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I wrinkled my nose. “Why?” It was probably the most fashionable dress I owned.
“Because you’re going to get a lot of attention.” She looked down at her own pale-blue silk dress, which was spaghetti-strapped, slinky, and flattering. “I need to go and change.”
“Why?”
My mother glanced back over her shoulder as she hustled out. “I don’t like to be shown up, darling. You know that!”
I sighed, t
rying to turn it into yoga breathing. Then I gave up. I took one last look in the mirror, smoothed my hair, and dabbed on more lip gloss. Then I headed out into the hallway.
Bob was just closing his door. “Holy… Whoa.” He opened his mouth to say more then closed it.
“What’s wrong?” I got closer to him, ready to take his pulse.
He looked as if he were in shock. “I literally didn’t think you could look any more beautiful than you already did,” he blurted out. Then he grimaced, as though he really wished he’d kept his mouth shut.
“Oh.” I stopped, both frazzled and pleased by the sincerity in his voice. “Thank you.”
“Y-your welcome.” He smiled, looking sheepish. “That is one dress… Wow.”
“I’ve never had a chance to wear it. It’s sort of not my style, so I appreciate the wow.”
Bob held his arm out for me, and I took in his dark suit and tie.
“You look amazing,” I said as I linked my arm through his.
“Thanks.” Was he blushing? “Will I get to meet your cousin tonight? The brunette?”
“Yes, Claire. And my best friend, Josie, is supposed to make it for dessert. She had to take a later flight because of work.”
“Good.” Bob smiled. “I get to meet your people.”
“I’m excited about it.” An internal gut check revealed that I was genuinely looking forward to introducing him to Claire and Josie. Not sure what to make of that, I smiled at my fake date. “You’ll love them both. Josie and I have been best friends since we were kids, and Claire is crazy, but in a good way. She’s literally the only way I survive family get-togethers.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“What about you? Do you have a best friend? Or a sibling? I really haven’t asked you much; I’ve been so panicked about everything here.” It dawned on me that I had significantly less information about Bob than he had about me. Genuine curiosity flooded me.
“I have a sister, Marta. And I also have a best friend, Ryan. He lives near me, so we hang out quite a bit.”
“Are you close with your sister?”
“Yeah. We try to see each other when we can. She’s got a new boyfriend who’s pretty nice. It’s hard because we’re all busy.”
I nodded. “Claire and I try to get together every couple of weeks, but it’s hard to make time, which sucks. I feel like I get stuck in such a vicious cycle with work.”
Bob nodded. “I used to be like that. That’s why I left finance. I felt like the only time I was ever outside was when it was dark. It kind of got to me.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I get it. When daylight savings comes, it’s dark when I leave in the morning and dark when I get home. That’s the only thing I don’t like about New England.”
“Me too. But being out in my truck makes it so much better. I can feel the sun on my face, and every day I can feel that is a good day.”
I glanced over at him. “I knew you were a happy outdoor person.”
He chuckled and pulled me close against him as we crossed the grounds to the barn. The sun was just beginning to dip, casting a warm glow across the sky.
I stopped and let the last rays touch my face. “It’s a good day.” I opened my eyes to find Bob staring.
