Practice Makes Perfect (When in Rome, #2)

by Sarah Adams

“So…did your friends finally leave?” he says as I sit down beside him. I snap my eyes to him. “You knew the whole time?” He laughs. “Absolutely. And that dude is in love with you, right?” I breathe in and decide to stop playing games with myself and be nothing but honest. “Yeah, I think he might be.” “What’s the deal there, then?” I stare down into my popcorn. “We’re both scared of different things.” “Been there,” he says, in a thoughtful tone of voice that clearly has a story behind it. A story I’ll never know because Brandon is not the man for me. “Um, so Brandon, I don’t think…” I pause to find the right words. Unfortunately, no inspiration hits. He laughs and saves me. “It’s okay, Annie. I’m not quite feeling a connection either if that’s what you were going to say.” My shoulders slump with relief. “Oh good. I was worried I was going to hurt your feelings. Friends?” “I think it’s for the best. You want me to drive you home now?” I look down at the water and popcorn and then at the baseball game. “Actually, if you’re not eager to get rid of me, I think it would be fun to stay and hang out.” He smiles. “Absolutely.” And that—John—is how you tactfully end a bad date.