It wasn’t that Mark was late. In fact, he was a couple minutes early. The problem was me. I’d managed to work myself up into such a collection of nerves that my hands literally hurt from wringing them. Jacket on, jacket off. Jacket on, jacket off. I let out a small squeal when I heard the doorbell. Jellybean started to whistle the theme from The Addams Family.When I opened the door for Mark, I tried to appear casual and aloof at the idea of going out on a real date in who knows how long. My demeanor probably came across as utterly terrified.Mark looked great. He had on a pair of tan khakis and a dark blue polo shirt. Casual sophistication. He gave me a quick glance from head to toe and smiled. I wasn’t sure exactly what to think about that. Self-esteem issues always make me wonder if people smile at my appearances because I’m peculiar or because I’m acceptable. I voted for acceptable this time when he said, “You look great, Jackie.”I smoothed my hands over my navy blue Dockers and felt the heat of a blush.
