She turned to leave when she felt his hand touch her elbow and gently turn her back around.
“Do you have plans tonight?”
Her heart stopped. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Would you like to have dinner?”
“Yes, I would,” she managed to say.
“Great.” He exhaled, sounding relieved. “What time will you get off work?”
“Six o’clock.”
“I’ll meet you at the bakery then.” He smiled, and headed for the line to order his coffee.
“Perfect. See you then.”
She felt a spring in her step as she carried the coffees out into the chilly morning and across the street to the bakery, where she was greeted by the bell ringing above the door and the scrumptious smells of her sister’s morning baking. Had that actually happened? Did she just agree to go on a date with Drew? She felt the smile on her face widen even more. But just as quickly, she tamped down her excitement. It was probably just dinner between two friends who needed to catch up on each other’s lives. Nothing to get excited about.
Mom stood at the counter, cleaning the glass case.
“I have coffee!” Kacey sang before handing her a cup.
Mom breathed in the aroma. “Oh my! It smells divine.”
Dani appeared from the kitchen with a tray of colorful iced cookies. “I was wondering if you got lost.” She set the tray of cookies in the display case.
“There was a line at the Coffee Bean and I ran into Drew.” Kacey gave her a cup.
Dani grinned. “Is that right?”
“And what did Drew have to say?” Mom asked.
Kacey shrugged, trying her best to not make a big deal about it. “He asked me to go to dinner tonight.”
“He asked you out?” Dani pushed on Kacey’s shoulder. “I knew he always had the hots for you!”
“Yeah, right. That’s why he never asked me out. We were only friends, Dani.”
“I think he was too nervous to ask you out,” Mom said.
Kacey shook her head. “Why would he be nervous? We were best friends. He knew me better than anyone.”
“He probably didn’t want to ruin the friendship.”
“Well, we’re just friends now, and that’s fine. It will be fun to go out for dinner and get caught up.”
“But things are different now, Kacey,” Mom said. “You’re not kids anymore.”
“And I’m also going back to Charlotte. He’s made a life here.”
“You never know what might happen,” Dani sang before drifting back toward the kitchen. “Are you going to help me with these cookies, Kacey? Or are you going to stand there and talk about Drew all day?”
Mom shrugged. “She’s the boss.”
“She’s always been bossy,” Kacey joked as she made her way toward the kitchen.
As she set her coffee cup on the counter and turned toward her sister, Kacey found herself wondering if they might be right about Drew and the possibility of rekindling their friendship and maybe even something more.
