Luc nodded. So it didn’t sound like the dude had prayed the prayer and crossed over into faith and following Jesus yet. “That’s cool. We might be weird, but we’re not as weird as some out there.”
“I knew you were weird, especially with all that dancing stuff,” Zac said, which sparked laughter, and Chris’s comment of “True, that.”
“Hey, it takes a real man to put on dancing shoes. Anyway, I’m not as weird as Chris.”
Zac half-smiled as Chris protested, then shrugged. “But Chris was weird in a way that let me know he cared. So I suppose I just want to know more about… about this God stuff.”
“We’re glad you’re here,” Mike said. “What’s the point in having the hope and joy in life if we never share that with others?”
“Exactly,” Jai agreed. “You’ll find we talk through Bible passages, discuss their relevance, and share about what’s happening in our lives. Then we pray, and Chris and Luc tease people, and we try to support each other however we can. I think of these guys as like my brothers.”
Franklin nodded. “And it extends to our families as well. My sister is in Winnipeg and Luc is keeping an eye on her, so it’s nice to know this extends beyond a video call.”
Zac nodded. “Cool.”
“Speaking of that,” Chris said, “How are things going with Bailey’s weirdo admirer?” He nudged Zac. “She’s Luc’s dancer girlfriend, you know from that show? And she’s got a stalker or something like that. We’ve been praying the police find him soon.”
Luc’s heart tensed. “Still no word.”
“That sucks,” Zac said.
He nodded. “Big time.” But the word “stalker” seemed lodged in his heart, like a stubborn splinter. There might be strain between them, but he needed to talk to her. Pronto. And now he was itching to get home. He glanced at the time. There was still time to call her.
“Oh, and Zac, just a warning,” Ryan said. “If you’re going to hang around us, you need to know that Luc might look really mean, but he’s actually a huge fan of all kinds of girly things.”
“Like dancing?” Zac said, with a small smile.
Luc folded his arms, stuffed down a smile. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
“And I heard his favorite movie is Barbie,” Mike razzed.
“And his favorite color is pink,” Jai said.
“Is that so?” Zac asked.
“For sure,” Luc deadpanned.
Zac grinned. “In that case, I’ll send a grand to your cancer charity if you wear a pink suit to your next game.”
“Five and you’ve got a deal.” What was he saying? He didn’t own a pink suit.
“Now this I want to see.” Chris smirked.
“Just make sure your boy there pays up and you will.”
“Bring it on.” Chris clapped his hands together, and again Luc was reminded to call Bailey.
So with a “Good to have you here” at Zac, and a “keep praying for her” for the rest, Luc ended the video call and called Bailey.
Her phone rang, once, twice, then, “Luc?”
“Bails.” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry about the other day.”
“No, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. I’m the one who flew off the handle. And what’s worse is I knew it at the time, but I did it anyway.”
“I don’t like arguing with you.”
“I don’t like it either.” She sighed. “And the problem is, I don’t know how to argue well, because my family, I mean me, well, we—I have always dealt with disagreements by sweeping them under the carpet. So while I don’t like how this feels, I almost feel like it’s good for me, because it means I’m being honest for once.”
That couldn’t have been easy to admit to. He silently thanked God. “I’m really proud of you, Bails.”
“Thanks, I’m proud of me too. But Luc, I need to tell you about some other things.”
He braced, shoving his face in one hand, his too-long hair flopping over his face. It was way past lettuce, more like cauliflower leaves these days. “What is it?”
“Joanne asked me to join the show again next year.”
“She did? That’s awesome. Congratulations.”
“Do… do you mean that?”
“Of course I do. I don’t say things I don’t mean, Bails. I’m really happy for you. You deserve it.”
“But it would mean me being away for a couple of months or so. I’d be away from you.”
His heart warmed. “Then if it’s the same time of year then maybe I can come too. Dan Walton has a camp in Muskoka he’s always inviting us to help out at. I could go there for a few days, and explore the city with you whenever you were free.”
“You’d do that?”
