“I have time,” he said, his tone like an oath I wanted to believe in.
“Well…” I cleared my throat and shrugged. I almost wanted to laugh at myself. I would meet a man when I was dressed like a bum, my hair wild, and not a speck of makeup on my face. Notthat he seemed to care, but still. “Well, earlier last year, before Halloween, I had the genius idea to talk my best friends in the entire world into trying new things.”
“Oh? That doesn’t sound bad.”
“It wasn’t.”
“What happened to inspire that?” He was way too astute, and I felt my cheeks heat up.
“Honestly?”
“With me, that’s the best policy.” His answer made me chew on my bottom lip because I really liked that, too.
“Well, we’re all about to turn thirty soon, and, umm… I was thinking about how we never try new things and our twenties were almost gone. You know?”
“I can understand that. I felt that way, too.”
“You did?”
“I did, but I was also a little busy with a baby, so I didn’t have too much time to overthink it.”
“Oh! How old were you when you had your daughter?”
“I was twenty-eight when Cass was born.”
“Wow… that’s how old I am.”
“It’s a good age.”
“So, you’re...”
“Fishing to find out how old I am, Rosie?” He smirked, and a glimmer of amusement shined in his eyes.
“Maybe.” I ignored my face heating up.
“I’m forty-five.”
“That’s a good age.”
“Not too old?” he asked, and even though he didn’t ask for me, I knew what he meant. I simply shook my head. “So, you were saying? You tried to talk your friends into trying out new stuff?”
“Yeah.” I pointed toward the street we’d be taking as I kept telling my story about how we always stuck to the same holidaytraditions and had never strayed until this last year, and how each time one of us did, they fell in love.
“Just like that?” he asked incredulously. I laughed.
“Yup.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that. They all met their person.”
“And your friends want you to do the speed dating thing?”
“Well, that was kinda my fault. I genuinely didn’t think Ember would meet someone while she was isolating in a cabin, so I bet her if she didn’t meet someone, I would pay for the two of us to go to the thing at the ski resort, and since she did?—“
“I’m guessing she paid for you to go?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, my eyes darting to the ground and street in front of us. “Yup.”
“You know… I think everything happens for a reason.”
“You do?” Some men said this to say it. They didn’t really mean it, and I’d met my share on different shoots. Some who said slick lines to get whatever they could from you. Whether it was for the publicity of dating a model or for a night that was usually pleasurable for themselves only.
