She steals a fry off Jack’s plate, contemplating my question. “Long history?”

“We went to high school together. We weren’t friends. Only recently have we become amicable.”

“I don’t understand what the problem is. She’s agreeing to help you.”

“We talked for a month without knowing who was on the other side. I started to re—”

“You didn’t know it was her?!” Jo squeals excitedly, almost tumbling off Jack’s lap. He squeezes her hip to keep her in place, fingers dipping under her shirt.

“Nope. We used an app that didn’t show our real names or numbers.”

“Stop it! You’re making me want to write a book. Let me guess. You’ve really liked talking to her. You were surprised when you finally met in person, shocked and confused by the sight of her, and now you don’t know how to proceed or what to do yet you still want to see her again.”

I gape at her. “How did you… What the hell?!”

“She reads a lot of romance novels,” Jack offers, unfazed by her ability to figure all of this out so quickly.

“Okay, yes, to all of the above. What the fuck should I do?”

“You go to the party with her. You have a good time, then see what happens. If she’s still willing to go after finding out it was you, I’d say it’s a good sign.”

“What do you mean?”

“You mentioned knowing each other for a while. She clearly doesn’t dislike you. Maybe she feels similarly and hasn’t voiced it yet. Maybe she’s also excited to find out it was you.”

“Huh. I never considered a world where she, as Emma, could like me, as Henry. What should I do going forward?”

“Act like you would normally act.”

“He normally wouldn’t talk to a woman after a night with her,” Jack offers.

“Stop berating him.” Jo nudges his shoulder before returning her attention back to me. “Henry, enjoy her company, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Women,” I mutter, shaking my head. “How do they do it?”

“You’ve got me,” Jack responds, moving the hair away from Jo’s shoulder and kissing the top of her arm. “She’s right, though. Things can’t get any worse. Might as well have a good time.”

“Is it normal for my heart to beat so fast when I talk to her? Or check my phone constantly to see if she’s responded to my messages? I mean, I look forward to hearing from you guys, so it can’t be that different, right? We didn’t talk for a few days after we met up, and I almost lost my mind wanting to know how she was doing.”