in the midst of the dark ocean, to a stranded boater.
He saw her and threw his head back, eyebrows up, in acknowledgement. He made his way over to her.
“Hi,” she said as he approached. “Did you have a nice time?”
He shrugged. “I guess. It was okay.”
She tried to hide a smile. His exuberance told her a different story, but typically, he operated under the teenage code about showing enthusiasm—avoid it at all costs.
“So what did you do?” she asked with a smile.
Luke darted a look at Brad and answered, “Karaoke night. A bunch of the kids got up and performed.”
“A bunch of the kids did, huh? I’m assuming you guys didn’t?”
He plastered a pained look on his face, as if she’d just suggested he get a crew cut. “No way. But it was pretty funny watching.”
She caught a glimpse of Josh across the room, checking in with each crew of kids. He took a ball cap off an unsuspecting teen’s head and tossed it up into the air. As Regan watched him, she felt a little whiff of envy—this man was definitely in his element. He connected with these kids in a real way, and seemed to know just what to say to make them laugh, make them smile. Not make them roll their eyes and smirk, “Mom!”
His easy smile looked welcoming and suddenly, she longed to find herself basking in its glow again. He moved easily, gracefully. He had the simple beauty of an All American boy grown up into a hardworking man. He made his way over to their little group.
“Thanks for coming tonight, guys.” He put a friendly arm around Luke’s shoulder and Regan felt her own body tense. Would her son push the warm-hearted gesture away, as he’d done so many times with her?
But he didn’t. He smiled—actually grinned with a happy ease—looked at Josh and said, “It was a good time.” She couldn’t believe it.
Josh continued, “Well, you’re welcome back any time. Every Sunday night, same time.”
Then he was looking in her direction, directing his blue eyes at her, making her feel just as welcome as the kids who obviously adored him.
“Hi again,” she said softly. You’d have thought she’d just told him he’d won a million dollars, because his face lit up. And in response, she couldn’t help grinning as she thought about what she was just wishing for, seconds ago, about basking in the glow of his smile.
“You got a great kid here.”
She glanced sideways at Luke—okay, he was doing his eye-rolling, but it was good-natured this time, not annoyed. “Yes, I do. Thanks for noticing.”
“Although you’ve got to work on his karaoke technique. A little off-key at times.”
Regan turned to her son, her eyes wide. “You sang? You told me you just watched!”
Brad laughed and pointed at Luke, “You’re snagged, dude.”
“Okay, once. I sang once, and Josh is right—I sucked!”
Regan turned back to Josh, her look apologetic. “I’m assuming there’s some sort of protocol, and the word ‘sucked’ is not appropriate for church, right?” Another quick glance at Luke to see if she was doing her motherly tread on his independence. She was gratified to see that he appeared appropriately chastised.
Josh moved closer to her and gripped her elbow. “Excuse us, guys. Do you mind if Luke’s mom and I have a word alone?” As the boys disbanded, she found herself close to him and loving his smell. He must have dabbed some cologne on that morning. Suddenly she wanted to put her face to his chest and breathe in the warmth of him.
He led her a few feet away and planted that beautiful smile on her again. “You know how touchy kids are when we talk about them, but I wanted you to know that I really enjoy Luke. You’re obviously doing a great job raising him.”
Not only did he smell good and look good, but he always said the right things. What was with this guy anyway?
“Thanks. That means a lot to me. You know, Luke is my first and only child, so he gets the job of guinea pig, whether he likes it or not. Always trying out my parenting techniques. Poor guy.”
Josh gazed at her for a few seconds in silence, then he cleared his throat. Uh oh. Here it came. Get ready…
“Did you think about what I asked you earlier?”
She supposed she could play dumb and make him repeat it, but what would be the point? She would still have to turn him down. She’d still have to find some way to say no without hurting his feelings. Without breaking her own heart in the process.
“Would you go out with me again?”
But as her internal voice was struggling with the best way to say no, Regan looked at him and said, quite quickly and unexpectedly, “Yes.”
She said it quietly, and he leaned a little closer, as if he didn’t hear her. Or maybe he couldn’t believe it. Actually, she couldn’t believe it herself. The whole way over, she’d prepped herself on saying no. It wouldn’t work out, it wouldn’t be right, blah, blah, blah. But it didn’t matter. The fact was, she was ready to try a relationship with a man, and Josh was the best man she’d met in years. Her whole life, probably. What was stopping her from taking the plunge?
So, ignoring the voices in her head, she smiled and said it again, louder this time, “Yes!”
And he must have liked her answer because he graced her with that fantastic, heart-stopping grin, grabbed her hands and squeezed them.
She was going to date a preacher man.