Maybe we have no potential at all.

“You are way too quiet,” Sarah says, her words making me startle. “Fess up, Amelia. What’s going on in your head?”

A sigh escapes me and I rest my arms on the table. “I’m scared. Maybe we’re moving too fast.”

“You had one date with him,” Kelsey reminds me. “You were set up at a wedding reception. I wouldn’t call that fast.”

“I know my relationship ended a while ago, but anything with a new guy feels…fast.” I grimace, hating that I’m still thinking about my past relationship, but how can I not? Making comparisons is natural.

They glance at each other before sending me matching sympathetic looks.

“Do you like him?” Sarah asks gently.

“Is he a good kisser?” This question is from Kelsey.

“Yes, and yes.” I nod toward both of them. “But he’s young.”

“How young?” Kelsey asks eagerly.

“Twenty-one.” I wrinkle my nose. “Five years younger. That’s not good, am I right?”

They’re both quiet, though Kelsey slowly forms a grin on her beautiful face.

“Score,” she murmurs, pumping her fist into the air.

I giggle, then snap my lips shut. Is it a score, getting with a younger man? Maybe. Or maybe I just look pathetic and desperate.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Sarah reassures me. “There’s a big age gap between Jared and me, and we make it work.”

“I hate to say this, but it’s a lot more accepted for a man to be older than a woman, not the other way around.” I roll my eyes, despising the words even came from my mouth. “An older woman and a younger man? I’m sure I’ll be called a cougar or whatever.”

“Being five years older doesn’t make you a cougar,” Kelsey says, as if she’s an authority on the definition of cougars.

“Tell that to my parents.” That’s what terrifies me the most. Telling my parents that I’m dating a man who’s only twenty-one. Who works at a tree farm and has no real career aspirations beyond that. I don’t think Isaac knows what he wants to do with his life yet, and that’s okay, at least in my eyes. He’s young.

My parents won’t feel the same way. I should be looking to settle down, according to my mother. Find a man who has a solid, dependable career—that’s my father’s advice. Ever since I hit twenty-five last year, they’ve been hinting at marriage and babies for me. At the time, I thought it was still possible. My relationship was floundering, but I still believed I could save it.

Now I’m alone, and I get this feeling I’m a complete disappointment in their eyes. Or maybe that’s just me feeling like I disappointed myself.

“Are they still on you to find a respectable man and marry him?” Sarah asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Yes.” I nod, frowning. “They’re very—traditional.”

“Well, it’s a modern world, and you’re a modern woman who goes after what you want,” Kelsey says, her voice firm, her eyes blazing with fire. “I am so sick and tired of hearing people tell us what they think we should do, even if they’re family or friends. Co-workers, bosses, whatever. We need to encourage each other, not make demands. We’re all different, right?”