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“He’s in there already!” She suddenly appears, looking even more hyper than before “He’s absolutely swoonsome”

My heart sinks I was hoping he ht have stood me up

“How do I look?” Sadie’s s of co on a date and being invisible

“You look great,” I say reassuringly “If he could see you, he’d think you were really hot”

“Hot?” She looks confused

“Sexy Pretty You’re a hottie It’s e say”

“Oh, good!” Her eyes travel nervously to the door and back “Now, before we go in, remember this is my date”

“I know it’s your date,” I say patiently “You’ve druh times-”

“What I ent look “Say whatever I tell you to say Do whatever I tell you to do Then I’ll feel as though it’s reallyto him Do you understand?”

“Don’t worry! I get it You feed me the lines and I’ll say them I promise”

“Go on, then!” She gestures at the entrance

I push through the heavy frosted glass doors and find myself in a chic lobby with suede-paneled walls and low-level lighting There’s another set of double doors ahead, beyond which I can see the bar As I pass through, I catch a glimpse of myself in a tinted mirror and feel a clench of dismay

Somehow I feel a million times more ludicrous here than I did inwith every step My feather is bobbing around inin a

As I’ forward, all prickly with self-consciousness, I suddenly spot Ed He’s sitting about ten yards away, in a conventional trousers-and-jacket coin and tonic He looks up, glances my way, then does a double take

“You see?” says Sadie triuht of you!”

He’s transfixed, all right His jaw has fallen and his face has turned a pale green color

Very slowly, as though forcing hiets to his feet and approachesone another as I walk through the bar, and froasp of hilarity

“S loudly in my ear “Walk toward him with a shimmy and say, ‘Hello, Daddy-O!’”

Daddy-O?