Читать книгу Her Real Family Christmas - Kate Hardy - Страница 12

STEPHANIE COULDN’T QUITE believe this. She hadn’t dated since she’d been a student—since she’d met Joe—and it really wasn’t something she was good at. She’d married the last man—ha, the first man—she’d dated; and that had turned out to be a complete disaster.

She shook herself. Daniel was asking her out to dinner, not shoving an engagement ring at her and asking her to spend the rest of her life with him. But, even so, panic flooded through her. ‘If this is about me looking after Mia when she was ill, there’s really no need—I was just doing my job, the same as you do with your mums and babies.’

‘It’s not about Mia. It’s about you and me, and—’ He stopped. ‘Sorry, I’m hopeless at this. I haven’t asked anyone out for a long time.’

Was she the first person he’d asked out since his wife had died? Oh, help. That was extra pressure she didn’t need. How could she be mean enough to knock him back, under those circumstances? Then again, how could she be mean enough to say yes, knowing that she was an emotional mess and totally hopeless when it came to relationships?

‘I really should’ve gone on one of those online dating site things and brushed up on how you ask someone out,’ Daniel said wryly.

His candour made her feel a lot better and she smiled at him. He was obviously feeling as out of his depth as she was, right now; and he obviously wasn’t taking anything for granted. ‘That makes two of us. I mean, not that I ask people out. I just haven’t dated for a while and—oh, dear.’ She grimaced. ‘I think I’m digging a hole for both of us.’

He smiled back at her. ‘I think we need to start this one again. My sister said I should just be myself and be honest.’