Page 19 of Perfect Enough

Quickly grabbing my phone, I sent him a text and prayed he wasn’t on a call.

Me: What color are your eyes and hair?

Josh: Um…brown and blue. What color is your hair since I already know your eye color?

I didn’t have time to banter.

Me: We have a code RED, Josh! I repeat, we have a code RED! I told my mother I was dating you. Then she started asking all these questions, then Chloe walked in.

Josh: Soph, take a big breath in and hold it for four seconds, then let it out for four seconds.

Closing my eyes, I did as he said.

Me: I have about a minute.

Josh: I have no idea what that means. But I’m guessing she asked what I look like? I’m six-feet tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. I like baseball, horses, and anything chocolate. My favorite movie is The Lion King. Good start?

Me: The Lion King????

Josh: Hey, do you want me to be your fake boyfriend or not?

I giggled and covered my mouth.

Me: They’re going to see right through me.

Josh: No, they won’t. Be confident. You’ve got this. I have to go, my cousin’s waiting for me. It’s my turn to putt.

Me: You golf?

Josh: If you consider Putt-Putt golfing, then yes, I most definitely golf.

I slowly shook my head and got out of my messages. Then I got out of Google and opened my email, addressing one email to myself and starting to type.

When the knock on my door appeared seconds later, I called out, “Come on in.”

Chloe and my mother walked in as I pretended to focus on what I was typing. Which was, “I can do this. I can do this.” Over and over.

“One more second,” I said, typing away. I leaned back and scanned over my fake email. Then I moved my mouse and hit delete.

“Sent. Sorry, I had a mom upset that her daughter wasn’t picked to lead today.”

My mother nodded, and Chloe looked lost. I started to explain but my mother interrupted.

“Sophia, I want to hear about this young man.”

“Me too!” Chloe stated as she bounced in her seat. “First, what does he look like?”

I rolled my eyes and replied, “Looks are not everything, Chloe.”

Her smile slipped away, her expression exasperated. “No, but it’s bonus points if he’s good-looking.”

I cleared my throat. “It just so happens, he’s very handsome.”

They both leaned toward me. “And?” my mother said with a wave of her hands for me to keep going.

“He’s tall. Six feet.”

“Nice!” Chloe said with a nod of her head.