"I've always been an optimist," he claimed, which was, in a way, not untrue. "My idea of an optimal outcome was what differed from yours."

Pressing his palm to the small of her back, he murmured, "You were." Then, a brief pause. "You are."

Finding his shoes in her living room, he stepped into them, then nodded, fishing his phone from his pocket and leading her to the door. "I'll call a car."