––––––––

The next day while I was reading a manuscript, Reece came to my mind. We had a lunch date today and I didn’t think I would be able to go through with it. It was 11:30 in the morning; he would be arriving in about thirty minutes. I panicked and put the manuscript down on my desk.

Quickly, I wrote a note for him: Reece, something came up. I’m sorry, but I can’t make lunch. I left the note on my desk and left.

I was a jerk, for sure.

I didn’t return back to my desk until 1:30; I spent the time sitting on a bench in a cathedral two blocks down from my office building. I’m not a religious person and to be honest, I’m not sure I believe in God, but as I walked by the church I had a sudden urge to enter. It was probably my guilt that drew me in.

I didn’t say a prayer, just sat there staring at a cross, my thoughts on my father.

When I bumped into him on the sidewalk on my first day with the All Write Literary Agency, it had been seven years since I had last seen him.

I remember the day perfectly. I was sixteen years old. Sifting through paint colors at Sears, I was determined to pick out the right color for my bedroom, one that would express happiness and emptiness and a desire to succeed. Sounds absurd to me now. I had settled on purple. With a paint swatch in hand, I walked to the paint customer service station. There he was, talking to a customer service rep, a can of paint in one hand, a paint roller in the other. My father, the man who had dropped out of my life when I was twelve.

Maybe it was because I refused to call him “papi” or maybe it was because I could never look him straight in the eye whenever he’d visit. Maybe it was because I’d hang up on him whenever he called. Or maybe it was because I never said anything whenever he’d tell me he was American just like me because he was born in Puerto Rico and so that made us the same. I may never know the reason why one day, he stopped trying to see me. No matter, he was in front of me now, staring at me.

I managed a smile. He did, too. I wanted to hug him. I didn’t move. Just stood there with what I was sure was the most ridiculous expression on my face.

“How have you been?” he asked.

I wanted to tell him I was doing great, that I was a junior in high school and getting decent grades and that I was working part time at a Taco Bell after school so I could save enough money for community college. And that I was writing short stories and that one of them had won third place in a writing contest. I wanted to tell him that I had missed him and that I was so sorry for the way I had treated him. But I didn’t say any of those things.

Instead I said, “I live by myself. And I have a kid.” I lied.

He looked down at his feet, then at me, then at his feet again.

“Can I call you?” he asked once he returned his gaze to me.

I had forgotten how much I looked like him. Same pug nose, same caramel hair, and same melancholy expression. He couldn’t have denied I was his daughter had he wanted.

“No. I don’t have a phone. Can’t afford one.” I suppressed tears and curse words.

He set the paint roller and can of paint on the station counter. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “How much money do you need?”

“I don’t need any. I’m tough. I’ll make it on my own.” I thought my heart was going to jump right out of my chest, hit him in the face, and then fall to the floor in front of him. Go ahead, step on it, crush it, I don’t care.

“Take it.” He held out money in front of me.

“I hate you.” I didn’t take his money.

“Jadie,” he whispered, “I’m sorry I left you. I didn’t want to.”

“Oh yeah, well, it didn’t hurt. You didn’t hurt me.” I swiped strands of hair away from my face.

“I never stopped thinking about you. You’re my kid.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, well, like I said, you didn’t hurt me.”

“May I borrow a pen?” he asked the customer service rep who was now helping another customer.

The rep reached for a pen and handed it to him.

He pulled a card from his wallet and wrote on the back of it. “Here. Call me whenever you want. I want to help you.”

You didn’t hurt me.

Biting my lip and resisting the part of me that wanted to spit in his face, I took the card. “I’ll never call you.” I turned and walked away, tears streaming down my face.

I knew he was watching me go. Why didn’t he come after me? He should have begged me for forgiveness. He should have done something...said something, anything that would have let me know he cared...he loved me...and that he would never leave me again. But he did nothing.

I never told anyone about that day, I even kept it from Mami. She didn’t deserve to know. She didn’t deserve to tell me how she had always been right. How he was a coward, a loser, and how she had stayed despite it all, she had stayed because she truly loved me. She didn’t deserve to break my heart again.

