Driving home, I caught myself grinning.
Jenna immediately called.
“So?”
I laughed.
“You were right.”
“He was wonderful.”
“I knew it.”
We spent nearly an hour discussing every detail.
The flowers.
Dinner.
Conversation.
His kindness.
His manners.
For the first time in years…
I genuinely looked forward to seeing someone again.
The next morning, my phone buzzed just after eight.
A message from Daniel.
I smiled before opening it.
I expected something sweet.
Maybe,
“I had a wonderful time.”
Or,
“I’d love to see you again.”
Instead, I read:
Good morning. I enjoyed last night. I calculated my expenses for the evening, and since relationships should always be equal, I’d appreciate it if you could send me $68.42 for your half of dinner. Flowers were my gift, so I’m not including those. My payment information is below.
I stared at the screen.
Certain I had misunderstood.
I read it again.
Then a third time.
No.
That really was what he’d written.
Confused, I replied carefully.
“I thought you wanted to pay.”
His answer came almost instantly.
“I did.”
“But I also wanted to see how you’d respond.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
