A new, handsome friend.
Delilah came out of the kitchen eating a donut and met me by the front door as I tucked a few things into my oversized bag. I made a point to look at her donut with disapproval, but she took a big bite and grinned.
“Well,” she said as she sized me up. “Nothing fancy, but you look nice and relaxed. It’s good to see you taking a little time off for some fun.”
“But it’s not a date,” I reminded her. “We’re just hanging out.”
The front buzzer sounded, and I pressed the speaker. “Hello?”
“It’s Seth. Can I come up?”
Delilah nodded emphatically. If I didn’t let her meet Seth, I wouldn’t hear the end of it.
“Sure. We’re up on the top floor.”
“Great. See you in a minute.”
Delilah ran to the kitchen and set down her donut before coming back, licking the frosting off one finger. She looked more excited than I felt—though I was nervous, despite what I’d told her earlier. Even if this wasn’t a date, I rarely hung out with a man alone in any of my paths. In 1861, it was socially unacceptable. In 1941 and 2001, it was out of the fear of falling in love and complicating my choices.
What if Seth and I had nothing to talk about?
Worse—what if we had everything to talk about and I really liked him?
I glanced into the mirror hanging on the wall and took a deep, steadying breath. I could do this. I’d done a lot harder things.
Even though I knew it was coming, the knock startled me, and Delilah stifled a giggle at my reaction. I sent her a warning glare, and she pressed her lips together, her eyes dancing with mirth.
Opening the door, I wasn’t prepared for the man who stood in front of me. Today, he looked casual and alarmingly attractive. He’d been striking in his tuxedo, but the room had been dim, and there had been a lot of people to distract me.
Now Seth stood before me in a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved knit shirt with a couple of buttons at his throat, which were undone. He had pushed up his sleeves, revealing muscular arms, and tucked the shirt into his trim waist. His blond hair had a bit of a windblown look, and his smile was brilliant and blinding.
“Hi,” he said, taking me in with a quick, appreciative glance. “You look great.”
“So do you.” I tried to smile, but my insides were all mushy, and I couldn’t seem to conjure a logical thought or reaction. Delilah cleared her throat, and I startled again. “This is my roommate, Delilah LeBlanc.”
“Roommate and best friend,” Delilah amended as she reached for Seth’s hand. “Meg told me you’re one of the newest congressmen in town. Congrats.”
“Thanks.” He tilted his head toward the stairs, glancing in my direction. “I kind of double-parked.”
“Got it.” I grabbed my bag. “I’ll see you later, Delilah.”
“Have fun,” she said in a knowing, teasing voice.
I rolled my eyes at her while Seth’s back was turned, and she laughed.
Thirty minutes later, we were at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. A convenient public parking garage would give us good access to the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Mall.
It didn’t take long to park and find our way out into the gorgeous day. The Capitol Building stood at one end of the Mall, the Washington Monument stood in the middle, and the Lincoln Memorial flanked the other end. Scattered in between, along both sides of the Mall, were the Smithsonian buildings, the red-brick Smithsonian Castle being one of the more recognizable.
It was already hot as we stood on the crushed gravel path, looking toward the Washington Monument obelisk.
“Can you see where the stone changes color, about a third of the way up?” I asked.
Seth nodded, shading his eyes from the sun.
“They had only gotten that far by the Civil War and didn’t finish it for over twenty years. It was the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was built in France.”
“Wow,” Seth said, clearly impressed with the history. “It would have been amazing to live in Washington during the Civil War.”
