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  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he said, “So does this mean you want to go out again some time?”

  Relief flooded through Gemma and she smiled. “I’d love to.” But then she remembered the scene at the movie theater. “But what about Christine?” she blurted.

  “How do you know about Christine?” he asked, surprised.

  Crap. How could she have opened her big fat mouth and let that slip out? Seeing no way out, Gemma steeled herself and decided she should just keep telling the truth. “I ... I sort of ... well ... saw you two at the movies.”

  Now Drew was the one who looked embarrassed. “Christine is cool but I don’t think I’m interested in her like that. And,” he added, “I already told her. In person.” He gave Gemma a pointed look.

  “Okay, I hear what you’re saying,” Gemma said. “That was a stupid way to handle things. I promise, I’ll be more up-front and direct from now on.”

  The dogs began yipping at one another. When they were finished with their doggie debate, they continued their hunt for the perfect tree, with Drew and Gemma close behind.

  “So do you want to go to the movies this weekend?” Drew asked.

  The unfortunate image of Drew and Christine making out flashed through Gemma’s head. “I think I’ve had enough of movie theaters,” she said. “You can come over to my house and we can rent something.”

  “Even better,” he agreed. He leaned over and kissed her. A spark shot through her entire body. As Drew wrapped his arms around her, Gemma felt as if outside forces were pulling them closer and closer. After what seemed like hours, Drew broke the kiss and laughed.

  Gemma flushed, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Had she been a terrible kisser?

  Drew noticed her nervous expression and smiled. “Look down,” he said.

  Gemma did and saw their dogs’ leashes wrapped around both her and Drew’s legs. So much for a magical outside force pulling them together. Unable to untangle themselves, Drew took the opportunity to kiss her again, but this time much more deeply and much more intensely.

  They finally pulled apart, and gazed into each other’s eyes. Gemma felt warmth flood her body. This felt good. This felt right.

  The dogs started barking furiously again.

  “Thanks for your help, guys,” Drew said to the dogs. Then he turned his attention back to Gemma. “If this is the only way I can keep you from running from me again, I’ll take it.”

  “You have nothing to worry about,” Gemma told him. And she meant it.

  The End

  You Chose Dan

  Chapter 4

  Coffee and Chocolate

  “Yay!” Maria cheered. “You’re choosing Dan, the artsy guy.”

  “I know. I can’t believe it myself,” Gemma said, suddenly nervous. “He’s going to be so different from me, and from the other guys I’ve dated.” She turned to look at Maria. “But that’s a good thing, right?”

  “Of course it is,” Maria assured her. “Don’t you want to broaden your horizons and experience something completely outside your normal existence?”

  Gemma raised an eyebrow. “Have you been dipping into your dad’s special cabinet again?” Then she turned back to her computer. “Think I should e-mail him now?”

  “Yup.”

  “What should I say?” Gemma was horrible at making initial contact. She never approached guys; she always waited until they came after her. That was one of the more exciting things about this whole boy shopping idea—for once she was the one in control. She didn’t have to wait for someone to pick her. But it’s what also made it intimidating.

  Maria, on the other hand, was an expert at it. It was she who approached Manny first and they’d been inseparable ever since. The closest Gemma ever came to approaching someone was with Nick—and even then she flirted back and forth until he made the first move. Look where that got her. Maybe she was ready to do this.

  But before Gemma could begin her e-mail, Maria nudged her off the chair. “Here. This is what you put.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard.

  Hi, Dan.

  My name is Gemma and the computer seems to think we’d be compatible. I’d like to find out if it’s true! I’m five foot seven and play basketball for the school team, but I like the finer things in life, too. If you’d like to find out more, and see my photo, go to my profile by following the link.

  TTYL

  Gemma

  “You are a genius!” Gemma exclaimed. “That’s perfect.” She reread the e-mail. “And doesn’t sound too desperate.” She hit send.

  Maria patted herself on the back. “Do I know you or what?” She flopped back down onto Gemma’s bed.

  “One question,” Gemma said. “What are these ‘finer’ things that I’m so into?”

  “If this Dan is fine, you’d be into him!”

  Gemma laughed. “You have a one-track mind, Maria.”

  Two hours later the girls returned to Gemma’s room, sopping wet. They’d spent the afternoon in the pool so that Gemma could burn off her nervous energy. Gemma had just been too ansty to sit around waiting to see if Dan would write back, and Maria wanted to work on her tan. As soon as Gemma opened her bedroom door, LeBron jumped off the bed and into his corner.

  “That dog thinks he’s so slick,” Maria said, laughing as she dried off. “Like you don’t know he lies all over your bed, funking it up.”

  “Leave my LeBron alone. My dog is not stinky.”

  “I’ll leave him alone solely because your dog is the only male that has actually seen your bed.”

  “Hey!” Gemma cried. But before she could get any more worked up, a beep from her computer interrupted—the beep that indicated she had new e-mail.

  Both girls rushed to the computer and started to read:

  Hi Gemma. Glad U e-mailed. You sound like a terrific person and I would love to meet you. How about we meet at the coffeehouse on Nicholson street in an hour. If this is okay, here is my number. Call me and we can set things up.

