Chapter 19
“Willow?” Fiona called through the door on Saturday morning, then—without waiting for a reply—stuck her head into Willow’s room. “Hey, Jessie, Ali, and I are going to Suki’s for karaoke tonight. Want to come?”
Getting up onstage with Fiona and her equally outgoing friends was Willow’s personal nightmare, so she was happy to have an excuse. “Sorry, I can’t. I have plans today, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Plans?” Fiona squinted at her. “You never have plans.” Her gaze went to the bed, and her eyes widened as she took in the skirts, sweaters, jeans, tops, and slacks covering every inch of the surface. “Do you have a date?”
“No, it’s n—”
“Oh my God, you have a date!” Fiona screeched. “Why didn’t you tell me? Who is she? Where did you meet? How did she manage to convince you to go out with her? And where are you going?”
Willow threw a blouse at her. “Whoa, calm down! I said it’s not a date. It’s just a practice date.”
“A…what?”
Willow scratched her head. How could she explain that one? “At Barb’s retirement party, Scottie mentioned that she hadn’t been on a date in years, so Barb suggested we do a no-pressure trial run to knock the rust off.”
Fiona stared at her as if Willow had told her she was training for a one-way mission to Mars.
Okay, it sounded ridiculous when you said it out loud.
“Let me get this straight.” Fiona waved the blouse Willow had tossed at her. “The woman you kissed in an elevator and then told ‘never mind, I don’t date’ is looking for someone to trial-date, so naturally, you volunteered.”
“I didn’t volunteer. Barb, uh, challenged us to a planking contest…and we lost.” Not one of her finer moments; Willow had to admit that.
Fiona burst out laughing. “A planking contest? At a retirement party?” She shook her head. “When you moved in, I promised that you wouldn’t get bored anytime soon. Who knew that you would be the one keeping me entertained!”
“Glad to be of service,” Willow mumbled and snatched the blouse away from her sister.
“So…if it’s not a real date, why does your bed look like you’re auditioning for a fashion show?” Fiona pointed at the battlefield that used to be Willow’s bed.
“Because Scottie texted to say I should wear something comfy yet not so over-the-top casual that it would get us kicked out of a restaurant.”
“Right. And you had to dig deep into your closet to find something like that.” Fiona smirked. “Because comfy yet presentable is not your usual style at all.”
Willow opened her mouth, then closed it. Okay, maybe she had gone a bit overboard. “I’m a little nervous, okay? Scottie isn’t the only one who’s rusty.”
“Aww.” Fiona gave her a gentle bump with her shoulder. “Well, maybe you two can knock off some of that rust together.” She made it sound like a double entendre.
Willow gave her a stern look. “I’m quite happy with my layer of rust, thanks. It’s Scottie who wants to start dating again, not me.”
“Right.” Fiona nodded, still grinning in that annoying-big-sister way.
She walked over to the bed, picked up an emerald-green sweater, and held it against Willow’s shoulders.
“This one. It brings out the green in your eyes. Pair it with some skinny jeans and those boots we got when I visited you last fall. They’ll make your legs look like a supermodel’s. ”
Willow pulled the sweater from her sister’s grasp and tossed it back onto the pile. “I don’t care what my eyes or my legs look like. It’s not like I’m trying to impress anyone.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that.” Fiona sauntered to the door. “Have fun at your practice session, Rusty.”
~ ~ ~
Scottie climbed into the driver’s seat and tugged the seat belt across her chest, careful not to wrinkle her corduroy shirt.
Just as she was about to start the engine, her phone rang in her pocket.
Her heartbeat spiked. Maybe it was Willow. Was she calling to back out? She’d had a week to reconsider since Barb’s party.
Quickly, Scottie fished her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen.
It wasn’t Willow. It was Kassidy.
So Willow wasn’t backing out.
Scottie didn’t allow herself to pause and examine how she felt about that. She swiped her thumb across the screen. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Not my Internet,” Kassidy grumbled without preamble or even a hello. “My browser won’t load half the pages.”
“Ah. It’s probably because you set the tracker blocking to maximum security.”
“I have no idea,” Kassidy replied. “Can you come over and fix it? I’ll order that should-be-illegal pizza you like.”
Scottie let out a dramatic gasp. “Illegal? If anything, bad-mouthing Hawaiian pizza should be a crime.” Her mouth watered reflexively. “As tempting as it sounds, I can’t come over. I’m on my way to pick up Willow.”
Silence stretched long enough for Scottie to imagine her friend arching her eyebrows.
“I thought you said you decided to just be friends?” Kassidy finally asked.
“We did,” Scottie said. “We’re not going on a date. I mean, not really.”
“Not really?” Kassidy repeated. “Isn’t dating a little like being pregnant? You either are or you aren’t.”
“I’m not.”
“Pregnant?”
Scottie stared up at the roof of her car. “Going on a date with Willow!”
“Right. That’s why you got a haircut yesterday.”
Scottie ran a hand through her admittedly trimmed hair. “What? Now I can’t get a trim without you suspecting I’m going on a date? My bangs were getting in my eyes; that’s all.”
“Okay,” Kassidy said. “If you’re sure it’s not a date, I believe you.”
Damn. Now Scottie felt as if she was lying to her because she hadn’t told her the full truth.
“Willow and I…we’re meeting up because…” Okay, this was embarrassing to admit, but she forged on.
“Because our colleague Barb overheard me saying that I’m a little rusty when it comes to dating, and she suggested finding a safe person to practice with.
So Willow and I are doing a trial run to knock the rust off. ”
This time, the silence lasted so long that Scottie started to suspect Kassidy had dropped the phone.
“Do you really think Willow is?” Kassidy finally asked, her voice very quiet and serious. “A safe person to practice with, I mean.”
“Of course she is,” Scottie bristled. “She would never judge me for being hopelessly out of the dating loop.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Kassidy said.
“But if Willow had asked you out last month after your adventure in the elevator, instead of reaffirming that she’s not looking for a relationship, you probably would have said yes.
Which means you’re going on a trial date with someone you wanted to go on a real date with.
Sounds like a fantastic idea. What could possibly go wrong? ”
“Nothing will go wrong.” But deep down, Scottie knew Kassidy might have a point. She forced a light laugh. “You make it sound as if I was about to propose to Willow! I accepted that nothing will ever happen between us. We’re friends, and I’m happy with that.”
“Are you sure?” Kassidy asked with an uncharacteristic softness. “This entire thing sounds like you’re staging some elaborate self-sabotage.”
Scottie shook her head even though Kassidy couldn’t see it. “It’s harmless. No need to worry. Listen, I’d better go, or I’ll start my practice date by being late.”
“All right. Talk later.”
Scottie said goodbye and was about to tap the screen to end the conversation when she remembered why her friend had called. “Oh, wait! Go into the browser settings and turn the tracker and ads blocking from strict to standard. The sites should load just fine once you’ve done that.”
“Thanks,” Kassidy replied. “Guess I owe you some of that disgusting pizza after all.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Take care.” Scottie ended the call, dropped the phone onto the passenger seat, and started the car. As she drove toward Willow’s house, Kassidy’s question echoed through her mind: What could possibly go wrong?