Her Perfect Man by Jillian Hart

didn’t lessen the sting to his heart. He liked her too much. There was no doubt about that.
    “No. The truth is I’ve been through some stuff and didn’t want to involve anyone with what was going on. It was complicated. When life was uncomplicated, I couldn’t find the right woman.” Here was another place he could tell her the whole truth. But could he? He tried. He opened his mouth, determined to say the words and they died in his throat.
    “I completely understand.” She waved away her own question. “Enough said. What you and I need to do is to focus on the present and move beyond the past. Leave it where it belongs. Deal?”
    “Deal.” He blinked. He was still trying to work up the nerve to be wholly honest with her and now another opportunity had passed. Now he had another problem: he didn’t want the evening to end. Since there was no more reason to stay, he grabbed the bag.
    “Thanks for cooking. You are a good sport, Chad.”
    “An agreement is an agreement. It was my pleasure. Are you up to a rechallenge next week?”
    “I’m looking forward to it.” She hesitated at the door, seeming happy. No, it was more than that. She radiated goodness and joy.
    His chest cinched up tight. Emotion too sweet to name all but lifted him off the ground. It had to be clouds he was walking on as he hiked onto the grass, walking backward so he could keep sight of her as long as possible. “Good night, Rebecca.”
    “Good night.”
    They were officially friends now. Eating dinner together. Helping other friends together. Going to church activities together. The sun seemed to shine more brightly when she gave him one last smile before heading inside. He was definitely in a whole lot of like with her.
    God willing, he wasn’t about to get his heart broken. He crossed the lush green grass and skirted the wooden wall that separated her yard from his. The phone in his pocket buzzed, and he checked the screen.
    Dinner tomorrow night? Rebecca had texted.
    Something told him he knew what she had in mind. He dropped into one of the plastic chairs on his patio and typed an answer. Is it burrito buffet night?
    Her message came back almost immediately. Yes!
    Then count me in, he typed.
    The sliding door opened behind him. It was Ephraim back from dinner at his parents’ with a plastic-covered plate in hand. “Hey, got my laundry done. Mom sent me home with some brownies.”
    “That was nice of her. How are your folks?”
    “The same. What’s going on here? I’m gone for a few hours and I come back to find you grinning ear to ear. And texting someone. A young woman, maybe?”
    “Maybe. So, do you want to tell me about our neighbor—”
    “Rebecca? There’s nothing else to tell. You really like her, don’t you?” Ephraim took the other chair and they stared out at the lawn, the shrubbery and the opposite patio in companionable silence. He unwrapped the plate and wedged it onto the plastic footstool between the chairs that served as a table. “Don’t want to tell a lie, huh?”
    “Not sure what I can say that won’t either be a lie or incriminate me.”
    “Understandable.” Ephraim took a brownie.
    “You know how it is. The other morning you mentioned the neighbor on our other side.”
    It was Ephraim’s turn to choose a moment of silence before he answered. “Two college girls live there. Elle and Sydney.”
    Maybe Ephraim wasn’t aware that his voice deepened when he said Elle’s name. Chad took a brownie and bit into it. “Elle and Sydney. Are they nice?”
    “Yep.” Nothing more.
    “What’s Elle like?”
    “I thought you liked Rebecca.” Ephraim used a diversionary tactic.
    “Ah, but there’s a greater question. Does Rebecca like me?” And an even more gigantic one. Would Rebecca understand when he told her the whole truth about his past? Or would she see it as a deception, a secret he had kept hidden from her the same way Chris had done?
    His stomach twisted up. He couldn’t shake the