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a cup of coffee? I’ll pick you up and we’ll get you some caffeine. I know you like coffee. I’ll replace the cup you dropped on me.”
    His charm dripped through the phone, and she found herself softening. Her anger flared, though, when she realized what she was doing.
    “Thank you so much…um… What was your name again?”
    She heard him chuckle. “That would be Ramsey, John Ramsey.”
    “Yes, Ramsey. That’s right,” she said, irritated that he was laughing. “Sorry, but it’s not a good time. I’m busy. I have a lot of things planned for the day.”
    “No, you don’t.” he replied.
    That irritated her even more. “Excuse me? You have no idea what my plans are. I’m not available to see you right now,” she said with insistence.
    “How about this?” he asked, completely ignoring her reply. “I pick you up in five minutes, we go for a quick cup, we talk, get to know each other a bit, and if you don’t want to see me any more after that, I’ll leave you alone and you’ll never see me again. How’s that sound?” He still sounded irritatingly charming.
    Her nerves were just about frayed to the edge at this point. Her arguing skills were dulled by her lack of sleep, and she just didn’t have the energy for it.
    “Five minutes, huh? You don’t even know where I live,” she said with satisfaction. She’d outsmarted him on that one.
    A knock on the door almost scared her out of her seat.
    “Uh, actually, I do,” said Ramsey from the other end of the phone.
    The realization dawned on her that he did know where she lived. “Is that you at my door?” It couldn’t be him, she thought.
    “Turns out when I got your phone number, I got your address, too. You don’t mind, do you?”
    “What are you doing outside my door?” she asked.
    “I want to take you for coffee. I thought I was pretty clear on that.”
    “Are you some sort of stalker?”
    “No, I’m not a stalker, either. I just want to sit down and talk. That’s it. In public. With other people around. Lots of people. Many witnesses to observe us having coffee.” He was trying to be patient with her, she could tell, but this was still outside the bounds of normalcy.
    She didn’t know what to do. She’d always had a knack for reading people and knowing whether she could trust them. Her mother had called her a human lie detector. Blessed with her own gifts of insight, her mom had always taught Sarah to rely on her instincts. Sarah thought of her now and tuned in to the man at the door. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Even though her mind was dulled from fatigue, she recognized the familiar vibe that told her he could be trusted. Despite the fact that he acted differently from anyone she’d met before, she decided to just wing it and let the chips fall where they may.
    “Fine, “she said over the phone. “You win. There’s a coffee shop two blocks north called ‘Pat’s Coffee.’ I’ll meet you there in forty-five minutes.”
    “Meet you there?” he said. “I’m right outside your door.”
    “Well, then, I suggest you start walking.” And with that she hung up the phone.
    “You’re not going to stand me up, are you?” said a voice from the other side of the door.
    She walked up to her door and yelled, “Let me tell you one thing. If I open this door in forty minutes and you’re standing out there, the coffee date is cancelled. You got that?’
    She heard that same annoying chuckle. “I hear you. I’ll see you at Pat’s in forty-five minutes, Sarah.” She looked out the peephole and saw a blurry image of the man she had met yesterday. He stood at the door, but then turned and walked away.
    Before she could talk herself out of it, she decided to get up, jump into a quick shower, and go meet him. For some reason, she knew she had to do it.

CHAPTER SIX

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    FORTY MINUTES LATER, she ran through her apartment, hastily throwing on a pair of earrings, ruffling her still-damp hair, and putting on some