“This isn’t even about a relationship,” Shelly said. “It’s dinner. One meal with two men who want to make sure you’re comfortable before you spend weeks working with them. That’s actually really considerate.”
“Or they want to make sure I’m not completely incompetent.”
“They already know you’re not. Sampson wouldn’t have recommended you otherwise.” I heard one of the twins coo in the background. “Listen, you asked me about multi-partner dynamics because you were curious. Now you have a chance to learn from experts in a low-pressure environment. This dinner?It’s just a chance to ask questions, see if you click, maybe learn something about yourself.”
I sank onto the arm of my couch, gripping the phone tighter. “What if I say something stupid? What if they realize I’m in over my head?”
“Then you’ll be human. Cami, stop putting so much pressure on this. They’re flying to you, which means they’re interested in making you comfortable. That says a lot.”
“I don’t even know what to wear.”
“Black leather skirt, gray sweater, black boots with a heel. Wear your hair down and straight. You’ll look amazing and feel confident.”
I exhaled slowly. Shelly knew me too well—knew I needed concrete details to hold on to when everything felt uncertain.
“Where should we go?” I asked.
“Somewhere you know. Somewhere you feel in control. You’re picking the restaurant, right?”
“They said I could choose.”
“Good. Then pick somewhere familiar. That way you have home-field advantage. And, Cami? Send me all the details tomorrow—place, time, what car they’re driving, anything I’d need to know. Safe-call protocol.”
“You really think I need a safe call for dinner?”
“I think even when there’s trust, you don’t disregard safety. It’s the first rule and the most important one. Text me when you get there, text me when you leave. If anything feels off, you call me immediately.”
The knot in my chest loosened slightly. This was why I trusted Shelly—she balanced pushing me out of my comfort zone with making sure I had a safety net.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“You’re going to be fine. Better than fine. You’re going to walk in there looking gorgeous and confident, and they’re going to wonder how they got so lucky that you said yes.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m right. Now go pick a restaurant and text them back before you overthink yourself into a panic attack.”
After we hung up, I stared at my phone. The group chat with Majesty and Lex was still open, waiting for my response.
Me:
7pm works. How about Bakers? They carry a little bit of everything, is that okay with you both?
The response came faster than I expected.
Majesty:
Perfect. We’ll pick you up on time.
Lex:
Looking forward to it, Cami.
I set my phone down and tried to breathe normally.
One dinner. I could handle this. Shelly was right, though. If it didn’t work out, I’d go back to my regular life and move on. I mean how much havoc could the two of them create?
Chapter Two