As I fell asleep that night, I whispered, “Papi, you didn’t hurt me. I hope I hurt you.”

I threw the card in the trash. And I never painted my room purple.

I said a prayer and walked out of the cathedral.

That evening, after I left work, I rushed to see my father. I had to see him. I wanted to talk to him, to tell him who I was, to share with him everything that was going on in my life. If I could sit next to him, hold his hand and let him know I was his daughter. If I could forgive him...all would be well and I would begin to live a normal life.

He was propped against the wall, eyes closed. I stood, frozen in front of him, daring him to open his eyes and see me. Would he recognize me? I cleared my throat, loudly. His eyes remained closed. I moved in a little closer and cleared my throat again. He tilted his head to one side, but didn’t open his eyes.

I clapped my hands together. He opened his eyes. I didn’t move or make any other sounds. My eyes met his.

He was staring at me.

I started shaking and before he could figure out who I was, I took off running. I was a coward, brave enough to tempt reality, but not yet strong enough to face and conquer it.

My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to collapse and die. Sweat beads trickled down my face as I flew down the sidewalk, not taking a second to see if any cars were coming when I crossed the street. When I made it to the other side, I took in a breath, bent forward and rested my hands on my knees.

I should have said something to my father, anything. I should have asked him if he knew who I was. I was too afraid to know the answer. His not recognizing me would have crushed me. It would have been worse than when I realized my father was never coming back, when I finally understood that he had abandoned me.

Someone’s hand touched my shoulder. Startled, I looked up.

It was Reece.

“Jadie, you okay?” he asked.

I stood up straight. “I’m fine. Just a little out of breath.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I’m late for dinner. One of my roommates is making dinner.” I lied.

“If you want, I can give you a ride. My car is parked right there.” He pointed to a black BMW.

“Thank you, but I’m fine. I’ll take the Metro.”

“It’s really no big deal. Let me give you a ride home,” he said, smiling.

“I don’t want to mess with your plans.”

“You’re not.” He put his hand on my arm. “Come on. I promise I won’t bite you.”

I felt guilty for standing him up earlier. Here was my chance to redeem myself. I couldn’t turn him down. “Well, in that case, okay, I guess I give in.”

“Good.”

We walked to his car. Part of me was thrilled and the rest was terrified. I liked him, a lot. He made me feel nervous and happy at the same time. And now I was getting into his car after blowing him off hours earlier. He hadn’t even brought it up. Goodness.

He opened the door for me. I slipped into the smooth, leather passenger seat. He went around to the driver’s door. And I inhaled and exhaled fast, wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked, once he was inside the car.

“Yes, thank you.”

He inserted the key into the ignition. “So, where do you live?”

“On Eighth Street.”

“Eighth Street it is,” he said.

Down the road we went, an awkward silence in the air. My palms were sweaty and I swear I stopped breathing for a few seconds.

After what seemed like a hundred minutes, he said, “You still owe me a lunch date.”

“I’m sorry I had to cancel today.”

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“Maybe, but it depends on how many manuscripts Mr. Walker wants me to take a look at.”

“You didn’t tell me you also read manuscripts for my uncle.”

“I just started.”

“Got it. About lunch tomorrow, do we have a date?”

I didn’t respond. I wanted to say yes, of course, we do! But the words refused to come out.

“I understand. You don’t want to go out with me, I get it.”

“It’s not that, it’s...”

“Listen, I like you. I can’t get you out of my head, which is crazy seeing as how we only met a couple of days ago. But there it is.”

“I don’t know what to say.” I knew exactly what to say, but for some stupid reason, the words stayed locked in my mouth. I wanted to say, I like you, too. I can’t stop thinking of you, either.

“Just be honest with me.”

We turned onto Eighth Street.

“My building is at the very end of the street. It’s the blue one,” I said.

When we got to it, he paralleled parked into a spot right in front.

“Weird. There are never any parking spots.”

