“I didn’t think it would actually work.” He looked up. “This is her.”
“Wait, seriously?” asked Isabelle, leaning over to peer at the phone. “That’s totally not how I thought it would work. I figured you’d go out with somebody else and run into her somewhere. Not that she’d be, like, hand-delivered to your phone.”
“What are the odds? I mean, it’s not that big a town, I guess, but still.”
“We’ll just say it was your mouth to God’s ear,” said Everett, darting in to kiss Isabelle’s cheek.
“What’s her name?
“Sylvie,” Everett murmured. “Her name is Sylvie.” A sweet name, he thought.
“Well, I call this a sign,” said Isabelle.
“So now what?” asked Brandon. “You can’t just up and say, ‘Hey, I bought your grandmother’s ring and I’ve been trying to find you for two months to return it,’” warned Brandon. “You’d look like a creepy stalker guy.”
“Whether you were originally looking to go out with her or not, Perfect Chemistry matched the two of you,” Isabelle pointed out. “Put the issue of the ring aside for now and just strike up a conversation. Be yourself, and I’m sure she’ll be charmed. I was when I met you.”
“Hey!” said Brandon.
She pressed a smacking kiss to his lips. “You charmed me first. Still, Ev has this whole utterly adorable geek thing going on.”
“Um, thanks,” said Everett. “I think.”
“Trust me. Women love beta heroes. Smart, sensitive, funny. You’ve got this.”
He let out a breath. “I hope you’re right.”
~*~
“I’m not going,” declared Sylvie. She plopped down on her bed in protest and crossed her bunny-slippered feet.
“Do you want to raid my closet? I know I never feel like I have anything to wear when I’m getting ready for a new date,” said Brenna as she dug through Sylvie’s closet. “I’ve got this red dress—”
“It has nothing to do with my clothes. I’m just not going. This whole thing was a mistake. I should never have let you talk me into it.”
“You have to go,” Brenna insisted. “He’s going to be waiting for you at El Charro.”
“So? If he never meets me in the first place, he doesn’t even know who to be mad at.”
“Apart from the fact that that’s totally rude and uncool behavior, you could run into him around town somewhere. We’re not that big a city. And then where will you be?”
“I’ll be where I wanted to be before you dragged me into this mess.”
Brenna turned, a little black dress in hand. “Come on, Syl, you can’t stand the poor guy up on Valentine’s Day. You agreed to this date.”
“No, you agreed to this date for me. And wouldn’t let me back out. Well, I’m backing out now. Who the hell goes for a first date on Valentine’s Day? Nobody, that’s who.”
“First off, you were the one who talked to him in chat for two hours the last three nights running. All I did was give the answer you should have given before you could talk yourself out of it. Second, he admitted he didn’t realize that Friday was Valentine’s and offered to change the time and location to something else.”
“Which you said no to for me,” Sylvie reminded her.
“Because you’d have backed out of that, too. Look, it’s Mexican. Who goes out for Mexican on Valentine’s Day? Nobody serious. I’m telling you, this is a no pressure first date.”
“There is no such thing as a no pressure first date.” Not for her. Not anymore. God, would she ever be able to go out with a guy again without worrying he had ulterior motives or a criminal record?
“Sylvie…” Brenna put down the dress and perched on the bed. “You had a nice conversation with this guy. This is your chance to have a nice meal. Dinner is not a contract, it’s not an engagement. It’s not even a promise of a second date. It’s just dinner. And if he turns out to be a dud, then at least you’ll have gotten your favorite chips and dip.”
“I can get that with you.” She knew she sounded petulant, but that was better than the vague gnawing panic fluttering in her chest.