Chapter 4Emmett suggested we drive separately, since we’d finished the sets and would both be going home afterward. Part of me wanted to object. I would’ve loved to have more conversation with him in the close confines of a car. But I understood his reasoning, and I wanted him to feel comfortable.
I used the ten-minute drive to call my mother.
“Hey, Ma. Do you think you can keep the kids for a few more hours?”
“Of course, dear. They’re a joy. You know that. Is the building not going well?”
She sounded skeptical, and I had to laugh. “No, it’s not that. In fact, we’re done. I’m meeting someone for lunch.”
She made an excited noise. “A date? Oh, Nicholas. Please tell me it’s a date.”
For the past few years, she’s been good-naturedly hounding me to start dating again. She was convinced I
