“That’s okay,” Carly said and chewed on the inside of her lip. “Thank you. I was about to say the same to you. Oh, and I got you these.” From behind her back, Carly produced a bouquet of flowers in a variety of oranges, yellows, and purples. They were gorgeous, and the perfect fall arrangement.

“Wow.” She accepted the flowers and marveled at their beauty. She didn’t receive flowers too often. They made Lauren feel special, knowing that Carly had gone out of her way for her. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Lauren took Carly’s hand and tugged her inside. “And I’m on time,” Carly said triumphantly as she passed.

Lauren smiled to herself. “I noticed that.” She followed behind Carly, taking in how she wore those jeans as if they were tailored to her perfect body. “Among other things,” she murmured quietly.

“What other things?” Carly asked, turning around.

Caught! Lauren hadn’t meant to be overheard. “Oh. I just meant that I’d noticed how thoughtful you were to bring flowers.”

Carly stood a little taller, as if she’d won the spelling bee. It was adorable. She was. “It’s what you do on a first date.”

Rocky, seeing their new guest, lifted his feet and wagged his whole stubby body in Carly’s direction. Lauren gaped because he usually took a moment to warm up to people, but then it was Carly, after all, and she’d never had trouble making friends. “This is my dog, Rocky IV. He wants to sniff you all over and then make snuffling demands of your time.”

Carly plopped right on the floor and held out a gentle hand to him. “Hey there, buddy. You are a little man with a plan, aren’t you? I like your little scrunched face.” Rocky sniffed the outstretched hand several times for good measure and then crawled into Carly’s lap. Lauren shook her head. This dog was no fool.

“Are we friends now?” Carly asked Rocky. His back leg started to kick like a drumstick when Carly found his favorite spot, the one right underneath his collar.

“Should I give you guys some privacy?” Lauren asked.

“No way.” Carly kissed the side of Rocky’s face, which warmed Lauren’s heart, and stood right up. “While Rocky IV is cute, my date is cuter.” She paused. “Was that a dumb thing to say? You make me nervous. Well, dating you does.”

Lauren played that sentence back because she had a hard time believing it. Carly came off as the most self-assured human, comfortable in her own skin and proud of it. “No, you’re not.”