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SORRY this took so long! Last week was my birthday and all sorts of other craziness. I hope you enjoy part 2! Feedback please!!!

--PART 2 --

Cat took a personal day from school on Monday to catch up on some paper work and then had dinner at her parents house. Cat's younger brother and sister, fifteen and twelve respectively, had heard warped versions of actual events from Sara and questioned her mercilessly upon arrival.

Once escaping their questioning and heading home, Cat sent angry text messages to Sara, who failed to reply back. She was seeking Sara's blood when she entered her grandmother's restaurant on Tuesday. Even through Cat's irritation, she held on to a faint nervousness, as she was half-expecting Justin to be there waiting for her, but all she found was a tall, white cup of piping hot, hazelnut-flavored coffee.

Sara's accusatory gaze greeted Cat when she reached the front counter. "How the hell did you do it?" she whispered.

Cat offered a confused gaze, although she knew exactly to what Sara was referring. "Good morning?"

"Save it! You're dating Justin Timberlake!"

Cat looked hastily around the room to see if anyone had heard Sara accusation. Luckily, the only inhabitants were two old ladies and a businessman, none of whom were interested in anything more than they were already doing. Cat's attention returned to Sara. She raised her finger in warning. "No. No, I'm not. I'm going on a date with him. That does not equal dating."

Sara continued to shoot visual daggers at her cousin. Cat rolled her eyes and moved to the prep counter.

Ultimately, it didn't matter what Sara thought because Cat knew the truth. One date was not dating. Dating implied repeated outings. This was one cup of coffee.

* * *

Justin spent as much time in the studio as possible in order to kill time before Tuesday. He was anxious. More anxious than he'd been in a while since this was finally his chance to really talk to Cat. And truth be told, there was a part of him that hoped they had nothing in common so he could move on with his life.

After a long nap and a shower, Justin left his house clad in a pair of khakis and a navy blue polo-shirt. He hoped he was dressy enough, figuring Cat was coming from work and would be in professional garb.

He had programmed the address to The Lighthouse into his GPS, although because Atlanta was made up of so many twists and turns and curves and bends, Justin soon found himself lost. He knew he was close to his destination but had no idea how to make his way the correct street. The time on the clock read 4:58 and to Justin that was late.

* * *

Cat opened her phone to a text message from her sister, Elena. Cat grimaced at the words on the screen. Make sure 2 use protection. Oh, Elie thought she was so damn funny.

Closing the phone, Cat made herself comfortable in her chair and crossed her legs. Leaning forward she sighed nervously and glanced around the coffee shop. The Lighthouse was a nice place, with its exposed brick, soft lighting, and old fashioned hearth stove. However, that was not Cat's primary reason for choosing it as the location of her date with Justin was because, while it was very close to the Georgia State Campus, it was frequented almost exclusively by professors and other professionals. Cat was sure that the fewer people in her age demographic, the better. She did not want to end up on some "sorostitutes" blog.

Cat peeked at the time on her phone. Five-oh-seven. By five-twelve, Justin would fall into the category of "irritatingly late." By five-twenty, he would be rudely late. By five-thirty, he wouldn't have to worry about Cat giving him even five seconds of her time.

But she was jumping ahead of herself. There were rules to dating. And rule number one, as far as Cat was concerned was to be on time.

Cat was jerked from her thoughts by the vibration of her cell phone against the table. Scanning the screen, she saw that it was Justin and opened the phone.

"Are you lost?" Cat asked.

There was a quiet sigh on the other end of the line. "Yeah. I'm three streets over, but it's all fucking one-way signs. I don't know how to get over."

Cat grinned lightly and sat back against the padded back of her chair. "What street are you on?"

There was a pause. "Um…Courtland."

"Is there a cross street?"

"Pine?"

"Oh! Good, take a left there. Peachtree is the second light. Take a left again and The Lighthouse is on your right," Cat explained easily.

"Ooookkkkk….I just turned left on Pine…"

"Second light," Cat said again.

"Second light," Justin repeated. Cat could tell he was concentrating and she had to admit it was cute.

"Oh! There it is. I'll see you in a sec," Justin announced before the line went dead.

Cat smirked and closed her phone. As she did so, she couldn't help but think that this should be an interesting experience.

* * *

Justin cut his engine and climbed from his truck. Walking around the front, he dropped three quarters into the parking meter and half-jogged down the sidewalk toward The Lighthouse. As Justin approached, he noticed at least part of how the place got its name, as the front of building curved outward toward the street.

