She held herself still even though she was flailing around like a drowning swimmer on the inside. “Ben wants to go out with me?”

“Yes.”

“Ben is romantically interested in me?”

“Yes. You didn’t know?”

“No. I . . . don’t always pick up on undercurrents that other people understand intuitively.”

“Ah.”

“I happen to agree with your assessment of Ben. He’s an outstanding person. Stellar.”

“He really is. Will you consider giving him a chance?”

She looked him straight in the eyes. “No.”

“No?”

“Nothing against Ben, but I have no interest in dating anyone. I don’t do romance.”

“You don’t do romance?” he repeated.

“No. I’ve never aspired to a dating relationship and certainly not to marriage.”

“Can we back this train up?” He pondered her the way he might ponder a complex X-ray. “Why don’t you do romance?”

“In order to explain, I’ll have to back this train way up. All the way to my childhood.”

“I’m listening.”

“You’re really interested in this?”

“I promise you that I am. You told me you prefer for people to speak directly. You can trust me to do just that.”

“Well . . .” She sniffed, then rested her hands in her lap. “When all the other little girls were drawing pictures of families, with mothers and fathers and children, I was drawing pictures of myself surrounded by math equations. I know that most people envision romantic relationships as part of their future, but I never did.”

“Why is that?”

“Several reasons. The first was environmental.”

“Explain.”

“My parents’ marriage was . . . deplorable. It in no way sweetened me toward the institution.”

“Understandable.”

On top of that, during her middle school years, no boy had displayed a shred of romantic interest in her. Back then, not only had she been socially awkward, she’d also worn glasses and possessed a nose that was too large for her face. “I attended an all-girls school, which was glorious because, for the first time, I was surrounded by friends with whom I had much in common. There were no boys present, however, so I certainly wasn’t tempted to try dating during my teenage years.”

The peaceful environment at Clemmons had poured Miracle-Gro on her confidence. There, her roommate had invited Leah to church and Leah had, for the first time, met God. She’d placed her faith in Him. In response, the unconditional love she’d spent her life craving had poured through her. God’s grace had revolutionized her soul.

“And after you graduated from Clemmons?” he asked.