Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Hartford
There must have been some mistake. I looked at the beautiful black lace dress I’d just uncovered from the clouds of tissue it had been wrapped in. It was the one Joshua had shown me on his phone. I picked up the card that had come with it to read it for a third time.
You’ll look beautiful. I can’t wait to see you in it tonight. Love Joshua
The man had lost it. What was he buying me clothes for?
It wasn’t just the dress—he’d sent shoes too.
And a handbag. Maybe he was afraid I might turn up to dinner in scrubs and embarrass him.
To be fair, it was a distinct possibility.
Maybe he had all his hopes pinned onto this Brian and wanted me to impress him so he could feel less responsibility for me.
That was probably it. For all I knew, he did this with every date.
If so, it was impressive. And a little controlling, especially if he didn’t know the woman.
I grabbed my notebook from my dressing table and scribbled a reminder.
Joshua and I had agreed to give each other feedback on the date and I didn’t want to forget.
I’d tell him that for a girlfriend, this was an amazing thing to do, but for a first date, a little overbearing.
Then again, I could think of a million women who’d be blown away by a guy buying them a dress like this before a date.
My seventeen-year-old self would have exploded at the thought.
It was an hour before Joshua said we had to leave, so I had plenty of time. I set to the task of taming my hair just as my phone buzzed.
I’ll be there in an hour. Can’t wait to see you. xx
A pre-date text? With two kisses? Oh, his charm was in overdrive tonight.
I needed to have a quiet word with my ovaries to let them know Joshua was putting on a show and not to get over-excited.
I’d been fortifying my forcefield all week, and thank God.
Here I was, about to go on a fake date with Joshua, having to remind myself that this situation might have been my teenage dream but it still wasn’t real. When did life get so complicated?
I should reply. I had to take this as seriously as he was.
I typed out, Looking forward to it, Joshua.
I paused. Should I add kisses? That had never been a thing between Joshua and me on our texts. But if he was Brian . . . I’d probably send a kiss if he had, right?
I added two kisses and pressed Send.
I’d been looking forward to a relaxing evening with someone who was turning out to be my best friend. But if he was going to go all charming-loverman-player on me, I’d have to up my game.
In forty-five minutes, I’d managed to wrangle some mascara and blush, and my hair was actually behaving itself for once.
I’d even managed some polish on my toes.
The woman in the mirror looked . . . fine.
Pretty, if understated. Despite standing in only my underwear, I was sweating like I was in the Sahara.
I padded over to the bathroom and ran a flannel under some cold water, then held it against the various parts of my body that felt like they were on fire.
I wasn’t made for dressing up. It wasn’t in my biology.
When I’d cooled down a little, I returned to my bedroom and stared at the dress hanging in the doorway.
It was so beautiful. I bet I’d rip it getting it on.
I went back into the bathroom and washed my hands, determined to make absolutely sure that I didn’t get any marks on it before I left the building.
My hands were shaking as I took the dress from the hanger and unzipped it.
Trying to be as careful as I could, I stepped into the frock and shimmied it over my hips.
At least it fit. I slipped my arms in and reached around the back to the zip.
The fabric felt beautifully soft against my skin and held me in at all the right places.
I stepped into the dressing area to take a look.
Wow. I didn’t look like me. I looked like one of the women I saw passing through the lobby of the hotel. I almost looked like I belonged on Joshua’s arm. At least I wouldn’t embarrass him. Now I just needed to channel the power and confidence of the Rokeby Venus.
I slid on the super-strappy sandals. Just as I reached for my clutch, Joshua knocked on the door.
Excitement bubbled in my stomach—something I’d not felt with either of the two dates Joshua had set me up with so far. Probably because I knew I was going to have a great evening tonight and I didn’t need to worry about impressing a stranger. It took the pressure off.
“Hey,” I said as I opened the door, grinning.
Joshua lifted his chin. “Wow.”
“You like?” I did a little spin. “You have excellent taste.”
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“It took me over an hour to get ready. Can you believe it?”
Joshua laughed. “These are for you.” He handed me a posey of flowers in a square bag with fancy writing on it.