Justin lowered his hat over his head as he pushed open the door. Glancing around, he spotted Cat at a table against a wall on the right. Immediately he was glad he'd opted for khaki's as she was indeed clad in what he assumed were work clothes - a navy blue, knee length skirt, and a brown embellished tank over a white blouse. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun and on her face rested those gold rimmed glasses.

Justin smiled and maneuvered himself around several tables, before reaching Cat. She grinned up at him.

"Glad you made it."

"Me too." Justin slid into his chair and removed his hat. He smiled at Cat, weaving his fingers together on the table.

"So how've you been?" asked Justin.

Cat grinned lightly. "Good. I took yesterday off to catch up on paper work. Then I had dinner at my parents' house."

Justin nodded. "Nice."

"Yeah. What did you do yesterday?"

"Um…mostly spent the day in the studio. I'm working on a new album."

Cocking an eyebrow, Cat nodded in recognition. "Wow. So soon?"

"Yeah. I didn't really mean to jump into it so quickly but I got in this groove with Tim and," Justin shrugged, "it looks like it's meant to be."

Catalina adjusted herself on her chair and leaned forward slightly, interested. "Oh yeah? Sometimes that's how the best stuff is created. Paintings, books, music…right?"

Justin smiled, impressed at Cat's recognition of music as an art. Many people, unfortunately did not have that recognition.

"Yeah. I'd say so," he agreed. "Are you musical at all?"

Cat shrugged. "I play the guitar and…," she trailed off and blushed lightly.

"What?" Justin quizzed, smirking.

"I play the clarinet."

Justin's smirk morphed into a full smile. "Can I let you in on a secret? I played the clarinet for two years in middle school."

Eyes growing wide, Cat leaned back in surprise. "What? Really?" She furrowed her brow in disbelief. "What?"

Justin chuckled. "Yeah. My mother thought it would be a good experience."
Cat shook her head again. "Wow. Was it?"

Justin rolled his eyes in amusement. "I guess. I met a couple of cute girls in my class. But mostly, it was pretty boring. Now you know my dirty little secret. There's a confidentiality agreement in my car."

Cat's hand went to her chest and she laughed. Justin's smile grew wide again and he took mental note of the rich tone of her laugh. It came from the back of her throat and came in spurts, reminiscent of a cats' purr. Hmm, Cat's purr… A purr is like a moan…
Cat's moan…

Justin's bulged with the realization that the two sides of his brain had been temporarily separated.

Blinking rapidly, Justin shook the thought from his head and zoned back in to whatever it is Cat was currently saying.

* * *

Through her amusement and conversational interest, Cat was intrigued. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined being on a date with Justin Timberlake but here she was. And as much as she had attempted to avoid him, she was enjoying herself. Little about Justin seemed different than some other guys she'd been on dates with in the past. Plus, he wasn't bad to look at, having slept and groomed fiercely since the time Cat had seen him the restaurant.

The two talked about their families and friends and Cat spoke mostly about being a teacher. Justin said very little about anything to do with his career and the little he did say was vague and made to sound uninteresting in comparison to her students oral reports on Influential Black Americans.

Catalina casually glanced up at the old-fashioned clock, created from the steering wheel of an antique ship. She jumped at the time.

"Damn!" she exclaimed. Justin followed her eyes to the clock and whistled low.

"Wow."

Cat uncrossed her legs and placed her hands on the table. "I didn't realize it was so late. I should get going."

Justin reached out and touched her hand. "Hey, slow down." It wasn't until the startled look returned to Cat's face that he realized what he'd done. He slowly slid his hand from hers and bit his lip. "It's only 7:30."

"Yeah, but…" Cat couldn't think of a good retort.

"But?" Justin cocked an eyebrow.

Again, no good retort, so Cat was honest. "I turn into a pumkin in like…an hour and a half…"

Justin sat up straight. "Come again?"

Cat giggled lightly before explaining. "That's just my way of saying I'm going to be getting tired and ready for bed."

Justin chuckled, but was still slightly confused. "Ok…" He stood and reached his hand out to his date. Cat hesitated momentarily before placing her hand in his.
"Can I walk you to your car?"

Nodding slowly, Justin turned and led Cat through the small shop and out the door.

Out on the sidewalk, Cat pointed to the right signaling the location of her car. Hands still clasped, Justin wordlessly led Cat down the street.

"I had a nice time," Justin breathed finally.

