Third Date by Kylie Keene Page A

he asked so I have to address it. “She passed away.”
    “Oh. I’m sorry.” And there’s the pity look.  
    “It was a long time ago.” I bob my straw up and down in my drink, avoiding his gaze. I don’t know why, but even all these years later, I still have a hard time talking about my mom.
    “How old were you?”  
    “Thirteen. It was a car accident.”  
    I’m hoping he’ll read my discomfort and change the subject. Fortunately, he does.
    “So where does your dad work?”
    “He’s retired. He’s getting remarried and moving to Texas.” I feel better now that the mom thing is out there and we’ve moved past it.
    “Good for him. Do you like his future wife?”
    “Yeah. She’s really nice. She’s not retired, but she’s a real estate agent so she can work anywhere. So tell me about your family.”  
    “My mom’s an interior designer. She owns her own business.”  
    An interior designer? Great. Now I’ll have to fix up my apartment. He can’t see it the way it looks now. It’s a complete mess and it’s a hodgepodge of mix-and-match furniture I took from my dad’s house. An interior designer’s nightmare! His mother would probably ban him from dating me if she saw my place.
    “So did your mom help you decorate your apartment here?”
    “No. I did it myself. I’ve always liked art and design and my mom taught me enough over the years that I know what looks good. You can come check out my apartment sometime if you want.”
    He invited me to his place. But for what? Just to see his apartment? Or more than that? Again, I can’t read him, but I’m not getting a flirtatious vibe. Maybe he has a girlfriend back in Omaha. Or maybe he has a rule against dating people at work.
    We order, then are left with awkward silence. We can’t be out of things to say already. I search my mind for an interesting topic. Before I can come up with one, he starts talking again.
    “I know this is supposed to be our mentor thing, but we don’t have to talk about work all night, right?” He laughs. “Or is that mandated in your mentor handbook? That Janice lady seems to take this thing pretty seriously.”
    “No, we don’t have to talk about work.”
    “Good. So what do you like to do outside of work?”
    “I um—I volunteer at the art center.” It’s a total lie. I haven’t been to the art center since a fourth grade field trip. Why did I just say that? Because Grant said he’s into art and design and I’m trying to impress him. But he’s not going to be impressed when he finds out it’s a lie.
      “That sounds interesting.” He raises his brows. “You’re talking about the Walker Art Center, right?”
    “Yeah. You should definitely check it out. It has a great outdoor sculpture garden.”
    “Yes, I’ve been there many times. We should go together sometime. Unless you’re sick of it since you volunteer there.”
    “No, we can go. Whenever you want.” I feel knots forming in my stomach.  
    “You must like art. Do you do any art yourself?”
    “I take pictures.” What a horrible answer. Everyone takes pictures.  
    “Oh, yeah? Have you taken photography classes or did you teach yourself?”
    “I’ve had a few classes.” No I haven’t! Why do I keep lying?
    “What else do you like to do?”
    Tell him something truthful! I yell at myself.  
    “I go to yoga a few times a week.” Finally, a true statement.  
    “I’ve never tried yoga. I’m a runner. Distance runner. I’ve done a few marathons. Do you like to run?”
    “Yeah, I run.” Another lie! Where is this coming from? I hate running. I can’t even do it. I’d probably collapse from exhaustion if I had to run more than a few feet.
    “Maybe you could show me some trails. I hear there’s a lot of them around here.”
    I make a mental note of my growing to-do list.  
    Look up running trails as soon as you get home.  
    Start running.  
    Call the art center and find out how to be a volunteer.  
    Take a photography