Page 2 of A Surefire Love
Color rose on his cheeks. Was he embarrassed to be a fan?
A barb pricked her heart.
“I have leadership board meetings on Thursdays.” He leaned his elbow into an armrest. “You’re pretty serious about this.”
“Of course. Like I said, I heard you were shorthanded.” Hopefully he wouldn’t ask for details abouthowshe’d heard. Eavesdropping, even accidentally, was probably a sin. She reached for a piece of hair and twirled.
“Is this related to what happened during the service project?”
Blaze froze. She had hoped volunteering would solve the problem without having to confront the issue directly.
“The kids were supposed to stay in pairs.” Anson spoke evenly. “I sent Mercy and Anna to get a mop from the supply closet, but only Anna came back. She said Mercy had to use the restroom.”
Check, check, and check. Blaze’s little sister had said the same things. But at some point, his retelling would diverge from Mercy’s. Blaze held her breath.
“Because of the buddy rule, I sent a couple of the girls to find her, only Mercy wasn’t in the restroom. I found her with some of the high school boys in the gym.”
“Withis a strong word. She was by the bleachers, watching them shoot hoops. She said none of them even noticed her until you started shaming her.”
Anson’s mouth popped open. “Shamingher?”
The word did sound extreme, but the memory of Mercy’s tear-stained face pushed Blaze to continue. “She cried for an hour that night.”
He lifted his palms. “I asked if she heard the buddy rule.”
“In front of the older boys. Then you asked why she left Anna.”
“A reasonable question.”
“Except, by your own admission, Anna had already informed you it was to use the restroom.” Tension arced between her shoulder blades. “Mercy was mortified. She’s eleven and sensitive, and the boys laughed at her.”
“If they laughed, it was when I pointed out she wasn’t in the bathroom.” Defensiveness edged his tone.
“So you admit you said something to poke fun at the situation. You made a spectacle of her.”
“I stated the truth to address the incongruence, not to make a joke. The buddy rule protects the students, and I wanted her to see that she didn’t need to go off on her own. She never even made it to the restroom, so it clearly wasn’t an emergency. She had plenty of time to return with Anna, tell a leader, and take a partner with her. The whole thing could’ve been avoided if she’d followed the rules.”
“It also could’ve been discussed privately and gently.”
He settled back in his chair, assessing her. Such broad shoulders ought to be able to bear responsibility, but she knew how this worked. Unless she shifted the blame off of him, he’d never let her onto his team of youth leaders.
Tapping into the same skill that allowed her to control her voice when she sang, she calmed her tone and added sweetness. “You were in a tough spot. There aren’t many leaders, so individualized attention must be next to impossible.As a leader, I could take some of these small situations off your hands.”
His head tilted ever so slightly. “Meaning you’d prefer to handle Mercy yourself.”
Had he always been this direct? Words he’d spat at her years ago echoed through her mind. Yes, he had.
She lifted her chin. “I would.”
He nodded once. “Your sister is just one student. Being a youth leader is about a lot more than keeping one kid in line. It’s about creating an environment where all the kids can learn about God and grow closer to Him. Leaders need to set a good example and be ready to engage with the students on questions of faith.” He lifted an eyebrow.
Inadequacy stirred in her core, but she managed to keep it out of her voice. “And which of those do you think will be a struggle for me?”
A frown played on his too-handsome face. “I just want to make sure you understand what you’re volunteering for.”
“My faith is important to me, and I wish I’d been exposed to the gospel much sooner. It would be a privilege to offer kids real hope.”
“I’m sure you do understand the importance of that, given all you and Mercy have been through. But …” Anson rubbed his mouth. “Mercy doesn’t seem to be coping well.”
