Page 28 of Love Rescheduled

And not to toot my own horn, but I had a retirement account and a rainy-day fund, and every month I chose a good cause to donate to. Not only that, but I was working toward adding relationships to my life. I was letting my favorite senior citizens set me up on blind dates. So, there was an interview process, but it was pretty noncontrolled if you asked me. Did I have an exit strategy planned for my upcoming date? Absolutely. However, in this day and age, that was just plain smart.

A knock on the door interrupted my contemplation. It was surprising Josh hadn’t just barged in.

“Yes,” I said, exasperated.

Josh peeked his cute head in. “Dinner’s ready.”

I had wondered what all the banging around was, but I thought it best just to leave Josh to his own devices. The less contact, the better. “You didn’t have to make dinner.”

“What kind of houseguest would I be if I didn’t?”

“The kind that should leave.”

“There you go with your jokes again.” He smirked.

“Josh, this isn’t a joke. You shouldn’t be here.”

“You say that now, but wait until you taste the chicken carbonara I made.”

Ooh. I loved his carbonara. “The creamy kind?”

“Uh-huh.”

I bit my lip.

“Come on. You know you’re hungry and you’re dying to catch up with me.”

“I’m dying for you to leave.”

He rolled his eyes, not falling for it. “I promise, this will be a friendly dinner. We haven’t talked in three years. I want to know what’s going on in your life.”

“Well, let’s see. I have this viral video going around where people make fun of my intimate habits. That about sums up my life right now.”

Josh stepped all the way in and sighed. “Nat, I’m sorry I told that stupid joke. I’m even more sorry I broke my promise to you. It was just, I hadn’t been home in a while and that place always reminds me of you. And the more I thought about you, the angrier I got.”

“So it was a revenge joke.”

“I never wanted revenge. I just wanted you back.”

I rubbed my chest. The man was out to kill me for how much that pricked my heart.

“But we’re not going to talk about that tonight. I just want to sit across the table from you and hear you tell me all about the new and fascinating facts you’ve looked up lately.” That used to be part of our daily routine. As an editor, I was always having to verify information. Along the way, I had learned some pretty interesting things. It just kind of became a hobby to look up weird facts. I used to love to relay any new things I had learned over dinner or anytime we were together.

When I didn’t say anything, Josh added, “I swear to you, I’ll never use you in a routine again.”

“Because of you, everyone thinks I’m a cold and sterile psycho.”

“What the hell do they know?” he spewed, like it wasn’t him who had given the world that impression of me. “Any man would be so lucky to see exactly how warm and tender you are. They would never be able to get enough of you.”

His words made my cheeks burn. I jumped up. “Let’s eat.” Anything but talk about my favorite hour of the day. I could have that with someone else, right? Someone not famous.

Josh’s eyes roved all over my body as I approached him. I knew exactly what he was thinking, but thankfully, he kept it to himself. My heart was already having too many palpitations.

“Nat,” he said softly, “I hope you can forgive me someday. I know how hard it is for you to have people talking about you.”

“I think that’s what hurts the most. You know that better than anyone, yet you used me to get some cheap laughs.”

“I didn’t know you were there or that people would think it was about you.”

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