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She thought long and hard about adding the kiss this time, but decided it looked ridiculous not to now. She’d have to brazen it out.

His reply came straight back.

Bemelmans?

PS You gave me another kiss.

She decided to ignore the second part of his message.

Yes, I agree Bemelmans. We should order his favorite cocktail. A x

It took longer for Luke to reply this time. Long enough that she was able to shower and change. Long enough that she thought she wasn’t going to get one. Finally her phone buzzed.

I could go a Manhattan.

PS I’m starting to think these kisses are deliberate.

PPS I’ll be back by six.

With a little laugh and an eyeroll, she stuffed her phone into her back pocket and went to clean her teeth. Flirting was fun, it didn’t have to mean anything.

After squeezing out the toothpaste, she made the mistake of looking in the mirror. Oh God. Her face looked like the emoji with the big heart eyes.

This was not good. Not good at all.

Not good upgraded to alarming when she spent the rest of the day shopping for something to wear.

And then to terrifying when, at five minutes to six, her heart performed the mother of all somersaults at the sound of the key in the door and heavy male footsteps in the hallway.

Taking a moment to center herself, she stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror set into the door of her wardrobe. She didn’t usually do make-up. Had she overdone the smoky? Were her eyes now more . . . panda? Did her hair look better or worse stuffed into a twisted knot at the back of her head?

Did the dress she’d chosen, a low cut silky black number decorated with silver stars that flirted just above her knee, say sexy? Or did it say I tried too hard? Or worse, did it say you’ve eaten too many gingerbread cookies? Did the sheer long sleeves subtly show off her new tattoo, or did they emphasize the adhesive film still on it?

At the tap on her door, she startled.

“Just to say I’m back.” Luke’s voice resonated through the woodwork.

“Hi.” She winced at the shrillness of her voice.

“Did you say we have to dress up?”

She looked down at her outfit. “Colin wrote that, yes.” A muttered curse echoed through the door. “But you don’t have to, I guess.” And now she felt like a fool. She’d spent all day getting ready for this. The man she was going to share a drink with, hadn’t given it a moment’s thought.

“Have you dressed up?”

She wanted to rip the damn thing off and shove her leggings back on. “I have a dress on, yes.”

“Okay then.” Another pause. “Did you save any of Colin’s jackets?”

“They won’t fit you.” Colin had been slim, lean. Luke was broader and more muscular.

Another heavy breath. “Give me half an hour.”

“Sure, no rush.” What was another thirty minutes when she’d given over several hours to this date already?

It’s not a date.

She sighed and flopped onto the bed.