Date Night (Wish Come True Book 1) by R.C. Matthews Page B

planned to live well into my
nineties and have the funds to do just that.”
    I sat back in my chair and ran both
my hands through my hair in defeat. I could feel the threatening sting of tears
in my eyes and forced myself to breathe deeply to calm my racing heart. Did she
have any idea how much this generous gift meant to me? Words could not express
the range of my emotions. So I kept it simple.
    “Thank you, Grannie,” I whispered and
buried my face in my hands.
    “It’s important to me that you know
how very proud we all are of you JT.” She rested her hand gently on my
shoulder. “Your mother and father included. Raising your thirteen-year-old
brother, when you were arguably a child still yourself, well, that was both a
blessing and a burden. I confess I didn’t understand your parents’ decision to
grant you legal custody of your brother, but having watched you in the past
five years, I can see the wisdom in their choice. You’re a strong, intelligent,
patient and caring young man. Pretty cute too. But stubborn as a bull.”
    She knew me well. I stood up to offer
her my hand and then enfolded her in a bear hug. “I’m going to miss you so
much, Grannie.”
                                                   

Chapter Seven
Self Reflection
     
    Jordan
    “Two chai tea lattes for the
beautiful ladies.” the young man behind the counter called out while flashing
me his killer smile, the one clearly meant to let me know he was interested. 
    Or maybe it was the phone number he’d
written on the side of the cup that clued me in.  Either way, the guy
definitely looked like jail bait; I guessed him to be in high school. I thanked
him politely and handed one of the cups to my best friend before weaving my way
through the tables to the corner booth overlooking the crowded street where a
couple was just getting up to leave. Perfect timing. The cafe was a favorite
hot spot with its trendy music and contemporary décor so finding a prime seat
was difficult.
    I had been going crazy thinking about
JT and our messed up situation over the past few days and jumped at the
invitation from my best friend Leah to go shopping for the afternoon. Anything
to take my mind off JT. After hours of trying on clothes and browsing through
shops it was time to take a break and enjoy a drink and gossip. I couldn’t wait
to hear about Leah’s recent family vacation. Leah settled onto the bench seat
and brushed her rich auburn hair out of her hazel green eyes. She leaned in and
rested her forearms on the table, getting comfortable.
    “I’m so glad we finally got back from
our vacation. I’ve been dying to get you alone. Well? Come on. Dish about the
blind dates. How’s it been going? I still can’t believe your grandmother came
up with this whole scheme. And that you agreed to it. I’m so jealous.”
    I inhaled the rich cinnamon scent of
my latte and let the warm liquid ease down my throat. A grin lifted the corner
of my mouth as I contemplated her question. Entertaining? Catastrophic?
Depressing? Oh, where did I start? So much had happened in the past few weeks
while she had been gone. How did I tell Leah that the blind dates weren’t
really the highlight?
    “Honestly?”
    She nodded her head vigorously with a
face splitting grin, barely able to contain her excitement. If she was a dog,
her tail would surely have been thumping against the seat. I felt bad that I
was about to crush all of Leah’s hopes.
    “Epic fail.” I said, burying my face
in my hands for a moment before exhaling sharply. “It’s worse than my worst
nightmare.”
    The transition from enthusiastic
voyeur to crestfallen puppy eyes was enough to set me off into a fit of
giggles. I could hardly blame her for being disappointed. What girl doesn’t
dream of being swept off her feet on a first date? Only this was going to be a
thousand times better because it would be happening twice a week. My choice of
so many men.
    A