“Really? Am I hearing things?” Theo joked.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. I really had put this poor guy through the ringer. It was time to reward him for his persistence. Being pursued by such an amazing guy was flattering. And who knows, this may be exactly what I needed to move on once and for all.
“No need for a hearing aid, I want to go,” I assured him.
“Thank god! I was beginning to think I would be entering senility before you agreed to a date with me,” Theo admonished good-naturedly.
I forcefully banished all thoughts of Cole from my mind. I couldn’t let him have anything to do with my decisions. He could have no bearing on my love life anymore. Not that he ever should have to begin with.
“Well, what time should I be ready?” I asked brightly.
“Text me your address and I’ll be by around seven thirty?”
“Sounds great,” I said, feeling determined.
I would enjoy myself, or die trying.
That evening I dressed in my nicest red dress. Nothing low cut or overly revealing. I styled my hair into soft curls down my back and my makeup was understated yet flattering.
I did a little twirl in front of my mirror and gave myself a low whistle. I looked hot. Damn hot. I knew Theo would approve.
So why was I thinking of Cole’s reaction while I got ready?
Gracie was out to dinner with Jordan and Maysie. She was still in a funk when I had gotten home. She wouldn’t say how her interview had gone so I hadn’t pushed it. Truthfully I needed to be in the right frame of mind for my evening ahead and Gracie’s depressive personality wouldn’t help.
My doorbell chimed as I slid my strappy black heels on my feet. I spritzed my wrists and cleavage with some vanilla perfume and grabbed my tiny clutch.
I opened the door to find Theo holding the most obscenely large bouquet of flowers I had ever seen. His shy smile lit up his face as he took me in.
“Oh my god, you’re gorgeous,” he said, his mouth gaping slightly as he started with my feet and made his way up my body.
I preened at the compliment and took the bunch of flowers from his hands.
“Thank you, come inside while I put these in some water,” I said, waving him into the apartment. I pressed my face into the blossoms and breathed in their smell.
And then sneezed.
And not a delicate, dainty sneeze. This was a nose-full-of-snot-sprayed-five-feet-away sneeze.
And I couldn’t stop. I kept freaking sneezing.
I dropped the flowers onto the counter and rushed around, trying to find a tissue. I attempted to pinch the bridge of my nose in an effort to stave off the flow of mucus that had already started to drip disgustingly.
“Crap, are you okay?” Theo asked, following behind me.
“Achoo!” I sneezed violently and held my hand up for him to leave me be.
I wiped my nose, once I had located the tissues and eyed the flowers warily. “Are those Gerbera daisies?” I asked.
Theo looked confused and picked up the bunch of flowers that had set off my sneezing attack.
“I really don’t know. I just picked these up because I thought you would like them.”
My nose started to tickle again and I pressed the tissue to my nose again.
“I’m horribly allergic to daisies. I’m sorry.” I was now stuffed up and my eyes were watering like crazy. I was in danger of going into a full-blown allergic reaction if he didn’t get the flowers out of my apartment.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry! I swear I didn’t know!” Theo looked stricken and I felt horrible. What a crappy start to our date. I hated the niggling feeling that this didn’t bode well for any sort of dating experience between the two of us.
“You had no idea, Theo. It’s fine. But you’re going to have to take them out of here. It’s the pollen. It causes my hay fever to go nuts.”
Theo opened the front door and tossed the offending bouquet out onto the sidewalk.