Reunion in October (The Calendar Girls Book 2) by Gina Ardito

more like Michael. Except more dependable.
    Maybe I just needed a golden retriever. The last thing I needed was a man. Suddenly, I had two. Two too many.
    Stepping out of Josh’s embrace, I strode toward his car. “We should go.”
    “Let’s do it,” he said and followed behind me.
    When we arrived at the restaurant, the hostess greeted us with a glittery smile. “Josh!”
    Correction: the hostess greeted my date . Good God, the petite blonde looked more like a cheerleader than a restaurant employee. She probably wasn’t even old enough to be served alcohol. I had a sudden vision of me drinking my first legal beer at Bo’s Bar the same night this little pixie was born.
    Josh, all smiles and liquid charm, didn’t seem to share my confusion. In fact, he leaned in to place a chaste peck on the girl’s cheek. “Hey, Kerri, how ya doin’? You’ve got a reservation for me.”
    Me. Not us. Strike two, for those keeping score.
    Kerri, the twelve-year-old, showed us to a table near the windows overlooking the ocean. Beyond a wide expanse of sand, white curls frosted the gray-blue water. Moonlight glinted like silver sequins. Clearly, Kerri wanted to impress us with the best seat in the house. Correction: wanted to impress him . Not me.
    Josh hurried over to pull out my chair, which, I admit, was sweet. Like something he’d do for his granny. I only hoped my bones didn’t creak as I sat.
    The inanity of this situation struck me with the force of a jackhammer. What on earth was I doing with this man-child? I’d made a huge mistake. Part of me wanted to run, but my empathetic side advised that I make the best of this situation so as not to embarrass Josh.
    Just get through the next two hours, say thank you and goodnight. No kiss. Easy.
    I was an E.R. doc, for God’s sake, used to keeping a calm head in pressure circumstances. Surviving a dinner should be a piece of cake, no pun intended.
    “Sorry about that,” Josh said as he took his seat across from me. “Kerri’s good friends with my baby sister. She’s a cute kid. Her uncle is the sous chef here.”
    “I think she has a crush on you.” I pointed out the obvious, keeping my tone bland.
    To his credit, he didn’t try to deny it. He simply shrugged and offered a self-deprecating smile. “Yeah, I know. Me, the kid who sits behind her in trigonometry, and the lead singer of that lame boy band with the goofy haircuts. But it doesn’t matter. By this time next year, she’ll have moved on to the latest teen movie or television star. The kid from trig class, the lead singer, and I will all be tucked into her hall of shame, only to be mentioned in nostalgic moments and followed by loud squeals of ‘Ewwww! I can’t believe I liked him .’”
    Placing my napkin on my lap, I laughed at his high-pitched imitation of a girl’s embarrassed shriek. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Nearly twenty years later, I still have a crush on Mark-Paul Gosselaar.”
    He reached across the table and clasped my hand. “And I still have a crush on you. But we’re exceptions to the rule, I think.”
    Heat flooded my face, and my E.R. persona wilted. Luckily, a busboy appeared with two glasses of ice water. I seized the opportunity to unhook myself from Josh’s warm hold. Once I was free, I sipped the cold beverage until my emotions refroze.
    Josh let his hand rest on the table, I guess in case I decided to reestablish contact once I’d drained the local reservoir. “You managed to catch some Zs this afternoon?”
    I nodded and swallowed, placing the empty glass beside my bread plate. “Yes, thanks. I know you sent the workmen home early, and I hope you don’t get into trouble for that.”
    “Hey, I’m the boss. I don’t get into trouble.” He waved in dismissal, then took my hand again and kissed my fingertips. “Besides, it was the least I could do for my lady.”
    Whoa. Now I was his lady? How soon before I became his “ old lady”?  Time to get this night back on