Claire hesitates. “Won’t you need it?”
I shake my head. “You’ll be back before me.” I push it into her hand. “Plus, if you happen to need to get away, you’re welcome here whenever. It’s not much but it’s private.”
“Really?” She bites at her lip like she’s hiding something she wants to say.
“Yeah, really. Why do you sound so surprised?”
She lifts her shoulders. “You’re not…dating anyone?”
I break out into a smile. “No.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks blush. “Cool.” She flips the key between her thumb and index finger. “But really, I don’t want to intrude.”
“I think we’re past that by now.” An idea suddenly dawns on me. I unplug my phone from the charger and unlock the screen. “Although, I don’t have your number.” I hand the device to her.
She takes it and punches her contact info in; a second later, her phone buzzes. “I sent myself a text, so I’d have yours, too.”
Now I just need to take her on a proper date, and we’ll have a somewhat normal-ish, age-appropriate relationship.