I look up to find him staring at me, just now realizing my fork is halfway to my mouth, so I gently lay it down on my plate. “Sorry,” I say. “Just working out some executive details.”

He raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t ask.

It’s not the perfect dinner and night under the stars I always imagined, but maybe the bonfire could make for a good first date. That would just mean that the rest of this was part of Diary planning, so it doesn’t count.

When we leave the restaurant, Drew slips his hand into mine and places a quick kiss on my cheek. “How’s that?” he says.

And wow, I know this is all fake, but it feels pretty damn real—the feeling of his hand in mine, the gentleness when he kissed me, the low tone of his voice like we’re sharing some intimate secret, which, I guess we kind of are.

“It’s perfect,” I say.

He smiles. “So, you wanna come back to the shop?”

And it almost feels like a joke that he’s even asking. I mean, he’s gorgeous, and we’re working on creating the perfect romance, even if it isn’t entirely real yet. Why would I want to go home?

I squeeze his hand, a smile on my face as I say, “I’d love to go back to the shop with you.”

And as he calls the rideshare, all I can think is that for the first time in my life, things are actually lining up with the stories I crafted in my head.

Becca, you are NOT going to believe what just happened! Call me when you get a chance!

Delivered

“You did what?”

I roll my eyes. My parents are driving to another house since the last one didn’t work out, and the static is bad enough that I’m forced to repeat myself every couple seconds. My mom’s always been the type of person who needs to get three things done at once, which means the vast majority of my conversations with her lately have been on the road. I can’t say I’m well-educated on real estate or loans or whatever it is exactly that they’re trying to work around right now, but I know they’ve been having trouble securing a house since the costs are so high over there and it’s a “renter’s market” or something.

“I had a job interview at a bookstore,” I say.

“Oh, that’s great, honey!”

I decided it was about time I update my parents—both because I haven’t spoken to them in a few days, and because I want that credit card back. I don’t have to tell them I got turned down for the job already. Actually, I’m hoping if they think my job prospects are positive, they’ll be willing to pitch in for my travel expenses.