“Don’t you think it’s weird Joel invited Alistair, too?” I ask Ruth.
She tilts her chin down, blinks in the mirror a few times, and applies the mascara Joel bought for her on their last date. “It’s never awkward to invite mutual connections,” she answers, although her full concentration is on her eyelash. “They at least know each other.”
Ruth doesn’t know how well they know each other, and that makes me uneasy if not a teensy bit guilty. Joel hasn’t told her who he is, seeing how indifferent and carefree she was letting me near him.
She flips the mascara wand to her other eyelash. “You have no idea how excited I’m for this,” she says. Although her voice is humdrum and focused now, I could sense her excitement paired with nervous vibes. “It’s a coincidence, isn’t it? Both of us found boy
