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“Yeah,” Alexa said breathlessly. “Goodnight, Victoria. I’ll see you next week.”
“Next week. We’ll chat before then, though, right?”
Alexa beamed at her. “Of course. No way am I going a whole week without talking to you.”
That brought Victoria a measure of relief. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one getting attached, soon as it was.
“Goodnight, Alexa. I’ll message you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
“You too.”
Victoria turned, blowing one last kiss to Alexa over her shoulder before she left. Alexa giggled as she caught the kiss with her hand and pressed it to her heart.
Victoria’s face hurt from smiling as she got into the car. For a few moments, she didn’t move, relishing in the memories of how well the date had gone.
She realized that sitting alone in a nearly empty parking lot at night was probably not the smartest idea and turned the car on. She wondered if it was too late to call Jillian. Victoria felt like she may explode if she didn’t talk to someone, to share her joy and hope, which seemed too big to contain by herself.
As soon as she was home, she sent Jillian a quick text.
Are you still awake?
Yeah, what’s up?
Instead of answering, Victoria called.
“Hey, Victoria. Are you alright? There haven’t been any more developments with the Rossi foundation, have there?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… Well, I went on a date.”
Jillian’s worry quickly turned to delight. “Really? How did it go?”
“It was… It was pretty amazing, actually. Alexa is wonderful. She’s so beautiful and smart and we have so much in common. It’s like our minds are on the same wavelength, you know?”
“I told you so. I SO told you so, Victoria!” Jillian crowed with triumph. “I knew it! I knew the right person was out there somewhere, just waiting for you.”
“Hey, don’t ahead of yourself. We’ve only been on one date. At least save the smugness for when we make it official.”
“Whenwe make it official? It sounds like I’m not the only one getting ahead of myself.” Jillian’s tone sobered a bit. “You’re right. We shouldn’t get too excited. A good first date is an excellent indicator, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be a good match long term.”
Victoria didn’t want to hear such unpleasant realities. “I know it’s not certain yet—I mean, what in life ever is—but it’s given me reason to hope, and I haven’t had that for a very long time. You know, before I found Alexa, I was planning to just go on one date to pacify you before giving up the pretense.”
“I know.”
“You know?” Victoria squawked. “And you made me do it anyway?”
“Of course. I told you; I knew the right person was out there for you somewhere. If you hadn’t struck gold this time, I’d havestarted badgering you to try again in a few months. You need someone, Victoria. I think I see that more clearly than you do.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Victoria said grudgingly. “I certainly feel better, lighter, after spending some time with Alexa.”
“Exactly.”
“Of course, once the honeymoon phase wears off, things might be very different.”
“True, but this isn’t business, Victoria. You can’t go through your personal life preparing for the least favorable possible outcome. Sometimes, you just have to leap and trust that someone will be there to catch you.”
“That’s a big ask, considering it’s only been one date.”
“If this doesn’t work out, there will be other dates, other women. Remember, you’ve got other people to support you. If things don’t work out with Alexa, I’ll be the first in line to offer my couch and a pint of ice cream.”
