Page 29 of Not So Very Sensible

“So what are some deal-breakers for you?”

“Well, obviously it’s important to me that he’s a Christian.”

He placed his hand up. “One hundred percent.”

“And that he’s interested in art. I don’t think I could be with a guy who is obsessed with sport or video games or something like that and can’t appreciate something that’s so important to me.”

“Let me guess: Art feels like it’s a part of you?”

“How did you know?”

“Because I can feel the same.”

Her smile held shyness but also a sense of camaraderie. “So how about you. What are your deal-breakers?”

He half shrugged. “I don’t want anyone who is selfish or unkind. I think it’s important to be contributing to society, wanting to make it a better place, rather than talking all the time. I think it’s important to find someone who understands that so we can encourage each other to love and good works.”

“I like that. Do you know where that verse is?”

“In Hebrews, I think. Maybe chapter ten.”

She got her phone out, then looked it up on her Bible app. “Verse twenty-four.”

Even that impressed him. She obviously knew her way around a Bible, which suggested it was important to her. “I think it’s proved in what people do in church. I love helping with youth group, and I’d hope that whoever I’m with in the future can support that.”

“People who think church is just for attending and not contributing in some way kind of miss the point,” she mused. “Our pastor puts it like this: that some people are consumer Christians and treat church like a supermarket where they get their supplies for the week and then hide away from the world, rather than thinking it’s like a gym where they exercise and get stronger for their interactions with the regular world.”

“That sounds about right to me.” He smiled. “I like when people can explain things easily like that. I want to be a youth pastor one day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I like the law, but I can really see how I can make a difference with young people.”

“It must be good to see you can make a tangible difference.”

“You do too. You serve in church.”

“True.”

“And so do I.”

“I know.” She smiled.

His heart clenched a little, and he smiled at her. “I don’t know if I told you this before, but you were the most beautiful woman here tonight.”

Her cheeks pinked, and her eyebrows lifted. “Did you have a little extra something in your drink tonight?”

She didn’t believe him? “No. I mean it. Come on. Surely you must know that from all the compliments you received.”

“They like the dress. Not me.”

“Hmm, I think you underestimate yourself. Anyway, I like you. With or without the dress.”

She blinked, and he heard how that sounded. “I mean, obviously with the dress. On, I mean.” Man, this wasn’t getting better. How could his dad talk professionally for a living, and Ethan couldn’t even tell a woman he thought she was pretty?

But he was getting a smile from her, a dimpled smile that drew fresh appreciation for the way God had made her. He even earned a soft chuckle, which was something. Hey, he’d take her laughter over her shock, anytime.

“It’s not meant to be funny,” he mock-complained.