Page 86 of The Do-Over

“I’m glad I was there too.” I leaned my hip against the door jamb and looked at him expectantly.

He stared down at me, brow crinkled. He did not speak.

I cleared my throat and asked again, “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“I was hoping you’d have dinner with me next weekend.”

I blinked. “Dinner?”

“Yes. That meal we eat in the evening. I have a sitter next Saturday.”

My mouth twisted to the side. Dinner? Without Lilah? But with Nate? Alone? Just the two of us? Like a date?

Danger! Danger! Do not go down that path.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts and reminded myself that Nate had told me himself he wasn’t looking for anything that distracted him from Lilah and his plan. A friendly dinner wasn’t a distraction. It was just dinner. Talking, but with food.

“Okay.”

“Great.” With a smile, he took a step back. “I’ll see you later then.”

The whole conversation whirled in my head as I watched him walk back to his door.

With a snap of his fingers, he turned. “Oh, and maybe for dinner, think about losing the face mask thing.”

I gasped; he grinned and disappeared into his apartment.

THIRTY-FOUR

“Perfection is boring.

Be imperfect. All my favorite people are.”

—MIMI

“Jeans or a skirt?” I asked Mathias as I stared into my closet. “What says this-might-be-a-date-but-I’m-not-sure-and-don’t-want-to-look-like-I’m-trying-too-hard?”

“Go with jeans.”

“Right. Jeans.”

“Do you have any shirts without kittens on them?”

“Ha. Ha. Yes.” I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder and pawed through my closet. I did have a lot of kitten t-shirts, now that I paid attention. “Here’s one. It’s blue with little yellow flowers on it. How’s that?”

“Probably tragic, but it will do.”

“Your faith in me is overwhelming.” I laid the shirt on my bed, next to my nicest pair of dark-wash jeans. Then I threw myself on my back next to them and stared at the ceiling. “What am I doing?”

“You’re having fun. I have a lot of fun. Having fun is… fun.”

I gnawed on my thumbnail. “I want it to be fun, but my feelings are sort of wrapped up here. What if his aren’t?”

“Just go with it for now. You overthink everything. Be you and let him be him and see what happens.”

“I don’t overthink everything. Do I?”

Mathias laughed. “No comment. Now, you kids have fun on your… whatever it is you’re doing. Relax. Maybe he won’t even notice what you’re wearing.”