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“Yes.”
Still smiling after we hang up the phone, I sit on the bed and contemplate everything my sister said. In just about any other situation, I’d be asking my dad for career advice, about anything remotely related to my work. Which this undoubtedly is.
But not this time.
Spending a weekend with Hayden upstate is one thing. Taking this next step means tonight won’t be the end of it. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. I would effectively be dating my sponsor, in secret.
But Kris knows me well—I made the choice before I called.
26
Hayden
My hand rises to knock but stops midair.
I need to calm down first. Taking a few deep breaths, I tell myself that I’m ready for whatever happens tonight. Even if it’s nothing. We had an amazing day. I didn’t even mind rummaging through the little souvenir shops because Ada was by my side. It was hard as hell to sit there and watch her lick an entire ice cream, a simple act that should definitely not have made me need a minute to compose myself.
But it did.
We ate dinner downtown. Hung out in a nautical-themed corner bar on the lake as if we were a couple.
She asked about Angel, Inc.
I was hesitant at first, knowing she didn’t want to mix business and pleasure, but Ada said she was only interested in the basics. How did Enzo make his discovery? How did I become involved? What were our plans after approval?
When she said “after approval” like it was a foregone conclusion, I almost asked her if it was. But I didn’t want to put her in an awkward position, so instead I told her about meeting Enzo, about how he changed my life. What I don’t say is that Enzo was just the catalyst—he made me want to be a better person—and Ada is like the actual chemical reaction. When I’m with her, I want to be . . . well . . . I want to be someone she admires and respects, like her father.
I want her to talk about me that way too. The only problem? I’m still not one hundred percent sure that she’ll agree to let us—that nebulous concept we’ve been dancing around—extend beyond this weekend.
What happens tomorrow when we get back to real life?
Ada’s door swings open, alerting me to the fact that I’ve been standing out here for much longer than is socially acceptable. “What the heck are you doing?”
“Thinking.”
She moves to the side to let me in. “Out there?”
When I come in, I can’t help but smile. Like the night before, Ada has the fireplace on along with the air conditioning.
“You know how ridiculous that is in the middle of summer.” I wave toward the fire. “Right?”
Her chin goes up.
“I like it.”
“I likeyou.” It’s out of my mouth before I even think about it.
“I like you too.”
When I told Ada the ball was in her court back at that lunch, I meant it. She decides what comes next. Problem is, I have no idea what she’s thinking.
And the suspense is positively killing me.
“Yes,” she says.
Neither of us moves.
“Yes?”
