I stared at my phone, my jaw dropping. “A real date?” Kev’s offer was the last thing I’d expected, and getting it now—on my way to Hugh’s parents’ house for dinner—didn’t make it any easier.

This was way outside the bounds of what I’d been expecting, and I wasn’t great at dealing with surprises like that sneaking up on me.

No, the message would have to wait for a response. I tucked my phone into the cradle and started up my car, trying to ignore the thrill that had coursed through me at the mere sight of a message from Kev.

I wanted to see him again, but then he’d sort of ignored my message. I couldn’t believe he’d only seen it now. His business relied on seeing customers’ messages as soon as possible, especially over the weekend. Was he uncomfortable with taking my money? Was he trying to make it romantic? Or just be friends?

“I hate trusting people,” I mumbled under my breath. It was such a risk, and there didn’t seem to be much reward. But I knew that attitude came with time and isolation, too, and just as much as my attitude toward friends, I had to work to counter it.

I’d just focus on Hugh’s family and figure out what to do about Kev later. Why the hell he was hanging around in my thoughts was a problem for later, too.

What with those thoughts, and trying to avoid them, and then noticing when they snuck back in again, the drive went quickly. I blinked when I found myself outside their house. God, I was out of it. I couldn’t even blame the jet lag.

“Hi, Charlie,” Linda called out as soon as I was out of the car, poking her head out the kitchen window. “Come on in.”

I could hear country music drifting out the window, and I grinned. They were down-to-earth South Carolina natives who had moved to the city and had refused to give some things up.

Oh, yeah. Kev’s accent kind of reminded me of Hugh’s. That was an uncomfortable realization. Was that even okay? Did it make me weird? But I put that aside. It wasn’t like they were anything alike otherwise.

“Hi,” I greeted once I pushed open the door.

Their little place was as familiar to me now as my own parents’ home, but it had never had quite the same warmth and love that it once had, with Hugh filling every room he was in. We’d all survived the awful experience together—them losing their only son, me losing my boyfriend—and we were firmly friends, but I didn’t want to rub it in.

No way could I bring up anything to do with Kev.

“Come through!” Chris called, and when I headed to the kitchen, I found them working together to cut shapes in the top of a pie. “I’m afraid we’re running a bit late. Sorry,” he apologized.

“No problem. Good things are worth the wait.” I hung back and let them get the pie into the oven before they gave me hugs and handshakes. We all headed to the kitchen table together to wait for the pie to bake.

The familiar conversations helped. “So, how’s work going?”

I got to chat about my current projects, although I focused on the most interesting before long. “We’re doing some pro bono work for a LGBT hotline that’s losing its tenancy to a real dick of a landlord. They’ve bought land and they want to build an office that reflects their needs.”

“Oh, that must be rewarding,” Linda said, smiling at me. They were always supportive of whatever I did, which only twisted the guilt knife about what I was hiding a little harder.

Not that I was hiding it. I just wasn’t telling them.

“It is. They’re so excited to get construction started. Their office is a tiny place.” One section of the office had to be reserved for the counselors working phone lines. Everyone else was basically jammed into corners, sharing desks.

“Like a crisis counseling line?” Chris asked, and when I nodded, he hummed. “That might be a good place for our donations this year.”

“I was thinking of it, too,” I admitted. “They seem to be doing good work with what they have.”

“Well, you could always do something to help them in person,” Linda said, and there was no way to avoid feeling like she’d been waiting to suggest that in some way for some time now.

God almighty, I felt like I was going to my first day of school. Make friends, Charlie. “I’m trying to make friends,” I said. The defensive tone in my voice was clear even to me. “I even got chatting to a guy at a bar.”

“Ooh.” Linda looked intrigued. “Tell us more about him. Is he cute?”

Oh, no. No, now they’re going to think I’m into that Darren guy. “No, I’m not—friends, Linda.”

“Oh. Okay.” She looked strangely… disappointed?

I had to figure out how I felt about that. They weren’t just okay with me dating someone else, they wanted me to? Was I their only son now? That was a lot to take in all of a sudden, and I felt angry, but I didn’t quite know why.

I put that firmly on my think about later shelf, which was getting crowded. Instead, I kept going. “Met a couple guys in the last week or two who seem interesting. I’m going to try to work a little less and socialize more.”

Linda lit up again. “That’s great news, Charlie. I’ve been worried for a while now, you know that.”

“I’m fine,” I told her automatically. I’d said the phrase so often throughout the years that I wasn’t sure what it meant anymore. Fine with this situation? I hate it but I’ll live? I don’t want to live, but I have to because he’d want me to? It had meant so many different things throughout the years.

She hesitated, but apparently she didn’t want to push it.

And why was I so against everyone trying to set me up or get me out of my shell, anyway? Just because it felt like everyone was suddenly nagging me at the same time? If it was the spur I needed to kick into action and make new friends at last, wasn’t that a good thing?

As we chatted about the headlines, Linda’s quilting club, Chris’s watercolors, and all the mundane events of everyday life, I kept coming back to it in my head. Maybe what I needed was to talk to my own parents. Or maybe that would just screw me up even more.

I was an adult, goddamn it. I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life—and who I wanted in it—without consulting the whole world.

When I stepped away for the bathroom, I paused for a minute after washing my hands and took out my phone.

I sent Kev a text.

If it’s not business, we should start out as friends and make sure we’re both interested in spending time together. That’s a big change.

I hadn’t even pocketed my phone before I got a response.

Yes. When and where?

I smiled. Someone else was eager, then. That made me feel better.

Tuesday night?

If I was going to try this “go home from work on time” thing, having a date in the evening was the best possible motivator to shut off my computer and get out the door.

I’m free anytime after 6 Tuesday.

I resisted thinking about what he might be doing up until six o’clock that day. Surely giving up his evening was actually a big deal. It made sense that most of his work would happen in that time, right?

The prickle of jealousy was weird, and the cause clear: I hadn’t spent enough time around him yet. I needed a little more, to satiate my curiosity. That was an easy solution.

How about 7, outside the usual diner? I tried not to laugh. At this rate, we’d be the best-known customers who never entered the diner.

Perfect. See you then :)

The emoji made me smile, too. I sent one back. Then I pocketed my phone and got out of there before they thought I was having a sneaky jerk. With that awkward thought and a date on my calendar, I left the bathroom to face the fire once again.