The Secret We Kept

I pushed open the door to the private dining room and found a man in a black jacket waiting inside.

He had pleasant features, an average build, and the polished, dependable look people stereotypically associated with government workers—the kind of steady, high-quality catch on the blind date market.

By the time I came back to myself, Kaleb Duffy was already on his feet, pulling out my chair like a perfect gentleman. Once we were seated, he got straight to the point and began introducing himself.

He was twenty-eight, held a management position at a publicly traded company, owned a luxury condo downtown, drove a nice car, and had been in two serious relationships.

On paper, everything about him was just right.

I listened quietly the whole time, yet an inexplicable sense of boredom welled up inside me, probably because I hadn't wanted to come in the first place.

Before the holidays, Isabel Calloway, my mother, had constantly nagged me about finding a boyfriend. When she realized nagging wasn't working, she started sending me the contact information of every eligible bachelor she could find.

Trying to avoid being set up, I'd finally said, "I like someone like Diego. Mom, if you can find a guy who's on his level, I'll go."

She'd laughed and told me I was aiming way above my league.

But then she actually went and found one, which was why I had no choice but to show up.

Aside from not being as handsome as Diego, Kaleb, who was sitting across from me, was his equal in almost every other way.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

Diego: [Still having dinner with your friends? I'm almost done here. It's snowing outside, so I'll drive you home.]

I replied curtly: [No need.]

Then I typed: [I'm on a date.]

Before I could hit "send", Kaleb's gentle, hesitant voice interrupted me. "Ms. Calloway, have I done something to make a bad first impression?"

He had probably noticed how distracted I was.

I froze for a second before realizing how rude I'd been. "I'm sorry."

Without making a fuss, Kaleb poured me a cup of hot tea and smoothly let the awkward moment pass.

"Would you mind telling me a little about yourself?"

I wrapped both hands around the warm cup.

"I'm a freelancer. I own my home. My education is pretty average, and, well... you can judge my looks for yourself. I was also in a five-year relationship, and I'm still not completely untangled from my ex.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time."

The truth was, I couldn't even define what Diego and I were anymore.

Childhood friends.

Lovers.

Friends.

None of those labels came close to describing whatever we had become.

Kaleb was visibly stunned. The matchmaker had clearly painted a very different picture of me.

Just as the silence turned uncomfortable, his phone rang. He answered, apologized, claimed something urgent had come up, and hurried off.

I didn't have much of an appetite. After absentmindedly sipping my tea a couple of times, I went to the front desk to pay, only to discover Kaleb had already taken care of the bill.

When I stepped outside, the freezing wind and snow slammed into my face like shards of ice.

Remembering Diego's text, I found myself lingering outside the restaurant. Then I quietly lit a cigarette.

I didn't actually like smoking. The smell was harsh, and the smoke always made me cough. But whenever my emotions were in a knot, one cigarette somehow helped.

I hadn't even finished it before Diego walked out with a young, beautiful woman at his side. They chatted and laughed as they strolled through the snow. The scarf I'd knitted for him with my own hands was wrapped snugly around her neck.

The moment he saw me, Diego snapped back to his senses.

"I've got to go. Let's talk another time."

Ellie Brooks pulled the scarf higher over the lower half of her face. She glanced at me without drawing attention to it before speaking in a muffled voice, "Diego, the snow's really coming down. It'll probably be hard to get a ride."

Unfortunately, Diego completely missed what she was really saying. He shrugged off his coat, draped it over my head, and hurried toward the parking lot with me through the driving snow.