Alexander fussed with his bow tie. Why was he so nervous? He wasn’t going on a date, no matter what Dorothy said. It was just two people going out together. Not romantic at all. Then why could he not get his fingers to stop shaking?

He looked into the mirror. Since when did those lines form by his eyes? He was only thirty. Why did he suddenly feel so old?

His phone made a noise and he checked the time. They needed to leave soon or they would miss their reservation. He sighed and shrugged into his suit jacket. There wasn’t anything he could do about his laugh lines now.

As he walked down the staircase, Charley came into view. He swallowed, his heart pounding hard against his rib cage. She was stunning. She wore a black dress and her hair was pulled up in such a way that made her look five years older. He couldn’t believe the transformation. She was beautiful.

When she saw him, she smiled and it made her glow. “There you are. I thought I was going to have to go up there and bang on your door.”

He felt his face heat. “Sorry. I was having a tie issue.”

“I sympathize. I don’t think I could tie one of those things if my life depended on it.”

He smiled. “Good thing it doesn’t.”

She laughed and Dorothy came out of the other room. “Are you two ready to go? You’d better scoot. It’s getting late.”

He held out his arm to Charley and she took it. His heart worked overtime. He tried to ignore it and not act like a stupid teenager with a crush. “See you later, Dorothy.”

His nerves subsided as he drove into town and their conversation turned light. After they were seated at the restaurant and had ordered, he turned to Charley. “I saw a few more things in the auction box today. Have you come across anything of great value?”

“Sadly, no. Just a few more items made from silver. I did find a bracelet that might have diamonds on it. I couldn’t tell if they were real diamonds or not. You’ll want to take it to a jeweler to get the value.”

Alexander knew the bracelet she spoke of. He gave that to Sadie on their one-year anniversary. He remembered joking about how it was supposed to be paper, but he knew they’d be together until they were old, so why not jump to the diamonds? His heart squeezed. “They’re real.”

“Perfect. Then you’ll be able to get some money from it.”

Why had he asked about the things in the garage? Now he didn’t feel much like eating. Or going to see the show. He sat back in his chair. “Thanks.”

Charley frowned. “I’ve spoiled the mood,” she said softly.

It wasn’t her. He didn’t want Charley to think she’d done anything wrong. He was the one who was having a difficult time letting go. “It’s not you.”

“I know.” Charley pulled out her phone and started tapping on it. “There. I found an app that gives you questions you can ask your date.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Not that this is a date. It’s not. I just thought it would give us something to talk about.”

He held back a smile. She was cute when she was embarrassed. “Sounds good. Just about anything we can talk about that is different than this would be good.”

She smiled at him and scrolled through her phone. “Okay, here’s a good one. If you were a hundred years old, would you rather have the mind of a thirty-year-old, or the body of a thirty-year-old?”

“Body.”

She gave him a strange look. “Really? I would have pegged you for a sharp-minded kind of guy.”

He shrugged. “My great-grandfather lived to be ninety-eight and he was still pretty sharp when he passed.”

“Wait a minute. You can’t cheat like that. You can’t say you’d still be of sound mind just because you had a relative like that. What about all the Alzheimer’s patients out there? What if you got that?”

“My genetics would beat that.”

She pointed at him, trying not to smile. “You are such a cheater. The question is either body or mind, not getting both just because of your great-grandfather. What if you had to really choose? Great body with a disease-ridden mind, or a sloppy body with a sharp mind.”

He chuckled under his breath. She was getting all worked up over this, which was quite amusing to him. It was a hypothetical question. “I guess you’d choose a sharp mind, then?”

“Definitely. I’d want to be able to have an intelligent conversation.”

“Even if you had to be in a wheelchair like Stephen Hawking?”

She made a face. “That’s so not fair. Stephen Hawking wasn’t a hundred years old. He had a debilitating disease.”

“But his body didn’t work right. And I know plenty of old people who have to be in wheelchairs. You can’t specify how nicely your body ages.”

She laughed. “Okay, okay. Let’s throw out this question.”

He held up a hand. “Oh, no. You can’t throw it out before you answer. Do you still choose mind even if you might be in a wheelchair?”

“I don’t have to answer. You never really answered if you’d be fine being gorgeous but basically a vegetable.”

He gave her a grin. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

Her face turned red. “Let’s move on. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?”

“That’s the next one? Are you kidding me? That’s not even a comparable question.”

The server came with their meals, and after she left, he picked up his napkin and placed it on his lap. “I refuse to answer such a mundane question.”

She had a laugh in her eyes as she looked at him. “All right. You’re right, it wasn’t thought-provoking at all. Let me find something better.” She swiped her finger across her phone.

“Don’t let your food get cold.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Eating is one of my favorite pastimes, remember?” She played with her phone a second longer before nodding. “Here’s a good one. If evidence came out of intelligent life on another planet, would it change your core beliefs?”

He swirled a noodle onto his fork, thinking about her question. “No, I don’t think so.”

“You believe there are aliens out there?” She put a fork full of food in her mouth.

“I think there are way too many planets and solar systems to not have more intelligent life.”

She swallowed. “Interesting.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t know. Seems weird to think about aliens. Would they have green skin with large, black eyes?”

Alexander chuckled. “Why would they have to look like that? That’s something I think people made up.”

“So, you don’t think aliens have visited earth?” She leaned forward and picked up her water glass.

“I highly doubt it. Just think of the massive distance between even the planets in our solar system. Can you imagine anything that would carry someone from earth to another solar system?” He shook his head. “I don’t think it’s possible.”

“I think I agree with you on that one.” She scrolled through her phone again. “How about this one. Would you give up your sense of humor to be super intelligent?”

“That’s easy. Yes. I’d want to be super intelligent.”

“Really? Even if that meant you wouldn’t laugh anymore? I think a life without laughter would be so sad. I’d pick the humor, and even though I wouldn’t be super intelligent, I’d be able to laugh.”

“So, I pick the body and you think I’m shallow, but when I pick the mind, you think I’m a stick in the mud?” He was teasing her, and by the look on her face, she knew it.

She waved his question away. “You’re such a guy.”

“But I’m a super-intelligent guy, with a great body.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “And humble too.”

Charley continued to ask him questions while they finished eating. When the check came, she patted her stomach. “That was delicious. Thank you for taking me out to eat.”

“The best part is yet to come.” He stood and held out his arm for her. She hooked her arm on his. He was excited to share the ballet with her, which was an odd feeling for him. He wasn’t sure why it mattered to him, but he really wanted her to like it.

The drive to the theater took fifteen minutes. Soon they were seated in their chairs. He leaned over to her. “Sorry, I would have gotten us closer seats, but they were all sold.”

“This is perfect,” she said, her eyes bright. “I love the chandelier and the wood work. This place is amazing.”

As the music started, he absentmindedly reached over and took her hand, then froze. What was he doing? This was not a date. He had to keep reminding himself about that fact. She was young. And vulnerable, based on what had happened the other night. He should keep his wits about him. He squeezed her hand then let go, hoping that wasn’t too awkward.