He reached into a little dish of fried peanuts and popped one into his mouth. “I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier. Or an awkward foot.” He extended his hand across the table. “Miles Zhou. Nice to meet you.” I summoned what little courage I had and shook his hand. “Annie Smith.” “Nice to meet you, Annie. You’re my new best friend.” I let out an awkward laugh that was somewhere between amusement and panic. Thankfully, Miles didn’t dwell on it.
