Page 24 of About Time You Noticed

WHEN EDWARD RETURNED Sarah to her granny flat, the car cabin remained quiet as the tires crunched over the gravel driveway. Mom and Dad's curtains flicked back as they passed the main house. Had Edward noticed?

Edward parked next to her old pickup, letting the engine idle. He placed an arm over the steering wheel. "Thanks for a lovely evening." His voice sounded all chipper, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Oh, fine. He sat like he had no intention of opening her door or walking her to the porch.

"Thanks for paying for the meal." She unlatched her seatbelt.

"Anytime."

Anytime? She fiddled with her necklace. Did he mean there would be a second date in the future? A third or more?

"Okay. Well—" Sarah pulled on the car's door handle and paused.

"I'll give you a call sometime." His smile seemed more genuine this time.

"That'll be nice. Enjoy the rest of your weekend." She didn't know how to end the awkwardness. No doubt Edward acted withdrawn because of Damien. The night hadn't gone according to plan. "Goodnight, then."

"Sleep tight." He winked.

She let go of a small laugh and relaxed. Here she was—stressing over one date, expecting it to mark the beginning of a lasting relationship. She'd gotten ahead of herself.

Sarah stepped out of the car and closed the door behind her. First thing first. She would call Emily and tell her what a flop the night had turned out to be.

Once inside her house, she kicked her shoes into the wardrobe and wriggled out of the annoying pantyhose. She rolled her eyes at the sight of her stained legs. Free falling onto her queen-sized bed, she reached for her cell, clicked on favorite contacts, and put the phone on loudspeaker.

Emily answered on the fourth ring. "Wow, you’re calling early. Is this a bad sign?" Her tone held concern.

"I'm not sure. I don't date, remember. Should I be worried?"

"How did the night go?"

"Fine. Until Damien and Tommy came to our table and interrupted."

"No. Tell me they didn't. How cheeky."

"Tommy didn't say a word.” She rolled onto her belly. “But Damien asked me out on a date. Can you believe it? In front of Edward."

"Oh my gosh. What did you do?"

"Edward said to go for it."

"Oh, no. This is terrible. He gave up, just like that?"

"What else was he supposed to say?” She plucked lint from her pillowcase. “It's not like I'm his girlfriend yet. Do you think he's playing it cool, or is he simply not interested?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there. What happened next?"

" General chit-chat. As soon as Edward finished his dinner, he said he had band practice at his church in the morning and needed an early night."

"What about when he dropped you home? Did he kiss you goodnight?"

"No. He didn't even walk me to the door."

Emily groaned. "Oh. Not good."

"I thought so.” She propped herself on her elbows. “I'm going to kill Tommy. He shouldn't have let Damien come over. Damien could’ve asked for my number from Tom. This whole thing could have been avoided."

"Do you see yourself dating Damien?"

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