Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Okay, well. I’m sure your brother will be disappointed.”
I’m not sure my brother cares either way, and it’s not as though I never see him. We’re both at church every Sunday, though we rarely talk, and we were both home for a family dinner two weeks ago.
I stand, gathering my half-eaten food. “I’m teaching a crochet class in a few minutes. Would you like to stay and join in?” My mom knows how to crochet, though she never does it anymore, even though it was her mother who taught me.
“Oh, no, dear. I was just stopping in for a minute. I need to get going.”
“Okay. I’ll see you Sunday.”
While there are things I don’t like about our church, I’m grateful that confession isn’t part of the doctrine. My list of sins is getting longer every day.
AVA
“Wow, you look beautiful.”
My eyes drop to the floor as butterflies ascend from somewhere deep in my belly. Erik is looking at me like he never has before, and I’m grateful for the time I spent on my hair and the bit of extra makeup I put on. “Thank you.”
His eyes keep drinking me in, and I’m not sure what to do with myself. It’s so strange to feel this way with my longtime friend.
“You look very handsome.” He looks and smells freshly showered, his hair neatly combed, his face smooth. Instead of his usual jeans, he’s wearing khaki pants and a pale blue dress shirt that makes his skin look warm and inviting.
“Are you ready to go?”
“I am,” I say, grabbing my purse from the nearby table before slipping into my shoes.
As soon as I lock the deadbolt on my door, he takes my hand, sending off another flight of butterflies. I’ve been out with Erik so many times, but everything feels entirely different.
At the car, he opens my door for me, and when he gets into the driver seat and pauses to look over at me, I’m dazzled, like I’m looking at the sun.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” he says, a soft, deep tone to his voice that feels intimate.
“Me too. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner today. Just as I was about to text you, my mom came by.”
“Oh.” After a pause, he asks, “How are your parents?” Erik knows that it’s a tricky situation, with him having left the church.
“They’re fine. She wanted me to come over for dinner tonight.”
As Erik pulls out of the lot, he says, “We could’ve postponed our date.”
“I didn’t want to postpone.”
I’m rewarded with another smile that lights me up from the inside out, and I bask in the warm glow of it for a couple of minutes.
“So where are we headed?” I’ve simply been excited about spending the evening with Erik in this new form our relationship has taken, but suddenly, I’m curious.
“Someplace that I hope will be new to you. You’re always discovering great new restaurants, so I’m hoping I found a place you haven’t been to.”
“There are probably thousands of restaurants in this town that I haven’t been to.” When he shoots me a skeptical look, I say, “Okay, maybe not multiple thousands, maybe just one thousand.”
“I hope tonight takes your number down to nine hundred and ninety-nine.”
“I should keep track.”
“You should start a food blog,” he says, but I shake my head.
“I just want to enjoy the food. I don’t want to worry about how to photograph it and talk about it eloquently.”
“Fair enough, but I think you’d be good at it.”
I notice that we’re headed toward the touristy section of town. “Are we going to another casino?”
“Casino adjacent.” His brows lift in concern. “Is that all right?”
“Sure, as long as I’m dressed okay.”
“From what I’ve seen, you can literally wear anything into casinos on the Strip. Or next to nothing.” He gives me a teasing look that lets me know he wouldn’t mind seeing me wearing next to nothing.
Erik’s flirting with me. It’s new, and I like it.
“I may be headed down a path of sin lately, but I don’t see myself turning into an exhibitionist.”
“Pity,” he says with an affectionate laugh.
The restaurant does turn out to be new to me, and it’s unique and delicious. It’s located in a glitzy shopping mall that is, just as Erik said, connected to a big casino.
After we share a slice of matcha cake for dessert and Erik pays the check, he asks if I’d like to try a slot machine.
“I guess so. Since we’re here.” It’s funny how something that was such a big deal just two days ago now seems tame compared to all the kissing I’ve been doing.
As we exit the shopping area and walk through the casino’s entrance, Erik must be thinking about our visit to Metro Station just like I am, because out of the blue, he says, “Gray asked for your number.”