I'm Not Charlotte Lucas(29)

I really wanted this to work. I was not going to roll into my twenty-seventh birthday broken and alone.

The waitress arrived and took our orders, and Andy asked about how work was at the bank. He inquired after Mariah and my parents, and I filled him in on the basics. We were partaking in such a surface-level conversation that I found myself craving the ease and simplicity of sitting on Liam’s couch and talking about breakups. That had felt less strained than this.

Oh no. Now I was measuring again. I shook my head subtly as the waitress delivered our meals, and I twirled a bite of pasta on my fork before slipping it into my mouth. I needed cheese and carbs to fill me with happy thoughts. Because so far, it was looking like Andy and I were slowly fading into has-been territory. I was ninety-seven percent positive this relationship was going nowhere after tonight.

Well, great. Now I was going to have to make a dating profile or something to avoid the land of Single and Alone.

“Have you taken on any new hobbies?” Andy asked after the waitress brought the check.

Hobbies? Really? I swallowed a sigh. This felt more like being questioned by extended family that only saw you once a year and wanted a brief update on everything they’d missed in the last twelve months, something to hold them over for the next twelve.

My gaze sought the door, routing my escape. Andy slid his card into the black billfold and perched it precariously on the edge of the table. “I can split it with you,” I offered, reaching for my purse.

“No. This is on me,” he said, a note of finality to his tone.

I accepted. It was a date, after all. Andy was chivalrous. Arguing was futile.

“So, hobbies?” he pressed.

I pushed my lips together, shaking my head. “Nothing’s really changed much, actually.”

Including how I felt about Andy, apparently.

“I agree,” he said, leaning forward and taking my hand in a firm grip. “I feel the same. Like we never stopped, and here we are meeting up for date night. I think we should make a go of it, Charlie. I think we really could be great.”

Hope shone in his eyes, seeping through our connected hands and pooling in my stomach. Was he right? Had I just missed all the signs because I’d spent the whole evening over-analyzing every single moment?

“I realize we had rough timing, but that was a while ago. I’m not so overwhelmed at work anymore, and you aren’t stressed about where you’re going to live now that you’re all moved in with your parents.”

I tried to hide the cringe, but it was a natural reaction. I might have accepted the practicality of my situation, but it didn’t make it easier to bear that I was a twenty-six-year-old woman living in my parents’ attic.

But either way, Andy made a valid point. He’d only just acquired the dental practice when we’d started dating, and my roommate had informed me that she was thinking about moving back to San Francisco. A few months later, all of our stress and frustration had culminated and clashed. Maybe if we had given ourselves time to form a strong foundation first, we could have weathered the storm of stress hand in hand. But as it stood now . . . well, now we were both sailing steady waters.

The waitress came back for the credit card and walked away. Andy squeezed my fingers, and I felt myself floating, wanting so badly to land, tethered and certain.

“I’m not asking you to marry me,” he said lightly, the smile over his perfect teeth both sweet and reassuring. “Despite all the stress, we had a lot of fun, Charlie. Let’s not stress too much yet. Let’s take things slowly and get to know each other again. We can have fun for now.”

We can have fun for now. When he said it like that, some of the overarching pressure disbanded into the worries of tomorrow. I didn’t want to waste my time, but I also didn’t have to worry right now if we were compatible or if Andy was the man I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. This wasn’t a Jane Austen novel. I had options, and I had time. I could date him, we could have fun, and I could decide for myself if this was the right thing. Later. For now, we’d have fun.

“Okay,” I said quietly.

“What was that?”

Clearing my throat, I forced myself to sound secure. “Okay. Let’s try this.”

Andy’s smile lit up his entire face, and I found my own responding in kind. Maybe this was exactly what I needed.

We left the restaurant hand in hand. It felt nice to have a warm, strong, capable hand holding my own. I drew closer to his side when we walked toward my car, and he paused in front of my Corolla. He pivoted to face me, his sandy hair immaculately swept to the side and his bright smile on full display.

“Thanks for meeting me tonight.”

“I’m glad I ran into you in that parking lot,” I said.

His gaze dipped, and I bit down on my bottom lip. As embarrassed as I was to admit this, I hadn’t kissed a guy since breaking up with Andy . . . way too long ago.

Liam’s lips on my cheek didn’t count.

Andy leaned down, and my heart sped up. Was I going to be rusty?

I didn’t have much time to worry about it. His lips were on mine, warm, soft, and familiar. His hand came around my back and pulled me toward him, deepening the kiss like he was staking his claim. His touch was familiar, like pulling out an old bike and dusting it off. I’d gone for this ride before. So what if it missed the spark? That would come in time.