Cat had to be truthful. "Me too."

Justin smirked and released her hand. "You sound surprised."

"I am. A little."

Slowing to a stop beside Cat's car, Justin crossed his arms over his chest and glanced down the street past his companion. His eyes focused on something briefly before returning to Cat. "Are you surprised enough to out with me again?"

Grinning, Cat blushed lightly. "I could go out with you again."

"Nice," Justin replied, his voice barely above a whisper. Reaching out his left hand, his index finger wrapped around Cat's and pulled her gently close. "Are you surprised enough for me to hug you?"

Laughing, Cat pushed against Justin's chest, knocking him unexpectedly off balance. "You're so corny."

Justin joined Cat in her laughter and threw his hands up. "A guy's gotta try, right?"

"Yeah, but…," Cat laughed again. She pressed the automatic unlock button on her key chain.

"Ha-ha," Justin mocked.

Walking around to the driver's side of her vehicle, Cat called across the roof of the car. "Give me a call about date number two and we can discuss that hug!"

.: Chapter XIII :.

Catalina pressed the "call" button on her phone and waited. After three rings, her younger sister, Eli, answered.

"Tell me everything," she ordered. Cat's amused laugh echoed across the line at her sister's directions.

She had been home not-quite an hour. Upon arrival, Cat took Pixie for a much needed walk and then showered. Settling down in her bed, she had decided to call Elena.

"Don't I get a 'hello'?" Cat asked playfully.

"Bitch, if you don't started talking…," Eli warned.

"Ok, ok. Relax," Cat soothed. "It was nice."

"Nice?" Eli repeated. She sounded almost disgusted by the word.

"Yeah."

"Nice like, 'ok but not great,' or nice like, 'we're going out again,' nice?"

Cat chuckled lightly and leaned back against one of the pillows. "I suggested he call me again."

The loud squeal from Eli's end of the line caused Cat to pull the phone from her ear. "Damn, Eli."

"Sorry," the younger woman apologized. "I'm just excited. Details girl!"

"Well, he was a few minutes late because he got lost. But he got there and we ordered drinks and talked."

"What did he drink?" Eli questioned.

Cat raised her eyebrow in confusion and irritation. "Does it matter?"

"No. But I want to know."

"Tea."

"What flavor?"

"Elena!"

"I'm kidding. Keep going."

Shaking her head, Cat continued her recitation of the evenings events.

* * *

"Well?"

Justin drew the glass of orange juice to his lips and peeked above the rim at Rachel. Swallowing, he licked his lips and leaned easily across the marble counter-top, still cupping the glass securely in his hands. "Well?"

Rachel padded her socked feet over to her older cousin. "Well?" she repeated.

Justin enjoyed this game. He took another sip of juice. "Well?"

"Come on!"

Justin laughed and set the glass down on the counter. Joining his hands, he wove his fingers together and sighed. "It was nice."

"Nice?" Rachel repeated almost disgusted by the word.

"Yeah."

"Nice like, 'nice'." Justin and Rachel were startled by Trace's presence in the doorway. "Or nice like." He stopped speaking and made a gesture mimicking a blow job.

Justin rolled his eyes and smirked. "She suggested I call her for a second date."

Rachel cooed and clapped her hands. "Yay," her girly gesture, a sarcastic charade.

"Fuck you." It was an easy retort which held no anger.

"Don't listen to her," Trace announced, joining the two at the counter. "She's bitter and angry."

Rachel nudged Trace and looked at Justin. "So when are you calling her?"

"Damn. I haven't been in the house five minutes."

"But I thought you really wanted to get to know her," Rachel teased.

Justin brought his glass to his lips. "The knowing has begun." He took a sip. "There's no need to rush. I don't want to seem too eager."

Trace nodded in agreement. "That's the best way to go."

"Didn't you set up a second date with Joanna before the first one even happened?" Justin quizzed.

"We're not talking about me, J. We're talking about you," Trace defended.

"What're the 'thoughtful' comments about? You were just as bad as Rachel this morning."

The shorter man shrugged. "I was joking around before. I think it's nice you've found someone you like."

Rachel and Justin stared at Trace for several moments. Finally Justin spoke up. "I take it you just got off the phone with Jo." It was a statement and not a question.

Trace blushed lightly. "I can be thoughtful without Jo."

"True," Justin smirked. "But she definitely helps." All three shared a laugh.


