tomorrow! Have a good night.
After that, I tucked my phone into my pocket and gave Adam my full attention. The world was suddenly brighter.
Chapter 4
* * *
Valentina
“What the hell do I wear for a date? I haven’t been on one in twenty years.”
I frantically tore through my closet. Everything I owned suddenly seemed to scream soccer mom. I pulled out a new outfit I’d worn a few weeks ago and held it up against me, showing it to Eve.
“Is he taking you to a funeral?”
I actually had bought it for a funeral. Oh my God. I had nothing to wear.
I tossed the hangers on the floor of my closet and joined Eve on the bed. Covering my face with my hands, I grumbled, “I can’t do this. I can’t go.”
“You have a closet full of clothes and a kick-ass figure. There’s something in there you can wear. Besides, all you really need is nice underwear. That’s all he’ll care about.”
My eyes widened. “He’s going to see my underwear tonight? On the first date?”
Eve took pity on me, letting me off the hook easier than she normally did when she screwed with me. “Relax. I’m joking.”
I reached for a tissue on my end table. “Achoo!” My other hand covered my rapidly beating heart. “Thank God. Honestly, I have no idea what he’s expecting. What I’m expecting. What the hell I’m even doing.”
“You’re taking your life back. It’s your turn, Val. That’s what you’re doing. And it’s about damn time.” Eve got up from the bed and walked into the closet. “And if you want to show this young hottie your underwear tonight on the first date, you do that. You do whatever makes you happy. It’s time you put your own needs first.”
“But what does he expect to happen?”
“If he expects anything to happen, he’s an asshole and not worth your time.”
“Maybe it’s too soon.”
Eve popped her head out from my walk-in closet and spoke to me sternly, not unlike how I might’ve warned my son at times. “You’re going.”
My shoulders slumped. “Yes, Mom.”
“And don’t sneeze on the poor guy!”
Oh God. What if I do sneeze on him? I hadn’t thought of that. Ever since I was a little girl, I sneezed when I got nervous. It had been in check for years—probably because my mundane life didn’t have anything going on in it to get excited or nervous about—but lately I’d noticed it happening again.
Eve had disappeared into the closet, but she came back out. “And stop worrying about sneezing on him now!”
She knew me so well.
It took another forty-five minutes for us to agree on what I should wear, and in the end, almost the entire contents of my closet were in a heap on my bed. I had on a red skirt, cute, strappy, high-heeled sandals that I’d bought but never had occasion to wear, and a form-fitting black top that showed off a hint of my cleavage.
“You don’t think this top is too tight?”
“You look sexy, yet classy.”
I reached for a sweater, even though it was a warm evening. Eve swiped it from my hand. “You don’t need a sweater. You just want to cover up.”
She was absolutely right. I sighed, pushing out a nervous breath. “Fine.” We left the bedroom a disaster and walked to the kitchen.
“What time is he picking you up?”
“He’s not. I’m meeting him.”
“He didn’t offer to pick you up? Wait, let me guess. He did. But you told him you would rather meet him somewhere instead.”
“It’s safer that way.”
“And you can’t chicken out if you give him your address.”
That, too.
“I’m not chickening out.”
Eve opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Uncapping it, she pondered something before speaking. “Why don’t I drive you and pick you up? I can wait outside and make sure he isn’t a serial killer or anything.”
“You just want to make sure I go and check him out in person.”
She guzzled half her water. “Where did you say you were meeting him? Tom and I were talking about going out to eat. Maybe I will come spy on you, tell you if he’s worthy of seeing your panties on the first date.”
***
I arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early, and yet I was still sitting in my car fifteen minutes after the time I was supposed to meet Donovan. I’d never had a panic attack, but I was pretty certain that’s what was happening. My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing, and I had the