Page 54 of Sunset Serenade
“Greg,” Rose said, “who, according to the internet, is no longer engaged.”
Lillian groaned. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about him.”
“Iwas hoping you wouldn’t notice the engagement had been called off,” Lucy said.
She loved her sisters, but they werebeyondannoying today. “I told both of you that Greg and I are finally hitting our stride. You chose not to believe it and instead made up this fantasy about Craig.” She stood and straightened her posture. “I will be going now. I amverybusy and important.”
Lucy laughed. “See you at home in twenty minutes.”
She chose to ignore that comment, even if it was right.
Her sisters didn’t mention Craig for the rest of the weekend, and Rose flew into Seattle on Tuesday. Their comments made her feel a bit weird, especially because she hadn’t told anyone about the unwelcome feelings she sometimes maybe felt for him, and it made her wonder if they’d seen something she hadn’t.
But no. It couldn’t be. Shemaybehad gotten alittleinfatuated with her boss, what was the big deal? He was nice and handsome and successful. Anyone with a pulse might feel a little fluttery under his gaze. It didn’t mean anything. It was nothing, nothing at all.
Greg. Now Greg was something. They were finally going to have the storybook ending to their love story. This was the moment it would all come together for them. They were finally coming into their own.
She left work early to get ready for her date with Greg. She had a couple of ideas for outfits and ended up happy with how her look turned out. Though she still hadn’t lost the weight she wanted to lose, somehow her life still seemed to be going in the right direction.
It was genuinely surprising to her. For years, she’d been frustrated with her weight and told herself she would start living and enjoying lifeaftershe lost it.
Rose stared at herself in the mirror. The weight was there, but somehow, she was still happy.She was living her life; she was doing all of the things she thought she never could. She was going to meet up with Greg, and he’d look into her eyes and tell her how much she meant to him, and maybe even kiss her.
It was perfect. Well, almost. There was one problem. Her hands wouldn’t stop sweating.
It was absurd. Everything was slipping out of her hands – her hair straightener, her eyeshadow (which fell to the ground and shattered into a million chalky pieces), even her phone as she typed a message to Lucy accusing her of slipping a sabotage herb into her water.
“I don’t have sweat-causing herbs,” Lucy wrote back. “But that sounds really funny, so I will look into it. Send Craig my love!”
Rose didn’t dignify her purposeful name confusion with a response.
All the way to the restaurant, she kept shoving her hands into her coat pockets and drying them on the paper towels she’d hidden inside, terrified Greg would recoil at her cold, sweaty touch and set them back another year.
She was the first one to the restaurant and sat at the table, coat still on. Greg was a few minutes late, floating into her view as though walking on a cloud.
Rose stood and wiped her hands a final time. “Hey!”
“Rose!” He put his arms out for a hug.
No handshake. Thank goodness.Rose wrapped her arms around him, the familiar feeling of his chest like an echo from the past. “It’ssonice to see you.”
“You look great,” Greg said. “Tech life suits you.”
She flashed a smile. “Thanks. You look good, too.”
There was no ring on his finger. That was her favorite part.
They took their seats and he flagged down the waiter. “I’ll take a Jack Daniels on the rocks. Rosie?”
She smiled. “Diet Coke, please.”
The waiter walked off, and Greg leaned back. “So!”
“So!” She took a shaky breath. “How have you been?”
“Crazy busy. You wouldn’t believe it.”
She nodded. “Tell me about it.”
