Her Perfect Man by Jillian Hart

“Hi, Spence.”
    “You okay?” his baritone boomed like furious thunder.
    Interpretation: I’m worried about you and don’t want to show it, so I’ll be extra gruff to hide it. She rolled her eyes. Men. She pushed into the laundry room and dropped her stuff on top of the dryer. “I’m fine. No worries. How are you?”
    “Alive.”
    Interpretation: I’m not telling you anything more. Rebecca rolled her eyes again, locked the door behind her and tumbled into the kitchen.
    “Have you heard from him?” Spence barked into her ear.
    “No. Chris hasn’t called or anything.” Sunlight slanted through the blinds, brightening up the oak cabinets and sleek marble counters. She yanked open the refrigerator door and grabbed a can of cherry soda. “Thanks for coming the way you did last night. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
    “He ought to leave you alone.”
    Interpretation: I was glad to help. Rebecca knew she wasn’t imagining the slight warmth of her brother’s tone. Spence was a hard nut to crack, but she had figured out his code long ago. He was a great big brother. “I probably overreacted, but it meant a lot to know that you were there.”
    “He doesn’t get to hurt you, Rebecca. I’m not going to let that happen.”
    “I love you, too, you know.” She so wished Spence would open up, enough so that maybe a really nice woman could see the real Spence McKaslin. But she didn’t tell him that—mostly because she didn’t want to hear Spence’s bitter opinion on most women and the institution of marriage. She was starting to understand why he stayed single. It was so much easier not letting someone close enough to hurt you. If you didn’t trust anyone, then you couldn’t be shattered when things didn’t work out.
    The note stuck to a magnet on her refrigerator door caught her eye, one she had written to herself. “Hey, Spence. I don’t think I can make it over to the bookstore when Lucy is there tomorrow. Would it be too much trouble to have her sign a copy of her new book for me?”
    “Yes.”
    This time she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. She popped the can’s top. “Lucy has a book signing tomorrow. Remember?”
    “I try not to pay attention to that woman. Danielle handles the signings. I have a church meeting tomorrow.”
    What was up with Spence? He sounded even surlier than usual. “Then I guess I’ll talk to Danielle.”
    “You let me know if you have any more trouble with that boy.”
    “I will.” Rebecca wandered into the hallway and bumped down the thermostat. The air conditioner clicked on. “Thanks again, Spence.”
    “Bye.”
    Interpretation: You’re welcome. The phone disconnected and she ended the call. Spence. She thought of her brother, who was probably still at the bookstore working late as he always did. The only problem was that he wasn’t at peace. She prayed that one day he would find happiness with the right someone.
    Her phone jangled. It was a text message from Chad.
    Hot dogs ok? he’d written.
    My fave, she answered back.
    In her bedroom, she exchanged her jeans and camp T-shirt for a light summer top and matching walking shorts. She was digging in the back of the closet for her favorite casual sandals when her phone trilled again.
    Chips or fries? he asked.
    Chips. I have a killer dip, she wrote back.
    Fab. Coming over.
    She had enough time to reach the patio before he came ambling up with a paper bag half-full. He’d changed, too. He was wearing denim cutoffs and a gray T-shirt. There was something about a man with groceries, she decided. Somehow he looked more handsome as he laid down his load on the bistro table.
    “You look prepared.” She took a peek into the bag. “I have mustard and mayo, you know. I even have relish.”
    “So do I, and as I remember I’m the one providing the meal.” He plucked a packet of matches from the sack. “I even brought soda, but now I see from what you’re drinking that I brought the wrong kind. Black