She nodded and quietly cleared her throat. “Okay, question number two. What would constitute a perfect day for you?”
“First you have to tell me why you want to have dinner with this Anna person.”
“Kendrick.”
“Whatever,” he said with a low laugh. “Why her?”
After letting out a long and drawn-out sigh, she said, “I really like her as an actress. She just seems very relatable and like she’d be someone you can sit and talk with, and she wouldn’t be stuck up.” She shrugged. “I love all her Pitch Perfect movies.”
He nodded again. “There, that makes total sense. Thank you.” He glanced at her and smiled. “Okay, perfect day, right?”
“Yup.”
“Hmm…I would have to say I’d love for it to be on vacation. Someplace warm, but not tropical. I’d get up and go for a run on the beach, have a big breakfast–bacon, eggs, home fries, the works. Then I’d love to go out on a boat and do some deep-sea fishing, drink some beers, catch some sun…then come in and have someone clean and cook the fish for me.” He paused. “No, yeah…no need to do any work on my perfect day.” Another pause. “Then I’d enjoy this spectacular meal that I caught myself while sitting around the fire and relaxing.”
“All by yourself?”
“What? No. I guess I’d have my friends with me. Or…someone.”
“Someone?”
“Depends on when this perfect day is. Maybe I’d be dating someone, and they’d be with me.” He shrugged. “But other than the company, all those things would constitute a perfect day.”
“Okay then.”
“What about you?”
“Oooh…it would be all about getting pampered,” she replied dreamily. “Like you, I’d love to be someplace warm–maybe one of those deluxe spas in Arizona or something. I’d get to sleep late in one of those super-comfy beds, and I’d get served breakfast there.”
“Breakfast in bed is definitely a good one.”
“And as much as I hate to admit it, I’d love one of those big breakfasts too. Only I’d go for the bacon and eggs and some waffles. Preferably Belgian ones,” she added with a grin. “Then I’d go for a manicure, a pedicure, and a massage. I’d take a nice nap out in the cabana and then go for a swim before getting ready for a gourmet dinner. Surf and turf is a favorite. Then I’d sit out and stare up at the stars while enjoying some sort of decadent dessert that was covered in chocolate.” Humming, Willow closed her eyes. “Yeah. Perfect day.”
“Again, you totally surprised me.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t peg you for a spa girl.”
“I think everyone can be convinced to try a day of getting pampered, Levi.”
“Not me.”
“What? Why?”
“Some strange dude oiling me up and rubbing his hands all over my body? That’s a hard pass.”
Unable to help herself, Willow laughed. “There are female massage therapists, Levi.”
But he shook his head. “I don’t know. It just seems weird to me.” Looking over at her, he smiled. “And that’s why it’s a good thing our perfect day preferences don’t have to match, right?”
“I guess.” And suddenly she wasn’t so sure they were going to pull this off. They were much more different than she let herself imagine. He liked sports, and she didn’t. She liked massages, and he didn’t. And the thought of fishing made her cringe. Sighing, she shared her thought with him.
“Willow, this is really just for information purposes. Maybe if this was a true compatibility test we should reconsider, but…this is for fun, right?”
It took her a minute to think about it, but…yeah. He was right. “I’m being ridiculous. Sorry.”
Waving her off, he said, “Nothing to apologize. Really. So what’s next?”
“When did you last sing to yourself and to somebody else?”
His bark of laughter filled the space and had her jumping slighting in her seat. “Trust me, I am no singer. Not for myself and not for anyone else.”
“Oh, come on! Everyone sings! Even if it’s just the happy birthday song!”
He shook his head. “Not me. I make sure I stay silent when that goes on.”
“What about when you’re alone in the car and your favorite song comes on?”
“Nope.”
“How is that possible?” she cried. “How can you go through a day without singing to the radio or humming or…or…singing in the shower?”
“I don’t know,” Levi replied. “I’m just not really someone who’s into singing.” Glancing at her, he added, “And I’m guessing by your reaction that you sing a lot.”
“Oh, my goodness, yes! Like all the time! Even though I probably shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I have a decent voice, but not the kind of voice that makes people ask me to sing. Except for Josh. He loves it when I sing.” Laughing, she went on, “I was always in the chorus in school and I’ve been singing around the house practically since I started talking. It makes my family crazy.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re all so serious and level-headed and think my singing is just…pointless.”
“I know I keep saying this, but…wow.”
“I guess I can get annoying with it.”
“How? Do you sing at inappropriate times?”
Do I?
“I sing with my nieces and nephews,” she answered after a moment. “I know the words to every Disney song and enjoy getting into character while singing them too.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“You know…all the hand gestures and dance moves…all of it. And the kids love it. Like seriously love it. I get to be fun Aunt Willow–which I love.” She let out a soft sigh. “As for inappropriate times…no. It’s not like I break out into show tunes at funerals or anything, but if there’s music playing, chances are I’ll be singing along.”
“Nothing wrong with that, I guess.”
This was turning into a great, big disappointment, and they were only in New Jersey. She was afraid to think about how much less they were going to have in common by lunchtime.
“Okay then. Next question.” And she read it and shook her head. “We should probably just skip this one.”
“Why?”
“Because