“Luck is on our side, I guess,” he said, putting the car in park.

I bit my lip and opened the door. “Thank you for the ride.”

He gently grabbed my arm. “Would you rather I stop asking you out? Would you rather I leave you alone?”

I turned to look at him. “Tell me the truth. I messed up your plans, didn’t I?”

“I was on my way to a book signing. One of my favorite authors is in town.”

“And you chose to bring me home, instead?”

He took his hand off my arm. “Yes.”

I sat back in the seat and let out a breath. “Why?”

“You already know the answer. I like you.”

“Is this how you are every time you meet a new girl?”

“No. This is how I am with you.”

“You do realize we don’t know each other at all.”

“I want to get to know you. There’s something about you, pulling me to you.”

“I admit it. I like you, too.”

“Perfect.”

“No, not perfect. The thing is. I’m not normal. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s the truth.”

He laughed. “Is that all? You don’t want to go out with me because you’re not normal? No one is normal. We’re all messed up in some way or another. ”

I wanted to tell him about my father, but I couldn’t.

“One date and we’ll see how that goes, okay?” I said.

“Deal. I was planning on spending the day at my mom’s cottage down in Southern Maryland tomorrow. Go hiking, fish, that kind of stuff. Care to join me?”

“For the whole day?”

“It’s Saturday. I’ll make you lunch and dinner. We can go hiking. And it will be just you and me, in case you’re thinking I was planning on introducing you to my mom. I don’t want to freak you out.”

“Yeah, um, it’s a little late for that. But, I’m crazy enough to trust you, so yes, I’ll join you.”

“I’ll pick you up in the morning.” He pulled out his phone. “What’s your number?”

I gave it to him and then stepped out of the car. “See you tomorrow. Oh, and who were you going to see? What author?”

“Junot Diaz. Have you ever read any of his stuff?”

I had devoured every single word of Junot Diaz’s short story collection, Drown. Every single word. I carried it around with me and would read passages from it when I was waiting for the bus, on the bus, on the Metro, waiting to see the doctor, dentist, hairdresser, wherever I went, Mr. Diaz went with me.

“I love him. I think I may have read Drown a million times.”

“Me too. This is so cool,” he said.

“What is?”

“That we already have something in common.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get too excited. Once we spend a whole day together we may decide we can’t stand each other and our love of Junot’s books won’t save us.”

“Doubt it.”

“You’re an optimist, huh?”

“Card-carrying member,” he said.

“Me, I stopped being an optimist a long time ago.”

“Never too late to regain your membership.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“You have to keep showing up. No matter what’s thrown at you, just keep showing up.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not.”

Yeah, well, he probably lived a pretty charmed life. What did he know about getting knocked down so hard, you felt as if every bone in your body was broken and no matter how hard you reached for something to grab a hold of so you could pull yourself up, all you could reach was cold and empty air? There he was, in his BMW, with his perfectly cut hair, giving me advice about showing up for life. I had been showing up since the day I was born, but life, well the moment I showed up at her door she decided she was done accepting new members and slammed the door in my face. So, instead, I turned and sought limbo’s acceptance. Now, he, on the other hand, welcomed me with open arms. Lost souls belong in limbo.

Sighing, I said, “Anyway, see you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait,” he said and drove off.

I held my hands to my chest and smiled. I had no idea what was ahead of me. What I was getting into. But right at that moment as I stood on the sidewalk, a slight breeze in the air, I knew I was happy. And I would hold onto that feeling for as long as I could, because once I hit the pillow and closed my eyes to sleep, my demons would creep back and invite me to dance. And I’d go with them, fully aware that despite my wanting to run away, they still had a hold on me. They still reminded me that I was a horrible, horrible person—a person who would let her own father live on the street.

***

IT WAS SATURDAY MORNING. My cell phone alarm went off at exactly 6 a.m. I admit it, I was definitely excited and nervous about spending the day with Reece and I wanted to get up, shower, get dressed, and have breakfast before I got cold feet and crawled back under my bed covers. As it was, intent on reminding me that my father was homeless and that I still had not worked up the courage to talk to him, my demons had kept me awake for most of the night. I was running on adrenaline, for sure.

