Her Perfect Man by Jillian Hart Page A

cherry soda. I’ll have to remember that in case I lose another competition sometime. Not that I’m planning on it.”
    “Of course not. But this way you can be prepared for next week’s defeat.” That made him laugh, and she discovered she liked making him laugh. “I see you brought everything but dessert. I have two grape Popsicle treats left in the freezer.”
    “Only two? You did end up having a lot of family over. That’s nice they cared enough to come.”
    “I’m very blessed.” She began to unpack the bag. “It was a full house last night. I owe you a big thank-you. Everyone wanted a Popsicle.”
    “Glad I could help out.” He lifted the barbecue’s lid. “How did it go?”
    “Everyone made far too big of a deal over this.”
    “They care about you. That’s easy to see.” He knelt to give the propane tank’s knob a turn. “You mean a lot to them. It’s only right they are protective of you.”
    “Whose side are you on?” She said the words lightly, but they didn’t feel that way. She had not confided in her sisters completely and not even Spence knew the whole truth. That troubled her more than she wanted to admit.
    “I’m on your side, Rebecca.” Chad struck a match. It flamed to life and he lit the barbecue. “Remember your friendship clause? We’re friends now.”
    “We are.” Her throat felt tight and she had to glance away from the man who was so wholesome and upright with the soft rays of the evening sun bronzing him. He had probably never done a single thing wrong in his life. He was the perfect man. The perfect friend. The perfect Christian. Her emotions twisted up tight until she hurt everywhere, especially her conscience.
    Chad came her way and dug in the bag for the pack of hot dogs. “Then tell me what’s troubling you?”
    It was impossible to look into his kind eyes and not be affected. Her throat burned. Deep inside, she felt so lonely with this, with what she had kept from her family. “I haven’t talked to anyone about this. I just haven’t known how.”
    “Sure you do. You talk. It’s that easy.”
    Yep, that gentle concern of his sure was dazzling. “It’s not that easy, although it should be.”
    “Try me. I’m here to listen not just cook.” He grinned.
    “You’re winning me over when not one of my sisters could do it. Not even Spence.”
    “This sounds serious.” He put down the package, the barbecue forgotten. There was nothing but her. Just her. His chest filled with emotions too complicated to think about. “Tell me, Rebecca. Trust me as a friend.”
    “Do you think that failing to tell someone something is the same as a lie? Our faith teaches forgiveness, so when is it right to give someone a second chance regardless of what they have done, and how do you know?”
    “Uh—” That was all he could get out before his throat choked up, trapping the air in his lungs. Before his brain stopped working and his conscience took a big ugly bite out of him. He pulled out the nearby chair and dropped into it.
    Thank heavens she went on talking.
    “There’s a lot about Chris that came to light late in our relationship.” She swiped at the flyaway curls that had escaped her ponytail to curl about her face. “What he told me was a confidence, and so I didn’t spill to my sisters. And then we broke up and I didn’t know how to, so much time had gone by, and it was over with. I just didn’t want to think about all that pain again.”
    “I know just how that is.” Did he. He fidgeted in the chair, knowing that now was the ideal time to tell her his secrets. The things that were too hard for him to talk about. And yet those words lodged in his throat right along with the lump of his emotions.
    “I thought we were over—”
    “You aren’t going back with him?” he asked with more alarm than he’d intended.
    “No. Chris really scared me, and I saw a side of him that he had been trying to hide for a long time.” She looked miserable and burdened.