The Rom Con(33)

“You want to know something that surprised me?” I offered instead. “How nice it felt to be out of the driver’s seat for once. Letting him make all the decisions and just following his lead was . . . pretty freeing, if I’m being honest.”

She stuffed a pillow under her arm, getting comfortable. “Explain.”

“I haven’t fully processed it yet, but I guess it just made me realize how often I’m the one doing all the work. Like with Brett, I made all the plans, I coordinated our schedules, it was always my job to pick a dinner place. And maybe that’s my fault or it was a red flag I missed, but . . . it’s like, you know that feeling when you’re talking to a guy and you’re stressing out trying to keep the conversation going? And you’re already queuing up your next question so there are no awkward silences?”

Nat groaned. “Ugh, the worst.”

“Right? So today was like the exact opposite of that. Instead of being forced into planning mode or having to lead him by the nose, I just sat back and let him do all the heavy lifting. And I’m not saying I never want to make another decision again or anything, but honestly, I could get used to not carrying that load.”

“You need to put this in your piece,” she said thoughtfully. “Something our grandmothers got right.”

“Maybe,” I allowed, picking at a loose thread on the couch cushion. “I need to think on it some more. But right now I have a more pressing issue to deal with.”

“Like?”

“Like the fact that he didn’t fall for my shtick at all! And I thought I did a pretty good job setting him up, too.” I was indignant at the injustice of it. How dare Jack turn out to be decent?

She waved a hand. “Maybe he’s just saying what he thinks you want to hear. Gabriel does that all the time.”

“If that were the case, he would have agreed with the nonsense I was spewing, not pushed back on it.” I shook my head. “I don’t think this is going to be as easy as we thought. He’s just not as . . . manipulatable as I expected. Is ‘manipulatable’ a word?”

“Think it might be ‘manipulable’?” she guessed. “Let’s check. Hey, Alexa,” she called out, and I smirked—as writers, this was the type of thing neither of us could let go. “Is ‘manipulatable’ a word?” We both listened intently as Alexa confirmed that it was, in fact, a word. “Thanks, Alexa, you’re a sweetheart,” Nat said graciously.

“Anyway, I think I’m gonna have to come at this from another angle, though I do have an idea on that front.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

I flashed her a grin. “Call for reinforcements.”



* * *





Double date with a happily married couple—let him see what it’s like!



* * *





“Hi, give me a second to find my earpiece,” my sister’s voice rings out amidst a din of chattering background noise.

“No problem,” I reply, sidestepping a mountain of trash bags piled high on the sidewalk as I make my way home from work later that afternoon.

“Alright girls, I’m talking to Aunt Cassidy now. That means I don’t want anyone to interrupt me for the next few minutes. Okay?” It comes out as more of a threat than a question, and I stifle a laugh.

“Okay, I’m here,” she says, sounding harried. “Warning, this is the witching hour, so I’m not sure how long they’ll give me.” I hear a loud banging noise in the background.

“How are my sweet little nieces doing?”

She snorts. “Sweet, right. Do ‘sweet’ children cut a chunk out of their sister’s bangs when their mom is in the shower, then tell you it’s fine because Rapunzel did it in Tangled?”

“Oh no,” I say, trying—and failing—to contain my laughter. “How bad does it look?”

“Pretty darn bad. I’ll send you a pic.”

“It almost sounds like something you would have done to me,” I say pointedly. “She’s her mother’s daughter.”

“I wish I could deny that. Hey, I’m watching you,” she says loudly, and I know I’ve lost her again. “Yeah, you, girlfriend with the Scotch tape. If you keep pulling that much out, you’re gonna run out. Sorry,” she says, returning to our conversation. “I had the bright idea for the girls to help me wrap Greg’s anniversary gift. Already regretting it.” She exhales a loud breath. “I’ll tell you what, I am so looking forward to our night away on Friday. The countdown is on. You’re still meeting us, right?”

To celebrate their anniversary, my sister and her husband are coming into the city for dinner and a show, then staying overnight at a hotel while my parents watch the girls. Christine invited me to meet them for dinner, though I’d planned to stay only for a drink, not wanting to party-crash their rare night out.

“That’s why I was calling, actually. I have kind of a weird favor to ask.” I’ve reached the subway but the call will drop if I go underground, so I detour over to a nearby park bench and plop myself down. “How would you feel if I stayed for dinner after all, and brought someone with me?”

There’s a brief pause. “Shut the front door! You’re seeing someone new? Well, this is exciting! Who is he?”