Thrown off by the question, Melanie gave hima startled look. “What?”
“My sister Cassidy is planning her wedding,and she’s trying to decide between blush and coral for bridesmaiddresses. My other sister Willow says they’re both pink, which theyare, but Cassidy insists there’s a difference between them. Icouldn’t tell what it was, but do you know?”
Melanie laughed. “I don’t, but I’d have totake a look at them.”
“If you do and you can tell the difference,would you let me know what it is?”
He looked so adorable with his blond hairslightly disheveled and a hopeful look on his face. The sunstreaming over him illuminated his blue eyes and emphasized the wayhis clothes fit him so well. Lucy would approve;shecertainly did.
“I will,” she promised.
When they arrived at the pizza parlor, shestarted to reach for the door, but he pulled it open before shecould. “Thank you,” she said.
He smiled at her before stepping inside andheading for the cash register where a teenage kid with acnecovering his face stood. “What can I get you?” the kid asked.
Melanie studied the menu before ordering.“Two slices of cheese pizza and a water.”
“I’ll have the same,” Kyle said and handedthe kid some money.
“Here you go,” Melanie said and tried to givehim a ten.
He waved the money away. “I invited youout.”
Melanie started to protest but thought betterof it. This was a date, and why was she going to argue a freelunch? “Thank you.”
When he smiled at her, butterflies erupted inher stomach, except these were some massive, prehistoricbutterflies.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
They moved to the end of the counter whilethey waited for their order to be filled. Melanie tried to think ofinane conversation topics they could discuss once they were at thetable, but they all sounded stupid to her.
She was about to start chewing on her nails,and the butterflies were doing summersaults by the time their foodarrived.
Kyle grabbed the tray. “Lead the way.”
Melanie led him over to an open booth nearthe back of the room. They settled into their seats, and Kyledivided the plates between them.
Her mind was still spinning with differentconversation topics as she lifted her slice of pizza and bit intoit. She had to come up with something soon. They couldn’t sit here,eating pizza and not talking. But the more she tried to saysomething, the more difficult it became until she felt like she waschewing glue.
Kyle studied Melanie as he swallowed thepizza. It didn’t taste bad, but the solid texture was strange inhis mouth.
“Lucy’s nice,” he said.
“She’s great.”
“It must have been good to start college witha friend.”
“It was.”
She ate her pizza as she tried to think ofsomething more to say. She’d never felt like this much of an idiotbefore.
“When is your sister getting married?”
“In June. It’s almost a year away, but she’sreally excited and already making the rest of us crazy.”
“Planning a wedding must be stressful.”
“Toeveryoneinvolved in it.”