  “What should I do?” Gemma asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  Maria didn’t answer. Instead she sat in front of the computer and typed I’d love to, and hit send. “There,” she declared. “That’s what you do.” Then she grabbed the phone and started dialing.

  “What are you doing?” Gemma asked, her panic rising.

  “Trying to get this thing going. Your mother is on your case already about that ‘beach shindig.’ ” Maria made air quotes and smirked. “I’m going to get on your case about it too, since I do not want to go to that party without you. So hopefully Dan will be the perfect guy to bring!” She held the phone to her ear and whispered, “It’s ringing.”

  Gemma felt her heart stop in midbeat. Quickly, she grabbed the phone from Maria.

  “Hello?” a voice answered.

  For a brief second, Gemma considered hanging up but she couldn’t get her hand to cooperate. It was like her entire body was in a catatonic state. She cleared her throat. Ugh. That was an unattractive sound.

  “Is someone there?” the voice asked.

  “Is this Dan?” she blurted.

  “Hey, is this Gemma?” he asked, his voice warm and sounding pleased. He pronounced her name with a hard G but she was too flustered to correct him. At least he sounded happy to hear from her.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I-I got your e-mail.”

  “Great,” he said. “So does this mean that you’d be up for grabbing some coffee later?”

  Gemma smiled and made an OK sign with her fingers to Maria. Maria gave her a thumbs-up. “Coffee sounds great.”

  “Does he sound cute?” Maria whispered.

  Gemma shooed her friend away so she could hear the rest of the details.

  As soon as she hung up, she and Maria took one look at each other and started screaming. LeBron, who had been sleeping, jumped up, watched the hysteria for a few seconds and then plopped back down onto his spot.

  “We only have an hour,” Gemma said. “We have to ge
t to work on finding me an outfit!”

  Four outfits and one very messy room later, they had decided on a pair of capris, a halter, and a shrug. Gemma studied herself in the full-length mirror. “Does this look artsy enough?”

  Maria shrugged. “What does artsy look like?”

  “I don’t know, I thought you knew.”

  “You look fine, chica,” Maria said and shooed her best friend out the door. “Now go get us a date for the beach party.”

  Gemma thought the coffee shop was the perfect place to meet. It was public, and they could talk, unlike sitting side-by-side silently in a movie theater. And it was only a few minutes from her house so if she didn’t like him she could make a quick getaway. Stop being so negative, she scolded herself. That’s the old anti-date Gemma. Today you are the positive, dating-is-fun Gemma.

  She arrived at the trendy coffeehouse and peeked through the glass doors searching for guys sitting alone. Dan’s picture was so abstract, she didn’t think she’d recognize him unless he had two eyes on one side of his face. She hoped he’d recognize her.

  She spotted just one guy by himself, but his head was buried in a book so she couldn’t see his face. When the waitress came over to his table, he finally looked up. Gemma stumbled backward and stepped on the foot of a girl on her way into the coffeehouse.

  “Sorry,” Gemma said.

  The girl glared at her. “In or out?” she demanded.

  Gemma moved out of the girl’s way and let her slip inside. The door swung closed again. Gemma took another peek at the guy alone.

  No way, she thought. That guy looked like Frankenstein’s cousin. What should she do? After hyperventilating for the next few seconds, she decided to go in and get it over with. She’d be polite, make it through the next few minutes with Quasimodo in there, come up with an excuse, then leave.

  She took a deep breath and pulled the glass door open. It swung open wider than she expected and she bumped into someone behind her. This time her purse flew from her hands and landed on the asphalt. The contents scattered everywhere.

  “Sorry,” a tall, brown-skinned guy with amazing chocolate brown eyes said.

  “N-no-no. My fault,” Gemma said. “Completely.”

  Gemma noticed he had one of those little clefts right in the center of his chin. Taking quick inventory she also saw that he was dressed impeccably, with creaseless khakis and a pink polo shirt. His hair was in dreads and hung to his shoulders. Why couldn’t he be the guy she was supposed to meet? This guy was definitely much hotter than her date inside.

  As she scrambled to pick up her rolling tube of mascara, the hottie squatted down on the ground next to her and began helping her retrieve the items. Thank goodness it wasn’t that time of the month, she thought.

  The guy kept staring at her as he loaded her purse with coins, tissues, and her cell phone. “Are you Gemma?” he asked, mispronouncing her name again.

  Gemma sat back on her heels. “Dan?”

  He smiled broadly, revealing even white teeth and a dimple. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too.” Gemma could not stop grinning. What a relief! “Oh, and it’s Gemma by the way,” she said, correcting him this time. She didn’t want him mispronouncing her name at their fiftieth wedding anniversary party.

  He stood and put out his hand to help her to her feet.

  “You don’t look at all like your picture,” Gemma commented, remembering the abstract drawing attached to his profile. She hadn’t been able to tell from the picture whether he was black or white. Standing before him now, she could conclude without a doubt that he was definitely a brother.

  “I’m hurt,” he said with a mock frown. “That was one of my self-portraits.”

  “Wow,” Gemma said. She was thoroughly impressed.

  Dan gestured to the door. “Shall we?”

