“Why do you think?”

I chuckled. “Yeah … I suppose bolting when you kissed me wasn’t the best way to show my affection.” He laughed. “I’m sorry about that, I really am. But I’ve thought about it and I want for this to become whatever it is it’s going to become. I mean, we’re not talking about anything serious, for heaven’s sake. We’re just exploring the possibilities of a relationship, right?” I marvel now at how adept I was at convincing myself as I tried to convince others.

“Well … yeah. I mean, you’re right, we’re not looking at a lifelong commitment, just the opportunity to develop our friendship.”

“Precisely.”

“I’m up for that.”

“Great!”

“So now what?”

I giggled. “Beats me.”

“I hate that we live so far apart.”

I sighed. “I know, it sucks. Newport Beach is a lot closer, and I think some famous people live there; if you moved in, you wouldn’t feel out of place or anything.”

He got a good laugh out of that. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

We talked for two hours. Whenever the subject veered toward philosophy or religion, I took the opportunity to inject my Christian thinking and defense. We actually did have a pretty good discussion about faith, but nothing monumental. That was all the justification I needed. Obviously he was interested in spiritual things; what kind of Christian would I be if I didn’t do everything in my power to walk him through that journey?

At the end of the night we reluctantly wound down our conversation and pondered what our next move would be in the exploring-the-possibilities-of-a-relationship game. Eventually we landed on the idea of another day of sightseeing, this time in San Diego. After we’d laid down some of the plans for that trip, we said our good-byes and hung up, and I dragged myself off to bed in hopes that I’d actually sleep.

After church the next evening the girls and I went out for dessert and talked about the upcoming summer concert at church. Auditions were that week for the vocalists, and as I told the girls about this, I realized the rehearsal was scheduled for the same weekend as Jack’s and my San Diego trip. I wrinkled my nose and frowned at the realization of the conflict, and since nothing gets by them, they all wanted to know what I had planned.

I waved my hand in dismissal. “It’s not a big deal, I can change it.”

“What is it?”

Why was I so reluctant to tell them? “I was going to go to San Diego that Saturday. I haven’t been there yet.”

“With who, just by yourself?” Joy asked.

When I hesitated, Missy’s eyes got big, and she grinned. “Ooh—were you going to go with Jack?”