Page 18 of My Favorite Sin

My neck prickles. Wow. Kill me now. This is worse than the awkward handshake. “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

“Are you free next weekend?”

“Yes.”

“Great. I’ll text you and we’ll set something up.”

“That will be good.” I need to end this interaction before saying anything else embarrassing. “I, um… I should see if my mom needs help with her speech. She’s… a founder of Forever Families.” Shit. I already said that. The nervous talking is shining through.

Another laugh. “Okay. See you later, Ally.”

“Bye, George. I mean Ben.” Oh my God. I need to get out of here right this second.

As soon as I’m out of sight, I run for the ladies’ restroom and lock myself in a stall, burying my hands through my hair as I cringe something shocking.

A text message beeps on my phone.

No Caller ID

Hey, it’s George :P You’re pretty cute and funny. I’m looking forward to hanging out with you next weekend.

Ben wasn’t frightened off? He actually thinks I’m cute and funny and wants to see me after that disastrous encounter?

What on earth am I supposed to do? I need help.Experthelp because I have no clue what I’m doing.

CHAPTER SEVEN

ALLY

I have a date tonight. The first real date I’ve been asked on and my nerves are out of control. One minute, I was hiding in a toilet stall, reading Ben’s message that we should get dinner the following Friday night. The next, my entire week has flown by in the blink of an eye.

I’ve finished my first official teaching week at Sacred Heart. It was also another week of no piano practice and disjointed sleep, of me waking at five a.m. each morning to go jogging with Killian, and awkward chit-chat with Violet each time we crossed paths in the staff room despite wanting to befriend her and have a real conversation.

I spoke to Dan every night on the phone but didn’t mention anything about this date, not wanting to make things weird between us. He asked to see me this weekend. I would have invited him to the beach house if it weren’t for this date, and instead gave him some excuse about being busy with work.

Now, here I am, standing in front of my bedroom mirror while fidgeting with the belt buckle on my dress andreadjusting my headband for the tenth time in five minutes, wanting to look perfect for Ben.

I left work at a reasonable hour today so I had time to freshen up. Being Friday, it wasn’t such a big deal. Ben said he’d pick me up tonight at six and we’d get dinner at Ocean Breeze Grill.

I check the time on my phone. Ten past six. His lateness doesn’t help my nerves, but I try to maintain positive energy. Ben could be a guy I really like. Maybe I’ll like him so much that I get over Dan. Ten minutes isn’t terrible. He may be stuck in traffic.

I grab my purse and head downstairs, out to the front porch to wait for Ben. On the way, Mom catches sight of me from the living room where she sits curled up on the couch with Josh, watching a movie.

“You look nice, honey. You’re going out?” she asks.

“Oh, yeah. I made a friend at work. We’re having dinner.” I haven’t mentioned the date to either of them, knowing they’d make a fuss and ask me a million questions. They’d probably want to meet Ben and insist he come inside for a chat. “I’m not sure what time I’ll be back. Don’t wait up for me, okay?”

They both wish me a great night. I head out the front door and sit on the porch swing with my legs jittering as I wait for Ben’s arrival.

Another ten minutes pass, and then another. There’s a pain in my jaw from how hard my teeth are grinding. My skin is prickling with an unpleasant heat. I don’t want to think the worst of Ben, but past traumas resurface, and even after all these years I can’t help but think back to my fourteen-year-old self and Jackson Phillips who kissed me as a joke, or the girls who invited me to the mall and ran off while I was in the changing room.

I gulp down my fear, telling myself Ben doesn’t have any motivation to hurt me. Maybe he’s lost or stuck at the property gates, unable to access the driveway.

Trying to be mature about this, I dial Ben’s number.

A feminine voice answers. “Hello?”

“Ah, hi. Is this Ben’s phone?”

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