Page 118 of Alive At Night

Sure, it’s a date.

As soon as the text entered cyberspace, I cringed and began sending a follow-up message.

Well, not a *date* date. Just a planned time and date to meet you at Georgia’s, of course.

JULIAN: Of course.

JULIAN: Our first date isn’t going to be a rushed bakery visit that ends with eight hours in an office. I have better plans than that. For both the date and the after-party.

You do, huh?

JULIAN: Don’t act surprised. You heard me last night.

JULIAN: See you soon, Juni.

See you soon.

Oh, and Julian?

JULIAN: Yes, Juniper?

The flattery is unnecessary. You don’t have to do that.

JULIAN: Oh, it’s necessary. Been holding my tongue for far too long.

This time when I turned my head into the pillow, I screamed.

And then I sprinted to my shower. I had less than an hour to figure out what I would wear, and I would need every minute of it.

I took the daily event of getting dressed very seriously. Working as a woman in a male-dominated field meant that presentation was as important as anything else. A staggering number of people in this world wouldn’t listen to a word out of my mouth unless they liked the lipstick on it.

However, even though I knew I should dress a certain way to be taken seriously, I struggled to do it. Office attire for women—all those pantsuits and sharp blazers—seemed like another way to perpetuate the idea that professionalism was akin to masculinity. But I found that wearing dresses with soft lines did nothing to undermine my credibility as a lawyer. I was still damn good at my job.

Today was more than just dressing for the job, and scouring my closet for the right outfit had never been more important.

A race against the clock later, I walked into Georgia’s wearing one of my favorite long-sleeved wrap dresses beneath my winter coat. Julian, who was already in line, smiled when he spotted me, and I stomped my feet a little on the inside mat to knock the snow and slush off my heeled boots.

Joining him in line, I returned his smile, feeling a little shy. I didn’t know how to do this, how to be around this smiley version of Julian. But luckily, he took the lead, putting a hand on the small of my back and leaning down to murmur about the menu.

“I was thinking we should bring something in to share with our colleagues today. But I wanted your opinion on what would be best. Thoughts?”

He wanted…what?

When all Julian did was continue to give me his pleasant smile despite my confusion, I whispered in his ear. “You hate when I bring in treats.”

Julian shook his head, his smile twisting. “I hate when I have to share your attention,” he corrected. “I think it’s adorable and generous that you like to buy treats for the office. Decide what you want to bring in today, and I’ll get it.”

My mouth opened and closed, unable to process what he was saying.

“Hurry up, love.” Julian gave me a little nudge as we moved closer to the counter. “It’s almost our turn.”

“The turnovers,” I blurted out. “I’ve always wanted to try those.”

“So you’ll have one, too? Right?” Julian asked.

“I—yes.”

“Good. I want it to be something that you like as well.”

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