“Come on, Lacey. He’s super cute, and I think you two will totally hit it off. Plus, you need somewhere to go in this hot little number.”
The dress clings to me like a second skin. I like how the sleeves are long, giving the attention to the plunging neckline. The hem is short but not quite as short as it seemed on the hanger. It falls mid-thigh, which actually makes my legs look long and lean.
“I do like the dress, but I’m not going on a blind date.”
With her hands on my shoulders, she gives me a knowing expression. “Your body deserves to go out in this dress. Your feet deserve to wear those Christian Louboutins you bought last year and have only worn once. And your heart really, really deserves for you to get out and laugh with a handsome man over drinks and witty conversation.”
I hate the look she’s giving me. It’s the kind a concerned mother gives her daughter. I know she makes a solid point. The dress is cute, and I do love those shoes. And if I’m being totally honest with myself, it was nice to have Jake’s hands on me last night. Maybe I am ready to get back out in the dating world and meet Tommy the accountant.
Of course, there’s always the chance he could up and leave and break my heart.
“Stop thinking about how the relationship can go wrong before you even go on a date with the guy.”
My best friend really does know me too well.
“What kind of romance writer are you if you won’t give romance a chance for yourself?”
I waver for a bit before throwing in the towel. “Fine. Give him my number.” I sigh. “But I’m only promising one date.”
“Good, because Melody already texted him, and he’ll be calling you tonight.”
She runs toward her dressing stall, and I laugh, chasing after her.
Tommy called last night, and he actually didn’t sound too bad. He was polite, made some jokes about being set up on a blind date, and even asked me where I would like to go. My jittery nerves are at bay as I get ready now for our date.
I slip on my new gold dress and pull my hair half up with big curls in the back. After applying mascara, some neutral eye shadow, and rouge to my cheeks, I glide on a light gloss and take one last glance in the mirror as I hear a knock on my door.
He’s a few minutes early, so I hop as I try to walk to the front, putting on a shoe at the same time.
“One sec!”
When I open the door, I’m taken aback when I see the man standing in the hallway.
Jake is here, looking handsome in slacks and a button-down, his hands behind his back. His blond hair is styled back to perfection, making his masculine features even more pronounced. While he appears just as gorgeous as always, it’s the slight tilt of his mouth and the lustful gaze in his eyes that catch me off guard.
“Wow,” he breathes. “I was just coming over to see if you had any cherries, but damn, you look—”
“Too much? Like I’m trying too hard? A prostitute from a bad ’90s movie?”
“Hot.” The word is said like no truer word has ever been spoken.
I grin shyly. “Oh. Well, thank you.”
“Where are you going?” He steps into my apartment, and I close the door behind him and take a seat at my table to fasten my shoe.
“I have a date,” I say, fixing the buckle.
When I look back up, I notice the bouquet of purple flowers he must have had behind his back as he drops the flowers to his side.
“You. Have a date?” His voice does nothing to hide his shock.
“Yes. Don’t sound so surprised. Nice flowers, by the way.”
He sets them on my counter. “We had a shipment of lilacs come in, and I thought you’d like them.”
I rise from my seat and pick up the bouquet. “You brought these for me? Really? That’s so sweet of you.” Leaning forward, I inhale their scent and close my eyes. “You are so lucky you get to work with fresh flowers all day. It must be euphoric.”
With the bouquet in my hands, I walk past him and into the kitchen to grab a vase.
He turns around and follows me. “Yeah, it’s nice. Now, back to your date. Who is he?”
“My friends, Charisse and Melody—you remember Charisse. You met the day of my signing. They set it up.”
“A blind date?” He sounds relieved. “That makes sense.”
“How so?”
“We’ve already established you don’t date.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
I’m opening the bouquet while simultaneously filling the vase up with water when Jake takes the space next to me.
“Wait. You should only use room temperature water. The stems are very delicate. Do you have cutting shears?”
With a furrowed brow, I search around the kitchen and find my scissors from the knife block. “Will these work?”
He grins. “They’ll do just fine.”
I watch as he unwraps the cellophane and tissue paper and puts them in the trash before cutting the rubber band holding the stems together. He moves the now-filled vase to the counter but leaves the water running.
“The trick is to cut the stems at a forty-five-degree angle to increase the surface area of the water intake.” He delicately holds each stem under the water and carefully cuts. “Cutting under the faucet helps prevent air bubbles that block the stem from taking in the water. Add one of the flower packets to the water.”
I do as he said and watch as the white substance dissolves. “This seems like an awful lot of work for something that is going to eventually die.”
“Even though you know they won’t last, it’s important to enjoy them for as long as possible.”
I let out a light laugh. “Sounds like most of my relationships.”
He’s not laughing back. “You’re just in the wrong
