list?”
“What do you think?”
Logan laughed. “Does he even want to get married one day?”
“He’s not against the idea. Nor is he against the idea of having kids. Which is good because Nala eventually wants that, too.”
“And you’re okay with them going out on a date together?”
No. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He peered at me for a moment. “Just asking…I think I’ll get this stroller.”
27
Nala
To-do List #702
Do not think about Eli.
Do not think about Eli.
Do not think about Eli.
Especially do NOT think about Eli while on my date with Grant.
Haven’t heard from you in a few days. How are things going?
The text had popped up on my phone ten minutes ago.
Followed by: I’m sorry I was an asshole the other day. I shouldn’t have left like that.
I was still staring at them, wondering how to answer.
It was true, though. I hadn’t contacted Eli after he couldn’t escape my apartment fast enough. He knew I was still alive because I’d gone on a date with Grant the other night.
How had the date gone?
It was fun.
We saw a movie and went out for dinner afterward. Grant was a great guy.
The problem?
He didn’t make my heart do acrobatics the way Eli did every time he’d looked at me or touched me or kissed me.
But despite that, I had agreed to go out with Grant again.
Maybe it would just take a little extra time to distract my heart from what it really wanted and convince it to do the same acrobatics whenever I was with Grant.
I pulled up my big girl panties and typed: Sorry. I’ve been busy with work. How’s the volunteering going?
Eli: It’s going great. The teens are a lot of fun. And I had the photo shoot yesterday for the literacy program bookmarks.
Eli and several other pro athletes had agreed to pose for the pictures. The bookmarks would be used as a reward system to encourage kids to read.
Me: That sounds great.
Eli: What are you doing tonight?
Me: I’m going to a party.
Eli: Do you need a date for it?
I almost choked at the question.
The last thing I wished to do was take the man I was falling in love with to a party where I would hopefully meet Mr. I Can’t Wait to Get Married.
Me: No, I’m good. Thanks.
Bringing my fake boyfriend to Robert and Tony’s party would be counterproductive.
Eli: Okay. But I really meant it when I said I’m sorry for how I reacted.
Me: I know.
And I did know, but it still didn’t change the fact that I needed a husband ASAP.
Turns out Eli wasn’t the only one who felt the need to text me.
His mom sent me a text a few minutes later: Hi Eddie. I was looking through one of my cookbooks and found the recipe for one of Eli’s favorite dishes. Thought you might like to try it out sometime.
She had attached the jpeg for it.
Me: Thanks. I’ll try it soon.
Georgia: You’re welcome. Let me know if you have any questions.
Next, I received a text from Eli’s sister with a picture of Abby in the dress I’d sewn for her, a big grin on her face. She and her best friend were hugging and looking at the camera.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Robert asked, strolling into my office as I hit send on my reply to Sarah’s text.
“Are you sure no one knows the real reason you and Tony organized the party?”
“That’s right. We promised we would keep it a secret.”
I relaxed slightly. It won’t be as bad as it sounds, I told myself. It would be nothing more than a large party with lots of people.
So, your typical Robert-and-Tony party.
Those two rarely did small.
Robert got down to the real reason he’d dropped by my office. Once we were finished hammering out details for his marketing presentation, we headed to the conference room for our weekly meeting with the department heads.
Afterward, I returned to my office. I’d barely stepped through the doorway when my phone rang.
I answered it. “Hey, Amelia. I hope you’re not calling to back out of tonight,” I said with a laugh.
The silence on the other end was hardly reassuring. I grabbed a pen from my pen holder to either fiddle with or create a new list—whichever urge hit first.
“You’re calling to tell me you can’t make it, aren’t you?”
“I’m sorry.” The cringe in her tone was hard to miss. “My babysitter called in sick. And Dani can’t make it either. There must be some bug going around. She’s sick, too.”
And Rachel was working