24
Silence descended upon the car again after my question. I instantly regretted it; he’d probably forgotten it. Just as I wondered if I should apologize for my impulsive question, Peter spoke, Not entirely.”
I looked up sharply. He added, “I did that because you’re my blind date, and my future girlfriend.” All I could think about was he didn’t deny that we were childhood friends.“So, you’re Caffrey, that little boy?”
“Mm–hmm.”
His expression remained impassive, only the tightening of his grip on the armrest betraying his inner turmoil. My eyes lit up.“When did you recognize me?”
His dark eyes met mine; his Adam’s apple bobbed.“The moment I saw you.”
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?”
He paused.“Because you were Ethan’s girlfriend.”
It was midnight. I lay awake, Peter’s words echoing in my mind.
“Natalie, I regret not telling you about it earlier.”
“Natalie, will you please give me a chance?”
I hadn’t expected such words from someone so outwardly cold. I buried my head in the pillow, but his words lingered. I gave up and tossed the pillow aside.
My phone buzzed. It was Summer.
“Natalie, this is huge!” she exclaimed. “You knew each other as kids? This is straight out of a romance novel! Tell me everything!”
past few days. her what had happened the relief. I told confidante was a Having a Summer seethed. “Ethan just keeps proving he’s a jerk! Shit! He looks so gentle, but he’s a monster on the inside! You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Thank goodness you didn’t marry him; he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing!” She ranted about Ethan for half an hour, then shifted to Peter.
“Mr. Caffrey, on the other hand, is pretty good.”
“Natalie, what do you
think?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know. There’s so much to consider.”
Summer tried to reassure me.“Take it easy. It’s just dating, nothing else. Not every relationship leads to marriage. Dating is for fun. If you’re not happy, walk away. It’s that easy.”
“And your mom won’t nag you anymore if you go out with him.”
“With Mr. Caffrey’s personality,
if even
you
don’t
like him, he won’t
pester you.”
“A friend of mine knows him. I discreetly checked. He’s been single his entire life; no girlfriends, no scandals.”
Summer became a matchmaker, pulling out all the stops.
After the call, I got out of bed, opening the drawer. A navy blue handkerchief lay in a gift box. I stared at it, wondering if I should listen to Summer…
Dating Peter sounded good, right?
