I stood outside the wine bar for what felt like forever. The neon sign flickered just above the door, and all I could think was, You don’t have to do this.

I could almost hear Nina’s voice in my head: Jules, just go. You might actually have fun.

But it didn’t feel fun. It felt like a mistake. I was tired—so tired—of pretending that I could just… be in the world like everyone else. My life wasn’t some neat little package. I was a mom. I was broke most of the time. I had baggage that I couldn’t shake, even if I tried.

And what if he’s one of those guys who wants a picture-perfect girlfriend? The kind of guy who looks at me and thinks, You’re beautiful, but you’re not enough because you’re a single mom.

I’d heard that line before. I didn’t need to hear it again.

But Nina had practically begged me to go. “I think you need this, Jules. Just go. What’s the worst that could happen?

And the worst that could happen was… me sitting across from someone in a nice shirt and thinking, Why did I waste my time on this?

I sighed. I almost texted Nina again. Told her I was backing out. But I’d already made it this far. One step forward. So I pushed the door open.