After taking a quick shower, I rummaged through my closet for something to wear. Reece had only seen me in my work clothes and I was most certainly not going to wear a pencil skirt, a blouse and heels for a day of fishing and hiking in Southern Maryland. Realizing that I had the most boring wardrobe in all the continents, I decided on a pair of long shorts and a black T-shirt. Once I was dressed, I pulled my hair back in a crazy, tight ponytail, applied a hint of pink lipstick and darted to the kitchen for some coffee.

I was immediately met with the aroma of coffee. And standing in the middle of the room was a smiling, perky, ready-to-take-over-the-world Grace. It was too late for me to make a run for it. I was caught.

“What are you doing up so early?” I asked, stealing a look at the clock on the stove.

Grace licked her lips. “The real question is why are you up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning? I don’t think Lisa and I have ever seen you out of your room earlier than noon on the weekends, yet here you are,” she shot a glance at the clock, “at 6:30.”

I walked over to the coffee machine. If Grace was going to interrogate me, I’d need caffeine first.

She reached into the cupboard and handed me a mug. “So...are you going to tell me what’s going on? Lisa told me you met some guy named Reece and that you’re practically in love with him, even though you won’t admit it.”

“For the love of all things that are good, may I have a few sips of my coffee before you turn on the heat lamp?”

She pinched her chin. “Sure, that’s not an unreasonable request. Go ahead, sip away and then, you and I are chatting. I’ll wait for you in the living room.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be surprised if I don’t show up.”

“I’m not worried. We’ll find out what’s going on with you sooner or later,” she said, smiling and dancing out of the kitchen.

Her words stung. Right at that moment, I wished I could gather all truth seekers and hide them in a closet.

I was terrified of my roommates finding out about my father. I was ashamed of myself for not helping him, for not letting him know who I was, for running away from him. But, I was also ashamed of him.

He abandoned me without even saying goodbye. And now, he lives on the streets. I love him, but I also hate him for leaving me—and for becoming homeless.

I decided to tell Grace about my date with Reece, only because I couldn’t take keeping any more secrets. I had to be honest about something.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the living room. Grace was on the couch, feet resting on the ottoman, her fingers busy changing channels with the clicker. She was a news junkie and couldn’t help flipping through channels because she was terrified of missing any breaking news.

“Seriously, how many times are you going to re-hash the same story? Enough already!” she screamed at the TV. Then she put down the clicker and turned to me. “I may need to become a reporter.”

I plopped on the couch next to her. “Either that, or stop watching the news so much.”

“That’s not likely to happen,” she said, winking.

“So, how’s work, anyway? How’s the senator? How’s the novel you’re working on?” I took a chance at changing the subject and focusing on her.

“Please, don’t even try it.”

“Try what?”

She sighed. “You’re stalling.” She sighed again. “Work is good. The senator whose name you can never remember is good. My novel is good. And before you ask me what it’s about, I’ll tell you. It’s a political thriller.” She inhaled and released a long breath as if she had just finished given a speech and needed to take a break to gather her thoughts.

“It could be about zombies, and vampires, and other creatures,” I said, remembering my conversation with Reece about his novel.

“Ha! Very funny.” She grabbed a throw blanket which was sitting right next to her. Covering herself with it, she said, “All right, your turn. Why are you up so early?’

“Can you at least turn down the volume?” I rubbed my eyes.

She pointed the clicker at the TV. “There. Done. Now spill.”

I exhaled. “I have a date.” Too late, I spoke the words.

She jumped off the couch. “What? With Reece? I should wake Lisa. She should know this.”

“Calm down.” I grabbed her arm and forced her back onto the couch. Why, oh why, did I tell her? Oh, yeah, honesty, that’s right. I wanted, needed to be honest about something.

“So, is he coming here? And why so early?” Her eyes were beaming.