* * *

Wednesday began as usual for Cat. She stopped in at her grandmother's for coffee and was immediately attacked by Sara. Not having time to go into details, Cat called her later in the afternoon with the full story. Sara's bitterness had passed and was replaced with teenage adoration and good-natured envy.

"Wow, Cat," she had breathed. "You are one lucky bitch."

Cat had laughed. "Thanks?"

"So when are you going out again?"

"I don't know," Cat shrugged but looked unmoved. "I haven't heard from him."

"Why aren't you freaking out?" Sara questioned.

"Because if he wants to go out again, I'll hear from him eventually." Sara stared in disbelief at her cousin. The look made Cat laugh.

"Don't get me wrong. I'd like him to call me. But I understand 'busy' and dude's busy."

"So you're less dismissive now?"

Cat grinned lightly. "I was never dismissive. I'm just in control of my emotions. Unlike some people I know." That was a playful jab at Sara.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Cat laughed. "Nothing. Nothing at all."


* * *

Cat's eyes popped open in alarm at the sound of her phone ringing. She'd changed the tone from "The Barber of Seville" to the much more pleasant, "Rainbow Connection," however, having been fast asleep moments before, any sound was alarming.

She picked up the pink object and read the caller ID. It was Justin.

"Hello?" Cat tried not to sound like she had just woken up.

"Hi. It's Justin."

"Hi. What's going on?"

"Not too much. You?"

"Nothing. Just laying here."

"In bed?"

"Yeah."

There was a pause on Justin's end. "Did I wake you?"

Cat hesitated before answering. "I was napping. No big deal."

"Napping at 10:30?" Teasing haunted Justin's voice.

Cat smirked. "You thought I was kidding when I said I go to bed early?"

Justin chuckled on his end of the line. "I guess so. I'm sorry. I can call you tomorrow."

"No." Cat answered quicker than she meant to. "Um…it's fine. I'm up now."

"Sure?"

"Yeah. So what's up?"

"Nothing. Look, I'm not gonna keep you. I just wanted to know if you were free sometime this weekend. We could do something."

"Oh yeah? What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, this is your hood not mine. So…"

"You ever been go-carting?" Cat asked after a moment of consideration.

"Oh, man! Not in years. That would be fun."

"There's a track out in Roswell. Not far from where you are."

"Sounds good. How about Friday?"

"Saturday would be better."

"Um…hold on." Cat nibbled on her lip while waiting. Her heart was pounding. She was excited. She'd been much more relaxed before her coffee date with Justin but since then, she'd gotten slightly anxious. It irritated and thrilled her at the same time.

"Cat?"

"Yeah." Cat sat up in bed.

"How late is the place open?"

"Oh…um…I think until ten."

"Oh, good. I have a couple of interviews on Saturday, so could we do maybe…seven-thirty? We could get a late bite afterward?"

"Yeah. That sounds fine. I warn you, though. I'm quite the expert in the way of go-carting."

Justin chuckled. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I just want to warn you so you can prepare ways to nurse your bruised ego." Cat was being way more flirty than she thought she could be with this man, but in some ways it helped mask her nervousness.

"Thanks for the warning. I bruise easily. So I'll pick you up then?"

"Actually, it's a bit tricky to get there and it's more out toward you than me, so how about I pick you up?"

There was a brief pause. "Yeah. Yeah, ok."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I'll text you my address on Saturday."

"Sounds good," nodded Cat into the phone.

"Ok."

"Ok."

"Um…can I call you tomorrow?" Justin asked. "I'm working but I can try to get you before the tens?"

"Sure. Yeah."

"Ok. Then I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Ok."

"Ok. G'night."

"'Night."

Sorry that there hasn't been an update. I'm working on it. Slowly but surely. I've been SWAMPED at work so when I get home I'm exhausted. Needless to say that I'm lacking in the creativity department amidst the fatigue.

The next chapter will be a long one.


Thanks again for your continued support!

-Part 2--

"So?" came a voice from inside the TV room.

Justin turned and strolled in from the hall. "So?"

"Let's not do this again," the young woman warned.

Laughing, Justin plopped down on the sofa beside Rachel. She held a large remote in one hand and a can of Coke in the other. Justin grabbed the can from her and took a sip before answering. "Saturday night."

"Cliché much?" Rachel quipped, grabbing the soda back.

Justin laughed again. "Yeah, well…we're both busy people."

"Ooh, the busy teacher." There was mocking in Rachel's voice.

Justin glared. "Being a teacher is very time consuming."

