Page 22 of The Dating Game

Will

WhenIarriveatrehearsal the next day I’m still riding high—pun intended—from my display at Twist and Shout the night before. I giveThe Officefull credit for the bike idea, since I just watched the rerun where Jim transfers to Stanford and decides to ride to work after seeing his new boss do it. He shows up to work drenched in sweat.

Unfortunately, I am not a big sweater, so that part of the plan didn’t pan out, but the shorts and shirt were an inspiration. You know how you think you’ll never wear a Halloween costume again? Well I assumed that very thing when I purchased that shirt for my eighties costume the year the staff at Grace Canyon decided to do decades themed costumes. But it’s a good thing I saved it anyway, and an even better thing that I missed the return date on those running shorts that looked way longer online than they did upon arrival.

The look on Brooke’s face when she saw them—totally worth it.

I scored some big points in Operation Dating Game. That’s for sure.

I only wish I could wear them again tonight for our date, but they really weren’t comfortable to ride in, and I’m afraid if I do my thighs may officially fuse to my bike seat.

It’s all good, though. I’ve got plenty of other tricks up my sleeves.

“Hey, Will, you look happy today,” Jenny, one of our worship team’s lead vocalists, comments as she steps onstage.

“You really do,” Charissa, our keyboard player, agrees from her bench seat.

“That’s because he has a date tonight,” Rodger, our drummer, announces as he settles himself in his booth.

“Oh really?” Jenny cries at the same time I exclaim, “What? How do you know that?”

Rodger shrugs. “I heard it from my wife who heard it from Belinda Lagman. They’re in a Saturday morning book club together. A bunch of ladies from Grace Canyon attend.” Translation: the whole church is now going to know that their worship director has a date tonight.

I repress a growl of frustration. I wouldn’t care so much if the whole thing weren’t fake. I don’t need any extra attention on our relationship. What did I expect though? That people wouldn’t find out? Brooke’s best friend works with Belinda, and Belinda can’t keep anything to herself. Especially if it has to do with romance in any way, shape, or form. I once heard her say that her life’s mission is to bring as many people together as possible because God commanded us to go forth and multiply and we can’t multiply by ourselves.

Soof courseshe told everyone Brooke and I were going out tonight. She’s also probably checking hall locations for the wedding reception she’s already planning.

“So, who is she?” Jenny asks. “Must be someone pretty special to have you smiling like that.” She has no idea.Though I am surprised she can’t tell the difference between a lovestruck smile and a victorious one.

Mine, of course, being the latter.

“Uh, she’s just a woman I met skydiving,” I tell them truthfully.

For some reason this makes Jenny aww. “And where are you taking this mystery woman tonight?” she asks when she’s finished mooning over the skydiving thing.

“Uh, we’re going on a bike ride.”

“A bike ride?” Jenny wrinkles her nose, exchanging a look with Charissa. “No offense, Will, but that’s not a great first date idea. I know you’re an outdoorsy guy, but save the bike rides for later in the relationship. A woman wants to get all dressed up for a first date, not don a pair of bike shorts and slap her hair in a ponytail.”

“I agree,” Charissa says. “Not to mention, what if you want to kiss her at the end of the night? You don’t want your first kiss to be a sweaty one, do you?” They both wrinkle their noses, but I barely notice. My mouth has gone dry. Somehow I didn’t factor kissing her into this whole deception of mine.

Kissing Brooke.

I close my hand in a fist, trying to stop the sudden racing of my heart.

“It may be too late to change it now, though,” Jenny says regretfully.

“True,” Charissa agrees. “She’ll need time to change gears. Prepping for a night out is different from prepping for a bike ride.” Her voice drips with her displeasure at my apparent faux pas. “Unless you text her right now,” she decides with a bang of her hand against the bench. “Yes, you should text her right now, Will. Change your plans.”

“Uh, thanks for the suggestion,” I say, “but I like bike riding. If she’s not okay with that, then maybe we aren’t a good fit.”

And we’re definitely not a good fit, I remind myself.

Jenny and Charissa look extremely disgruntled by my dismissal of their suggestions. Jenny recovers first, though.

“Fine, but at the very least be on time to pick her up,” she says.

“And bring her a water bottle. It shows you can anticipate her needs,” Charissa suggests.

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