Read The Random Acts of Cupid (Christian Romance) for Free Online

date, it still didn’t help her apprehension. As silly as it sounded, Elise wanted Ryan to like her; not necessarily romantically, she was too realistic for that. But she did want to have his respect. Knowing that anyone would question her character and think so ill of her was extremely hurtful. Knowing that someone was just about the most handsome man she’d ever seen made it even worse.
    “So what’s the mission, Cupid?” the quiet voice at her ear startled her. Their seats were close to the aisle, and Ryan had seized the opportunity of the empty seats behind her and snuck up. Obviously enjoying her reaction of surprise, Ryan came around the aisle and slid into the seat beside her. “So we’re seeing ‘Warhorse’? I’ve heard it’s a great show. But I somehow don’t think you invited me here to trick me into a date. Though, considering your record, maybe you would?”
    Elise knew he was teasing, but she couldn’t help the wide-eyed blush she knew flooded her face. She would have never tricked Ryan into a date with her, but that didn’t mean the mere sight of him didn’t send her heart aflutter. Whether at church or the library, Elise had always seen Ryan in a suit. Tonight was no different, except that it looked to be a more formal suit, a tux. And the man made that tux look incredible.
    Taking her reaction as a denial, Ryan continued. “So if the pleasure of my company isn’t your purpose, why are we here?”
    Elise handed him a pair of opera glasses. “Look below on the orchestra level, about halfway between us and the stage.”
    Elise waited while Ryan tried to locate their target. She had chosen their seats well. They would have a great view of the stage and the matchmaking scene Elise had planned  It was a beautiful, massive theater with gorgeous architecture that had a way of making one feel wealthy and elegant simply by being there. The soft glow of the lights made everything look golden, and Elise could easily develop a crick in her neck from studying the beautiful artistic detailing on the ceiling. Everything considered, it was a very romantic setting—perfect for what Elise had planned.
    “Is that . . . the youth minister from church?”
    “Yes, Clint Evers is our youth minister,” Elise admitted as she lifted up her own pair of binoculars. “Oh, good. Here she comes up the aisle on the right.”
    “Who?”
    “Janice Pasco. She also goes to church. I’m sure you’ve at least seen her in passing at some of the singles functions.”
    Ryan was silent as they both watched with rapt attention as Janice found her seat beside Clint. Clint immediately stood up, his body language showing his surprise and his smile showing his pleasure. After speaking for a few moments, both Clint and Janice sat in their seats, but their faces remained turned toward each other in a conversation that painted both of their expressions with what could only be described as a glow.
    “So they obviously didn’t come together,” Ryan surmised, lowering the glasses. “I take it you arranged a ‘chance’ meeting.’”
    Elise nodded. “Clint has liked Janice for a while now, but she had a boyfriend. The boyfriend was a jerk and didn’t treat Janice well at all. They finally broke up a few months back, but it left Janice very hurt and fearful of relationships. Clint has wanted to ask her out for a long time, but now he’s afraid it’s too soon. He doesn’t want to be the rebound guy, but he isn’t sure how long Janice will need to heal. Janice likes Clint, but she’s so nervous after her last relationship that she’s not sure she can handle another one. She’s already come a long way since her breakup, but now both she and Clint seem at a stalemate. Both are waiting for some kind of sign from the other, and both are terrified of giving that sign.”
    “So how did you get them both here?”
    Elise took a deep breath. Ryan wasn’t acting offended, at least so far. He just seemed interested. But she knew that