"Hey, Annie," he said, coming over to sit on the couch after they had kissed a million times. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," I replied. "Jen and I were just going over some of the final details for the benefit."

He scrunched up his nose a little bit. "Do I have to wear a suit to this thing?"

"Of course not," I laughed. "Wear whatever you want."

Jen made a face behind his back that made me think I'd be seeing Matt in a suit no matter what. I hid a smile.

"So what are you guys up to tonight?" I asked, stretching my legs out against the floor. I'd had an early afternoon rehearsal so for once I had a free evening.

"I was gonna make some dinner," Jen said. "Then we were planning to stay in and watch a movie."

"You in?" Matt asked me politely.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw his hand resting lightly on Jen's knee. Something about the casualness, the easiness, of that position made my heart ache a little. Suddenly I had no desire to be in the room with them for a second more.

"I don't think so," I said. "I really want to be off- book for rehearsal tomorrow. I think I'll just shut myself up in my room."

"Are you sure?" Jen asked. "You won't even eat with us?"

"Nah," I said, wondering if I had ever once in my life turned down Jen's amazing cooking. "Save me something?"

"Sure," she said.

I caught her expression and noted that she seemed concerned for me. I shrugged it off and headed to my room. Once there, I lay down on my bed, throwing my hand over my eyes.

What was wrong with me? Since when did I feel jealous of my friends? I was revisited by that same emotion I had when watching Ginny and Josh the day Kiki told us about Vegas. It was strange and I wasn't sure that I liked it.

My mind wandered involuntarily to Nate. I had been missing him this week, in a way that scared me. It was so unlike me to spend so much time thinking about a guy. Then again, it was unlike me to spend so much time with any one guy.

Is that really a bad thing? I wondered. I mean, it wasn't like I wanted to marry him. Would it really be so bad to have a boyfriend? It didn't have to be any huge, serious deal. I thought back to his words our last night in Vegas. We have fun together. Why can't that fun continue in Detroit?

Well, why couldn't it? If he could be understanding about my need to rehea.r.s.e, and to spend time with my friends and Danny, why couldn't I see him sometimes?

That is, if he even wanted to see me. I had been pretty rude to him. Maybe he'd had enough of me. The thought made me feel strangely anxious. Nervous, almost. For some reason I couldn't quite place, I really did not like the idea of Nate being upset with me.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my phone and found him in the contacts. While it rang, I held my breath.

"h.e.l.lo?" he finally said. I felt a rush of relief.

"Hi, Nate," I stammered. "It's uh...it's Annie."

Hearing his voice had done nothing to help with my nerves. What was wrong with me?

"Hey, Annie," he said. His voice wasn't cold, but it wasn't exactly warm, either. It sure didn't sound like he had been dying to hear from me. d.a.m.n. Maybe this had been a mistake.

"How have you been?" I asked.

"Pretty good," he replied. "Work's been busy. How about you? How's the play?"

"Really good," I told him. "I've been really bogged down with it."

"But you're enjoying yourself?" he asked, and there was a definite edge to his voice now.

"It's a really good show," I told him. "I feel really lucky to be a part of it. I hope that you'll be able to come see it."

"I'm sure I will," he said, his voice softer now. "So, what's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you had plans on Friday," I told him, crossing my fingers. "I know it's short notice..."

"I was going to meet some friends for a drink after work," he said, and my heart fell. "But nothing's set in stone..."

"I have this benefit," I said in a rush. "For the theater. A fundraising kind of thing where we honor our donors. It will probably be pretty boring but I wondered if you might want to come with me."

"Wow, you really know how to sell an event, Annie," he said, and I noticed that the slight teasing tone I had become so familiar with was back in his voice. For some reason, it made me feel happy.

"Maybe I should rephrase," I said, laughing a little. "I'm going to this super glamorous, super exciting benefit on Friday and I just happen to have an extra ticket. There will be a ton of really interesting, very cool people there. Including the billionaire David Barker and his glamorous heiress daughter. If you play your cards right, I might just give that ticket to you."

"Oh my G.o.d," he breathed. "Would you really?"

I laughed again, and was pleased to hear his own warm chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Well, now you've sold me," he said. "What time is this thrilling event?"

I told him the details. "Want me to meet you there or pick you up?" he asked.

Hmm, meeting there was definitely the safest option. But if we went together maybe the night wouldn't have to end with the benefit. The thought of having Nate stay over sent a little thrill though me.

"Would you mind picking me up?" I asked casually. "If it's not out of your way, that is."

"Nope, you're directly on the way," he replied. "So I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Perfect," I said, smiling broadly.

"I'm glad you called, Annie," he said, his voice softer.

"I'm glad I did, too," I admitted. "And I'm glad you can come with me."

"I'll see you in a few days," he said.

After I hung up my phone, I stretched out on the bed, feeling much better about things.

I pulled out my script, deciding that I may as well do what I had told Jen and get my lines nailed down. As I opened to the first scene, I caught a whiff of the unmistakable smell of Jen's lasagna.

I cursed under my breath, really wishing that I hadn't told her I wouldn't eat with them.

Chapter Eighteen.

At 6:45 on Friday night, I stood in the middle of my room in nothing but my bra and underwear. I had been staring at my closet for the past five minutes with no clue what to wear. The fifteen minutes before that had been spent trying on various options, all to no avail.