"What grade does she teach?"

"Fourth."

Rachel chuckled and brought the Coke can to her lips. "Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"Hmm."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Being a teacher is hard. She's responsible for the social and academic development of 23 nine and ten year olds on a daily basis."

"She tell you that?"

"Yeah." Justin retrieved the soda can, yet again from Rachel's hands and brought it to his lips.

"Did you two fuck during your coffee date?"

Justin choked on the liquid in his mouth. It took most everything he had not to spew brown wetness all over his new blue sofa. "W-what?" he gasped.

"I'm just sayin'…you're acting mighty pussy-whipped."

Justin coughed. There was some truth to Rachel's words. He was definitely attracted to Cat's personality but he'd be a filthy, no-good liar if he failed to admit that her physical attributes added to her allure.

Their conversation had started nervously but soon found a rhythm and he learned much about her he would never have guessed.

FLASHBACK

"So what brought you to Georgia?" Cat asked, taking a sip of her iced coffee.

Justin shrugged. "I needed a change. I couldn't walk out of my house without a camera in my face. Tim mentioned how he never has that issue in Atlanta. It made me think about people I know who live here. I never see them in the magazines. Even Usher who just knocked up his stylist."

Cat giggled at the remark. "I guess that's true. Has it been what you hoped?"

Justin grinned and nodded. "Absolutely. It's almost eerie. I've been here three weeks and haven't seen my face in a magazine or the web since."

Cat chuckled at Justin's excitement. His eyes were big and his smile wide. "So it's that bad?"

Justin cocked an eyebrow. "Worse."

"Well then welcome!" Cat lifted her glass in toast. Justin chuckled and joined his glass with hers.

After they had both taken a drink from their respective glasses, Justin leaned forward.

"Tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Start with your full name."

Cat smiled. "Catalina Susana Rowley."

"Pretty." Justin paused. "Rowley?"

"Mmhmm…"

"Is that Spanish?"

Cat laughed out loud at the question. "No. It's Irish. My dad is Irish."

"Oh! I assumed…"

"Yeah, most people do. My grandparents are from Puerto Rico but my mom and her siblings were born here."

Justin's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh yeah?"

Chuckling, Cat nodded. "Yeah. It surprises a lot of people since I look so Latin…"

"Yeah. I wouldn't have guessed."

"Genetics is a funny thing."

"Yeah…"

There was a pause before Justin continued his line of questioning. "Have you always lived in Atlanta?"

"Yes indeed," Cat nodded curtly.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. I think I'd like to travel a bit though. Maybe live somewhere else for a bit."

"Like where?"

"I don't know…somewhere… I've been to, like, 16 states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico...but I've love to go to Europe."

Justin nodded his head in interest. "That's cool. Any particular country?"

Cat thought a moment. "Spain. Italy. Since my family is latin, I feel like I really need to experience those places."

"What about Ireland?" Justin inquired.

"Oh. I guess." There was a vagueness - a distance in Cat's voice. It was heavy and think like ice cream, but Justin guessed no where near as delightful.

Hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds, he pushed a bit. "Well, I just mean...'cause you said your dad's Irish, so..."

"Yeah," Cat sighed. "He is. But...I don't really identify with that side of my family much." There was a finality in her voice that told Justin to back off.

Cat broke the uneasy pause with a question of her own. "Do you date people often?"

Justin cocked an eyebrow nad smiled. "What?"

"Well, of course you date PEOPLE but I mean, like people who aren't celebrities?"

"I'm dating a 'people' right now," Justin quipped. Cat's eyes met his and the two gazed at each other for a moment before Cat broke her eyes away, looking at her glass.

A soft grin played on Justin's face as he thought how pretty this woman is and how glad he was that she'd agreed to go out with him.

"Do you speak Spanish?" Cat blurted. She was a little unsure where the question came from but decided it was too late to retrieve it.

Similarly, the question caught Justin off guard. "Um…I took the class for two years in school, but…no." He paused. "My best friend, Trace…he's half Cuban so he knows a little."

"Oh really? I didn't know that."

"Not many people do. Trace is actually a nickname for 'tres' in Spanish…he's actually 'Juan' the third." Justin emphasized the last piece of the statement with finger quotes.

Cat smirked and nodded in surprise. "Wow. How bizarre."

The comment made Justin laugh. "He definitely is."

"Trace. The infamous," Cat teased. "How's his leg?" She was of course referring to the constant kicking Justin bestowed upon him.

