“Nora is absolutely lovely.”
Melanie appears beside her. “You should invite her to dinner next month.”
“Yes!” Mallory says, pointing a plastic fork at me.
I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah… I don’t know?—”
Melanie squints at me. “She’s your girlfriend, right?”
My mouth opens. I want to say she’s not my girlfriend. She’s my fake date’s replacement fake date. A woman who rescued me from humiliation, and now I’m apparently repaying her by digging us both into a deeper hole.
“Um. Dating. Casually.”
“Either way, you have to invite her,” Mallory declares.
I nod slowly, like a man signing his own death warrant. “Okay. I’ll ask her.”
“Great!” Mallory claps once. “My house.”
Nora’s going to kill me. She’s going to wrap her delicate fingers around my neck and squeeze. I’ll have to get on my knees so she can do it, since she’s shorter than me. But yes. That’s an accurate prediction of my immediate future.
Eight
The Deal
Nora
I roll the window down and let the early evening air rush over my skin. That was… unexpected. I always thought Miles was awkward. But today felt different. Like something finally clicked into place for him. He was comfortable. Easy. When his niece shoved a plastic tiara onto his head and demanded he wear it, he humored her and immediately asked for a second one for me. He was funny. Sweet in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Dare I even say endearing?
I wince. I cannot believe I just used endearing to describe Miles.
Tipping my head toward the open window, I let the breeze tangle through my hair, hoping it cools the strange warmth blooming in my cheeks. The date wasn’t supposed to feel like that. He was supposed to be polite. Maybe share a random fact or two. Not be the guy in a glittery tiara entertaining his nieces and nephews. And yet, if I’m being honest, it was one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. No pressure. No expectations. Just… comfortable. What surprised me the most was the crackle of electricity between us in the bounce house especially when my knee brushed against his half-hard cock. Good thing his nephew interrupted, because it’s hard to say what might’ve happened otherwise.
Caught up in how normal today was, I don’t register my nerves pulling taut until I pull into my mom’s driveway and cut the engine. When I finally exhale, the breath comes out shallow as if my lungs forgot how to inhale a full one. It was only a fake date. Nothing more. There’s no reason to be this wound up. I shake it off and step out of the SUV.
The house is dark when I enter. “Hey, Mom.” I kick off my shoes by the door. “Why is it so gloomy in here? You should open a curtain or two.”
I reach the living room. She’s sitting in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap, staring toward the window without really looking at anything.
“Want me to open these?” I ask, softer now.
“No.”
I pause. “Okay… Is everything alright? You usually like watching the birds. Has the pileated woodpecker made his return yet?”
“Not today.” Her gaze drops to her hands. “It just reminds me of everything I can’t do.”
I lower myself onto the couch beside her. “Bad day?”
“You could say that.”
My hand settles gently on her knee. “Do you want to talk about it? I can make some tea.”
“No, I’m fine.”
I glance at her, then around the dim room. “Sitting in the dark isn’t fine.”
She sighs. “Do you remember when you were little and we used to go hiking?”
