Page 106 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

It had been three weeks now, and I’d never answered his last message asking me to dinner.

Could I just message him again out of the blue?

Should I?

Yes, yes, I absolutely should.

Brayden’s moved on with Lacey.

It was time. Long past time.

So I tapped out a quick text before I could reconsider.

Alex: Hey. Sorry it took me so long to respond. But if the offer is still open, I’d like to have dinner sometime.

I forced myself to hit send.

There. I’d done it. I’d moved on. At least I’d taken a big first step.

Maybe he wouldn’t answer. Maybe Everett was already seeing someone himself. But I’d done it. I’d put myself out there.

Less than a minute later, my phone buzzed.

Everett: Hey! Great to hear from you. How about tomorrow night?

***

I was a nervous wreck. Sitting at the bar waiting for my date, I looked around. The woman a few seats down was wearing jeans. Was I overdressed? I’d put on a little black dress, thinking that was a safe bet. But now I wondered if I should’ve gone with jeans—or at least worn flats instead of these heels. God, I’m so out of touch. Maybe I should go home and change…

But a minute later, Everett walked in looking frazzled. “Sorry I’m late. I got rear ended on my way here.”

“Oh my gosh. Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, just a dent. But we had to exchange insurance information and stuff. Last time I had a dent, it cost me almost four grand for a new bumper. What happened to the days when they just popped out dents and repainted? Now they replace everything.”

“I know. I feel like even appliances are disposable these days.”

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Anyway. I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Have you been here long?”

I pointed to my empty glass. “Long enough to calm my nerves the old-fashioned way.”

He smiled. “What are you nervous about? We go way back. It’s been what, like three weeks now?”

I smiled back. “We’re practically childhood friends.”

“Plus, I’ve been warned to be on my best behavior. Winston might be younger, shorter, and skinnier, but that guy fights like a ninja. I’ll swear I never said it, but he could kick my ass.”

I couldn’t imagine that to be true, but Everett’s self-deprecating humor put me at ease. “He and Wells are really cute together,” I said. “I can’t remember the last time I saw Wells check his phone so often and smile—except maybe when his favorite Real Housewife announced she was getting divorced. Then he was scrolling gossip for weeks.”

Everett laughed and gestured toward the hostess station. “You want to see if our table’s ready?”

I got up. “Sure. I told her I was here when I walked in, and she said to let her know when you’d arrived.”

He looked me over and shook his head. “Wow. I know I’m supposed to be on my best behavior, but can I say you look freaking amazing?”

I blushed. “Thank you.”

Once we were seated, Everett asked if I liked red wine, and when the server came by, we decided to share a bottle. He folded his hands on top of the menu. “So…I was surprised to get your text. Happily surprised, but surprised, nonetheless.”

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