Amy Harris hummed under her breath as she hung her coat inside her office cabinet. This week was definitely ending on a high note. With Zach and Terri on board, the Christmas program was bound to be fantastic. And then dinner with Zach. Not just dinner. A date. Her insides quivered. They’d eaten together a lot since the end of May, but she’d always managed to turn it into something professional or friendly. He was persistent. She’d give him that. The couple of times she’d gone to his house for a gathering, it had definitely felt more date-like. But at least then there’d been a group. What had possessed her to agree to a date?

Attraction, plain and simple. Zach Wilson attracted her on every level. He was smart, funny, good with kids, and hot. Blisteringly hot. When she was with him, all the promises she’d made herself about not getting serious with a white guy seemed ridiculous. With all the interracial marriages in her family, she knew first-hand the issues that cropped up. Or could. There were enough ethnicities in her own bloodline to give her skin a sun-kissed glow all the girls envied and a clear picture of what it meant to merge different cultures into one family. They’d made it work, by the grace of God, mostly. But it had definitely been work. She’d always told herself she’d do things the easy way when it got to be her turn. And yet, here she was, dressed up on a Friday when she could’ve worn jeans, and all because of a white boy.

“You look nice. I didn’t realize our meeting was business casual.” Terri leaned against the door frame, a grin splitting her face.

Heat burned across Amy’s cheeks. “I have a date afterward and didn’t feel like lugging along a change of clothes.”

“He’s not picking you up at home? Hmmm.” Terri waggled her eyebrows. “That can only mean one thing.”

“How’s that? I can think of several things it could mean. Maybe I don’t want him to know where I live, so we’re meeting there. Or maybe he’s picking me up here. Or...”

“Or you finally stopped stalling and will be putting Mr. Williams out of his misery.”

Amy dropped into the chair behind her desk. “It doesn’t have to be Zach. It could be any number of men.”

Terri scoffed. “Everyone who works here, with the notable exceptions of you and Zach, are old, married, or old and married. It’s not as if that many young teachers flock to this area of D.C.”

It was true. Nostalgia for her own time spent roaming these halls was the primary impetus behind Amy’s decision to work here. And even then, she hadn’t planned to teach. But the long-term substitute pay was a good supplement to her position as after school care coordinator, and it meant the difference between living in her old neighborhood and one that was actually safe to go walking in. “Fine. Yes. I’m going to dinner with Zach. Happy?”

“Extraordinarily. If I was twenty years younger, I would’ve already snapped him up.”

“Really?”

“Why do you sound surprised? Look at the facts.” Terri ticked them off on her fingers as she spoke. “He’s smart, handsome, cares about kids, and is a Christian. What are the downsides?”

Amy studied her friend. “You say that even with the issues you’ve had to deal with because of your own marriage?”

Terri laughed. “Oh, honey. You can’t let other people’s lack of understanding influence your life like that. I know enough about your family to know they’ll support you. I suspect the same can be said of his or it’s unlikely that he’d even ask you out. Everyone else? Let them think what they want. I’m going to run and finish setting up before the first load of kids gets here. Try not to think so much, okay?”

Amy laughed. That was easier said than done.

“Basically we need to cover the major winter holidays. I’d like to steer away from too much Santa Claus and focus more on the Birth of Christ for the Christmas segment.” Amy passed around the outline she’d been tweaking for the last two weeks.

Terri pursed her lips as she scanned the document. “You think the administration will sign off on this?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Zach leaned back in his chair and straightened the paper in front of him. “Hanukkah is a religious and cultural holiday, as is Kwanzaa. So why wouldn’t they allow the cultural and religious representations of Christmas to make an appearance?”

“You can be the one to argue it when they object.” Terri grinned. “I’m not saying you’re wrong. You know I agree with you. But I’ve tried to get a better balance for years and been shot down. It’s the primary reason I said I wasn’t going to be in charge again this year. Then Amy coerced me into helping anyway.”

“And I appreciate your willingness to step in.” Amy grinned. How were they supposed to put on a music program without the music teacher helping? She’d been willing to give it a shot, but it was better to have Terri on board. That was a definite answer to prayer. “Now, in addition to songs, what do you think about skits?”

Over the next hour, Amy ticked through the items on her outline, making changes and adding suggestions as the three of them talked. By the time they ended the meeting, everyone had a handful of assignments to work on and there was a plan in place to meet again next Friday. Would Zach want to go to dinner again? Amy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing her heart rate to slow. One thing at a time. No sense in planning next week’s date before she knew how this one was going to go.

“Ready?” Zach tucked his notebook into his backpack. He shrugged into his coat and slung the pack onto one shoulder. “I was hoping we could drive together?”

Amy nodded, gathering papers and slipping them into her attaché. “I walked today...it seemed easier.”

“Can I get that for you?” Zach reached out a hand for her school bag.

Was he seriously offering to carry her books? Could he be any more adorable? “Sure. Thanks. So...where are we eating?’

“There’s this rooftop restaurant near the Mall that says it has the best view of the monuments. I thought we could try it.”

It sounded trendy. And crowded. Also possibly amazing. More than likely there wouldn’t be any tables available anyway, and they could just hit up something casual. Maybe walk around. She smiled and forced some cheer into her voice. “Sounds great.”

Zach navigated the crowded city streets with apparent ease. She’d lived here her entire life and still needed GPS; how did he manage to get around like that? Before she knew it, they’d pulled into an empty spot in the garage under the building that supported the restaurant and were packed into the elevator headed up with a noisy group of men and women who, from their banter at least, worked together on Capitol Hill.

“If we can’t get in, I don’t mind heading somewhere else. This is a neat idea though. Definite points for thinking of it.”

Zach shook his head, a tiny smile at the corner of his lips. “I think we’ll be okay.”

Amy snapped her mouth shut on a reply as the elevator beeped and the doors slid open. Everyone poured out into a glassed-in waiting area. Doors behind the hostess stand led out to the rooftop where linen-clad tables were filled with couples and larger groups talking and laughing. There was no way they were eating here tonight. Not unless they waited for two hours. Amy bit back a sigh. Hopefully Zach wasn’t one of those people who’d wait forever simply because someplace was supposed to be amazing. Very few restaurants could live up to that kind of hype.

Zach scooted forward for their turn with the hostess. “Williams, party of two.”

The impossibly thin woman in black consulted the tablet computer and nodded. “Right this way.”

Amy blinked. “You made a reservation?”

Zach shrugged. “I figured it’d be a long wait otherwise, so I took a chance that they’d let me. And they did. Never hurts to ask, you know?”

The hostess stopped at a table for two beside the wall facing the monuments. Their view was going to be spectacular once the sun finished setting and the lights came on. Portable heaters kept away the chill in the air.

Amy draped her napkin in her lap and looked out over the city. “This is incredible.”