Had I really agreed to dinner with a man I barely knew?

Especially after seeing my ex?

It didn’t make any sense. Why would I do that?

And yet, it had felt like the right thing to do. I wanted to have dinner with him – to spend time with him – to know more about him.

My fingers were still shaking from our time together in the bathroom. I had never felt anything like it before. It was like touching his body had filled me with this heat that smoldered in the pit of my stomach. Every time I thought of him, it grew hotter and hotter.

Could it be that I was falling for him?

No. What was I thinking?

I hadn’t even known the guy for twenty-four hours. But deep down, I felt like there was something there. Maybe it was nothing, but my heart insisted otherwise.

Thinking it would be silly to fret over it, I pushed the thought out of my head and started home.

* * *

Yet when dinner time approached, I was overcome by nervous anxiety. I stood in front of my closet, staring at my clothes. What was I supposed to wear?

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of my reflection. I frowned. My body was not what it used to be before the pregnancy. Once, I had been slim, toned and elegant. Now I was plagued with baby fat that simply refused to go away. Frustrated, I tried to suck it in, but as soon as I needed to breathe out, it reappeared.

But what did it matter?

This was nothing more than a simple, platonic dinner, right?

Trying to convince myself of that, I picked out the first thing I saw.

A bright red dress I had worn when I’d first met Emil.

I flung it away as if the satin material had burned my hand. The heap of fabric seemed to stare at me, reminding me of that night.

It had seemed so perfect – so right. If only I could go back in time and change everything… but that would mean giving up Missy, and I could never do that.

With no other choice, I ignored the dress and grabbed something else. A plain black t-shirt. It would be a little tight, but at least it would be slimming. Besides, it was completely innocuous. That way, Ned wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

The last thing I needed was to fall for a man I barely knew – to make the same mistake twice.

Finally dressed, the next mission impossible was trying to tame my hair. I hadn’t done anything other than keep it in a ponytail for the last few months. Of course, I could just keep it that way, but a part of me wanted to do something different.

Carefully, I pulled out my scrunchie, letting my hair fall to its full length. The tips skirted along my waist. It had never been this long before. I definitely needed to get it cut… or… maybe I could experiment with it. Who knew? It might be fun to have long hair for once.

In the end, however, I stuffed it into a bun, doing my best to tame the baby-hairs that framed my face, but without much luck. Eventually, I just gave up. I didn’t even know why I was trying so hard. It wasn’t like I was trying to impress Ned or anything.

He was just a friendly neighbor who had invited me to dinner. That was all.

I grabbed Missy and fed her a bottle. She was half asleep by the time she finished it, her eyes already heavy. I kissed the top of her head before placing her in her carrier.

By the time we reached Ned’s door, she was already fast asleep.

I stood there for a moment, my hand twitching with the urge to knock, but my mind was plagued by doubt. Why was I doing this? I knew nothing about this man. For all I knew, inviting me into his apartment was all part of some diabolical plan. I envisioned my murder headlining tomorrow’s newspapers.

C’mon, Stacey, this isn’t some horror movie, I told myself, finally mustering the courage to knock.

Instantly, the door swung open, almost as if he had been standing behind it, waiting for my arrival.

He had a bright smile on his face, and his blue eyes were shining. “Hello!”

The smell of a pot roast invaded my senses. I nearly drooled. When was the last time I’d had a decent meal? I couldn’t even remember.

“Please, come in.” He ushered me forward. “Dinner just came out of the oven.” He led me to the kitchen and pulled out a chair for me, acting like the perfect gentleman.

I blushed at his gestures. No one had ever treated me this way before. It made me feel like a princess.

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Water’s fine,” I answered.

“Oh, come on, you don’t have to be modest at my expense. Name your drink; I’m sure I have it.”

“Um…” I felt obliged to answer, but at the same time, I didn’t know what to say. “Do you have some wine?” I bit the inside of my lip. It wasn’t like Missy was still breastfeeding. A bit of alcohol might actually do me some good. Help take the edge off my nerves.

God knows I needed it.

“Coming right up.” He snatched a bottle from the counter. It was already opened, as if he’d known that was what I would ask for.

Lucky guess.