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I had a text from Austin that I hadn’t heard chime. I tapped it and my mouth went dry.
Hey. I miss you. Any chance you’re free for dinner tonight?
What was I supposed to do with that?
I knew what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do was jump up and down pumping my fist and squeal. Except of course Megan probably wouldn’t appreciate me doing that now that she actually had customers in the store. And also, this could be just another friendly hangout between besties.
As much as I loved spending time with Austin, I couldn’t keep doing that to myself. I tapped out a reply and studied it:What do you have in mind?
It wasn’t a no. It indicated interest. But maybe—just maybe—it would let him know that things weren’t automatically better between us just because I missed him and he missed me. I shook my head and hit Send. I was asking a lot of six words. Probably too much.
His reply came quickly.Ada’s? I’ve been craving their salmon.
My mouth watered. Their salmon was amazing. Their crab cakes? Heavenly. They were on the spendier side of things though. I’d need to double-check my budget before I could justify the expense. I was scrolling to my banking app when another text popped up from Austin:My treat.
That did it. I tried to squash the flicker of hope that bloomed in my chest, but I failed. If this turned out to be another BFFs out on the town thing, I was probably going to cry right there in the restaurant.
Still. I’d get a crab cake out of it. I texted back.I’m in. Meet you there?
Nah. I’ll pick you up. Six?
I swallowed. The flicker of hope brightened and spread. He never picked me up. Well, not never. Rarely.Sounds good. See you then.
I checked the time on my phone. Ugh. It wasn’t even noon yet. What should I wear? I glanced over to where Megan was checking out a couple. I squinted. From their purchases, it looked like they were tourists. I recognized the coffee table book on Old Town Alexandria during colonial times. And was that a walking tour book on top? It was hard to say, but it kind of looked like one of the volumes I flipped through now and then when I was looking for something interesting to do.
I should buy the book rather than treating Megan’s bookstore like a library, but it was always nice to have an excuse to drop in. Plus, Megan knew I looked at the thing. It wasn’t like she didn’t know when my birthday was.
The couple finally left. I pushed out of the chair and hurried over to lean on the cashier’s counter. “Big sale?”
She snorted. “No. But it’s better than nothing. And those coffee table books aren’t cheap. So that’s nice.”
“If I was going to Ada’s tonight, what would you say I should wear?”
Megan’s eyes brightened. “Ooh. Luke called? Hm. I might’ve said you should say no. Act busy. If you train a guy to know they don’t have to plan ahead, then they’re never going to. Still, it’s probably better that you go so you can figure things out. And he might not have a lot of flexibility in his schedule. Hmm.”
I fought a smile as Megan rambled. “Are you done?”
She paused, one finger tapping her lips. “Oh! I have it. That green wrap dress. You look hot in that.”
“It’s sleeveless.”
“Right.” She huffed out a breath. “Stupid January. Even if it is unseasonably warm today, we’re not at sleeveless. Right?”
“Correct.” I had no intention of wearing a summer dress. Even if it was clear and sunny today, by six it would be dark and the temperature would be dropping with every passing minute until it hit the projected low of thirty-seven.
“What about that black sweater dress? You could add a scarf at the waist to give it some shape and color.”
I nodded slowly. “I have a thick teal belt I just bought. It might be a better choice than a scarf.”
“Ooh. You didn’t tell me about that one. Definitely. Shoes?”
“Knee boots? I mean, it’s a sweater dress. Is there another choice?”
Megan chuckled. “Probably not. It’s a good look for sure.”
I blew out a breath. “Cool. Thank you. That keeps me from obsessing for the next seven hours.”
“Obsessing?” Megan frowned at me. “How did I miss that you were at the obsessing about what to wear level for Luke?”
