Page 62 of Not So Very Sensible

Yep, there it was. Bulldozer Francine, as usual. He wondered if Wayne had said anything to her recently about the blue-haired woman he’d seen Ethan with last weekend.

“Yeah, if you ask me, it sounds a little selfish,” chimed in Rob. “Not exactly what a Christian should do.”

Ethan glanced at his younger brother. “If you think it sounds so selfish, why don’t you marry her?”

Rob coughed. “I’m not the one Lucinda has her heart set on.”

“Shame.”

He sighed. “Yeah. Because she is kinda hot. I’m saying that in a completely platonic way, of course.”

“I don’t care how you say it. I’m not interested. She’s all yours.”

Rob wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, but I’m not ready to settle down yet.”

“Neither am I.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t get in the way of Lucinda.”

Ethan glanced at his father, who was watching them from under hooded eyes, his fingers pressed together like he was praying. Not that he was. The only god his father believed in was himself. “Well, Dad? Got anything else to say? Otherwise, I’ve got places to be.”

His father glanced at Francine, who nodded.

Oh, okay. So they had planned this attack. He settled back, crossed his arms, waiting for the next blow.

“Is the reason you’re reluctant to consider this because you have a relationship with someone else?” Francine asked.

“No. The reason I am reluctant to do this is because I don’t want to. Why is that so hard to understand?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Wayne mentioned he saw you with a blue-haired woman last Sunday.”

And there it was. Of course Wayne had.

“Blue hair?” Dad’s nose screwed up so hard he might need another nose job. “Are you serious?”

“I won’t deny that I met a woman at the mystery weekend that I enjoyed spending time with.”

“Wasn’t that the weekend you were supposed to go with Lucinda?” Rob asked.

“She was sick, remember?”

“Whoa.” Rob grinned, his eyes alight with unholy glee. “My big brother the baddie.”

“Look, I’m gonna stop you right there because Lucinda and I are not, and never have been, in a relationship.”

“Yeah, that’s not what going away together to a hotel suggests.” Francine smirked.

“We had booked separate rooms,” he snapped. “We’ve never done … that, if you must know. And I have no intention of doing that with anyone until I’m married.”

“You’re so virtuous, aren’t you?” Rob sneered.

“I’m not perfect. But I do try to practice what I preach, especially when I want to be a youth pastor one day.”

“This again?” Francine rolled her eyes.

Dad’s eyes could splinter wood. “Are you batting for the other side, is that it, Son?”

“What? No. How can you think that? Okay, if you must know, yes, I found Elinor attractive. And I was supposed to see her this weekend, but then I lost her number.”