Page 72 of Once Smitten, Twice Shy

“I’ll have you know I actuallyenjoyphone calls, much more than texts. At least, with people I like. Telemarketers and nosy Great-Aunt Gertrude can take a hike, though.”

“Gertrude is the most great-aunt name I’ve ever heard.”

“She goes by Gert.”

I laugh. “Oh, even better.”

“So,” he says. “I got all the group messages.”

“Bet that was fun to experience while driving.”

“It was pretty entertaining. I kept having Siri read them for me—hearing ‘dominatrix’ spoken in an Australian accent, something that wasn’t on my bucket list, but now I see what I was missing.”

A laugh jumps out of me. “Why Australian?”

“If I’m going to have entire conversations with my phone, might as well at least enjoy a good accent.”

“You tell Siri please and thank you, don’t you?”

“Robots,” he says seriously, “are going to take over the world. And when they do, they will remember me as someone who treatedthem with dignity and respect. And then I will be spared, and all the fools who treated Siri like shit on the bottom of their shoe will see too late the error of their ways.”

I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts. “Is that what the big beard is about? Are you a doomsdayer? Do you have a bunker somewhere crammed full of dehydrated ice cream and fifty-gallon tubs of soup?”

“Don’t need a bunker or postapocalyptic rations when you’re on the robots’ good side. As for the beard, it’s the only thing keeping me from being an open book.”

“What do you mean?”

“It makes my expressions harder to read—”

Something I know well and frequently find myself resenting.

“—and I’m shit at hiding what I’m thinking. Clean-shaven, I broadcast everything. Might as well have a transcript of my thoughts rolling across my face. The beard’s my only protection.”

“Well, I’m honestly just teasing,” I tell him. “I like the beard. It’s very…burly. It suits you.”

“Nah, it’s been unkempt for a while. I get so busy I don’t even think about it, and before I know it my sisters are calling me Bigfoot and Yeti at family dinner. But maybe I shaped it up a little. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

I wiggle my toes against the edge of the tub. “WhenwillI see?”

“Well, that’s up to you. I did have plans for us this evening, but on the earlier side, at five. That was the only time they had a reservation. Depending on when this…event? with everyone kicks off, we can ditch my plan and do the event instead, or we can keep my plan and join them after.”

“Given that the last event at the club started at eight, I think we’ll be fine. And even if it starts earlier, I don’t think we should change our plans.”

Because I want time with you, just the two of us.

I don’t tell Will that. I don’t tell him that I’ve missed him all week, and I’d hate losing one of our nights together to a group outing, as fun as I know it will be.

“You sure?” he asks.

I blow out a slow, steadying breath and keep my voice light. “I’m sure. It would be very irresponsible to neglect our practice session.”

“That’s a good point,” he says. “When I get into town, I’ll let everyone know I’m coming.”

“Perfect. I’ll respond as soon as we hang up, so our RSVPs aren’t too close together. Don’t want to raise any suspicion.”

There’s a beat of silence that makes me uneasy. I’d give a million bucks—well, not a million; I don’t have that kind of dough, between the limited income I’m earning from my freelance work, paying for insurance from the marketplace, and how expensive rent is for this apartment, now that I’m the only one living in it, but I’d fork over a hefty sum—to be able to see his face and read between the lines of his silence.

Did I offend him, when I mentioned not raising suspicion with the group? I know he’s said he doesn’t want to hide, but we’ve also agreed our practice plan is our private business.

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