I exhaled again. “Yes, he's coming here. He’s taking me to his parents’ cabin in Southern Maryland."

“Southern Maryland? Where the hell is that? Oh my God, he’s planning on killing you.”

“Don't be stupid. Southern Maryland, is well, south of D.C. His mom has a house in Calvert County.” Truth was, I had never been to Southern Maryland, although I did know it was still pretty rural. Some restaurants in D.C. prided themselves in only serving fresh and organic vegetables grown on Southern Maryland farms.

Frowning, she said, “Okay, whatever, so you’re spending the day with a stranger in a cabin, God knows where.”

“Yep, sounds about right,” I said with a smirk.

“Is he at least hot?”

I cleared my throat and then bit my lip. 

“Well?”

“Very hot,” I said.

“I think I'm jealous. When is he coming? I want to meet this mysterious hottie.”

Reece hadn’t said when he would be picking me up. All he had said was that he would pick me up in the morning. I was beginning to feel a bit dumb for waking up so early.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” she stood and made for the kitchen. “I'm getting another cup of coffee. Want one?”

I was glad she couldn’t see me blushing. Here I was, waiting for my Prince Charming to appear, and I didn’t even know when he would be arriving. Wait—had I really referred to Reece as my Prince Charming? That would be a yes.

I stood to look at the time on the stove clock. It was now 7:30.

“He'll probably call me before he comes,” I said.

“Why didn’t you both agree on a time when he asked you out? That’s what normal people would have done,” she said, pouring the last of the coffee into her mug.

“Yeah, well, who says I’m normal?” I am anything but normal. Hell, I’m so abnormal that I almost come full circle, back to the normal starting point.

Making her way back into the living room, she said, “Yep, you’re pretty much a weirdo. Okay, well, what say you and I watch the news together until Mr. Hottie calls or gets here, because if you think I’m going to miss out on meeting him...”

I was defeated. Sinking into the couch, I said, “This should be a hell of a lot of good fun.”

“Indeed,” she said, with a big smile.

***

THE CLOCKED TICKED its way to 11:30 a.m. and still no sign of Reece. He hadn’t even called me. Maybe he had stood me up as payback for when I had done the same thing to him, except that I had at least left him a note. I guess I couldn’t blame him, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was hurt and embarrassed. Grace had quietly slipped out of the living room when the clock had gotten to 10:30. I knew she felt bad for me and didn’t want to make matters worse by hanging around. Lisa, we discovered, wasn’t even home. She had probably spent the night at her parents’ house something she did often when she had dinner with them.

So here I was, all by myself, pathetically waiting for someone who had known all along he was not going to show up. Damn, I was dumb as all hell. I had let my guard down, forgotten about my homeless father, if only for a moment, and for what? It suddenly occurred to me that I would still have to deal with Reece at work. He was my boss’ nephew, for goodness’ sake. If I didn’t lie down, I would end up hurling or flat out dying.

I shut and locked my bedroom door and buried my head in my pillow. I wished I could sleep for the rest of the day, but I knew my nerves would not let me. I had actually convinced myself that I could be part of the general population, that I could go out on dates with nice guys and pretend my demons were gone, that my childhood had been one filled with pony rides, cotton candy, and parents who stayed together, who loved each other, who loved me.

I would allow myself one day of self-pity. I’d indulge in a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream. Hell, I’d even add whip cream, sprinkles, and hot fudge.

There was a knock on my door.

“Jadie, it’s Lisa, I heard what happened. Feel like talking?”

Grace and her big ole mouth.

“I’ve got some work to do, so I’m just going to hang in my room, okay?”

“Come on, girl, open the door. We can watch Bridget Jones’s Diary and pig out.”

Her invitation was tempting. One thing Grace, Lisa, and I had in common was our love for Bridget Jones’s Diary. I’d come home one evening to find Lisa and Grace camped out on the couch, a huge bowl of popcorn and an equally as huge bowl of chips between them, laughing and crying at the same time. When I looked at the TV, there she was, Bridget Jones in a tank top and underwear, chasing Mark down the street after he leaves her apartment to go buy her a new diary.

