Page 59 of The Dating Game

I laugh, still trying to get my bearings back, but determined not to seem overly affected by him.

“You forgot to say when I’m not skydiving,” I quip.

“Nah, I just figured you were probably fervently reciting some choice words from the Bible while skydiving,” he replies with a teasing smirk.

“Just one verse, actually. A last ditch attempt for sanity to prevail.”

“Do tell.”

“‘Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Will bursts out laughing. “Nice. I see what you did there. Jesus’ response to the devil when he told Him to jump from the highest point of the temple because if He was truly the Son of God, God would save Him.”

“Bingo.” I grin and then we engage in another round of foolishly staring at each other like a pair of lovestruck teenagers.Teenagers. The word jars me back to my senses. There’s a church full of teenagers about a hundred yards away. Maybe now is not the time to get lost in Will’s eyes and imagine him pulling me into his strong arms for a long kiss.

“So how did soccer training go?” I ask, ripping my gaze painfully from his. I nod my head toward the church, wordlessly suggesting we head back. Will nods in agreement and steps forward before answering.

“It went great.” He matches my energy change easily, evidently not as affected by me as I am by him. Depressing. “The program they’re using makes some great gospel connections at an age appropriate level. I’m excited to get started tomorrow. How about you? How was volleyball?”

“Volleyball…” I twist my lips into a point, pondering how to answer without sounding too negative. “Isn’t dance,” I conclude in what I’d consider a stroke of diplomacy.

Will chuckles. “That bad, huh?”

I groan, covering my face with my hands for a second before letting them fall with a thwack against my legs. “In my defense, I’ve never played volleyball before.Ever,” I emphasize. “Turnsout it’s not an easy sport to pick up.”

“No, it’s not,” Will agrees. He pauses, seeming to consider something. “Maybe I could help you,” he finally says.

“Help me with volleyball?” I ask.

“Yeah.” He shoves his hands onto his pockets. “I mean, only if you want.”

“You play volleyball?”

“Recreationally. I’m not saying I’m amazing or anything, but I’ve got a grasp on the basics.”

“The basics?” I echo.

“Yeah, you know, bumping, setting, serving.”

My nose wrinkles. “Not a fan of serving?” he asks with a chuckle.

“I think it’s my new nemesis.”

“Well, I’m happy to help you defeat your nemesis. Or maybe I should say learn to live in harmony with it.”

I smile, but hesitate to agree just yet. In theory the idea of Will teaching me how to serve should be appealing, but my brain keeps circling back to Will on the golf course. The instructor version of Will is not a version that I enjoyed. Although he did calm down on the unwelcome tips after the incident with Johnny.

“I don’t know,” I say carefully. “It’s nice of you to offer, but…” I trail off, unsure how to say this without hurting his feelings.

“But what?” he presses.

“Well, no offense, because this is probably more of a me problem than a you one, but I’m not sure we gel in the coach/student capacity.” I flick my wrists, hoping to subtly remind him of my supposed overextension.

“Oh.” A shadow crosses his face. “Right. Golf.” He sighs, raking a hand through his hair. “What if I told you that was an off day for me, then ask if you could give me a chance to rectify that wrong?” We’ve reached the church doors now, and he stops, taking me lightly by theelbow and pivoting me to face him. “We are on a mission trip, after all,” he adds with a cock of his head. “Grace is sort of a requirement.”

I fight a smile at the way he’s using my own words to try and win me over. “Okay,” I say, reaching over and giving him a poke on the chest, “you’ve convinced me. I’ll give Coach Will another try.”

He doesn’t answer right away. Instead I see his throat move with a hard swallow and my stomach takes up flurrying around again. Maybe I do affect him as much as he affects me. A woman can only hope.

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