“Bon appétit, Beagchaithnini sneachta,” I say and watch as she eagerly digs in.

I am halfway through my meal when I notice what it was she put on the counter. “What’s this?” I ask, picking up the white envelope.

Brooke glances up from her plate and shrugs. “The gender,” She says simply.

Those two simple words made my heart skip a beat. Did I want to know? No, I do not, if Brooke wants it to be a surprise, then it will be a surprise. Lord knows she deserves her every desire.

I push the envelope back to her. Her eyes light up for a minute before she bashfully ducks her head.

“I’ve made are dinner reservations for seven tonight,” I say casually. Inside, I am trembling. Does she still want to go on a date with me? Last night was great and this morning was fantastic, but her mood could shift with a slight breeze.

“That sounds perfect. Sonia and I are supposed to go for lunch at one.”

My heart sinks. I wanted to spend the day together. Do not push. Baby steps, I tell myself. “That’s great. I must go into the office today anyway. For some reason, people feel the need to talk to their boss every now and then.” I force a smile at my lame joke.

Brooke let out a sort of half-giggle. The room fills with uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, we have nothing to say to each other. No easy conversation or small talk. It makes me worry for tonight. How will we fill two hours of time with conversation when we could not even get through breakfast?

Brooke

The awkward silence raises my arm hair. It was like someone flipped a switch and reality settled back in. Maybe Landon and I just are not compatible. Maybe last night was just a fluke, and we really cannot get along. Sure, we have sexual chemistry, but maybe that is it. What if we are not meant to be? Is it me? Am I not meant for relationships? Am I too damaged for this?

Landon grabs our empty dishes and put them in the sink. “I’m going to go grab a shower and head out. Do you need anything?”

I shook my head.

“All right, then. Hope you have a good lunch.”

Landon leaned in to kiss me, and in my surprise, I jerked my head. This causes his kiss to land awkwardly on my cheek.

“I’m sorry… I… You…startled me…and…”

Landon’s fingers gently grasp my chin, lifting my face. Then his warm soft lips slowly seal on mine. It is a chaste kiss, but still melt my bones like butter.

When the kiss ends, Landon smiles brightly at me. “I’ll be thinking of you today,” he says before he left the room. My heart is doing somersaults.

Glancing at the clock, I saw that it is only nine a.m. Seven seemed forever away. That is when it hit me. Landon is taking me to a fancy French restaurant, with fancy dishes I could not pronounce, and fancy china that would be expensive if I broke, with a bunch of fancy uppity customers wearing their fancy clothes. I think of the elegant little black dress hanging in my closet. Or my rose gold cocktail dress. Perfect for the occasion. If I was not eight months pregnant and fat!