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I was available now if he’d quit sniffing around and actually bite into something. Anything. “Sure. What time?”
“One. Have fun on your date tonight.”
I couldn’t tell by his face if he was picking on me or not. “I’ll try.”
My hand was on the doorknob when his voice stopped me. “Wear green.”
“Excuse me?”
His grin was back. “You should wear something green to match your eyes.”
Doc was a mix-master when it came to sending signals. His words seemed casual enough, but the intensity of his dark gaze had me nailed to the floor. I stood there, my tongue stumbling over itself, my face stuck between a blush and a frown.
“I’ll see you on Sunday, Violet.” Just like that, he returned his focus to the book in front of him and dismissed me without a second glance.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, my breaths swift and shallow.
What was wrong with me?
In five hours, Wolfgang would be pulling up in front of Aunt Zoe’s house to take me to dinner. Undoubtedly, he’d be dressed in something drool-inspiring, his hair messed up just right, his cologne a notch above subtle, lighting pheromone firecrackers under my skin.
So, why was I standing here with my pulse pounding, imagining what Doc looked like naked as a jaybird?
* * *
“He’s here!”Natalie called from her post by Aunt Zoe’s front window.
I gulped, nausea swelling up into my throat.
“Mom, your boyfriend is here,” Addy sang as she came skipping into the upstairs bathroom, where I sat on the black-and-white checkered linoleum next to the toilet in my new, slinky green dress I’d bought at a consignment store in Lead.
“I heard.”
If I were Cinderella, Addy would have been one of the little bluebirds today, whistling while she fluttered around me, helping me get ready for my date with Prince Charming. By the time I’d yanked up my stockings, she’d started planning the wedding.
I rolled onto my knees and gripped the cold toilet rim, the urge to empty my stomach bathing me in a fresh dew of sweat. The smell of ammonia drifted up from the sparkling bowl, which I’d cleaned after my first bout of nerves.
“What are you doing?” Addy asked, unwrapping a sucker. “You’re going to get your dress all dirty.”
“I’m getting ready for my date.” I was also regretting that fourth latte I’d slammed this afternoon after leaving the consignment store. Too much caffeine mixed with a bucketful of nerves on an empty stomach had me kneeling at the altar of the Porcelain Goddess.
“You look like you’re gonna spew.” Sucker in her mouth, Addy pulled on a loose piece of door trim, letting it snap back against the frame over and over.
“Would you quit messing with that trim, Adelynn!” I didn’t mean to bark at her, but patience wasn’t exactly piloting the Mothership right now. “I’ve told you too many times, you’re pulling out the nails.”
“He’s getting out of his car,” Natalie hollered up the stairs.
My stomach bucked.
“You should brush your teeth when you’re done.”
“Thanks for the advice, Sweetheart.”
“Just in case he kisses you tonight.”
“Nugghh,” was all I could manage as I hovered over the open lid, swallowing as fast as I could.
“Do you think he’ll kiss you?”
