He yawned, unimpressed.
"Do you approve?"
Mr. Darcy's tail flicked once.
"I know, I know. I said never again." Rachel scratched behind his ears. "But he knocked over the mystery section. And he looked at me like..."
Like she mattered. Like she was worth being nervous about.
The opposite of how Brad had looked at her in that country club lobby.
Rachel stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow she was risking safety for coffee.
Her phone buzzed again on the nightstand. Another voicemail from her mom, probably. Or worse, her sister Leah calling to "see how she's doing" which really meant "mom told me to call you."
Rachel turned the phone face-down without looking.
Whatever they wanted could wait. Tomorrow was already complicated enough.
She closed her eyes, and instead of replaying Brad's words.I need someone who wants what I want from life,she thought about Mac and the way his cheeks had gone red when he'd tripped over that chair.
Mr. Darcy's purr rumbled steady and constant against her side.
Maybe this would be a mistake. Or maybe it wouldn't be.
Either way, she was going to find out.
7
Mac
Mac changed his shirt for the fourth time.
Too casual. Too formal. Too try-hard. Too... everything.
He stood in front of his bedroom mirror at 12:30 PM, surrounded by a pile of rejected clothing options that had seemed perfect when he'd pulled them from his closet but looked completely wrong the moment he put them on. A simple button-down, dark blue lay on the bed. Next to it, dark jeans that were nice but not too nice. His good boots, the leather ones he usually saved for special occasions.
Casual but clean. Not trying too hard but showing he cared.
Puck, his gray cat, watched from his perch on the bed with the kind of feline judgment that suggested he found his entire existence amusing and slightly pathetic.
"Don't look at me like that," Mac told him, pulling on the shirt and checking his reflection. "This is important."
Puck yawned, showing all his teeth, then proceeded to groom his paw with elaborate disinterest.
"You're right. I'm overthinking." Mac checked his reflection one more time. Hair: acceptable, still slightly damp from hisshower. Shirt: fine, fit well across the shoulders. Face: terrified but presentable. "It's coffee. Two people having a conversation. I can do this."
His phone buzzed on the dresser. The team group chat.
Cole:Good luck today. Be yourself. Ask questions. Listen more than you talk.
Jamie:Don't talk about hockey the entire time. I know that's hard for you but please try.
Luke:BE CONFIDENT! Women love confidence! But not too confident! That's arrogant! Find the middle ground!
Coach:Show up five minutes early. That's respect. And don't fidget.
Mac smiled despite his nerves. His team had his back, even if their advice was slightly contradictory.
