I snort out a laugh, which is a refreshing change to my pre-date dread.
Me
You know one date does not automatically equal great-grandchildren, right?
Mimi
Well, no dates definitely doesn’t equal great-grandchildren, so this is a step in the right direction.
Don’t hold your breath. I’ve almost canceled ten times in the last week.
Well, it’s too late now. Cancelling at the last minute would be rude. Go on the date. Have a drink. What’s the worst that could happen?
I could forget how to speak and the whole thing could devolve into an awkward mess?
Well, at least it’s good to know you’ve got your worst-case scenario firmly in place.
Aim high, I always say. I’m running, so I’ll text you later.
Text me when you get home tonight, so I know you’re home safe.
Always. Love you. Kiss Pop for me.
Love you too, girlie.
I stash my phone and take off again, my feet pounding the trail as I push my pace, but I’m interrupted again almost immediately.
“Ems?”
I whip around at the voice and see Jeremy jogging down the path towards me. Fucking great. An awkward morning before what is sure to be an awkward night is exactly what I need right now. I force myself to smile and meet Jeremy’s eyes. Not the easiest thing to do without a desk between us.
“Hey, Jeremy.” He catches up to me and slows his pace to match mine. He looks unfairly good today. A backwards hat covers his dark hair, and his jaw is shadowed in stubble like he didn’t take the time to shave yet this morning. He’s wearing loose athletic shorts, and an old, faded University of Pittsburgh t-shirt stretched tight across his muscular chest. I rarely take the time to actually look at him, but the whole sporty look is really doing it for me, and I get an unwelcome tug of attraction in my belly. Feeling my cheeks heat, I break eye contact and look ahead.
“You run?”
The question takes me by surprise. Me being a runner is a core Emma fact, although I guess since any meaningful conversation I’ve had with Jeremy for the past eight years has been work-related, he might not know this about me.
“Every day, right here.”
“Me too. Why have I never seen you on the trail?”
Somehow, it’s easier to talk to him like this, with my head clear from the run and my eyes fixed on the trail ahead. The only thing is that the wind keeps blowing from his direction, sending the scent of him towards me. It’s a mixture of clean sweat and body wash and the spicy tang of his deodorant and the combination is both distracting and intoxicatingly good.
“I usually run in the evening. I’ve never been much of a morning person.”
“Six-thirty in the morning is really early for not a morning person. Why are you out so early today?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I mumble, feeling regretful all over again about the date.
“Something on your mind?”
“I have a date tonight,” I blurt out and immediately regret it. Stupid, clear, filterless brain. I immediately force my thoughts away from the reason why I don’t want Jeremy to know I have a date tonight, telling myself it’s just because it probably won’t work out and I don’t want to be embarrassed about it. Not for any other reason. Definitely not. I groan inwardly.
“You have a date?” His voice is low and a little growly. I sneak a glance at him and his eyes are stormy, a muscle ticking in his jaw. I don’t know what it is about this morning, and it’s out of character for me, but I can’t resist needling him a little bit.
“I do. Met him at a fundraiser I was at for a client. Asked me out on the dance floor. He’s a lawyer too. Corporate. Really good looking.”
“You don’t say,” Jeremy mutters. “And what is this corporate lawyer’s name?”
