A Guide to Being Just Friends(45)

“You’re frowning,” she whispered as the man at the front explained the rules.

“I’m not.”

“Why would I lie?”

He winked at her, trying to forget that seconds ago he’d been on a visual tour of her body. “To throw me off my game.”

She laughed loud enough to make the host stop, then buried her face against his arm. “You have no game.” It was whispered from somewhere in the vicinity of his armpit.

“They don’t know that.” He loved making her laugh.

The announcer continued after someone asked a question. “If you make a connection, put a star beside that person’s name and we’ll explain how to make contact at the end of the night. We ask that you move promptly when the buzzer goes so everyone gets their chance to visit. The most important thing is to have fun. Very worst-case scenario, you’re going to meet some new people tonight.” The guy’s jovial tone suited a carnival setting more than a romantic restaurant, but people clapped excitedly.

“Do we need a signal?” Fiona asked, nodding to Wes in greeting.

“Like a safe word?” Hailey whispered.

“I think we’re good. If we don’t like it, we can leave,” Wes said.

Fiona folded her hands together, tapping her fingers with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “That’s what they want you to believe.”

“I get to pick the next ten activities after this,” Wes said on a groan.

“Sounds like a lot of nights grocery shopping,” Fiona countered.

Wes gave Hailey a mock glare. “We do more than grocery shop.”

Fiona pretended to smack her head. “Right. Don’t forget the video games. Geesh. If I had your money, I’d be bathing in champagne and throwing parties every night.”

Hailey bit her lip but Wes could see the hint of her smile. He looked at Fiona, saying deadpan, “Pretty sure Noah said the champagne baths aren’t as comfortable as you’d think.”

A buzzer sounded. “Ladies at the tables, please.”

“Good luck,” Wes said. He wasn’t sure which of them would need it most.

His phone vibrated in his pocket but Wes did what he always did: put his focus into a decided-upon task, giving it his full attention.

The first woman he sat with, Julie, had oversized, red-framed glasses. He sat down, promising himself an ice-cold beer after this.

“Hi, Wes.”

“Hi, Julie.”

It was like interviews in date form.

“I’m a Gemini. How about you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your sun sign. Scorpio, Taurus, and Pisces are not great matches for me. When’s your birthday?”

“January twenty-eighth.” Apparently he was the interviewee.

She clapped her hands together. “Aquarius. We’re a great match.”

Based on that? “Off to a good start,” he muttered.

“What do you do?” She leaned forward on the table, her arms purposely accentuating the low-cut V of her blouse.

Wes looked up at the ceiling. “Cybersecurity.” It was the simplest answer.

“Fascinating,” she said, enthusiasm dripping in every syllable.

He wasn’t trying to be a jerk but this was going to be painful. He lowered his gaze carefully, stopping at her eyes. “It can be. How about you?”

“Dog grooming. Do you have a furry friend?”

He almost laughed. “Other than my brothers? No.”

She pointed at him. “Oh, you’re a funny and sexy one. That’s a double thread.”

Wes winced. “Threat.”

She stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“The term is ‘double threat.’”

The buzzer went.

Only instead of being saved by the bell, it just meant he had to endure more.



* * *



“Drink it,” Fiona said.

The three of them had left without starring anyone’s names. They found a little pub around the corner, slipped into a booth, and Fiona had promptly ordered a round of tequila. The good stuff.

Hailey wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like tequila.”

“I’m good with whatever washes the taste of speed dating out of my mouth,” Wes said, taking the shot.

Fiona laughed, lifted hers, but waited for Hailey. “Come on. You can order what you want next.”

They both downed it but Hailey made a horrified face after hers, making Wes and Fiona laugh.

“It wasn’t all bad,” Fiona said.

“Really?” Hailey asked. “One of them asked my waist, shoe, and bra size.”

Fiona grimaced. “Maybe he was into fashion.”

Hailey sipped at her vodka 7. “Somehow, I don’t think so. I know everyone is on edge at those things. The one guy … Carl. He was nice. Science teacher at the high school, three sisters, three nieces. Wants to start a family.”

“Carl wants your clothes on his floor.” Wes gulped half his beer.

Hailey’s jaw dropped. Wes was rarely so blunt. “He does not.” Hailey chewed on her bottom lip. Her continuous glances toward Wes throughout the evening left her with the same thoughts about many of the women he’d sat with. Their admiration was easy to see in their expressions. “Peter. He was forty-one, divorced, and looking to find someone who wasn’t afraid of new adventures.”