I can do this, she promised herself again. Then, after a moment’s consideration, she amended her resolve, ever so slightly.

WE can do this.

Things were going well until the evening of Friday, March 1 when I got a call just after work that my father was in the hospital. He had had another heart attack, and the outlook was grim. Of course it wasn’t reasonable for me to show up right away when I was several states away, so I was still at my house when I got the word that he passed away later that evening. Sue actually called. She was still summoned, but she expected that when she was no longer able to stay awake she was going to permanently turn back into the doll.

Allison Kensington is accustomed to getting exactly what she wants, and she's invested considerable time, money, and confidence in a plan that seemed perfectly reasonable when she came up with it. Unfortunately, the software engineer she recruited at a bus stop has turned out to be considerably more entertaining, unpredictable, and difficult to manage than her original calculations allowed.

Tim Johnson, meanwhile, is discovering that having the undivided attention of an extraordinarily beautiful woman can be a great deal of fun, especially when she seems determined to pretend he isn't getting under her skin. He's beginning to suspect that Allison's confidence comes with a few vulnerabilities, and his natural curiosity is making it increasingly difficult to resist exploring them.

What began as an outrageous proposition is becoming an unexpectedly enjoyable contest between two people who are accustomed to being the cleverest person in the room. Allison may have initiated this particular adventure, but Tim is having a wonderful time reminding her that she isn't the only one who gets to make the rules.

The second date happens on Friday. She cooks.

I arrive at her apartment at seven. She moved here to put distance between herself and the life we had, and you can feel that in the place. Third floor. A long hallway with a carpet that absorbs the sound of my boots.

Saturday morning arrives with an emergency. Dennis has apparently been kidnapped. Again!

Steve would like to point out that Dennis is a drawing on a cocktail napkin, but he's beginning to suspect that nobody in the Blush group chat considers this a relevant objection. Meanwhile, five women are having a rather interesting conversation about their newest acquaintance, and Steve has an ordinary Saturday to get through. His laundry needs attention. Unfortunately, so does his search history.

There are chores to finish, messages to answer, and a few things Steve has never thought to look up before. He's an engineer. Research is practically a reflex. By lunchtime, his browser has seventeen open tabs, his laundry is still waiting, and he has considerably more questions than when he woke up.

This picks up where that leaves off. So let's see what Steve and the girls are up to. Life does complicate things sorry for the delay. this is AI fun. Steve came to Blush for one drink. His sister insisted he needed to get out more. She neglected to mention that an evening with five women might require the emotional equivalent of legal representation.

Now Chloe has flirted with him, dancing has happened, and the table seems to know something he doesn’t. Steve decides it’s time to clear up one potentially important misunderstanding: he’s a man.

Surely that will simplify things.

Instead, his carefully supplied facts meet an audience with excellent questions, terrible poker faces, and absolutely no intention of letting him escape a conversation. Nat wants his entire life history. Tori objects to the interrogation while quietly enjoying it. Sofia discovers that he cooks. Maddie offers assistance nobody is brave enough to accept. And Chloe keeps looking at him as though his clarification hasn’t changed the most interesting thing about the evening.

For a software engineer who prefers predictable results, this is inconvenient.

“Relevant Information” brings sharp banter, unexpected tenderness, and the particular horror of realizing that people you barely know are already very good at getting under your skin. Steve can defend his logic, explain his choices, and identify a bargain with impressive precision. Whether any of that will protect him from these women is another question entirely.

Especially once they ask about his car.

Read Chapter Three of A Life in Plain Sight for an evening of affectionate chaos, increasingly personal questions, and a man discovering that being understood can be considerably more unsettling than being misunderstood.

Disclaimer

She giggled, and decided that she liked the sound. “If I can, you can.”

Victoria, Aries, Mona, and Nancy shared my bed with me again the next four mornings December 21-24, and there were no more gifts, but more sightseeing and exploring the city as a group. On the 23rd I briefly visited with both Nancys and confirmed both of them would be available on Christmas, and they agreed to swap around so that each of them could be with my parents part of the day.

The mirror at six in the morning, the bathroom light on, the city still dark beyond the window.

Jesus, she thought. It’s a shower, not Grand Theft, Water!

The Midnight Song

The True Eternal Joy of Becoming Your Authentic Self