“You’re too much. You didn’t need to get me flowers.” I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the pink and yellow roses and freesias. “They are beautiful though.”
“Your dates should bring you flowers. You’re worth it.”
I tilted my head and gave him my best don’t-be-ridiculous look. “Get out of it.”
“If your date brings you flowers, don’t tell him to ‘get out of it.’ Thank him. Got it?”
“Thank you, Joshua.” I looked at him, a little puzzled. The dress, the texts, and now the flowers? He really was going above and beyond.
“You’re more than welcome. They’re in water so will be fine until you get home.”
I set the flowers down in the hall and shut the door behind me.
“Let’s go.” Joshua held out his hand.
I slid my palm against his and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. “I can’t remember the last time I held a man’s hand other than you.” Tonight, and earlier in the week, when he’d led me to the perfect thirty-eight-degree bath.
“Me neither,” he said.
It didn’t take long to get to the restaurant.
Joshua was a gentleman the entire way, opening doors—though he always did that.
Paying me compliments—again, a common occurrence with Joshua.
He asked about my week, which was par for the course.
As much as he was an excellent fake date, he’d been a real friend to me these months.
Something in my chest tightened at the thought of moving away in just a few weeks’ time. I’d miss him.
We were seated in a small booth at the back of the restaurant. “I’m a little concerned,” I said. “I don’t think most men I date will be this attentive. If the conversation dries up, what do I do?”
“Do whatever comes naturally. Be yourself.” Easy for him to say. Joshua always knew the right thing to say.
I laughed. “You know that’s a bad idea.”
“No,” he said a little more firmly that I would have expected. “It’s not a bad idea. You’re a great person and fun to be around.”
I groaned. “You’re meant to be helping me. That’s the point of being here. I’m not going to learn anything if you just tell me I’m great.” That was the thing about Joshua; when I was with him, he acted like I was the most interesting and funny person he’d ever met. All part of his charm I supposed.
He held my gaze as if he were about to say something, but before he could, a waiter interrupted and Joshua ordered us cocktails. I stayed silent, wanting to hear what he was about to say, but the moment had passed.
“Will a man normally do that? You didn’t ask me what I wanted, but you chose the one on the list I would have picked for myself.”
“That’s because I know you. You can’t expect your dates to be mind-readers. But if you like when I order for you, you can make a point of telling your date what you’d like to have. See what he does when the waitress comes by.”
“True. Brian is going to have a lot to live up to.”
He smiled like I’d just given him the biggest compliment.
“Are you okay?” I asked. He seemed sort of different.
Still the same Joshua I felt comfortable with and loved hanging out with, but somehow a concentrated version.
I wondered if this is what it felt like to be taken out by Joshua—to be his girlfriend.
The dress, the flowers, the compliments—Joshua wasn’t one of those boys who peaked in high school. He got better with age. Damn him.
“Having the time of my life. You?”
The time of his life? He was being sarcastic, right? The fact was, if he asked me the same question, I could answer honestly the exact same way. Being with Joshua had become my new favorite thing to do.
“I got an email from Thea today,” I said. “Are we allowed to be talking like we know each other?”
“You want full-on role play mode?” he asked. “If so, Doctor, I’ve got a terrible ache that needs kissing away. It’s right—”
I put a hand over his mouth, barely containing my laughter. “I think I’d prefer it if we were just us. But . . .” I glanced down at my dress. “I have a spare white coat back at the apartment.” If he was going to do the sexy-flirty thing, I was going to try to give it back.
“Noted—and maybe one of these days, I’ll have you dress up and do me a full body check, but tonight I’d prefer it if we were just us too. What did Thea have to say?”
“Just telling me about the classroom politics at the school she’s working in. And moaning about mum’s interfering. You know, nothing dramatic.”
“I guess interfering is part of the job of being a mother.”
“My mother thinks so. Obviously, I don’t hear from Patrick unless it’s my birthday or Christmas. He’s off doing whatever it is he’s doing in Singapore. How come you two never stayed in touch?”