Friday comes with a bang and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. If the week would’ve dragged by, it would’ve been because I was anticipating my date. A good sign for sure. The fact that it was Monday and then, blink, Friday? What does that say?

I’m in the bathroom brushing my teeth one more time when the doorbell rings. A mixture of nausea and butterflies battle in my stomach. Not only do I have first date jitters, but I also had to sit Jade down last night and explain that Reed and I would be going out tonight on an adult-only outing.

“Reed!” Jade exclaims. “This is my grandma, Diane.”

“Nice to meet you,” my mom says and I’m sure she’s shaking his hand. “What beautiful flowers.”

Oh jeez, he brought me flowers. Roses I’m sure. Standard first date material. I watch the pinkness flush my cheeks and I spit into the sink. Turning on the faucet prohibits me from hearing anything further in their conversation. Which is probably a blessing.

Examining myself one more time in the mirror, I take a deep breath. I don’t look like a single mom, right? Another spray of perfume and I step through the fragrance and out the bathroom door. What’s the worst that can happen? He doesn’t like me and well, it will save a lot of time and energy.

“This is Moe,” Jade says.

I round the corner to find Jade’s hand in Reed’s, sitting on the couch with Moe climbing over Jade to get to Reed. He snuggles into his thigh, leaving Reed’s slacks covered with a thick layer of black fur. He hesitantly pets the animal.

“Mommy.” Jade’s soft voice announces my entry and Reed’s attention shifts from the loving cat at his side to me in the doorway.

“Hey.” He moves to stand and Jade releases his hand.

How does he keep getting more handsome? He’s wearing a pair of charcoal grey slacks, a blue button-down shirt and a pair of black loafers that aren’t shiny like the ones he wore Monday morning. His hair is gelled a tad differently, wilder but still put together.

“Hi.” I lean my shoulder on the doorway and catch his gaze raking me over.

I worry my dress is too short, but from his heated gaze, I’m guessing he likes it. Long gone are the days I can wear anything tight and form fitting, but I show off my best asset that wasn’t altered due to childbearing—my legs. My heels give the impression they’re longer than they are which is great considering my petite stature.

“You’re beautiful.” This is why Reed won a date. I’ve never believed someone more in my life. That cocky persona he puts on has disappeared and when he says I’m beautiful, his voice shakes slightly, like that scares him a little.

“Thank you.”

“Here.” Jade holds up the flowers to him. “He brought flowers.” She stands between us, smiling back and forth.

Reed takes the bouquet of tulips and holds them out for me.

“Thank you.” Our fingers brush when we exchange them and a current blasts down to my toes and back up. “I’ll put them in water.”

I turn to head to the kitchen, but my mom is there. “I got it. You two go.” She takes the flowers from my hands and I smile down at her since my heels have me towering over her.

“Thanks for watching Jade.”

“Yes, Ms. Clarke, thank you for watching her so I can take out your daughter.” Reed pokes his head into the kitchen.

My mom puts the flowers into the vase she already prepared. “I’m happy to do it. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Reed. Maybe you can come by for dinner sometime.”

I crinkle my forehead at my mom who effectively ignores me.

“I’d love to.” Reed side glances me and I shift my stance.

“Great, I’ll talk with Vic and we’ll let you know. Now, you two, go. Jade and I have a night of movies and popcorn.”

Jade runs in, hugging my mom around her waist.

Reed holds out his fist to her. “Henry said this is unfair, so next time you guys come.” He winks. Jade fist bumps him and then stops in front of me.

I bend down so I’m at her eye level. “Be good for Grandma. Go to bed on time. Don’t fuss, okay?”

She peeks up at Reed and I shift her face back to me with a nudge of my finger on her chin.

“Promise.”

I kiss her cheek and squeeze her to me. Once we’re apart, she pushes me lightly, but since I’m mid crouch, I lose my footing and fall right into Reed’s arms. I eye Reed like he planned it, but he shakes his head.

“Not my doing, but you smell amazing,” he whispers, and I straighten, pretending he doesn’t affect me.

“Sorry, Mommy.” Jade has her am-I-in-trouble expression on.

“Let’s go.” I wave over to my mom who’s leaning over the counter in front of a bowl of popcorn with a kernel between her fingers.

“After you.” Reed steps back, allowing me to go first.

The chill of the spring night air settles around me. Reed shuts the door, walking in line with me down the walkway until we reach the sidewalk. I had expected to see Abe’s blue sedan, but there’s a sleek sports car parked along the curb. Its lights flash and it beeps when we approach.

I stop. “Is this yours?”

He opens the passenger door. “I hope so, or this date is going to get interesting when the police chase starts.”

“Oh.” I slide in as demurely as I can considering I have to bend so far down I’m practically sitting on the potholed street of Chicago.

