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“It’s not frustrating at all. I’d rather you take care of yourself.”
“That’s very sweet of you. Though nothing is physically wrong. It was up here.” She pointed to her mind.
Daniel nodded. “It’s all the same to me.”
Mandy smiled. “Really? That’s good to hear.”
“It’s basic decency. The brain is a part of the human body too.”
“You’d be surprised at how many people disagree,” she replied. “But enough about me. How are you enjoying yourself?”
“It’s been fun. I haven’t been on a vacation in a very long time. And even when I had, I found reasons to work.” He shook his head. “But this time, I’m enjoying myself. Amelia just taught me how to bodysurf. I’ve never been that covered in sand, yet it was the most fun I’ve had in a while.”
“She got someone else to do it with her? That’s fabulous. She loves swimming in the ocean with others, but it’s never been John’s thing. He hates all the sand.”
He gave a little shrug. “I’ll deal with it if I’m having fun.”
“And if you ever . . . you know, want to take Amelia out on a date, there are a few things you can take her to do in Charleston that she would love.” Mandy winked.
It would look bad to say no. That had to be the only reason he leaned forward and said, “Tell me. I’d love to take her out on a date.”
And Mandy did. He committed them all to memory, wondering if he could get away with taking her to them as a friend and nothing more.
But then he wondered if he would be okay with going as her friend and nothing more.
“I’m back!” Amelia announced as Mandy whispered one last option to him. “I didn’t know if you wanted sauce or no sauce or if you wanted chips or fries, so I got both. And two kinds of sandwiches. And more water.”
“I’m sure whatever you’ve picked out for me will be fine,” he said. “I’m not very picky.”
“Okay, good because—” Amelia paused when she finally noticed Mandy. “Mom? Were you there the whole time?”
“I was, but I didn’t want to interrupt. Besides, I got my time to talk to Daniel.” She winked again and stood. “You two enjoy lunch.”
“Why do I feel like she just planned something?” Amelia eyed Mandy as she walked away.
“We really just talked,” he replied. “And she gave me some ideas.”
“Ideas for what?”
“A date. For us.”
“A date?” she asked. “What kind of date?”
“I think that would be breaking the boyfriend code if I told you.”
“The fake boyfriend code says otherwise.”
“But in her eyes, it’s real, and it would be a letdown if I told you ahead of time.”
“You’re good at this,” she said. “So, you’re taking me on a date?”
“If you want. We don’t have plans tonight and . . .” He trailed off, trying to come up with a reason other than he wanted to take her out. “It would look good?”
“It would,” she said, biting her lip. “But still, no one would be around.”
“And we would just be hanging out. Sure, some of the ideas were kind of romantic, but we’re both adults. We can be mature about it.”
“Fine. You’ve convinced me.”
