I wasn’t ready to answer Joseph yet. “Give some time?” “More time?” he said unhappily. “It’s only one date, not a marriage.” “I know, but…” I couldn’t tell him the root of my hesitation because I didn’t quite understand it myself. He’d only asked me for one date and promised we’d have a great time. It was zero commitment, just to see if we were as compatible as he thought. There really was no reason to decline. Especially since Asher might start dating again soon too. What was the worst that could happen? Yet I still couldn’t force the words past my teeth. “Fine,” he said. “It’s not like I have anything planned yet anyway. But don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook forever, Cynthia.” After brief goodbyes with Joseph, I shuffled my feet toward Asher’s room. I definitely