“So… Aurora…”
I raised my eyebrow at him. “Yes?”
“You got big plans tonight?”
I’d forgotten it was Friday. “Big plans with my iPad and some sangria I was planning on making.”
His laugh was bright, and it made me grin as I gave him his total just as the door to the shop opened and Jackie slipped inside.
We made eye contact, and I smiled at her. She gave me a little one back. Things had been… I wouldn’t want to say awkward, but a little strained since she’d admitted she knew I had been with Kaden. I hadn’t been mad at her, not even a tiny bit. Neither one of us had made an effort to talk about it again since Yuki had interrupted our conversation to say that she was getting picked up because they had to start their trip to Utah.
I wasn’t upset or mad or worried. I just figured that… well, if she had wanted to tell Amos and Mr. Rhodes, she would have already. My secret was safe with her.
But eventually, I would need to talk to her.
And at least tell Amos.
Johnny greeted the girl as she passed him and dug into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and handing over a card.
“Would you like a receipt?”
“No.” He cleared his throat, picking up the two packages of weights and hesitating. “Would you like to ditch your iPad and go to dinner with me? There’s a Mexican place I like that I bet has sangria.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting. And his offer surprised me so much I didn’t know what to say.
Go out on a date?
“Unless you’re seeing somebody,” he added quickly.
“I’m not,” I admitted just as fast, thinking about his offer.
His smile turned flirty. “I’d ask about Rhodes, but he’s weird around beautiful women.”
I groaned and made a face, but…
What the hell did I have to lose? Clara had said she wasn’t interested in him like that, hadn’t she? I could always double check with her.
And it sure wasn’t like I’d sleep with him.
Sure, I thought Mr. Rhodes was hotter than hell, but it wasn’t like that meant anything. He barely talked to me, still. From the way he looked at me more often than not, I was pretty sure sometimes he regretted inviting me to stay longer. He could be so nice one minute and not so much the next. I didn’t get it, and I didn’t want to overthink it.
I had moved here to… move on with my life, and part of that included… dating. I didn’t want to be alone. I liked stability. I wanted someone around to care about me and vice versa.
This wasn’t the first time I’d gotten asked out since I’d started working here, but it was the first time I was considering it.
Screw it. “All right. Sure. At least you’ll talk back to me unlike my iPad, right?”
His smile grew even wider, and I could tell he was pleased. It made me feel nice. “I’ll talk back. Promise.” He smiled just a little more. “Want me to pick you up?”
“I’ll meet you there? Wherever we’re eating?”
The man nodded. “All right. Seven work?”
“Deal.”
He gave me the name of a restaurant I recognized on the river that wound its way through part of the town. “I’ll meet you upfront.”
I knew this was a step, like Clara had said. It was something. And something was better than nothing, especially when you had that to begin with.
“I’ll see you later then,” Johnny said with that big grin still on his face. “Thanks.”
“No problem, see you,” I said.
And it was only because the store was empty that Clara let out a whoop. “Did you just get asked out on a date?”
“Hell yeah, I did,” I called back. “Is that okay with you? I won’t go if you do like him.”
She shook her head, and I could tell from the easy way she did it she was telling the truth. “Go. I’m really not interested in him like that.” She paused. “Do you have anything to wear?” I must have thought about it too long because she made a face. “I guess I know what I’m doing during my lunch break.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “What?”
Clara just smiled.
*
With one final look in the mirror of the bathroom of my apartment, I figured I wasn’t going to spontaneously get better looking.
I was as good as I usually got.
I hadn’t gone heavy with my makeup, but I hadn’t gone ultra-light either. Just right, I figured, for a date. Good enough to hide the scratches and dents in the used goods that I was, but not hiding so much that I looked like a different person.