“Whoa!” Anthony cried, holding up his hands like he was trying to show he was unarmed. A moment later, he looked at his own hands in confusion, like he was surprised to find them where they were. “Sorry,” he said, chuckling. “I… do not know why I had that reflex.”
In fairness, Diana’s hand had flown to her chest at the unexpected sight.
“You’re in good company, I guess,” she said, fluttering the hand in question. “I’m lucky I didn’t drop the pie.”
“Ooh, what kind of pie?” he asked, peering at the bag.
“Cherry.”
“Ilovecherry pie!”
He grinned at her. He really was very handsome; Diana felt so lucky that she was now allowed to appreciate it properly, instead of before, when she had been trying to pretend that she didn’t notice.
“Anyway,” he went on, “I know you’re scheduled to go to the celebratory potluck over at the bookstore, so I wanted to come by and offer you a ride. Now, I want to be clear,” he added, “that this isnota date.”
“Oh, okay,” Diana said, frowning.
“I have to be clear, because I did promise that our next date would be without a certain tagalong.” He jerked his thumb back at the car.
On cue, Eloise popped her head and one arm out the side window of the car. “Hi Diana! I got books!” she called exuberantly.
“I have tried to be clear that we are not going back tonight in order to purchase more books, but I fear this has landed on deaf ears,” Anthony commented dryly.
“Funny,” Diana said. “I was making the exact same argument to myself like five minutes ago.”
“Anyway,” he said. “This is a ride. Not a date. For the official date, I promise not to be so awkward. And I won’t surprise you.” He rolled his eyes, clearly at himself. “Fourth time is the charm and all that.”
Diana’s smile was so wide, it almost made her face hurt. She found his awkward entrances endearing, but she wouldn’t mind one that she managed to see coming either.
“I’d like that,” she said. “Both, I mean. The ride tonight and the date in the future.”
She grinned at him. He grinned at her.
“Are you guyscoming?” Eloise hollered from the car.
Anthony pulled a face. “And that, right there, is why she will not be joining us on our official date. I would like to be able to be goofy at my leisure.”
She laughed at that.
He held out an arm, which made her give him a look.
“Not a date, I thought?”
He shrugged. “I can still be a gentleman. Also, I don’t think I need to be on a date to say that you look really beautiful tonight.”
“I’ll allow it,” she said grandly, taking his arm.
The second that Diana got into the car, Eloise started up a cheerful patten of chatter.
“Hi, Diana!” she said brightly. “Did you go to the bookstore today? Dad already took me, and that’s when Ms. Eleanor invited us to the party. She said there’s going to be kids, there though, so it won’t be a boring party with only grownups. Also, I bet the grownups who like bookstores aren’t boring. I mean, you aren’t boring. You’re cool.”
“Thank you, Eloise,” Diana said, barely stifling her smile as Anthony pulled out of her driveway.
“You’re welcome,” the girl trilled. “Anyway, have you ever readAnne of Green Gables?”
“I have,” Diana said. “I love that book.”
“It’s so good!” Eloise said. “I just got to the part where Anne is floating in the river.”
