Page 117 of The Disasters of Dating
“Yeah, he was.” I’m not sure how I would have reacted if I’d been in the man’s shoes. I mean, meeting one of my girlfriend’s kids under those circumstances? No thanks. “It’s partially why I’ll remember that night.”
“How about if we forget about that?” Poppy asks.
“Ugh, no way. Why would you want to do that?”
“It was a pretty awful part of the date,” she says in a defeated breath.
“It wasn’t awful. Slightly awkward? Yes. But awful? Not even close.”
She scoffs. “You’re sweet. Even if you’re a big fat liar.”
“Hey,” I growl. “I’m going to ignore the fat comment. Ihavehad a lot of ice cream lately…”
Poppy laughs, and I feel lighter than I have all day.
“So about the dinner…” Her voice trails off.
I already know when the dinner is. Maybe this is where I drop some clues about who I am? Or rather, who Lincoln is?
“It’s on Saturday night, right? Of course, I can be there.”
There’s a pause. “Did I say it was on Saturday? I don’t remember mentioning a day.”
This is a lead in that I could totally tell her everything, right? But she seems a little vulnerable. I mean, she’s asking me to be there for moral support. How supportive is it to drop the Lincoln bomb on her right now? Not very.
“You asked me to fly in a day early, right? So I assumed it was Saturday.” Yes, I’m a chicken. A big, ice cream-stuffed chicken.
“Oh, that’s right.” Her voice holds a disbelieving tone. She had mentioned it in our conversation, right?
Dang! This is going to be harder than I thought. Maybe dropping clues will be easier in texts where I don’t have to hear her voice.
“So, I guess I’ll see you on Sunday night?” I think it’s best if we move off the dinner subject.
“Yep,” her voice sounds much more like the PoppyI know and love. “Unless your flight comes in late again! Fingers crossed it comes in on time.”
“No kidding,” I smile. “Hey, if you could put in a good word with the universe for me, I’d appreciate it.”
“Consider it done,” she says with a note of authority.
CHAPTER 32
POPPY
Emotionally, you should feel good today, Pisces, so don’t let this confidence go to waste. Do things with your sweetheart and turn the dial up on romance. Your inner light is shining brightly, so know that you can use this to illuminate the path for others. Offer a sympathetic ear and comforting shoulder for someone to cry on tonight. People will be drawn to you like steel to a magnet.
I turnmy car on to blast the air conditioner for a few minutes. I only had forty minutes between lunch with Paisleigh and work. It seemed the wisest plan to sit in the employee parking lot and read until it was time to head inside. The thing I forgot about in planning was the early September heat. It’s rather stifling. But I don’t want to kill the Earth by having my car run for the whole forty minutes. Instead, I turn it on for about ten minutes at a time. It’s a ten-on-ten-off situation. But it’s keeping me from being a sweaty pig by the time I walk into work. Normally, I’d maybe let myself be a moderately sweaty pig for the sake of the environment, but Keaton flies in today.
I glance in my rear-view mirror and see the shuttle bus inching its way toward my stop. I look at the clock on the dashboard. It’s getting close to the time I need to head inside, and if I wait for the next shuttle, I’ll be cutting it too close. I’m not completely bummed. The airport is air-conditioned.
I close out the Regency romance book on my e-reader and toss itinto my giant, tan suede bag with layers and layers of fringe. I feel very Jedediah Smith. If only I’d worn my moccasins.
I turn the car off and grab my bag off the front seat. I sling it over my shoulder and, with great intention, throw my keys inside as I push open the car door with my foot. Stepping out into the heat, I sag. August is my least favorite month but September is a close second. Everything is dry and thirsty after a hot summer. Me included.
I’m looking forward to October.
I stop for a second. School starts tomorrow. You’d think I’d get used to the first day of school jitters. I mean, how many semesters do I have behind me? And how many years before that? Maybe it’s because I’ve been having my back-to-school nightmare again. The one where I dream I go to class for the first time and find out it’s really the end of the semester, and the instructor is passing out my final exam. I have to take the test, having never attended a lecture. My heart races thinking about it.
I take a calming breath as I trudge to the partially covered shuttle bus stop. Hopefully grad school is when the nightmare finally stops. I lick my lips and pause as a new thought comes to me. I’ve only thought to apply to in-state schools. But now with the Adam thing, can I consider a few out-of-state schools? It’s never been on my radar because I didn’t want to leave my mom alone. But now she has Adam. It feels weird even thinking about it.
