Me: All set for tonight?
Sunshine: You bet. Jake’s picking Rose up in about an hour and won’t be back with her until 10 P.M.
Me: Should be back by then. x
Sunshine: And you promise dinner is casual?
Me: So casual you’ll think less of me.
Sunshine: Not possible. x
Somehow, I had gotten her to agree to let me take her out to dinner before we went to see a movie. It had just happened one day while we were texting—no fanfare, no begging, just a simple agreement. I had been ready to throw in the towel, but she made me promise the dinner would be casual and inexpensive. Of course, I promised, and after that, she agreed.
It had been five days since the summer party. Five days since I’d last seen her. Five days since I’d heard her laugh or seen her smile. Five days since I’d kissed her for
