and barely stop myself from doing a double take. “Is this Frasier?”
“I know, I know, it’s kinda corny, but I caught a rerun the last time I was home in the afternoon and honestly, I laughed a lot. And there’s a dog, which is always a good thing. Plus, sitcoms are basically right below rom-coms on the ‘comforting entertainment’ scale.”
“Yeah, okay, sure,” I say softly as she presses play and the credits begin. But I can’t even focus because, if this was a rom-com, I’m pretty sure this would be a sign.
* * *
• • •
The next morning on set, I’m trying to find Tommy while holding yet another scalding cup of coffee for him when I hear someone behind me.
“Hey.”
I spin around and find myself face-to-face with Carter Reid, he of the blue eyes and the slightly curly hair and the nicely aging face.
“I’m sorry for what I said about the wires,” I say in lieu of hello.
“I’m not here about the wires,” he says. “The wires have very thick skins. They’re not offended.”
“That’s a relief,” I say, wondering what he could possibly want to talk to me about. What do we have besides the wires? The wires brought us together.
“So, this might be weird, but my therapist tells me I’m supposed to be putting myself out there when the opportunity arises, and meeting you seemed like an opportunity, so . . . would you like to get coffee some time?”
I take a step back and bump into someone, narrowly avoiding spilling the coffee on myself. “What?”
Carter exhales. “Did I do that wrong? It’s been a really, really long time since I asked someone out. Should I have used . . . an app? Is that what people do now?”
I try to hide my smile, but I can’t help myself. “No. Um . . . this is great. What you did is great. Let’s get coffee.”
His face breaks into a smile. “How about that place down the street? Nick’s? Are you free tonight?”
Wait, am I seriously, after years of rarely going out on coffee dates or any other kind of dates, going to have two dates at Nick’s in one week?
Carter misinterprets the shock on my face and stammers, “I—I mean . . . wait, is tonight way too soon? Did I make things super weird?”
“Tonight is great,” I say. “And Nick’s is perfect. Can I ask you a question?”
He raises his eyebrows in response.
“Do you . . . drink hot liquids?”
Carter looks at me for a moment without saying anything.
“I’m gonna need an answer,” I say quietly. “It’s been an issue before.”
“Yes?” he answers, looking confused.
I exhale in relief. “Great. I’ll see you tonight at Nick’s. Eight?”
“Wait,” Carter says. “While we’re getting all our issues out on the table, I should tell you that I have a kid.”
“Is he . . . going to be there?” I ask, imagining a baby in a high chair, kicking the table and knocking over my latte.
Carter laughs. “No. He’s thirteen, so he’s perfectly capable of entertaining himself if I’m gone for a couple of hours. But, you know, kids are a deal breaker for some people. I wanted to get it all out in the open.”
I shake my head, thinking about sad, perfect Tom Hanks in that houseboat in Sleepless in Seattle, all alone with his precocious and hilarious child. And then I think about cocky, perfect Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail, taking his father’s son and his grandfather’s daughter to that carnival in New York and, again, being on a boat.
Truly, is there anything more romantic than Tom Hanks on a boat?
“No,” I tell Carter, a man who I’m starting to think might actually be a character created by Nora Ephron herself and sent here to me. “Kids aren’t a deal breaker for me.”
“That’s good.” He smiles, then someone behind him yells his name. “Gotta get back to work. See you tonight, Annie.”
* * *
• • •
Chloe almost drops the coffee she’s holding when I tell her I’m going on a date.
“For goodness sake, Annie! You almost made me pull a Tobin!” she says, eyes wide.
“Hey. I heard that, and I don’t appreciate it,” Tobin says from his post, leaning against the counter and doing nothing.
“I just . . . I can’t believe you did this without me, all on your own!” Chloe says, handing the coffee to a customer. “I’m proud. Is this what it’s like to be a parent?”
“Yes,” Gary says from his table, where he’s reading