I was trying to pick out the perfect outfit for my date with Knight, but Evie was screaming at me over speaker phone and it was making it impossible for me to concentrate.

“You kissed him? You just met him, McKinley! You never do anything like that!”

I tried to shush her, just so my ears would stop ringing. “It’s not that big of a deal. It was just a kiss.”

“What kind of a kiss?”

I could feel my cheeks go red at the memory of his lips against mine and a flush of heat spread through my entire body. “It was a really good kiss. He’s so sexy, Evie. And sweet. I can’t explain it, but even though I was only around him for a few minutes, I felt like I had known him for my entire life.”

“That’s crazy,” Evie said with a huff of surprise. “Where are you meeting him? Somewhere busy, I hope?”

“The Alehouse Grille? That new place downtown. I guess it will be busy, right?” I heard Evie shuffle around as if she is digging in her closet too. “Kay, what are you doing?”

“I am looking for something to wear. That place has a really upscale dress code, even at the bar.”

It took me a second to catch on, but when I did, my stomach dropped to my feet. “Oh, no. You are not coming with me.”

“Hell yeah, I am. And everyone else is coming with me.”

I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. “Evie…”

“We aren’t going to bother you. We are just going to sit at the bar and keep an eye on you in case you need anything. This is basically a blind date, you know? You don’t know his last name, or where he works, or even what he does for a living. It’s kind of crazy, you know? So, consider us your bodyguards for the evening. If everything is going well, you can give us a signal, and we’ll leave. And if you need rescuing, we can have another signal!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “What kind of signal?”

“Um…” she faltered. “Ok, if you want us to leave, you get up and go to the bathroom. And if you want us to rescue you, you can knock over your water glass.”

“Evie! What if I actually have to go to the bathroom? Or what if I get nervous and knock over my water glass? This is a terribly flawed plan.”

I heard Evie snort on the other end. “Just hold it until you know if you want us to leave or stay! It’s not that complicated. Besides, I’d rather make things awkward for you for a minute than have you get murdered.”

I rolled my eyes as I plopped down on my bed. I was just gearing up to argue more when Holden stuck her head in my room.

“What time is your date? Evie messaged me and said we are going with you.”

I slapped my forehead and groaned into my hands.

“You’re not getting out of this!” Evie shouted from the phone.

“Clearly,” I muttered. “Fine. You can all come with me. But can you just leave me alone to get ready until then? I’m stressed out enough as it is!”

Holden backed slowly out of my bedroom with a sly smile on her face and shut the door behind her. Evie at least did me the courtesy of hanging up without saying anything else, so I could focus on what the hell I was going to wear. I crawled off my bed and shuffled over to my closet to sort through all of my clothes. Nothing seemed to suit the occasion, or the Alehouse Grille, which was officially one of the fanciest places in town. It catered more to the professors from the university than the students, mostly because it was so expensive. I wasn’t even sure why I suggested it, other than curiosity. The only way I would have ever eaten there otherwise was if my parents came in to town and I tricked them into going.

I must have been staring at my closet for thirty minutes to absolutely no avail when my bedroom door opened again, and a dress floated through it. It was Holden’s favorite dress: a silver, sparkly cocktail dress with a low-cut neckline and long sleeves. I had always loved it, but she was super cranky about ever sharing it.

“Are you kidding? I can borrow it?” I said to the dress since it was still the only thing in the room. In lieu of an answer, she just waved the dress around for me to take from her; I couldn’t help but giggle as I retrieved the beautiful, glittering garment. Immediately after I grabbed the dress, it was followed by a shoebox, and I jumped up and down happily. The box contained a pair of matching pale silver heels, not to high, not too low… the perfect date shoes. “Holden, you are an angel!”

She stuck her head back into the room. “I know,” Holden said with a wink before disappearing again.

Now that I had my outfit, I could put my makeup on and officially get ready for my date with Mr. Not Quite So Mysterious, Knight.

What in the world was I getting into?