Lin and Kate continued to text throughout the week. It was evenly initiated – some days he would text first and sometimes it was Kate. Like any beginning to a new relationship, any communication sparked feelings of excitement. Lin loved her sense of humor and found himself chuckling quite often at her texts.

They made arrangements to go out to dinner on Friday evening. Lin would pick her up around 6:30. He programmed her address into his Google Maps and found himself in front of an older building. It definitely wasn't the ghetto, but it wasn't Buckingham Palace either. He assumed she was living on a single income, and as a single mother, he was sure money was tight. He managed to find a parking spot and found his way to her apartment on the 17th floor. As he approached the door, he heard loud giggling. He smiled as he knocked on the door.

A pair of small feet rushed to the door to answer it. Madeline's small form struggled to unlock the door and pull it open. She looked up at the man at the door, who would be taking her mother out to dinner.

"Hi!" She greeted him.

Lin smiled down at her as he stepped inside. "Madeline, right?"

"How do you know my name?" She asked.

"I learned it when I almost hit you with my car," he reminded her. The episode had been long forgotten by the four year old. She took his hand and led him over to her kitchen play set.

"I'm gonna bake you some cookies," she told him as he sat down on the floor.

"I love cookies," Lin told her. "What kind?"

"Chocolate chip of course," she told him as she pretended to put together some ingredients.

"Sounds good," he told her, playing around. Kate opened her bedroom and walked out, wearing some white capris and a flowing tank top. As usual, she looked gorgeous. Lin looked over at her and called a greeting.

"I see you're baking," she said as she tried to clean up in the kitchen a bit.

"Yes, Madeline's a great cook," he said. The girl put a play cookie in Lin's palm and he pretended to eat it. There was another knock on the door, and the kid was off again.

"That should be the babysitter," Kate said as she wiped her hands on a towel. Madeline opened the door to a teenage girl with braces. Lin stood up, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"She needs to be in bed by 8," Kate told the babysitter. "No drinks after 7:00."

Kate turned to her daughter and gave her some reminders. "Make sure you brush your teeth and listen to Amy," she said. Kate knelt down and gave her daughter a kiss and a hug. Lin and Kate made a quick exit and headed out to her car.

About 10 minutes later, they arrived at a nice hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that Lin loved. They ordered some cocktails and relaxed in the quiet, cozy atmosphere.

"So, you're not performing at the moment are you?" Kate asked him. Since realizing last time he was Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, she did some research on him so she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Lin shook his head and set his drink down. "No, I did it for about a year, but then decided to step back," he said. "It's a pretty exhausting role. I miss it, though."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Doing a show every night of the week and then all of a sudden not having that I'm sure is a bit of an adjustment," she observed. "What do you do with your time now?"

"I like to go on walks with my dog," he began. "I've been catching up on movies and books and such."

"What are you reading?" She asked him curiously.

"You're such a librarian," he smiled. He rattled off a few books he'd recently gotten through. Eventually, the conversation a bit to her daughter.

"She seems like a really good kid," Lin told her.

"Yeah, she's really sweet most of the time," she said. "Way too much energy though."

Lin nodded. "And where's her dad, if you don't mind me asking?"

Kate had anticipated that question coming up. "Not sure at the moment," she admitted honestly. "He's been in and out of our lives. The whole relationship was a mistake."

"Sorry to hear that," he said. "Does Madeline talk about him?"

"Not really," she said. "When he shows up, she usually doesn't remember him. She'll talk about him when he's in her life. We haven't heard from him for almost a year now, which is fine with me. I don't even care about child support payments."

"He doesn't pay you?" He asked, exasperated.

"It's more trouble than it's worth, believe me," she said. "I'd just rather have him out of Madeline's life. He's not a great influence."

Lin nodded, sensing it was time to move the conversation somewhere else. "So, what do you do for fun?"

"Oh, you know, arrange my book collection in Dewey Decimal order. Shoosh people," she said jokingly.

"No seriously," he insisted.

"Reading, of course," she told him. "Spending time with Maddie. Movies, friends, yoga."

"Yoga, huh? I've been told I should try it out."

"It's very relaxing," she told him. "You should tag along sometime."

After dinner, they went on a walk around the neighborhood. Lin slipped his hand into hers, and she readily accepted. It was nice to have the feel of someone's hand within his. Companionship had been something missing from his life. It felt like he had a really good thing going with Kate.

Soon, it was time to go home to relieve the babysitter. As she put her keys into the lock, Kate invited him inside for a cup of coffee. Amy was on the couch, watching TV. As they came in, she sat up and turned off.

"Hi, Amy," Kate set her purse down by the door. "How was she?"

"Energetic," Amy laughed, which was not surprising to her mother. "She went to bed okay though."

"Good," Kate took out her wallet and dug out a few bills, handing them to Amy. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Thanks," she said, tucking the bills in her pocket. "But I'm fine. Just 3 flights."

Amy excused herself and Kate went to the kitchen. "How do you take your coffee?"

"One milk, please," he said, looking around the living room. There were lots of pictures of Madeline from baby to present, including some of what he assumed were her parents. She soon walked in with two mugs of coffee and set them on the coffee table. Lin took a seat on the couch and blew on his coffee. After a couple sips, he set it down and let his hand rest on Kate's knee, stroking gently with his thumb.

"Kate," he said quietly. "I really like you."

She smiled at him, blushing slightly. "I like you a lot too," she admitted.

Lin leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. He let his hand cup her neck just behind her ear. Deepening the kiss, he darted his tongue out, seeking permission to go a bit farther. She met her tongue with his, encouraging him along. They broke the kiss for a moment to look into each other's eyes, allowing their noses to nudge against each other. Lin smirked and moved his body closer to hers, allowing his hand to travel down her shoulder, then to her hip.

Kate let out a small moan as his fingers began gently stroking her skin, then his mouth dipped to kiss her neck. Her hands found his dark hair. Their mouths connected again, exchanging deep kisses. Kate's heart raced as the kiss continued. It had been so long since she'd been kissed like this. They were interrupted by the noise of a door opening.

Lin pulled away reluctantly as a little voice called, "Mommy!"

"Yes, sweetheart," Kate said, adjusting her hair.

"Can I get some water?"

"I'll be there in a moment, Maddie," she called. "Go back to bed."

Kate sighed, smiling. "Sorry," she said.

"Don't be," he said, then moved to stand up. "I better be going."

Kate walked him to the door, where he paused, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Can I see you again soon?" He asked.

She nodded. "Definitely," she told him. Kate stepped forward and gave him one last kiss, slow and gentle. They pulled apart reluctantly as Lin pulled the door open to make his exit. Kate shut the door behind him, bolting the lock and the chain. She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Already, she wanted him back.