“No! I mean, how about I meet you? I have to be in town anyway.”
There was a moment of silence that made her panic.
“All right. We’ll do it your way this time. Where would you like to eat?”
From the way he said that she knew he was aware of her lying but fortunately wasn’t going to call her on it.
“I don’t care. You pick.”
“How about Carmichaels?” he asked.
She’d heard of the place, but she’d never been there. It was a fancy restaurant she’d always wanted to try. “I’d love it. What time?”
“How about one o’clock?” he asked.
Amber glanced at the clock and saw it was eleven-thirty, which gave her plenty of time. “That sounds great. I’ll see you then.”
“Okay, honey. Be careful.”
“You, too.”
Amber rushed upstairs and dug into her closet. She didn’t have many dressy clothes because she never went anywhere, but she remembered she had one light-blue dress that she loved and thought it looked good on her. She’d wear it with white sandals and leave her hair down.
She rushed through a shower and dried her hair until it flowed down her back to her waist in a silky black curtain. She tied it back with a ribbon and then slipped into her panties and bra.
After donning her dress, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. “Not bad,” she commented. She added a little mascara and lip gloss, then called for a cab.
“Don’t you look pretty, miss.”
Amber turned to see Celia as she made her way down the steps. “Thank you.”
“Are you going to see the young man that called earlier?”
“Yes.”
“What would you like me to tell your mother where you’re at if she comes home before you?”
She hadn’t thought of that. “Oh…”
“How about I tell her you went to the library?”
Amber smiled. “Yes. That would be good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have fun.”
“I’ll try.”
Amber was just about to the restaurant when she realized this would be her first actual date, and she started to freak out. She didn’t know anything about men. What were they going to talk about? What if she acted like an idiot?
“Ma’am!”
Amber was startled by the cab driver’s yell. “I’m sorry, what?”
“We’re here. You need to get out.”
She looked around in a daze and almost told him to drive her back home.