Going to the entryway, she picked up her purse and riffled through it for her cell phone, practically dumping the contents in the process. She held it in her hands, trying to think of what to text him this late at night so it wouldn’t sound obvious.
But then she saw that he’d already texted her.
Jamie
Finishing dinner. Meet me at Clancy’s at 9?
Her heart leapt.He was asking her out—finally. She looked at the time. It only took five minutes to walk to Chris’s bar, so if she hurried she’d make it. But first…
Rachel
I don’t put out on the first date.
Jamie
Good thing this is our third.
Their third? She frowned at the message. If he was counting speed dating yesterday, that was just one.
Jamie
Saturday mowing your lawn was the first one.
Rachel
Does it count as a date if there was no kiss?
Jamie
We shared beverages, so they both count.
Stop texting me so I can finish dinner.
Rachel
I’m not texting you.
Jamie
You just did.
See you soon.
Grinning, she ran upstairs to wash off the day and figure out what to wear.
Twenty minutes later, her room was a disaster but she’d figured out what to put on. She went casual, with jeans and one of her nicer work tops, one with a wide neck. She brushed her hair and left it down, reapplied mascara, and swiped on some lip gloss. She wore sandals, partly because they were cute, but mostly because they didn’t rub the same spot her work shoes did.
Taking a light jacket because it’d cooled off, she left a note for Lottie to let her know she’d gone to Clancy’s to meet Jamie. She smiled as she remembered the one time in high school she’d decided to sneak out. She’d spent the night at Lottie’s instead of going home, and a boy she’d liked had pressured her into coming out. She was sneaking out the door when she heard Lottie call from down the hall, “Don’t forget to lock the door.” Heart pounding at being caught, she went to Lottie’s room and confessed. Lottie had just said, “If you never tried to sneak out, I’d have worried about you. Have fun, sweetheart. Call me if you need.”
As an adult she appreciated that the most. Nothing had happened—the night had been boring. The boy and his friends were already drunk, and she’d had one wine cooler before she was so bored she decided to walk home. But she’d known she could call her grandmother to come get her if she’d needed.
Lottie still had her back.
When she arrived at Clancy’s, there were a few people there. Otto was there, sitting in his corner like he always did, drawing away as he nursed his beer. She couldn’t remember a time she’d come in when he wasn’t there. There were a few occupied tables and a couple in a back booth, looking intent on each other.
Chris was, of course, behind the bar. He raised his brows when he saw her.
She knew what he was thinking; she never came in during the week. She just shrugged at him as she unbuttoned her coat and headed to the bar. “Before you say anything,” she said as she hopped onto the barstool, “I’m meeting a friend.”