Susan Mallery - Her Last First Date

“Impressive.”

It explained the body he’d noticed when she’d walked in. She wasn’t tall, but she looked fit, with curves in all the right places. He eyed her sweater and had a sudden desire to see her in tight workout clothes.

Which meant what? After four years of being alone, he was finally coming back to life?

Pete had spent the past two years bugging him to start dating, to get out and have fun. Josh had hidden behind his impossible work schedule. The thought of getting involved still seemed unfeasible, but maybe something casual wasn’t out of the question.

“Are you ready to take the next step with Brandon?” he asked Crissy.

She shivered. “No, but I’ll never be ready. I think I just have to leap in and hope for the best.”

“Pete and Abbey just got word that their adoption of their new baby, Hope, is final. There’s going to be a big party to celebrate. Lots of friends and family. You could blend in with the crowd.”

Crissy swallowed. “That sounds like a plan. When’s the party?”

“Saturday at three.”

She pressed a hand to her chest. “I may start hyperventilating. Does one bring a present to an adoption party?”

“It’s not required.”

“But if I want to?”

“Abbey’s registered at a baby store.” He gave her the name.

Crissy’s expression turned wistful. “I love baby stuff. Those little dresses and frilly socks. They’re so cute. Probably not to you.”

“Not really my thing.”

“So what is your thing? What do you do for fun?”

Interesting question. Four years ago, he’d had a list. He and Stacey, his late wife, had enjoyed anything outdoors, when her health permitted. She’d loved cooking and gardening. They’d also been studying Italian together, in anticipation of a trip to Venice they never got to make.

“Work keeps me busy,” he said. “What about you?”

“A lot of work, too,” she said. “Running a business is always a challenge, but I like it. Living out here in Riverside means we’re close to a lot of outdoor stuff. I hike a lot in the mountains, and I ski in the winter. Downhill and cross country. I’m a hideous knitter, but I keep trying because my friends love it. But I’m so awful, I had to give the owner of the store a free membership to one of my gyms just to stay in the class.”

He laughed.

“I’m not kidding,” she protested. “I swear, I have the antiknitting gene. Yarn hates me. I’ve seen a petition going around the shelves. If enough yarn signs, I’ll be forced to stop taking classes.”

He liked her. He knew that’s what Abbey would ask first. If he’d liked her.

Crissy drew in a breath. “Okay, so we’re set, right? I’m coming to the party on Saturday. You’re sure it’s okay? No one will mind?”

He reached across the table and put his hand on hers. He’d meant the gesture as one of comfort and was surprised to feel an almost electric jolt of energy jump between them.

“You’ll be fine,” he said, ignoring the sensation and removing his hand more quickly than he’d planned.

“You don’t actually know that. I suppose what with you being a doctor and all, you think you have a edge on stating that opinion, but you can’t be totally sure.”

He grinned. “Deep breaths.”

“Not going to help.”

She collected her purse and stood. He rose as well and tossed five dollars on the table to cover the coffee and tip.

“I’ll be there,” she said. “At three. Maybe ten after. Give other people time to arrive.”

He pulled a business card out of his wallet, then wrote on the back. “My cell number,” he said. “Call me when you’re five minutes away and I’ll meet you out front. You won’t have to go in by yourself.”

Her eyes brightened with gratitude. “That would be great. Plus, if the nerves get to be too much and I start vomiting uncontrollably, you can probably prescribe something, right?”

He laughed. “If necessary.”

“Okay. Thanks, Josh. You’ve been great.”

They stared at each other for a second, then she turned and walked away. He stayed where he was, watching her move through the diner, appreciating the sway of her hips and the swinging movement of her sleek hair.

Being alive suddenly didn’t feel so bad.

“Did you like her?” Abbey asked the second Josh walked into the house. “I’ve always liked her. I think she’s great, but what did you think?”

Josh bent down and kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek. “I liked her.”

“Really?”

“I swear.”

“Good.” Abbey beamed at Pete. “He liked her.”

“I heard.”

Abbey had loosely pinned up her long, blond hair. The free ends bounced as she spun and hurried into the kitchen, waving for him to follow her.

“A couple of my friends are being protective about Crissy wanting to meet Brandon. They’re afraid she’s going to make trouble.” Abbey opened the oven, then pulled out two freshly baked loaves of bread.

His mouth watered. Abbey had a lot of great qualities, and he’d always put her baking near the top of the list.

“She’s looking for a connection,” he said.

“That’s what I said. All these years we’ve invited her to be a part of the family, but she’s always held back.” Abbey set the pans on cooling racks, then turned to him. “She has family, but they don’t live around here. I’ve always wondered if she’s lonely.”

Pete sighed, then put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Stop rescuing the world. Crissy is a very successful businesswoman. She doesn’t need you messing in her life.”

“I’m not messing. I don’t mess. I’m just saying, she needs us.”

Pete looked at Josh, then rolled his eyes. “Let it go,” he said, with exaggerated patience. “Crissy’s fine.”

“Maybe we could fix her up with someone.”

“She can get her own guy. Don’t you have enough to worry about?”

Josh walked over to the cookie jar on the counter and reached inside. Abbey had made chocolate chip cookies the previous day and the four he’d eaten then hadn’t been close to enough. Now as his brother and sister-inlaw continued on with a very familiar argument, he munched on two more.

Pete and Abbey were the kind of couple who had been born for each other. From the first moment they’d met, they’d both known they would be together forever. There hadn’t been any games or questions or even a discussion. They’d started dating their sophomore year of high school and from that first night, had known what their future would be.

“So she’s coming to the party?” Abbey asked anxiously.

“That’s what she said,” Josh told her. “She wants to meet Brandon.”

Abbey smiled. “That’s good. We’re all going to be one big family. She’ll get to know him and relax and then he can know his birth mother.” She turned to Pete. “What about Zeke? He’s single.”

Pete groaned, then glanced at his brother. “Escape while you still can. When she gets like this, she’s impossible to stop.”

Crissy was generally a fan of the whole weekend concept, but this time, Saturday had come along way too quickly. She’d spent the morning trying to figure out the right thing to wear to a “Hey, we’re adopting” party. She wanted to make a good impression, but not stand out. Casual, but not too casual. Pretty, but not sexy.

She tried telling herself that Brandon was a twelve-year-old boy. He wouldn’t even notice her. But still, every time she thought about meeting him there were jumping frogs where her stomach should have been.

She finally settled on a pair of tailored jeans, a lightweight fitted sweater and a leather jacket. Boots gave her some height. She fussed with her hair, did her makeup twice and generally spent more time sweating her appearance than she had on any first date in recent memory.