Page 51 of Love Everlasting

A gentle soul, who would never, ever think of rocking the boat.

Sam downshifted with force, engine grinding in protest as he unleashed a harsh grunt.

Yeah? Then why in the name of friendship … was he suddenly so seasick?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Shannon winced when Sam squealed out of the parking lot, wishing she had told him about her date with Chase. He was her best friend, after all, and they told each other almost everything. But Chase had just called to ask her out this morning, and Shannon had never really expected Sam to show up at a church in the first place. Expelling a silent sigh, she faced Chase with a chew of her lip. “I’m really sorry, Chase. Sam is usually one of the most happy-go-lucky people you’ll ever meet, so I don’t know what got into him tonight.”

“I do.” Chase ushered her to his Ford Explorer with a gentle hand to her back.

She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, not exactly sure what he meant. “You do?”

“Come on, Shannon—you’re a very bright woman, which is one of the reasons I wanted to get to know you better.” He glanced at her, eyes warm and his smile calm and caring, which immediately helped to settle the jitters in her stomach. “So I just expected you to see it. But my guess is you’re too close to the situation to even suspect it.” He opened the passenger side of his SUV and waited for her to get in before closing the door.

“Suspect what?” she said when he got in on the other side, the nerves in her middle rebelling again.

He started the car and looked over, his gentle eyes probing hers. “That Sam’s attracted to you.”

All blood whooshed from her face before it returned with a vengeance, broiling her cheeks. “Oh, Chase, you c-couldn’t be m-more wrong,” she whispered, her complexion flaming all the hotter over her stutter. She buffed her arms as if she were chilly, the butterflies in her tummy doing somersaults on a trampoline. “Sam and I are nothing but friends, and I assure you there is absolutely no attraction on his part.” Teeth tugging the edge of her lip, she quickly looked out the window, barely seeing the blur of buildings passing by.

Please, Lord, don’t let him ask about my attraction to Sam …

“You really don’t see it, do you?” he said, tapping a CD into the player. The lively pulse of Matthew West’s “Hello, My Name is Regret” filled the vehicle, mirroring her thoughts exactly.

Regret Sam had been a player.

Regret she’d been wounded by one.

Regret she was in love with a man she could never have.

“See what?” she whispered, not really sure she wanted to hear what he had to say.

He flipped on the blinker and glanced in the rear-view mirror before turning onto the highway, silent for several seconds until they were safely cruising in the far-right lane. “The way he looks at you, like a guy who’s checking you out.”

A nervous laugh tripped from her lips as she gave him a shaky smile. “Sam checks every female out, Chase—it’s the player in him no matter how hard he tries to stifle it.”

“Yeah, he does, I’ll give you that, but you’re his good friend, Shannon, and I’ve only seen one other guy check a friend out that way.” He slid her a sideways look. “And that was Jack with Lacey.”

She stared, her pulse slowing to a hard thud. Impossible! “No,” she said with a firm shake of her head, “you couldn’t be more wrong. The man spends hours and hours talking about Jasmine, desperate to win her back.”

He gave a slow nod, eyes on the road. “I believe that, and I believe Sam believes that, but the look I saw in his eyes tonight when he found out you and I were dating?” He glanced her way, smile wary. “Call me gun-shy, but he looked and acted just like Jack did when I started dating Lacey—jealous.”

Shannon peered out the window as she thought about what Chase was saying, pretty sure he was way off base. Drawing in a deep swell of air, she huffed it out again and faced him dead-on. “Well, if he was, Chase, it was only because Sam’s very possessive and protective. He told me it was one of the problems he and Jasmine had in the past, his jealousy whenever another guy even looked her way. Especially if she looked back.”

Yes, of course, that was it. Sam’s possessive nature. Even with friends.

Expelling a cleansing sigh, Shannon relaxed against the headrest, her smile—and her stomach—finally tranquil. She was absolutely certain she wasn’t sexy, striking, or sophisticated enough to ever be Sam Cunningham’s type. “As close as Sam and I have gotten over the last three months, it’s understandable he might be a little jealous of another guy spending time with his best friend.” She shot Chase a lopsided smile. “Particularly when that best friend didn’t tell him she’d nixed her no-dating policy to go out with her pastor.”

Slapping his blinker on, Chase concentrated on exiting the highway, finally slowing for a red light before he returned her smile. “That would be a bit of a shock, I suppose.” He gave her a little-boy grin that seemed so out-of-character for the solid and steady associate pastor. “I know it was for me.” He reached to squeeze her hand. “Thanks for ditching your no-dating policy, Shannon. I’ve been wanting to go out with you for a long time.”

“Since Lacey got back with Jack?” she said softly, her heart aching for the hurt he’d experienced in that situation, tough ex-Navy Seal or no. As Jack’s best friend, he’d finally confided to Jack that losing Lacey had been difficult, but that he was certain God had a Lacey for him somewhere.

“Yeah.” His profile sobered as he steered a corner, finally easing up to the curb on a fairly crowded street. He parked and turned off the car before shifting to face her. “I knew I wanted someone who took their faith seriously, with a moral code way above the norm, and trust me, Shannon, that’s not easy to find.” The streetlight shadowed his handsome face as he reached for her hand again, clasping it loosely on the console. “I had a pretty bad experience with a girlfriend when I was in the service. She was wild and free like so many of the women today, so now I steer clear of that type of girl, which is why someone like you is so appealing.”

“And safe?” She tipped her head, delivering a teasing smile.

He squeezed her hand and let go, resting his on the console. “I hope so,” he said quietly, his eyes suddenly sober. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a personal question about your relationship with Sam. Not because I’m nosey, mind you, but because I need to know upfront what I’m dealing with in a relationship with you.”