Page 85 of Mr. Wrong Number

“Now who has the big head?”

I was torn between giggling hysterically and crying a little asI watched him put in his AirPods, fiddle with his running watch, and then leave the apartment like it was normal and he’d be returning later.

Had we really just decided to do the thing?

What the hell?

Five minutes later, as I was still freaking out, Colin texted me.

Colin:Three things: 1. Don’t freak out. 2. Send me a pic. 3. Can I take you to dinner tonight?

I smiled in spite of myself and texted:1. I’m not 2. Perhaps later 3. Depends. Where are you going to take me?

His response was immediate.Name the place, Marshall.

I’d barely gone out at all since moving back, so I had no idea what a good dinner-date restaurant would be. I remembered Dana telling me that she and Will got a $150 gift card to Fleming’s and it didn’t even cover their dinner, so I shot for the moon.

Me:Fleming’s.

I expected him to balk or redirect me to the bar and grill down the block from our building, but he just responded with:

Oh, I see—it’s like that. I’ll pick you up at 6.

I laughed at his response and set my phone down on the counter. That seemed a little early for someone like Colin; he seemed like a dinner-at-eight kind of guy.

Just as I thought that, my phone buzzed again.

Colin:You still eat early, right?

I set my phone down again and gnawed on the inside of my lip. He remembered from when I lived with him that I ate early? Perhaps I’d underestimated him.

17

Olivia

I wasn’t proud of it, but I pounded three glasses of wine while I waited for Colin to arrive.

I just needed to calm my nerves, which was weird in and of itself.

Because I was completely relaxed around Colin; I was used to being with him. But I just didn’t know if Date Colin was going to be different from Regular Colin. I’d known him for a large portion of my life, but this was uncharted territory.

The wine worked, though, and I was relaxed for the most part when I heard his knock and opened the door.

“Hi,” I breathed, incapable of more than a single syllable because Colin looked so good. Like, not just his usual handsomeness, but he lookedcool.He had on slim black pants and a bomber jacket, the opposite of his usual work attire.

And he was wearing his glasses.

I sort of wanted to call off the date and just stay home. In my bedroom.

“Wow,” Colin said, looking me up and down and making my skin feel hot. “You look really nice, Livvie.”

I’d borrowed an off-the-shoulder red cashmere sweater from Dana, along with a black skirt and a pair of suede ankle boots that were to die for. Her clothes made me feel put-together and beautiful and I never wanted to give them back.

“So do you.” I looked at his belt buckle and said, “Your abs don’t look too terrible in that shirt.”

“But still disgusting, right?”

I grabbed my purse and coat from the counter. “I think I’ve made my stance clear.”

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