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I was expecting him to be neutral about it. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Like a woman thing, embarrassing? If so, I’m your guy. Between my mom and sister, I know the best tampons, chocolate, and pain relievers to buy. Just say the word, and we will skip what I have planned and watch a movie at home.”
Was he for real? I was beginning to think he was a dream. No man, not even my father, had ever gone to the store to buy my tampons. The first time I started my period, my father sent me straight to Naomi’s. From there on out, she and Rae were put in charge of buying all the feminine hygiene products until I could drive myself to the store.
“It’s not my period,” I sighed. “Auggie called me. I don’t know who, but someone told him about us, which is ridiculous because nothing is going on and—”
“I called your father.”
I blinked about a hundred times in a second flat. “Why?” I spluttered.
“Because, Scarlett, our family and work ties make things complicated. I felt it best to be aboveboard. I don’t want your father thinking I’m seducing you to score a promotion. And I have no plans to sneak around.”
Hmm. I was totally fine with sneaking around. I mean, I figured this wasn’t going to last past the first date anyway. And since Auggie wouldn’t be back until next weekend, he would never have any idea we’d gone out. I was more worried about . . . “Seducing me?” I eeked out.
He chuckled. “I don’t plan on seducing you, Scarlett,” he said seductively. On purpose, I was sure.
“You don’t?”
“Now you sound disappointed,” he teased.
I blushed even though no one was around. “I’m not . . . I mean.” I was flustered. “I just wish you wouldn’t have called my father.”
“I apologize. I should have told you beforehand, but it wouldn’t have changed my mind.”
“Even if I’d begged you not to?”
“Scarlett,” he said tenderly. “Did you think this was something we could keep a secret?”
“Well.” I twirled my hair. “It’s one date. How hard would it be to keep it to ourselves?”
“You’ve already decided the date will be so bad you won’t want another?” He sounded faux offended.
I rubbed my lips together. “Um . . . I was assuming it would be the other way around.”
“Ah. I see. Do you want to know my prediction?”
“Maybe,” I whispered.
“I have a feeling you may like it.”
I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Scarlett, I predict that we’re going to have such a good time I won’t wait until the end of the night before I ask you out again.”
A mass of butterflies took flight in my stomach. “I’m sure to do something embarrassing.”
“I hope so, because I love to see you blush.”
I smiled. “Count on lots of red cheeks.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Kane.” I paused. “Auggie isn’t happy about this.”
“I know,” he sighed. “But honestly, if you are, that’s all that really matters to me in this situation. So, the question is, are you happy?”
I thought for a moment. It was rare for someone other than Naomi, Miss Rae, or Mindy to care about my happiness. Sadly, I often neglected it. But in this moment, I was happy. Very happy. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
Zombies and First Dates
“Don’t be nervous,” I kept telling myself while I looked in my bathroom mirror. I touched my hair, which was pulled up in a messy bun. It was like wrestling with pigs trying to get all my hair to stay put on top of my head. I’d watched a YouTube tutorial on how to do it right. I had probably used about fifty bobby pins. No telling how many times I’d prayed it would stay up.
I debated over and over again on whether to wear the coral spaghetti strap sundress. It showed more skin than I was used to. My hand glided across my collarbone. I did feel pretty though, and somehow, I looked more grown up.
“I can do this,” I breathed out. Kane thought I was beautiful, I reminded myself. Besides, he’d seen me in the revealing bridesmaid dress with my hand down my bra—it could only go up from there. Note to self: do not eat anything that will produce those sneaky crumbs. This dress didn’t have a zipper.
I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs, holding my breath. Eva was having the master bedroom repainted and it smelled awful. The color was kind of atrocious too—dark salmon. I wondered if Auggie knew or cared that his room was going to look like a slaughtered fish. I didn’t know how that was shabby or chic. I was grateful she couldn’t touch my room. My room was boring, with beige walls and the same white Pottery Barn furniture I’d had since Mindy and I had shared the adjoining bedrooms connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. After Naomi, Cindy was the best stepmother, meaning she had pretty much left Mindy and me to do whatever we wanted. We were real rebels and would watch movies past our bedtime. For the most part, Cindy was more interested in being Auggie’s trophy wife and had gotten a ton of cosmetic surgery done during her tenure as Mrs. Armstrong. She was always recovering from something or other, so we rarely saw her.
