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Mia froze like a doe in headlights. “Already?”
A knock sounded at the back door. Good lord, why was he here so early? She hadn’t had time to change out of her school clothes, let alone whip anything together!
“You get the door, and I’ll go change.”
Brooklyn frowned. “But I’m leaving in, like, fifteen minutes.”
“Perfect, then you can keep Alex company while I’m changing. Thankyouyou’rethebest!”
With that, she sprinted down the hall, pretending not to hear her daughter’s growl and grumbles. Thankfully, she’d sorted through her closet the night before and narrowed down her outfit options to five. Unfortunately, today none of them looked worthy of an evening with Alex. In fact, nothing in her closet did. Not a single thing.
Mia sank to the floor, crippled by indecision. She needed someone else to step in and make these decisions for her. So she called someone who never seemed to have this problem.
“Hey, Sis,” Del answered. “All ready for the big date?”
Yes, she’d already texted Del about tonight’s planned activities. Robyn, too. Both had been extra supportive of the decision.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered into the phone.
“What do you mean, you can’t do this? Oh crap, did you get your period?”
Mia dropped her head to her knees. “No, I mean I can’t go through with this. I-it’s too soon. I’m not ready.”
“Oh, Mi. You are ready, sweetheart. More than ready.”
Fear wrapped its ugly claws around her throat. “I’m not, Del. I’m so not.”
“Okay, first? Take a breath before you hyperventilate.” Del paused. “You’re still breathing too fast. Do I need to run a paper bag over to you?”
“No,” Mia hissed into the phone. Good grief, how would that look to her guest of honor? She forced herself to take louder, slower breaths.
“Better. Now keep that up and listen to me: You absolutely can do this. And you absolutely deserve this, after all those years of being married to Gregosaurus.”
A smile tugged at Mia’s lips. Del had never been a huge fan of Greg, especially when he sniped at her over stupid things—something he did far more often toward the end of their marriage than she’d realized. After he cheated on Mia, Del had lost all respect for him.
God, Mia could not live through getting cheated on again.
Which is why she hadn’t been in a hurry to get back into dating.See?She wasn’t ready.
“Breathe, Mi, you’ve got this. In fact, how can younothave this? You’re the most confident, bullheaded—uh, I mean, driven—woman I know. Heck, you corral two-dozen hyperactive third graders every day—that takes superhero strength! Just think about all the difficult things you’ve lived through: childbirth, divorce, a decade’s worth of Jack Wagon’s office parties where you felt like a complete outsider. Losing Mom.”
Del’s voice softened on the last item. Twenty years had passed since the car accident on that fateful day, and still the memory pierced Mia’s heart. But Del was right—all those things she’d mentioned were far more difficult than going on a single date with a man she admired. She took in a good long breath, held it, then let it go.
“You’re right.”
This was Alex, after all. Someone she’d looked up to once upon a time, and was starting to again. A man, if she were being honest with herself, that she’d begun to trust more than most.
“Of course I’m right. I’ve had you as a mentor all these years, haven’t I? Now stop overthinking everything, splash some cold water on your face, and go be your amazing, beautiful, confident self.”
Mia ran a hand over her hair. Could she do this? Could she swallow her fears and step back out into the world of dating?
She had to if she wanted to truly give love another shot.
“Thank you, Delaney.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, and maybe put some clothes on if you haven’t already,” Del said. “Of course, they can always come back off later, after Brooklyn heads out.”
Mia groaned. “You just had to go there, didn’t you?”