  “We shall.” Gemma smiled.

  He held the door open for her and she sailed past him as if she were floating on air. He followed her into the busy coffee shop and guided her toward a booth in the back.

  “So what got you interested in painting?” Gemma asked.

  Good, I’m asking questions, she thought. It showed that she was interested in him, and most guys love to talk about themselves. Maria would be so proud!

  “I’ve always loved to paint,” Dan explained. “In fact, I can’t remember a time I didn’t. In just a few weeks I’ll have my paintings hanging in DeBarres Art Studio for my very first auction,” he said. He took a sip of his latte. His eyes gleamed with pride. “I’m the youngest artist they’ve ever exhibited. I’m really excited.”

  “You should be,” Gemma told him. “You’re really accomplished.”

  Dan shrugged, but she could tell he was pleased by her compliment.

  “What kind of art do you like?” Dan asked.

  Gemma bit her lip, hoping she didn’t look as worried as she felt. She decided honesty was the best policy—besides, he’d be able to tell if she tried to pass off her limited knowledge as any sort of expertise.

  “Well, I don’t know very much about it,” she admitted, “But I’d like to learn more ...” She let her words trail off and gazed into his chocolate eyes.

  He smiled warmly, but then he seemed to be waiting for her to continue.

  “Uh, what kind of art do you like?” she asked, then inwardly winced. That sounded so lame, like she wanted to find out what he thought so she could pretend to agree with him. She hoped he didn’t think she was one of those girls who just parroted back her date’s opinions.

  He stretched his arms out along the back of the booth. “I enjoy many different styles, and many different eras. Picasso was obviously the inspiration for the self-portrait on the website.”

  Gemma laughed. “Yeah, I’d rethink that. I half-expected to walk in and find a guy with two noses on one side of his face and spikes for hair.”

  Dan grinned. Good, he didn’t mind a little teasing. “I’m glad to see you came anyway,” he said. “Shows you aren’t shallow, only interested in a guy’s looks.”

  Gemma decided this wasn’t the time to confess she had been burned one too many times by going after the hot guys. Or that she nearly jumped for joy when she saw Dan—especially compared with the guy she had thought was Dan! “Oh no,” she said loftily. “I want to know the person inside. That’s what matters.”

  “I think that’s what I love so much about art,” Dan said. “If you’re really good—a Rembrandt or even someone as expressionistic as Van Gogh—you actually do get to know the inside by concentrating and re-creating on the canvas what you see on the outside.”

  “I never thought about it that way,” Gemma said.

  Dan went on to talk about the different approaches various artists took in representing the human form. Gemma just kept nodding as if she had an idea of who—and what—he was talking about. It wasn’t that he was boring her. In fact, his passion for the subject just added to her attraction. But she felt like she couldn’t keep up her side of the conversation. She used up all her questions very quickly, and couldn’t contribute a single idea.

  He took a sip of his nearly finished latte.

  “I like your outfit,” he said.

  Finally! Something she could talk about! Fashion was her topic.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I like how you’re dressed too.”

  “I find that women’s fashion has much more variety than men’s. I just wish guys had more choices. Our clothes can be so bland sometimes.”

  Gemma nodded. “That’s true—girls can practically reinvent themselves every day based on their clothes and accessories. The cut, the fabric, everything changes the impression the clothing makes, and how the girl feels wearing it.”

  “I wish the people designing men’s lines would place more emphasis on style than on comfort. Particularly in the fabric.”

  “And go out of business?” Gemma said. “Most guys I know don’t care about how their pants or shirts look. They’d wear the same stinky sweats every
day. All they care about is how comfortable they are.”

  “You can have both,” he pointed out. “Silk feels great against the skin and you can dress it up.”

  “Yeah, but have fun cleaning it,” she joked.

  “I hear you on that.”

  He summoned the waitress and ordered another latte. He checked Gemma’s cup and added, “She’ll have another one too.”

  “Thank you.” Gemma smiled. Clearly he wasn’t ready for this conversation to be over. And if she wound up so buzzed on caffeine that she did laps around her house when she got home, well, so be it.

  “My dad would argue about the whole fashion thing,” she said. “He thinks girls have too much choice! He’d be happier if I had to wear a uniform to school.”

  “You can answer that,” Dan interjected.

  “What?” Only then did she hear her cell ringing. She had been so engrossed in their conversation that she never even noticed. She must be having a good time. Normally she reacted to her phone on its first ring.

  “Sorry,” she said, then checked the number. Maria.

  “Go ahead and take the call,” he said, standing up. “I’ll order us some muffins.”

  Gemma watched him walk over to the counter. The view from the back looked just as good as the front. He obviously paid attention to how clothing fit, as well as felt.

  “Yes, Maria?” Gemma said into the phone.

  “How’s it going?” Maria asked.

  Gemma glanced over toward Dan. He turned and smiled back at her, making her feel as if she were melting a little. Dan handed the cashier money and then started back to their secluded booth.

  “Gotta go,” she said, cutting Maria off mid-sentence.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Sure.” Gemma put away the phone. “Just a friend saying hi.”

  “I hope you like this kind,” he told her, setting a muffin in front of her.