Several ideas presented themselves, but Jeb didn’t want to jump into things. He’d think it through. Formulate a plan.
And find a way to win Bethany’s heart.
~*~
Nathan was glad to see Lynn come into jiu-jitsu class with her friend, Sharon. While he’d seen Sharon at Little Lambs before, this was the first time they were officially introduced.
Sharon shook his hand. “Lynn spoke highly of your class. I’m excited about it.”
Nathan noted the wedding band on her left hand. “Your husband is always welcome to join us as well.”
She laughed. “Oh, he’d probably enjoy it. But he was more than happy to take this opportunity to go to the gun range for a while. Maybe I can convince him to come next week.”
“I hope he’ll give it a try. Though I can’t fault him for wanting to go to the range, either.” While Nathan didn’t do a lot of shooting, Chess did. Nathan found going with him was a great way to spend some quality brother time together.
He turned his attention back to Lynn and found her watching the main door of the building. A handful of moments later, her gaze swiveled to him and a small blush crept into her cheeks.
Nathan stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Is everything okay?”
Lynn nodded once. “Sorry, just distracted this morning.”
He wanted to ask her what was going on, but another student walked in, and it was time to get the class started.
He was satisfied to see Lynn relax a little more with Sharon there. The two women partnered up during practice, and the sound of Lynn’s frequent laughter had his heart jumping in his chest.
By the end of class, the tension he could see in Lynn seemed to melt away. The physical exertion of the class had her face glowing as she and Sharon talked. He dismissed class, Lynn excused herself and went to the restroom, leaving Nathan to thank Sharon again for coming.
He considered whether he should bring Lynn up at all. “I’ve noticed Lynn hasn’t quite been herself lately. I hope everything is okay.”
Sharon hesitated, which only made Nathan’s suspicions jump into high gear. “Things have been a little rough the last few days. I think she’s going to explain that when she sees you tomorrow.” She glanced at the restroom door as though she were hoping Lynn might appear just then.
Nathan took pity on her, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. “Well, it was great to have you here. I hope I’ll see at least you again next weekend.”
“I’m planning on it.” Sharon smiled again as Lynn approached them.
“Thanks for the class, Nathan.”
“Of course. I’ll pick you up tomorrow?”
She nodded, a smile on her face, but a flash of something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite interpret. “Absolutely. I’ll be ready.”
Nathan laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll see you then.”
He watched as the two women left the building. He’d been looking forward to the dinner with Lynn tomorrow, and that was still the case. Except now he couldn’t stop wondering what it was Lynn wanted to tell him.
ChapterEleven
Lynn glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror for at least the tenth time. The lilac-colored sundress she’d chosen to wear still looked fine. So did her hair. After agonizing over what to do with it, she’d finally pulled part of it back and braided it, leaving plenty to fall down her back and even some tendrils that gently framed her face.
No, it wasn’t her appearance that was the problem. She zeroed in on her own eyes looking back at her. There was no missing the nervousness there and the way she was frowning at herself.
She was finally going on a real date with Nathan, the guy she was rapidly falling in love with. This should be an event she anticipated with butterflies in her stomach. Not only because of the significance of their date, but also because she hoped he’d pull her close and kiss her again.
Making sure her lip gloss was fresh and her hair smoothed down should be her main worries tonight.
Instead, all Lynn could think about was how she was going to tell Nathan that her given name wasn’t really Lynn.
She groaned and tipped her head back to look at the ceiling.
