Page 54 of The Disasters of Dating
Okay. When do you want to go?
I want to go now. But by the time we drive anywhere, it will just be getting hot.
What about tonight? Then it will be cooler.
Paisleigh
Okay. What time?
You don’t text excited…
Paisleigh
Oh, I’m so excited…
Liar.
I’ll pick you up at 7. I’ll even bring your favorite snack…
Paisleigh
Which one????
Fruit strips.
Paisleigh
Do you have grape and peach?
I can.
Paisleigh
*excitement piqued.
I’ll see you at 7. Don’t forget sunscreen. It might be evening, but you can still get sunburned.
Paisleigh
Yes, Mom.
I grab a spoon from the drawer and pull the top off my yogurt. Paisleigh may not want to go now, but we’ll have a blast. We always do. Not that we hike a lot. Just that we have fun in whatever we do. Because we’re us. We’re fun people.
My phone rings and I shove the spoonful of yogurt into my mouth as I answer it—not bothering to look at the name on the screen.
“Yuh not bakk-ing ow’ on me, right?” I say around the yogurt in my mouth that’s now dotting my phone screen. I know, eeww. I swallow the last of it. “You only accepted like two seconds ago.” I put my hand on my hip, as if she can see me.
“I had no intention of backing out,” a decidedly male voice says on the other end.
Crap. This isn’t Paisleigh. After Grandma Alice ambushed me last week, I’d vowed not to answer calls without looking first. How fast we forget.
I glance at the screen and see my suspicions are correct. My stomach does a little cha-cha. It’s Keaton.
“Oh, hey, Keaton. Sorry, I thought you were my friend, Paisleigh.” I run a hand down the front of my pajamas, even though he can’t see me. “Sorry if I interrupted a meeting or something.”
Oh my heck. Could I act like a bigger goober?
“No problem at all. I just got to the office, so no meetings yet.”
