Chapter 11
Sam
Plaid shirt, sweater, graphic tee… Nothing seemed like the right attire for going on a date, especially with the owner of a dating service. I put my hands to my eyes, exasperated. I couldn’t even pick the right outfit for a simple date. I needed help.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed the number of my sister, Kristen. She answered on the second ring.
“Hey, are you free to video?”
“Yeah, sure. Let me switch it over.”
The face of my sister popped up on my phone screen. She was five years older, and she’d taken me under her wing when we were growing up.
“So, I’m going on a date—”
Kristen cut me off immediately. “You’re going on a date? Tell me more. Hang on one sec. Let me pop in Mom.”
Great, just what I needed. I knew it’d be fine to tell my sister about the date, but to bring in my mom, who was a busybody and always wanted to know every little thing, was another story. I tried to avoid her, except for holidays. Grandma and Kristen would always tell her the updates in my life anyway.
“What’s this I hear? You’re going on a date? Tell us more,” my mom said, smiling, and I shook my head.
“Well, it’s not an actual date. I joined a dating service, and one thing we’re doing is a practice date.”
“And who’s this lovely lady you’re going on the date with?” Mom asked.
“Well, she’s the new owner. She took over from her father, who was a good guy.”
“You’re going on the date with the owner? That’s a little suspicious,” Kristen said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, pulling out a polo and holding it up to my chest.
Both shook their heads no at the outfit I had put on. “You look like a golfer,” my mom said.
“Okay.” I hung up the shirt again.
“Now, back to this girl. What’s she like?”
“I mean, she’s great. Super easy to talk to, funny… She volunteers. All around, ten out of ten.”
“You’re falling for her, aren’t you?” Kristen asked with a huge smile.
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t falling for Eva… or at least I wasn’t trying to.
“It’s just like in my Hallmark movies,” Mom said.
“What about the black V-neck?” Kristen suggested.
“What V-neck?”
“You know, I think you wore it for Christmas three years ago.”
Honestly, I hadn’t seen it in like three years. “Let me check.”
I put down the phone and went to my drawers to see if it was in there. Sure enough, it wasn’t. Then I remembered my best friend, Danny, had needed to borrow black clothes for a funeral he’d gone to. I guessed he’d never given it back to me.
“No V-neck, but what about this?” I held up a light-blue button-down. It needed to be ironed, but that was easy enough.
“Perfect!” Kristen and Mom said in unison.
“You will look amazing.” Kristen clapped her hands. We had a moment to catch up about how work was going and how my twin nieces were. Then I told them I needed to get showered and iron the shirt. It was time for my official first date.