"Have you had breakfast? Lunch?"
"No? Not yet."
She answered him before she'd really thought about it, but even if she'd eaten both meals, she still would have answered with No.
Just to hear him continue to talk.
"How about I take you out to eat?"
She almost barked out a laugh. "Yes. I mean, Sure."
Her heart was suddenly pounding against her ribs like a hummingbird.
"There's a diner near here that I think you'd like."
She nodded and then asked him what she felt was more important to know. "Do you like it?"
His smile set her at ease. "Absolutely. I wouldn't take you somewhere I didn't like, unless it was somewhere that you wanted to try. I'd be happy to take you there."
He was nice.
She could hear it in his voice and see it in his smile.
He was genuine.
He meant what he said. She didn't hear a single note of artifice in his voice.
She felt like she could breathe.
Smiling, she gave in to what she was already planning to agree to. "Sounds good. I'd like to see what this place is like."
She turned and gestured to the table just inside the door. "I'll just get my keys and-"
Sam touched her arm and she stopped short, looking up at him.
"You... you don't want to go?"
Sam smiled at her.
"I just wanted to make sure that you wanted to go out in what you're wearing."
She frowned for a moment and then she looked down at her clothes.
Seaton realized she was still in her PJs.
She wanted to disappear into the floor, but she was well beyond those kinds of childish behaviors.
She knew she could imagine it all she liked, but do it?
Well, that was physically impossible, but she could still disappear into her bedroom and lock the door behind her.
Instead, she squared her shoulders and looked right back at him.
"I'm going to change. Can you wait a few minutes?"
Sam held his hands up in a kind of surrender. "The rest of my day is yours."
She felt her breath catch in her chest.
