Page 95 of Hashtag Holidate
Maybe Tommy was right. Maybe the biggest risk wasn’t taking a chance on love. It was playing it safe and missing out on everything that could make me truly happy.
I scrolled to Vic’s contact and took a deep breath. It was time to stop following someone else’s script and start writing my own story.
#FollowYourHeart #DoctorsOrders #WriteYourOwnScript #ElkMoose
24
#COMFORTFOODANDFEELINGS
MADDOX
I staredat the ingredients spread across my kitchen counter like I was preparing for surgery rather than cooking dinner. Mom’s handwritten lasagna recipe—faded ink on a card stained with years of use—sat propped against the flour canister, her careful script a reminder of all the family dinners I was trying to recreate.
The nerves jangling in my stomach were ridiculous. I’d made this lasagna dozens of times. It wasn’t complicated.
But tonight felt different. Tonight, I was trying to impress someone I truly cared about, and the stakes felt impossibly high.
My phone buzzed on the counter.
Adrian
What exactly does one wear to a Maddox Sullivan date?
I grinned despite my nerves, typing back quickly.
Just dress comfortably.
Adrian
Define “comfortably.”
If I recall correctly, you once told me my fashion sense was ‘I just wandered off the cover of Lumberjack Quarterly’ so I’m not sure I’m the person to ask.
The pause before his response felt endless.
Adrian
While that is true, and BTW I stand by my assessment, I still need to know what to wear tonight!
Anything’s fine. Surprise me.
Adrian
Will you at least tell me where we’re going on this date so I can make an informed decision? What if I show up naked?
That would definitely be surprising considering your sensitivity to cold and tonight’s expected low temps, but I can’t say I’d be upset about it.
I set the phone aside and tried to focus on browning the meat, but it was hard now that I had a certain image in my head.
“You’d better save the leftovers,” Maya said, coming up behind me and peering over my shoulder. “Because that smells amazing.”
“You’re welcome to stay and join us,” I said. “The point of the date is a comfortable night in. Having annoying siblings around is part of that experience sometimes.”
Her grunt of annoyance was expected and only made me smile more. “I have my own date to go on, thank you very much.”
I spun around and pinned her with a glare. “With whom? And why am I just finding out about this?”
Maya’s face lit up with her laugh. “Oh, that’s rich. Yourboyfriend gets to sleep over, and I’m not even allowed to go to dinner and a movie with someone?”
