Page 57 of Save the Date

“Oh really? That’s awesome.” Matt turned to Emma. “What was it we needed again?”

Emma was both surprised and flattered that Matt had said “we”; he seemed to be adapting to their partnership much faster than she was. Probably because her brain was too focused on a certain podcast producer with a penchant for matching his shirts with his eye color.

“I think we said some lamps, a bunch of artwork and a new coffee table?”

“I’m not going to let you buy artwork at Crate & Barrel, but I bet we can find a nice coffee table,” Jackie declared as she headed toward the stairs. The other three obediently followed.

“Your sister seems really nice,” Matt whispered as Jackie surveyed the store’s offerings with military-grade precision.

“I’m sorry she bombarded us. I told her it was too soon, but Jackie has selective hearing.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’ve been wanting to meet your family,” Matt assured her.

“In that case, let me see if my parents are free right now,” Emma joked. “My father loves a store with fluorescent lighting and comfortable chairs.”

“You’re hilarious,” Matt said, plopping a kiss on her head.

Emma let herself lean into him as Jackie watched, delighted, from across the store. It felt good to make her sister happy after all the time Jackie had spent trying to help Emma not be so sad.

Three hours and five home decor stores later, Jackie had successfully redesigned Matt’s condo without ever having stepped inside it. She had worked solely off of a few iPhone photos and pure instinct. But Matt was thrilled and that was all that

mattered—even if Emma felt a little steamrollered and useless. She was beginning to suspect Jackie had chosen to crash this particular outing because she didn’t want Emma’s lack of design sense to ruin their whole operation.

“I really can’t thank you enough,” Matt gushed as he hugged Jackie and Chris goodbye in front of their Lexus SUV.

“It was our pleasure,” Jackie replied, holding on to him for a bit too long. Emma was surprised Jackie hadn’t reached out and felt his bicep.

“We’ve got to do this again soon. But maybe at our house with a game on instead,” Chris said. Emma suspected his shopping limit had been reached for the year. Maybe the decade.

“Actually, I was going to see if you and Mr. and Mrs. Moskowitz wanted to come over for dinner next week,” Matt asked. “My family always has a big Sunday dinner together and I’d love to continue the tradition.” Matt looked at Emma, who was hearing about this planandtradition for the first time. “If that’s okay—”

“Of course that’s okay,” Jackie interjected. “We’ll get a sitter for the girls. Just let us know what to bring.”

“You don’t need to bring anything,” Matt insisted.

“We’re Jews,” Emma explained. “Not bringing anything isn’t allowed.”

“In that case, bring whatever you want,” Matt replied, squeezing Emma’s hand.

She squeezed it back, trying not to overthink what was quickly becoming her family’s biggest event since her cousin hosted a bris at the Four Seasons.

Good luck tonight. I hope everyone behaves.

Emma read Will’s text with a grin as she sat in the back of her parents’ car on the way to Matt’s condo. She was trying to decide if she should respond sincerely or with a joke when Debbie interrupted her concentration.

“Did you hear your father?”

“No, sorry,” Emma said as she put her phone back in her bag. She could reply to Will later, even if an unanswered text message was in complete opposition of her anxiety’s rules and regulations. “What did you say, Dad?”

“I asked if Matt is a baseball guy.”

“He’s definitely a sports guy. But I don’t know about baseball specifically.”

Alan hmphed in response. He had a chip on his shoulder about the contingent of fans who loved every major American sport except baseball because it was “too slow.” As a lifelong Dodgers fanatic, he took it as a personal attack.

“I didn’t say he doesn’t like it. I said I didn’t know,” Emma clarified.

“Okay, I’ll ask him about it. Try to figure out his team.”

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