Hand on her hip again, she arched her brow. “Are younotlooking forward to it?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but something between a harrumph and a laugh escaped instead. “No, yeah. I am. I’m looking forward to it.”
“‘No, yeah?’” Confusion pinched her forehead amid amusement. “Sounds like you’re unsure about it?”
“I am, I guess.” My cheeks got hot. “I don’t know. He just wasn’t clear. He asked if I wanted to get dinner after I help Lizzie, but we get meals together all the time. He seemed really awkward and uncomfortable when he asked, and then he was awkward yesterday when he stopped by the bakery, so I’m just a little confused.”
“You don’t know if it’s a date or not.”
Pressing my lips together, I shrugged again. “It’s cool if it is. It’s cool if it isn’t. But now I’m not sure if he was awkward and uncomfortable because he thoughtIthought it was a date, and he didn’t want to hurt my feelings? Or if he was weird because he wasn’t sure if I thought it wasn’t a date, and I was going to hurthisfeelings.”
Rhiannon laughed. “I see the way he looks at you. Pretty sure it’s a date, kid.”
“Pretty sure, as in, he told you it was?”
Another laugh. “Ask him.”
I grunted my annoyance.
“Okay, now hear me out for a second.” Rhiannon’s tone became as soft as her volume. “You’ve only been with two guys, right?”
An inarguable fact. “Yeah, I guess.”
“And both of those relationships were bad.” She lifted her shoulders, speaking that almost as a question. When I nodded, she continued. “Those guys were super affectionate in thebeginning. They told you how beautiful you were, all the things they liked about you, they treated you like a goddess at the start of the relationship.”
“Pretty much.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with this, but it sounded like data analysis, and I liked facts. “I knew for sure they were interested.”
“Because they were love bombing you. It’s an abuse tactic. They give you so much at the start, and then they slowly give you less. A healthy relationship starts out a little more ambiguous. It strengthens over time, those declarations of love come later.” Another shrug. “So is it possible that your uncertainty comes from that? And not because of anything Sebastian’s doing?”
Damn. As the dots connected, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“Just something to consider,” she said, reaching for the door handle. “Anyway, Delilah’ll be down at the cafeteria whenever you’re ready. And if I don’t see you before you head out, I hope you two have a good time.”
To that, all I did was sigh. “Drive safe. The snow’s a mess out there.”
Saying a few more pleasantries, Rhiannon continued outside. I peeked out the curtains behind her. She was in the car and turning it over in heartbeats. As she backed out of the driveway, I called to Simone, “She’s?—”
“Date?” I jumped at her voice and turned around to see her already in the hallway. “You’re going on a date, and you didn’t tell me?”
“When would I have had time?”
“Um, I don’t know, last night on our drive home?” She narrowed her gaze. “This is a huge deal. Something you’re supposed to tell your best friend about, bitch.”
Exhaling, I headed past her to my bedroom. “I don’t even know if it’s a date.”
“Rhiannon’s known Sebastian since he was a little kid,” Simone said, trailing behind me. “If she says it’s a date, it’s a date.”
“She didn’t say it’s a date.” I started digging in my drawers. “And sorry. Kinda had to deal with covering up a murder before I got to gush to my best friend about getting dinner with another friend.”
“But you don’t want to talk about that either.” She trailed behind me as I walked to the bathroom. “You don’t want to talk about your date, you don’t want to talk about the murder?—”
“Repeat that sentence.” I laid my clothes on the bathroom counter and stared Simone in the eyes. “Repeat it and then tell me why it’s possible I haven’t wanted to talk about everything right now, Simone.”
Frowning, she crossed her arms against her chest. “Fine. I’ll back off. But we’re gonna have to talk about everything eventually.”
“Eventually,” I agreed. “Right now, I need to take a shower, do my makeup, and go show Delilah around. So.” I made a pushing motion with my hands. “If you don’t mind.”
