“You should do it.”
Kate could see Sally’s face had transitioned from excited co-conspirator to something more serious. Concerned friend.
“Don’t,” Kate pleaded, not wanting to hear the speech again. A speech Sally rattled off at least once a year in some fashion or another. How Kate worked too much and let it take over her life. How she deserved a relationship and happiness and love but was never going to get that if she didn’t do something to make it happen.
“I know it’s scary,” Sally said in that gentle tone Kate recognized. “I know it’s probably easier to forget his number and focus instead on whatever task you need to accomplish today, but… you have to try, Kate. You wouldn’t have let me put that app on your phone if deep down you didn’t want to find someone.”
“Spoken like a person who has never had to suffer a blind date,” Kate said a little harshly. She knew Sally was trying to help. Knew everything her assistant said was true. Nobody knew how hard it was to set yourself up over and over again for what had always ended in disappointment. She was Charlie Brown kicking the football.
Sally smiled sheepishly. “I know. I’m a bitch. I met my husband in college and we’ve been together for twelve years and I never once had to put up with the bullshit you have. But if I don’t say it to you, Kate, no one will. This place, this business that you’ve created, it’s an amazing thing and you should be damn proud of yourself. But there is more out there in life. If this guy got you to break out of your shell even for a night, then he might be something special. Someone worth knowing.”
Kate had definitely felt as if something been cracked open. The question was, did she want to open that crack even further?
“I’ll think about it. In the meantime, I have the Hutchinson deal I have to finalize…”
Sally took the cue. “Yes, ma’am. Back to work.”
Kate watched Sally bounce out of her office, and even though she said she wanted to focus on the Hutchinson deal what she really wanted to do was talk to John. Ask him how he felt about blind dates and whether he went on them often.
Kate took out her phone and set it on her desk. It was office policy to keep phones put away and on vibrate mode. An attempt to curtail usage for her younger employees who seemed addicted to the things.
For the first time she started to understand that addiction. Because she felt compelled to look at it and wonder, if she texted him would he message her back like he had last night? Or would he wake up this morning, having forgotten her entirely?
Maybe he’d been drinking, too.
Kate thought about the couple of glasses of wine she’d had, how it had loosened her up. Of course on a blind date she would have to limit herself, since she would be driving. Which meant she would be her typical uptight self, who could only talk about her life as it related to her job. A guarantee that would drive him away.
“Will you stop overanalyzing everything!” Kate huffed softly to herself. There were times when she was sick of her own head space. Almost out of spite, because she knew with certainty she was her own worst enemy, she reached for her phone.
She punched in the numbers she had memorized and thought about what she wanted to say, what she wanted to ask, what she wanted to hear.
In the end she typed two letters. Hi. And hit send.
Then she pushed the phone out of reach, feeling like a colossal fool. Or a fourteen-year-old girl who was just discovering she liked boys. They were probably pretty close.
Dropping her face in her hand, she actually groaned. What would he possibly think of her when he saw that? That she was desperate, needy, or God forbid, horny again. Certainly not a mature, sophisticated woman who had no problem dealing with post-Christmas sexting.
She was about to reach for thing again, prepared to put it in her purse so she wouldn’t even have to look at the evidence of her idiocy, when the double ding of her text alert sounded, letting her know she had a new message.
It was almost crazy to her, the way that sound resonated through her entire body. Cautiously she reached for phone, telling herself the whole time it could be anything. A text from her friend, a bank alert, anything.
Only it wasn’t any of those things. It was from him.
Good morning. I was just thinking about you… and smiling.
She smiled in return and texted back, feeling bolder that he’d responded so quickly.
How do you feel about blind dates?
I hate them! Which is why I never do them. Hell I’m not even sure why I was on that app. I guess I liked the idea that something might happen. Then there was you.
Kate appreciated the sentiment. She was about to respond when she saw the dots on her phone signaling he was still typing.
Shit! When I said I never do them I meant I haven’t done them in the past. But I want a date with you. I want to meet you, Kate.