in time for Mikey to show up at my back door, dressed in his date-night best dark-rinse jeans and gray Henley. Ugh. In all the confusion, I forgot to text him that I want to cancel tonight. Damn it.
Smoothing a hand over my now-ruffled hair—nothing like finding out you have a long-lost sister to mess up twenty-five intense minutes with a straight iron and hair gloss—I step through the open door. Oh yeah, Mallory, standing on the other side of a sliding glass door is gonna give you two plenty of privacy. Nick and Sarah stay in the family room, watching unabashedly.
“Wow,” Mikey says with an appreciative grin. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” I tuck an errant, and obnoxiously frizzy, hair behind my ear. “You look nice, too. But I’m afraid I’ve got a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” His smile stays in place, but his eyes dim a little. Not that I blame him—Mikey’s not naive. He knows I’m about to break the cardinal rule of dating by canceling on him when he’s already arrived for the date.
“My sister showed up out of the blue, and she just broke up with her boyfriend. She needs a place to stay, and she’s really upset, and—”
Right then, the sound of Sarah’s full-bodied laugh about something Nick said carries out to us.
“It’s okay,” Sarah says as she gives Mikey a wave. “The last thing I want to do is disrupt your night. Especially since Nick just explained you’re the contractor who’s going to bring this beautiful house to life. I just love the mahogany staircase and the built-in bookshelves.” She makes a sweeping gesture. “Besides, I can leave if—”
“You don’t need to leave.” No way. I just found her—okay, really, she found me—but either way, I’m not letting her go now. “I just didn’t think you were in any mood to be alone right now.”
“I can stay,” Nick volunteers, easy-breezy. “Sarah can veg out with Netflix, and I can clean a few closets.”
“You don’t have to d-do that,” I splutter.
Mortification has me doing a gut clench for some reason I don’t understand. It’s not like he hasn’t seen the inside of my house.
“Sure I do.” His eyes meet mine. “A deal’s a deal, after all, and I’m officially your helper every day, remember? Go enjoy your date.”
“Yes, but—” I break off because I don’t know what I want to say. Why does it feel so wrong on a gut level to leave him here, working on my house, while I’m out on a date with some other guy?
It’s absurd. I mean, it isn’t like it matters. Nick and I are…friends. That’s all. Nothing more. In fact, we’re barely even that. Why should either of us care if one of us goes on a date with someone else? Why should either of us care if one of us encourages the other to go on said date?
I mean, yeah, we had a moment yesterday, and we had a moment the other evening, when I thought for sure he was going to kiss me. But he didn’t. He left, and I need to remember that. Need to realize that when he tells me to go on a date with Mikey, he means it. There’s nothing for me to feel guilty about.
Or to feel any way about, for that matter. We barely know each other.
“Go, Mallory,” Sarah says, and it’s obvious she’s trying to be as nice. “Go on, have fun.”
“Sounds like your sister has made up her mind.” Mikey’s face is made even hotter—who would have thought that possible?—by an enthusiastic grin. “Think you can handle it?”
I sneak another look at Nick. Who is already gathering trash bags and telling Sarah a joke. Mr. Uptight has jokes now?
Fine.
Perfect.
Wonderful.
I give Mikey my most dazzling smile. “Yes, let’s go have a blast.”
I slip my hand into the crook of Mikey’s arm, and we follow the path around the house to his truck. And I don’t even look back at all—not even once—which is exactly what I want out of this moment.
Really.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Bella Bella’s is a neighborhood Italian restaurant that has white tablecloths, votive candles floating in a bowl surrounded by fresh flowers, and a hostess dressed in all black who never smiles when she seats you. In other words, it is the fancy date-night place that stays on the right side of too expensive but has great food and no one brings their kids.
Mikey and I have gone through all the small talk by the time my chicken Parm