Page 23 of Chasing After Forever

“It’s a brutal commute.”

“What’s your number?” I asked, whipping my cell out of my pocket.

“Here, gimme.” She wiggled her fingers at me, gesturing for my phone, and I slid it over. Typing her number in, she hit ‘send,’ then handed my phone back to me, our fingertips brushing. My fingers tingled at her touch and my breath hitched.

“There you go,” she said, my phone pinging with the message. I glanced down and read it:

Macy: You can still change your mind. Everly’s single.

I shook my head, typing back a response.

Liam: Not interested, thanks.

Macy’s apron vibrated and she dug her phone out, reading my text. A slow smile crept over her lips, even though she tried to hide it. She tapped a message back.

Macy: Fine. One request though. We can go anywhere but the diner or the Rowdy.

I read it, nodding, then typed back.

Liam: Deal. I’ll pick you up at 6.

Macy glanced at the message, then lifted her eyes to mine. “Okay, Liam. It’s a date.”

6

MACY

Honestly, I had no idea what had Liam McCauliffe so interested in me. Sure, I was decent looking, but no one would call me glamorous or sexy, not by any stretch of the imagination. And yeah, I had street smarts and common sense, but I didn’t consider myself particularly smart—I didn’t go to college and the man had a graduate degree in business. What the hell were we going to talk about? I workedallthe time, and I didn’t think I was that much fun, to be honest. Why would someone like him want to go out with someone like me?

Maybe I was a distraction until he could get back to his real life in L.A. It was the only explanation that made any sense.

Except that isn’t what it felt like when he looked at me. No, scratch that—gazedat me—with those clear blue eyes. When our eyes met, the world stopped spinning and I couldn’t even breathe. In a good way, not a “jeans are too tight” kind of way.

Oh my stars—what was I getting myself into? Was I setting myself up for heartbreak?

It’s one date, Macy. Get it together.

I curled my hair, then teased out the soft waves until they fell just right on my shoulders. Smoothing a light pink blush onto the apples of my cheeks, I swiped my lashes with two coats of black mascara, and finished up with a nude lip gloss. I’d selected a black satin shirt with sheer sleeves and my favorite pair of jeans, the ones that hugged my ass just right. I paired my ensemble with strappy black heels, the impractical ones I hardly ever had occasion to wear.

Knock, knock, knock.

I glanced at my watch. Liam was right on time. I had no doubts about that—he seemed like he’d be the punctual type. It also helped that he lived right next door. Didn’t have far to travel.

Taking a deep breath, I eased my door open.

“Wow.” Liam stared at me for a full fifteen seconds, which felt like an eternity before his lips turned up into a smile. “You look—just wow. Stunning.”

I blushed, heat blooming from my chest all the way up to my cheeks. “Thanks. You look pretty damn good yourself.”

He wore an expensive-looking striped dress shirt with jeans, his dark hair perfectly styled. What I didn’t mention out loud was how great he smelled, like the woods after a fresh sprinkling of rain. At the moment, I was torn between sniffing his neck and slamming the door in his face because this whole thing could be a terrible idea.

“You ready to go?” The deep rumble of his voice shocked me back to reality and I took a quick cleansing breath.

I guessed I was doing this.

“Sure.” I grabbed my coat and clutch, locking the apartment behind me.

“How’s your car?” Liam asked as we walked down the stairs to the lot.

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