Lisa and Grace had turned to smile at me. I had smiled back and then sat on the couch with them. That was the day I realized that maybe, just maybe, it was possible for me to have friends.

Releasing a long, exaggerated breath, I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door.

“All we have is rainbow sherbet, hope that works?” she said, clutching a container.

I hugged her. “It’s perfect.”

“All right, let’s do this.”

“Wait,” I said.

She stopped and turned to look at me.

“Is it okay if we don’t talk about it?” I asked.

“As you wish.” She handed me the sherbet.

Three Bridget Jones’s Diary movies, two bottles of wine, and two pints of sherbet later, I finally got my butt off the couch. Not once had Lisa mentioned Reece. I owed her, big time.

“This was fun, but I told myself I would only allow myself one day of self-pity,” I said to Lisa who was basically asleep on the couch.

She opened one eye. “I’m here if you need me.”

I blew her a kiss. She pretended to catch it.

Feeling much better, and tipsy, I made my way to the bathroom, but before I got there, the doorbell rang. My heart stopped. My hands started sweating at the thought that it could possibly be Reece who was standing on the other side of the door.

Slowly, I walked to the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s Reece.”

My knees nearly buckled.

“Who’s at the door?” Lisa asked.

“No one,” I lied.

“Oh my God, is it Reece?” she asked.

Seconds later, she was standing next to me, peeping through the peep hole. “What are you going to do?” she asked me.

I pushed her aside. “Mind leaving us alone?”

She ignored me and opened the door. “Well, hello there, you must be Reece.”

He nodded and then intently looked at me. “Jadie, I’m so sorry. I came over as quickly as I could.”

“Yeah, um, you do know it’s no longer morning, right?” Lisa asked.

“It’s okay, Lisa,” I bit my nails, “I got it.”

“If you say so,” she said. Then, she looked at Reece. “Let me know if you want us to chip in to buy you a watch.”

I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me.

“I waited for you,”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Payback?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Then why didn’t you come? Why didn’t you call?”

He looked down and then up at me. “My mom...is in the hospital.”

I heard his words, but wasn’t sure whether or not to believe him. I wasn’t ready to let my guard down again.

“Did you hear me?” he asked.

I nodded.

“My little brother found her curled up in pain in her bedroom early this morning. Our housekeeper called 911 and then me. I rushed over to the hospital.” He paused. “She went into emergency surgery.”

I threw my arms around him. “I’m so sorry.” My heart hurt for him and I prayed his mom was okay.

When I let him go, I asked, “What happened?”

“She had appendicitis. She’s okay, now. My little brother is at home with his nanny. I’m sorry I didn’t call you, I should have.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. You did what you were supposed to do, which is be with your mom.”

“I had to come and talk to you. I couldn’t let you think I had stood you up. I would never stand you up.” He took my hand. “We only just met, but I’m already crazy about you. I wake up thinking about you. I go to sleep thinking about you. There’s something about you, it’s hard to put into words, but whatever it is...I want to be with you.”

His words made me want to cry. No one had ever spoken to me like that. No one had ever really wanted to be with me, not even my parents. At nineteen, I had sat by my mother’s hospital bed as she was dying, begging her not to leave me. I wanted her to fight, to stay alive for me, because I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want to be an orphan. And when she took her last breath, I screamed at her. I told her I hated her. Oh, Mami, I still miss you. Despite your flaws, I still miss you. I still want you back. But you left me; you died when I needed you the most.

And my father? He walked out of my life when I was twelve years old. He didn’t have the guts to leave me a note, to let me know it wasn’t my fault that he was leaving. He should have left me something, anything that would have let me know he didn’t leave me because of me. I was a good kid. Polite, kind, respectful. I never got into fights. I never talked back. I didn’t deserve the parents I got, but then, children don’t choose their parents. And I’m not the only kid who got the short end of the parent stick.

“I don’t know how to respond,” I said.

