Page 46 of Keeping Secrets

“Sure,” she said reflexively. She was worried that she was getting in over her head, but simmering alongside that anxiety was a more positive kind of excitement. She was up to the challenge; she knew she was.

“So that will be appetizers, a light meal, and an extraordinary desert. There are only eight of us. Will one thousand dollars be enough, do you think?”

Keely stumbled but managed not to fall flat on her face. It took her a moment to regain her voice and say, “Yes. That’s more than enough.”

“Thank you, my dear. I know you will think of something spectacular.”

“Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

“I know.”

The call disconnected, and Keely dropped her phone into her bookbag with shaking hands.

She had two days to come up with and create a spectacular variation of a lemon meringue pie… and the rest of the meal. And a date with Travis tomorrow.

“I’d better get cooking,” she murmured, and then laughed. Life was good. Life was really, really good.

She headed home at a run.

CHAPTER 15

Keely tossed yet another dress aside in disgust. There was nothing like a first date to make her hate everything in her closet.

A knock sounded at the front door, and her heart jumped. She looked at the clock on her wall and then double-checked it against the time on her phone.

She still had a solid half an hour before Travis showed up.

Unless she had gotten the time wrong.

She checked the text thread. Still thirty-two minutes before he was due at her front door. Maybe he had gotten the time wrong. She studied the pile of clothes on her bed for a moment, then pulled on her quilted bathrobe and went to open the front door.

"Chloe," she said in relief. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too." Her friend grinned in response as she looked at her hair up in a messy bun and her frayed old bathrobe. "I thought you could use some help getting ready."

"Ready for what?" she hedged.

Chloe‘s look turned exasperated, but her smile stayed in place. She nearly always had a smile for everyone, as far as Keely had seen. Whether it was her friends stressing out over some CPR event or sticky-fingered kids smearing their hands all over the windows of the ice cream shop, Chloe spoke to them with a smile. And as far as Keely could tell, those smiles were genuine. Nick had chosen well. He was lucky to have met her to begin with.

Keely took a breath and refocused on the evening in front of her. "How did you know?"

Chloe shrugged. "A little bird told me."

"Seriously, how did you know?"

"My spies at the library."

"Who was spying on us?" she demanded.

"I’ve said too much already." Chloe walked inside and closed the door behind her. "Anyway, we don’t have time for that. Let’s get you ready."

"Does Nick know?" she asked nervously.

"Not yet. Hopefully Travis will be upfront about it and tell him soon. I figure he’s waiting to see how the first date goes." She looked down at the bathrobe and shook her head. "Speaking of which…"

"I have no idea what to wear," Keely admitted. She led Chloe into her room and gestured at the mountain of clothes. Nearly everything she owned was piled on her bed.

“I was the same before my first date with Nick,” Chloe said with a laugh. “It was a helicopter ride, for Pete’s sake. What’s a girl supposed to wear on a helicopter ride that may or may not be a real date? I had all my girls there talking me through it.”

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