"What?" I whispered.
My heart flip-flopped as he searched my eyes.
"You heard me."
Cocky ass. My thoughts must have stamped across my face because he tipped his head back and laughed.
"Do you have plans tomorrow night?" he asked.
I pushed my tongue against the inside of my cheek while I studied his face. "No."
"Good. You get dressed up, I'll pick you up at six, and I'll take you out for a nice dinner." His tone brooked no arguments.
I swallowed and found myself nodding. "Okay."
He stood, clapping his hands. "Good."
"Good," I repeated dumbly.
"Wipe that look off your face, Sonic." He started strolling, his hands tucked into his front pockets. "It'll be great."
I was still locked in place as I watched him walk toward his truck.
"What the hell just happened?" I whispered when I knew he couldn't hear me.
Chapter 15 Jocelyn
"What are you going to wear?"
My mom sat on the edge of my bed, twisting my hair into a complicated knot of tiny braids and curls anchored at the base of my skull. Normally, there wasn't much to be done with my hair, but when I told her Levi was taking me out to dinner, my "practice first date" so to speak, she threw herself into it in a way that had me side-eyeing her all damn day.
Since I couldn't move my head, I'd been staring at my closet for the past fifteen minutes while she worked.
"Maybe the blue V-neck. The silk one with the flowy sleeves, and my nice dark jeans."
"Jeans on a first date." She clucked her tongue. "Fix it, Jesus."
Her Southern belle came out swinging when she was confused. I winced when she tugged on a chunk of hair with a misplaced bobby pin.
"Ow."
"Sorry," she mumbled. "Goodness, no wonder you never do your hair. I can hardly see what I'm doing in all these curls."
Ahh, there was the first minor sideswipe of the day. We'd made it all day, which was pretty good for us.
I didn’t answer because I was determined to stay in a good mood until I was out the door with Levi. There was no way I would let her ruin this for me.
"I don't want to wear a dress," I said, directing us back to the clothing situation.
Behind me, she was quiet, because she knew why I didn't want to wear a dress.
"Your legs aren't that skinny. I think it would be fine." Another bobby pin stabbed me, and I hissed in a breath. "Besides, it's just Levi. He doesn't care what your legs look like."
I'd once heard someone say Be the thermostat, not the thermometer. Set the bar for your reaction instead of allowing outside circumstances to tell you what the temp was.
Today, I'd be the fucking thermostat if it killed me.
It wasn't even that she was wrong because I knew Levi didn't judge my chicken legs. It was that she couldn't understand that it was about what was in my head and not what anyone else thought.
"There," she said, standing up from the bed. "Looks good. Want me to help you get dressed?"
"No, thanks."
Her sigh was heavy, like I'd managed to offend her because I didn't accept her offer, and hoo boy, I let that slide in one ear and riiiiight out of the other.
"I manage just fine every day, Mom. I have for years."
"Just trying to make things easier on you, Jocelyn," she said, words crisp and cold. "It's my job. I can't really turn it off."
I didn't say anything until she was facing me. Nero sat up, his head moving back and forth between her and me. A small whine came out as if he knew she was upsetting me, and it made him uncomfortable.
"I know, Mom." What I wanted to say was that her babying me, treating me like I wasn't capable, only made things hard in the long run. But that would only trigger the same conversation we'd had forty-seven thousand times in the past seven years. "Thank you for offering."
Oh, look at that! I didn't even choke on the words. I was the best freaking thermostat ever.
She nodded, not meeting my eyes. "I'd try that black shirt. The one with the lace sleeves and the boat neck. Lots of mascara. It'll make your eyes pop."
My smile was tentative. "Good idea."
It was a good date shirt.
She smiled back and left me to finish getting ready.
I almost wish she'd stayed, so she could watch me. That was the thing she didn't realize. The system I had down, the way I shifted from chair to bed to pull up my pants, or how easily I could reach the things I needed in my closet, it was something I didn't even have to think about anymore.
I leaned toward the mirror, mouth open because who could put on mascara without their mouth open, and I made a few choppy swipes on my lashes. Then a few more.
It was so rare for me to wear makeup that even the thick black coat of liquid over a tiny row of curled hair made me stare at my reflection.
The inky black shirt with delicate lace stretched across my chest left my collarbones exposed because of how my hair was braided back off my face.
I felt like I was watching someone else as I swept a little blush over my cheekbones and then did one more coat of mascara after the first had dried. My mom was right. My eyes popped bright in my face, even if my nerves were obvious.
All day, I'd convinced myself that this was a pity date. That he was merely being kind to his friend and letting me have this experience without the pressure that would come from sitting across from a stranger. It was Levi. Anything I'd felt in my head between Levi and me over the past week was just that … in my head.
As I leaned down and lifted my foot so I could push it into the nude kitten heels