He leaned in and kissed me. When his lips were on mine, I felt as if he were touching every part of my body, as if he and I were one, as if we really were meant to be together. Nothing else mattered. I was happy and I wanted him. I wanted him to kiss me forever, to make me forget my past, my sadness, my demons. His mouth was so warm and I savored his tongue with mine. I felt drunk.

I had been kissed many times before, but I had never really experienced a real kiss, not like this. Like my sexual experiences, they were always rushed and I always had the feeling that the boy kissing me would rather have skipped straight to putting his hand down my pants.

When Reece finally pulled his lips away from mine, he said, “You have no idea how badly I wanted to kiss you.”

I took his hand. “I’m glad you gave in to your instincts.”

He let out a hushed laugh and gave my hand a peck. “What now?”

“I guess we start over.”

He smiled. “Does this mean I can ask you out on another date?”

“It means you can try. Just because I let you kiss me, doesn’t mean I’ll agree to going out with you again.”

“I see, okay, well, I’ll give it a shot. Jadie?”

“Yes?”

He got down on one knee.

I started to laugh. “Whoa, what are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing? I’m going right to it. I mean, why take another chance at a failed date? I think we should go for it, don’t you?”

“Stop it! Get up. You look like a crazy person.”

“Crazy about you.”

“If you don’t get up right this minute, I’m going to go back inside and never talk to you again.”

He stood and put his hand over his heart. “Ouch, you win. I won’t ask you to marry me. How about we settle on a date?”

“I think that’s a good start.”

“How about now?”

“Really?”

“No, just kidding. Of course, really. I’m starving, you?”

My stomach suddenly growled. I pressed my hand to it. Okay, okay, stop being so pushy.

“There is an awesome Chinese carryout place a couple of blocks from here. We can grab some food and then go sit in the park,” I said.

“Sounds perfect.”

“Mind giving me five minutes?”

“But of course.”

“I’d ask you in, but I’m pretty sure Lisa will start interrogating you. It’s probably best if you wait here.”

He nodded.

I rushed to the bathroom to refresh myself. Comb my hair, put on some pink—no screw it, I’ll go for the red lipstick—and yep, let’s face it, my armpits could use a new layer of deodorant. Once I was satisfied with myself, I sprinted toward the door.

“I take it all is well with Mr. Hottie,” Lisa yelled from the kitchen.

“I’ll talk to you later,” I yelled back and disappeared through the front door.

Reece wasn’t in the hallway. You’ve got to be kidding me!

I made for the steps. There he was at the bottom of the staircase, a smile on his face, a single rose in his hand.

“You look really pretty,” he said once I had joined him.

“Is that for me?” I asked, pointing at the rose.

“No, it’s for your roommate, Lisa,” he said, quite seriously.

“Hate to break it to you, but she prefers lilies over roses.”

“Ah, well, in that case, I guess I better give it to you.” He held out the rose in front of me.

I took it. “Thank you,” I whispered. I suddenly felt very shy.

“Thank you for agreeing to going out with me, again.”

***

WE SPENT AN HOUR EATING, laughing, and talking in the park. He told me more about his book and I told him about the manuscripts I was reading for work and how some of them were really, really good, so good I wanted to publish them myself. It felt great to be with Reece and I wished we could stay in the park forever. A childish wish, for sure, yet I would have given anything to make it come true.

He walked me back to my apartment building.

“It was nice being with you,” he said.

“I had a great time.”

He kissed my cheek.

“I hope your mom recovers quickly.”

“Thank you. I’m heading back to the hospital.”

“Let me know how she’s doing.”

“I will.”

“Okay, well, I’ll see you, then.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said, not moving.

I started climbing the stairs to my building. When I reached the top, I turned around.

He was still there.

I put my hand on the doorknob. “All right, well, I’m going inside, now.”

“Can I see you again?” he asked.

“I’ll have to think about it,” I replied and entered the building. My heart was going to fall right down to my feet; I was so excited and so happy and so at peace.

***

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