Page 38 of Save the Date

Most of the time. Growth was a process.

As Emma reached for a promising high-waisted-skirt–cropped-top combo, her phone rang. This time she was less shocked to see Will’s name on her screen.

“Hello, William,” Emma said with a mid-Atlantic accent.Now that they were no longer dating, she suddenly felt freer to say whatever came to mind. Funny how that worked.

Will immediately picked up on her energy and sent it right back. “Hello, Miss Moskowitz. I’m just following up on our email correspondence. Have you had a chance to peruse my offerings?”

The banter made her heart flutter a bit, which was not what she needed if they were about to embark on a professional endeavor together.

“Yes. I’ve just been taking some time to put together my thoughts and suggestions.”

In reality, Emma had been rather impressed by the pitch deck Will sent over. His concept of the show had been far more balanced than she’d expected. He planned to interview other relationship experts to weigh in, as well as couples who’d found success with arranged marriages. She’d been expecting skepticism, but it seemed like Will was genuinely curious if Operation: Save My Date was a viable idea. Only for someone like Emma though—not him.

“Great. I want this to be collaborative.”

“One question I have is if we are going to disclose how we met to our listeners.” Emma knew that bringing up their failed relationship was slightly masochistic considering she hadn’t wanted it to end. But she also didn’t want to turn into a research specimen. She needed to make sure he remembered their initial connection—both for her own sanity and for the project. She also thought it would be interesting to dive into why he was so averse to the idea of taking the leap with her despite their obvious chemistry. Unless Will had chemistry with everyone and she’d completely misread the entire situation.

“I’ve gone back and forth on that. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow and talk it out?”

“I can’t tomorrow. I have clients all day and a date at night.”

“Oh.” Will sounded surprised. And possibly a little thrown. “You’ve got a new target lined up already?”

Emma bristled at his word choice but didn’t want to ruin the opportunity to make him jealous. “My brother-in-law found him. They work together and I guess when he learned what I was doing, he jumped at the chance to meet me.”

Emma immediately cringed at her overexaggeration and not-so-humble brag. But talking to Will made her want to prove that he had let go of something good. She knew she’d need to get over his rejection for the podcast to work, but for right now she wanted to stick it to him a little.

“Sounds promising. Maybe we can meet this weekend to iron out the details and rehash how it went on mic. Sort of like a practice run, if you’re open to it?”

“Sure. But I gotta run. I’m half-naked in a fitting room and I have to find something to wear before my next session.”

“Don’t tease me, Moskowitz. It’s cruel,” Will said flirtatiously. “Have fun on your date.”

“I shall,” Emma replied, hoping that if she willed into existence, it would become true.

***

The restaurant almost felt too nice for a first date. It was a well-known Italian spot on Washington Boulevard that Emma had only been to once before for a high school friend’s birthday. She had spent the entire meal terrified that she would have to pay hundreds of dollars for her friend’s drinking problem, but after dessert the birthday girl had slapped down her parents’ credit card and Emma had let out a sigh of relief. She wondered if she would be expected to split this comically expensive meal with Matt, but sensed that tonight the patriarchy would work in her favor.

After a second round of shopping at Bloomingdale’s after work, Emma had found a classy navy dress that showed off her cleavage without overdoing it. It also fell below her knees, effectivelyhiding the brace she still had to wear. She waited at their reserved table feeling confident and even a little bit cocky. Until she saw Matt breeze past the door.

Saying Matt was better-looking in person was in line with saying social media might be problematic for teenage girls—it was too much of an understatement to effectively capture the truth. Even across a crowded room, Matt exuded Roman-statue-level beauty. He was like a walking advertisement for masculinity and tailor-made suits.

Who the hell would cheat on this?Emma wondered. His personality must be insufferable.

“Emma?” Matt asked tentatively as he approached the table. His voice was softer than she expected, and it made her want to skip ahead to their wedding day—or maybe their wedding night.

“Yes, hi. You must be Matt,” Emma replied as she tried to gracefully get up from the table despite her brace. He gestured for her not to bother and sat down. Their first skin-to-skin contact would have to wait.

“Sorry I’m a little late. Work is—” Matt seemed to catch himself midsentence “—not something I want to talk about on our first date.” He smiled and Emma wondered if his glistening white teeth were veneers or simply good genetics. Either way, they highlighted his excellent bone structure.

“I appreciate that. Because I have to confess, I have no idea what investment bankers actually do.”

Matt laughed and Emma felt herself relax a bit. She might not look like a Greek goddess, but she was good at conversation.

“It’s pretty boring.”

“Really?”

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