Page 61 of Lee

“Come on over here,” Lee said, motioning to a group of Adirondack chairs that sat on the deck near a large picnic table. He set his plate down on one of the chairs. “I’m going to grab a drink. What can I get you?”

“Uh… A bottle of water?”

“You don’t want a soda?”

She considered it for a moment, then told him her favorite. “If there’s a can of that, I’ll take it.”

“Be right back.”

Rori took the seat next to where Lee had put his plate and balanced hers on her lap. The adults with kids were taking seats at the picnic table, so Janessa, Will, and the two guys sat down in the other chairs where Rori was.

“So, you’re Rori, right?” one of the guys asked. The smile he aimed in her direction was friendly.

She gave him a quick smile and a nod. “Yep.”

“My name is Jackson. I’m Blake’s cousin, and Gareth’s best friend.”

“Leave her alone, Jackson,” Janessa said from where she sat near Rori. “She’s not fresh meat.”

“I’m not looking at her as fresh meat,” Jackson responded indignantly.

Janessa scoffed. “Sure.”

“What’s going on?” Lee asked as he rejoined them, holding out a soda can to Rori.

She glanced up at him as she took it. “Thanks.”

He gave her a smile, then bent and picked up his plate. As he sat down next to Rori, he glanced at Janessa. “What’s up?”

“Jackson is introducing himself to Rori.”

Lee looked at the other man with lifted brows. Rather than responding, Jackson stared back at him as he picked up a slice of pizza and chomped off the end.

Wondering what she was missing, Rori took a bite of her slice of pepperoni pizza. The other guy there—Rori thought his name was Wade—just chuckled and shook his head.

“Jackson is on the search for a wife,” Will said, apparently deciding the stare down between Lee and Jackson had gone on long enough.

Rori waited for Jackson to deny it, but instead, he just shrugged. “What of it? You never know when God might bring the right woman to me. I’ll never know if I don’t get to know them.”

He was actually interested in getting to know her? That made Rori lift her own brows. That was flattering, but she had no interest in the man.

“He’s dated pretty much every eligible woman in Serenity,” Janessa said.

“Every woman in Serenity?” Rori asked, certain she was exaggerating. “That’s a lot of dating.”

“Not every woman,” Jackson protested. “Just the single Christian ones.”

The bite of pizza she’d taken suddenly lost its taste as she realized she should tell him she wasn’t the eligible woman he thought she was. She wasn’t a Christian.

If it made her ineligible for Jackson, then it made her ineligible for Lee, too. That made her heart hurt. Of all the things she’d thought would make her not good enough for someone like Lee, her lack of faith hadn’t even made the list.

“I think we’ll all know when your perfect woman shows up,” Will said.

“I don’t know,” Jackson said. “It took you years to realize Janessa was the perfect woman for you. I mean, you’ve known her since you were like ten years old.”

“Better late than never,” Janessa quipped.

Rori sensed that there were stories behind each of the couples there, and she wondered if she would ever hear them all. Once she revealed she wasn’t a Christian, even though she’d gone to church, would they stop inviting her to things?

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