He shuts the door, rounds the back of the car and before I can take in all the fancy controls and figure out what the wing trademark logo on the steering wheel stands for, the scent of his cologne surrounds me and blocks all working brain function.

“Is it okay if we head out of the city?” he asks.

“Sure.”

“So, your mom’s good if I fly you to Paris for the weekend?” His face is serious. No raised eyebrows or sarcastic tone.

“No, and you aren’t.”

He reaches over and squeezes my knee. “I’m kidding. I want to impress you, but I’m not that guy from Pretty Woman.”

Embarrassment hits me hard and I immediately lose all my spunk. Of course, he wouldn’t want to go to the trouble of doing anything like that for me. What a ridiculous thought.

“He only took her from L.A. to San Fran and operas aren’t my thing.”

He chuckles, shifting the stick around and then slowly eases away from the curb.

“Damn him. Who did he think he was going to impress with that?” Reed laughs as I fixate on his strong hand shifting the gears while his knee rocks back and forth with the clutch.

It’s sexy as fuck.

“What kind of car is this?” I ask.

“Aston Martin. I keep it in the garage of my condo. Only take it out on special occasions.” He glances over with a smile that says I’m special and embarrassment washes over me.

“I forget where you grew up sometimes.”

“Good. I’m not what that upbringing usually implies.” He signals and turns left.

“Do your parents still live there?”

We pull onto the highway, the engine purring away as he shifts and presses down the gas pedal speeding up on the on-ramp. Traffic is piled on the other side heading into the city and we’re heading out.

“Yeah. They’ll leave in coffins.”

“They like it there?”

“They like the status of it. They like that my sister married our next-door neighbor growing up and they moved two streets over. The grandkids can ride their bikes over. They like that they can brag that my sister married a wealthy plastic surgeon. Never mind that he’s never home. Never mind that she calls me once a week to say she’s on the edge of a nervous breakdown and wants to divorce him.” He glances over for a second. “Sorry, more than you asked.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry for your sister. I’ve been there.”

His shoulders slump when the car goes faster. Is that because I brought up Pete? Does it bother Reed to think about me being his ex-wife?

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“Don’t be.” The car slows to a normal Chicago speed which is at least twenty over the limit. He finds his way over to the left lane and seems content to stay there for the moment. “I never want you to feel like you can’t tell me something. There are no rules tonight, Victoria. You want to talk about Pete, go for it. You want to ramble on about Jade, I’m game. You want to complain to me about the egg salad sandwich you had for lunch this week that made you sick, cool.”

I laugh. “I knew I should’ve just stuck with The Sandwich Place,” I murmur.

Glancing over his shoulder, he changes lanes and catches my eyes on the way back briefly before they land on the road again. “I just want you to enjoy yourself. That’s all.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he asks.

“Okay.”

“So, I went on this date last weekend,” he talks and my body stiffens. He bursts out laughing, not finishing the story. “I’m kidding.”

I laugh along with him.

“Henry told me a joke yesterday when I called to see how he was. Want to hear it?”

“Sure, but I have to warn you, I might put you to shame in the kid jokes arena.”

“Are you challenging me?” he asks with amusement and pulls into the far-right lane, exiting one highway to hop on another one.

“I am.” I shift in my seat, so I can look at him better.

“Okay, why are ghosts such bad liars?” he asks, finally relaxing in his seat.

“Um…because you can see right through them.” I tilt my head in a fashion that says I know I’m right.

“You weren’t lying. Okay, let me dig into my arsenal here.” He thinks for a moment and I try to figure out where he’s taking me, but since returning to Chicago I haven’t ventured out of the city much. “Okay, what do you call a cow with no legs?”

“Oh.” I think and replay all the jokes Jade and I have said back and forth. All the popsicle stick riddles and her stealing my phone to ask me. “Steak?”

“Is steak on your mind?” A flirtatious grin crosses his face.

“No. Is the answer steak?”

He pulls off the highway and turns right at the light.

“No, it’s not. Another guess?”

“Roast?”

“You’re so close.” His fingers move up to show a little space between his thumb and forefinger. Turning left, he parks in front of a restaurant and we sit in the car for a moment.

“Just tell me.”

“Ground beef.”

My head falls back to the leather seat. “I should’ve gotten that.”

“How about some steak though? I thought it was only fitting you get to taste a great steak on our first date.”

I roll my eyes, though not in a bad way and push him gently toward the window. He turns off the car, climbs out all alpha and hot then rounds the front of the car so I get an eyeful of him. When he opens my door, I accept his hand.

“You’re too much,” I say.

“You have no idea.”

He makes it sound like a promise. And suddenly I’m hoping with everything in me that Reed really is a man who keeps his promises.