The question made Justin laugh. "Yeah, he's ok. Sore but ok. He deserved it. But he's a great guy."

"I'm sure. You two are pretty funny."

"Yeah," Justin answered raising an eyebrow.

"Did he move here with you?"

Justin bit his lip. "No. He's visiting. He prefers L.A. because his girl is there."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah…"

There was another pause as Cat looked down again. She felt a bit uncomfortable any time she felt like she was touching a personal place. She could feel Justin's eyes on her and forced herself to look up and meet them.

Surprisingly, Justin cast his eyes down quickly and blushed.

Cat's heartbeat picked up as she tried to hide her smile. Justin raised his head and met her eyes. They stared at each other for several moments before simultaneously breaking into a laugh.

"Man, you'd think we were new at this…" Justin remarked, still blushing slightly.

"I know!" Cat agreed. She paused. "I'm glad I took you up on it…"

Another blush crept over Justin, less pronounced that before but present. "Me too…"

END FLASHBACK

Justin sighed and glanced at Rachel. "You're just mad because you're not getting any."

There was a pause. "Be that as it may…" Rachel's retort trailed off under the guise of her and Justin's laughter.

* * *

"Oh, mami, I forgot!"

"Catalina! She told you a month ago."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I forgot all about it." It was her baby sister, Alma's, championship Math Olympiad tournament. Unlike Cat at the same ager, Alma was some sort of math whiz and at only eleven years-old had placed first in half-a-dozen math competitions. This one was the biggie and Alma has asked Cat nearly a month before to clear her calendar for the evening. Saturday night. Date night. Date night with Justin.

Cat's mother paused. "Well now I've reminded you so you can reschedule whatever you were planning for tomorrow."

Cat knew better than to argue with her mother on this. Under normal circumstances, she would have never dreamed of putting a man ahead of her family. Until this very moment.

Who knew how long Justin would be in town and this date might be one of the only opportunities she would have to know him. She would be able to tell her grandkids all about how she'd had a brief tryst with a famous singer before she'd met their grandfather.

Reeling back the guilt, Cat leaned back against the plush cushions of her sofa. "No problem. I'll be there. Seven, right?"

"Right." Approval danced in her mother's voice.

"Ok, I'll see you then."

"Ok, mija. Bye-bye."

"Bye."

Cat closed her phone and sighed deeply. With each passing moment, she was becoming more and more interested in this - well, whatever the hell it was - that she had with Justin. Now that she was going to have to call him and cancel, it made her a bit worried. Did you get to cancel a date with Justin Timberlake? She wasn't sure how this thing worked, but rather than dwell, she reopened her phone and scrolled for Justin's number.

* * *

Justin, Rachel and Trace sat around his coffee table, a set of Dominoes spread before them, Jay-Z's Hard-Knock Life blaring in the background. The three were in the midst of their second game, the first being won by Trace.

Their game was interrupted by the sound of Justin's cell-phone ring. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the object from the couch.

Glancing at the name, Justin noticed it was Cat and jumped up from his spot. "Be right back," he called as he exited the room.

"Hey," he answered. "How are you?"

Justin could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm good. What's up?"

"Not too much. Is this an ok time?"

"Oh, yeah. No worries. I'm just here with Rachel and Trace."

"Ok. Um…I'm gonna need to reschedule our date. My sister has this thing that I have to go to…"

Justin's heart sank a bit at Cat's words. "Oh. Oh, that's ok."

"Um…I don't know if you're busy tonight...I mean 'cause I know you've got company and everything, but…um…we could…"

Cat couldn't finish her words. "I'm totally free," Justin answered, glancing over his shoulder at his best friend and his cousin.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Absolutely. What'd you have in mind?"

There was a pause. "Well, I'm making a pot of chili…maybe we could have dinner…"

Justin smiled into the phone. "Yeah. That sounds good. Tell me where you are…"

"Well, if it's ok, I was thinking I'd come there."

Justin's eyes widened in amazement, as his heart beat wildly in his chest. "But I thought…I thought you didn't feel comfortable…"

"I have GPS on my phone. If I turn up missing, they'll track my phone to you."

Justin gasped into the line. Cat laughed. "I'm kidding." She paused. "I trust you."

Smiling, Justin rattled off his address and closed his phone.

He re-entered the family room, where his presence was met by two inquisitive sets of eyes.

"Cat's coming over. She's bringing dinner. You two fools need to make yourselves scarce."