Andie turned the volume of the music down further and interrupted me, shifting in her seat to stare pointedly in my direction. ‘Stop spinning out. I get it. It’s a weird situation, I’ll give you that. But I’m sure it’ll be fine. He invited you up to meet him, didn’t he? He obviously wants to meet you, too. And you’re not alone, I got you if you need a buffer.’

‘You have arrived at your destination,’ came the voice from the GPS.

As I slowed the car, Andie followed my gaze out the front windshield. ‘I think this is it. Check the address,’ I said.

While Andie grabbed the slip of paper I’d written the address on and read the house and street numbers, I took in the details of the home in front of us. It was a white two-story house with black trim, a bright red door, and an attached garage. There was a cupola on the roof of the garage that seemed like it would make a good lookout spot. I suddenly wished I could climb up there and see the view of the neighborhood and its lush trees. Maybe I would one day, if everything went well.

Andie waved the paper in front of my face. ‘Hello? Are you going to park? This is definitely it.’

I snapped back to reality, pulling the car into the empty driveway and exhaling a long breath. Andie grabbed my hand and squeezed. ‘I’ll be right by your side. If you want to leave, just blame it on me and say I have to get back for work or something.’ I looked deep into Andie’s eyes, trying to siphon off some of her bravado.

We exited the car and walked up the path that led us through an impressive lawn. Someone had taken great care to evenly mow the grass in distinctive lines and trim the bushes into elaborate shapes. On the right side was a beautiful rock garden that formed a sundial. There was a small wooden rake resting against a planter off to the side that was clearly used to move and shape the rocks that ranged in size from large boulders to tiny pebbles.

‘Someone has a lot of time on their hands. Look at that thing. Laying out the different colored pebbles for the dial must have taken forever!’

‘It’s beautiful,’ I replied, while Andie dragged me up to the front door. She knocked loudly and then pushed the doorbell.

‘Andie! Give them a second to answer.’

Andie held her hands out and shrugged her shoulders. The sound of footsteps coming toward the door startled me. I gulped and pulled my shoulders back straight. I angled my head down slightly to each side, doing a quick smell test. Andie looked at me like I was a freak.

‘What?’ I said in a hushed voice, shrugging. ‘I told you, I was nervous sweating.’