“Something memorable,” she said, leaning forward with sudden intensity. “Something that shows you’ve been paying attention, that you’re not just some random guy asking him out.”
Mateo nodded as she spoke, like her words were prophetic pronouncements from a mountaintop, but I caught the way his lips were twitching. “She’s right. You want to stand out.”
“Think about it,” Sisi continued, her voice taking on that dangerous tone that usually foretold disasters of seismic proportions. “He’s probably had guys just walk up and ask him for coffee before. But you? You have history. You have . . . context.”
The way she and Mateo exchanged a quick glance should have terrified me, but I was too focused on what she was saying to notice. She might’ve had a setup working, but her words rang true.
“What kind of gesture?” I asked.
“Something thoughtful. Something that references your first meeting, maybe?” Sisi’s smile was definitely too innocent now.
“Buy him a dildo,” Mateo offered, earning a slap on the arm and a snort from his coconspirator.
“Or something library themed? You know, play to his interests?” she added.
“That . . . actually makes sense,” I said slowly. “Show him I listened and have been thinking about what he might like.”
“Exactly!” Mateo chirped. “Make it personal.”
“Personal butnotcreepy,” Sisi added quickly. “Something sweet. Something endearing. The kind of thing that’ll make him smile even if he says no.”
If he says no?
Crap, I hadn’t thought of that.
In all this planning for the perfect invitation, the idea that he might not accept said invitation completely slipped my thought process. Really, really uncomfortable nerves itched their way up my spine and across my skin.
What was I doing?
Why even bother?
For all I knew, Theo was straight and married, and Debbie was his daughter. I was seeing what I wanted to see, not reality.
“Maybe this is a bad idea,” I muttered, my head drooping.
Mateo and Sisi balked in unison. “What?”
“I mean, what if he’s straight or married or straightandmarried or just not into me or just not into meandmarried? What if he hated my big words? I tried so hard to impress him. I really did, but I’m so much better with weights than words. Weights don’t talk back.”
Sisi’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
Mateo just blinked like I’d spoken in Greek or Latin or that weird clicking language aliens spoke onStar Trek.
“Jeremiah,” Sisi began slowly, her tone suddenly serious and sage. “You are a handsome, wonderful, incredibly sweet man. We love you because you are those things. Anyone who doesn’t see the beauty in you isn’t worth your time. I don’t care how cute or smart or whatever this Theo is, if he can’t see that you’re the best thing he’s had land on his doorstep in years, well, he’s fucking blind. Screw him.”
“Not literally,” Mateo added. “That might make him think he’d won.”
“Screw . . . wait . . . no.” I threw up my hands. “I just want to have coffee with him, talk to him, see him smile again.”
Sisi sat back and folded her arms. “Jeremiah Mikel, do exactly that.”
I cocked my head. “Do what?”“Be the boy we just saw, right here, at this table. Be that sweet, wonderful man. Theo won’t stand a chance.”
I was pretty sure she was serious and not making fun of me anymore, but with Sisi, you could never be totally sure. I nodded, already trying to think of ideas. They were right—a simple phone call would be forgettable, but something thoughtful, something that showed I’d actually been paying attention to who he was . . .
“Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll think of something, some kind of gesture.”
“Yes!” Sisi clapped. “When’s your next school run?”
