Page 22 of Again, In Autumn

Adam swallowed a smile. “I try to be conscious of what I’m putting in my brain. Plus watching tv leaves a huge carbon footprint.”

I knew those words from school. The words, not the meaning. I cleared my throat and took a step back. “So, Dave said you wanted to see me?”

Adam nodded, his eyebrows knitting together, and wiped his hands helplessly on his shirt. He raised a shoulder apologetically. “I wanted to ask you…I just wanted to say…” He stopped and restarted. “I think we should go on a date.”

Heat burned my face.

“What?” I asked breathlessly, working one hand into the other. A good bit of distance separated us.

Easily, Adam repeated, “I think we should go on a date.”

“Why?” I whimpered.

“Because I like you.”

I looked up from under my lashes and saw the look. Immediately I dropped my nervous twitch and realized I had been wrong about him the day before. I hadn’t found the elusive handsome good guy, I’d stumbled upon the very common handsome Lothario.

“You don’t know me,” I said.

“Yes, that’s the whole point of the need for a date,” he explained. “To get to know you.”

“You’re only asking me because I’m the girl next door and it’s convenient.”

He clearly didn’t anticipate pushback. He wasn’t offended or defensive, just curious and maybe a little amused.

“That’s not true,” he defended himself. “I can go into town and find another girl to date, no problem.”

I half hoped he would have said, No I want to date you because you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and when you scaled that wall of coffee yesterday, I knew I had met my soulmate.

He didn’t say that, though. He insinuated that he could get any girl at the drop of a hat. So, I figured the challenge was worth taking. I stepped over an extension cord to reach him.

“Okay, then, go find another girl to date,” I suggested.

“But I don’t want another girl,” he stated clearly.

Butterflies again. I tried not to look at his intense eyes. I said, “I can’t date you.”

“Why?” He had taken a step closer to me and breathed out through his nose. I hadn’t seen anything that covertly sensual outside of a PBS made-for-tv movie.

“My sister and I are here to have a sister’s only summer. No distractions.”

He tilted his head. “She’s with her boyfriend.”

“Dave doesn’t count. I’ve known him since they were on the same summer soccer league thirteen years ago and my godmother babysat him and his sisters twice a week. He’s not a distraction.”

Adam scrutinized my face, and I held my breath, turning inward, fearful that up close he would get a good look at my flaws and decide he had made a giant mistake and wanted his money back. He scraped his teeth against his bottom lip.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I understand. I won’t ask you anymore.”

Deflated, I dropped my head and said, “Thank you.”

“Just know,” he added, “that I’ll always want to. And more.”

Francesca slams a packet of frozen ground turkey on the counter. “What do you want to make for dinner?”

Flinching, little scream sneaks out from my throat.

“Earth to Vienna?” she demands. “What is wrong with you?”

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