"d.a.m.n," I said loudly.

I pulled out my phone and called Ginny. "What's up?" she asked.

"I have no idea what to wear," I told her. "And Jen is already at the theater setting up. Help me!"

"Okay, relax," Ginny said. "Just take a deep breath."

"Nate is going to be here any minute!" I cried. She clearly didn't understand my plight. "And I have nothing to wear!"

"Nate, eh?" she asked, a smugness in her voice that made me want to slap her.

"Shut up, Ginny," I growled. "Just help me, okay?"

This was not typical behavior for me. I usually had no problem picking my clothes because I generally only bought things that I liked. And it wasn't like I was super worried about impressing the donors or the people at work-I mean, I saw most of them every day. So what was wrong with me now?

Nate, a voice in my head said. You're nervous about seeing him again.

"Okay," Ginny was saying, and I forced myself to concentrate on what she was saying. "What about that black sweater dress you have?"

"Hmm," I replied, rifling through my clothes to find the garment. "Okay, it's here."

"I think if you paired that with grey tights and those black leather boots Jen has...you know, the slouchy, flat-heeled ones?"

I had a mental image of the boots she was talking about. They were perfect, and would look great with this dress.

"You're a lifesaver," I sighed.

"Wear your red blazer over it for some color," she instructed. "And your silver bangles. You'll look great."

"Ginny McKensie," I told her, "you are amazing and my very best friend."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said. "I bet you'll say the same thing to Jen when she asks you why you're in her boots."

"True," I said, grinning. Just then I heard a knock at the door. "s.h.i.t! He's here, gotta go!"

"See you soon," she said, and I hung up.

I pulled the sweater dress on as quickly as I could, careful not to mess up my hair. I had done it in the same soft, braided style that Ginny had recommended in Vegas. At least I wouldn't have to worry about the frizz factor tonight.

I heard Nate knock again.

"Tina!" I bellowed. "Can you get the door?"

There was silence from her bedroom. Awesome. Barefooted, I ran to living room, pulling open the door. Sure enough, Nate was standing there, looking gorgeous in dress pants and a long black wool overcoat.

"Hang on!" I said, before he could even say h.e.l.lo, turning away from the door. "Come on in!" I called over my shoulder as I ran back to my room. I hurriedly pulled on my grey tights, praying I wouldn't run them. Outside the room, I heard Nate coming into the house.

"Sorry," I called out. "Running a little late."

"Take your time," he replied. "I'll just have a little snoop around."

I heard him laugh and I knew he was getting me back for my nosing in his apartment. I better get him out of here quick.

Finishing with my tights, I dashed into Jen's room. Unlike mine, which now looked like a bomb had exploded, Jen's room was neat as a pin. Typical. I pulled open her closet door and saw that all of her shoes were neatly arranged. There were her boots, right in the back.

"Thanks," I muttered, grabbing them. I sat on her bed and pulled them on.

Ginny was a genius. These boots were totally gorgeous, a soft, slouchy black leather. They came up practically to my knees, but the flat heel kept them from looking too s.e.xy. They were the perfect complement to my dress.

Once I had them on and zipped, I ran back into my room to find the jewelry.

"Annie," Nate said. I looked up to find him standing in my doorway. "Relax. We have plenty of time."

The sight of him there, looking so incredibly handsome, only made me feel more fl.u.s.tered.

I caught his eye glancing around my room, at the clothes strewn haphazardly across the bed and dresser. "Uh, sorry about the mess," I muttered.

Nate smiled at me. "Just finish getting ready, okay? Stop worrying."

It would be easier if you weren't standing there staring me, I thought to myself. Nevertheless I dug through my jewelry box until I found the bangles Ginny had recommended. Once I was ready, I grabbed my bottle of rose perfume from the dresser and gave myself a good spritzing. When I was done, I looked up at Nate.

He was still staring at me, but he now had a slight smile on his face. "What?" I asked.

"It smells like you," he replied. "That scent. It smells like you in Vegas."

I blushed a little. This was my favorite perfume, and I had in fact used it in Vegas. It gave me a funny feeling to know that he had remembered it.

"Well," I said, a little awkwardly. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," he said. He held out his hand to me. "Shall we?"

Jen and Kiki had done an amazing job on the benefit. The stage and lobby area of the Springwells had totally been transformed. They had scattered high-top tables around the room and hung paper lanterns from the light rigging. The walls and tables were dotted with framed photos of kids partic.i.p.ating in events or acting on stage. It looked great.

They had allocated most of the budget to hors d'oeuvres and drinks, even setting up a little bar area serving soft drinks and wine. It was the nicest event we had ever had at our little theater, and I could tell that Marilyn was really pleased. The bitter look stuck on Grayson's face throughout the night was a bonus.

An hour in and I was actually enjoying myself, a first for me at a work event. But then again, I didn't usually have my best friends with me at work events. And I definitely didn't usually have Nate.

I was pleased with how well he got along with my friends. The girls seemed totally taken with him, and it gave me a little feeling of pride to know he had their approval. He also seemed to hit it off with Josh, which was a little surprising to me. I would have thought he had more in common with Matt.