Page 50 of The Match

JAKE: Only two more days until our date. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you.

I smile because it has felt like a long time. Jake and I haven’t seen each other since the pool party last Saturday. It’s Wednesday now, and I’ve never felt like a week has gone by slower. It’s not that I haven’t been busy. In fact, I’ve been crazy busy training a new group of volunteers who signed up to be puppy raisers. Our newest litter of pups will be ready to leave their mom and go into a volunteer’s home to start learning their basic manners: potty training, don’t chew the rug, sit, and lots and lots of socialization.

Our company literally wouldn’t survive without these volunteers and the time they sacrifice in helping train our dogs. But these weeks of breaking everyone in and teaching them the rules is always exhausting for me.

Not only have I been teaching classes for the volunteers, but I’ve taken three dogs to the vet, had two match meetings with potential recipients, reviewed five new applications, and ignored three texts from my mom reminding me that I need to quit fooling around and do something useful with my life. Something like join the Powder Society of Revolutionary Ladies and drink martinis in the afternoon.

But, in the meantime, Jake and I have been texting every day and talking on the phone almost every night. The more I get to know him, the more I really like him. He’s thoughtful, funny, tender, and truly and completely ripped. I could have chosen to say something sentimental there, but I didn’t, because thoughts of Jake’s ridiculous body keep running through my mind. All intelligent thoughts have melted into steamy nonsense.

This morning I got lost in a fantasy of what would have happened the other night if I hadn’t stopped us, and I accidentally overflowed my coffee all over the counter. If this date on Friday goes well, I’m afraid my brain will be permanently fried.

EVIE: Oh. Is our date in two days? I totally forgot.

JAKE: You’re not funny.

EVIE: *Screenshot of countdown timer, titled: Days until date with Jake.*

JAKE: Better. What time should I call you tonight?

EVIE: I’ll be home by 7.

JAKE: I’ll call you at 7:01. I mean . . . I’ll call you at some vague time after that so you don’t realize how much I like you.

“Oh, he’s good,” says Jo from over my shoulder.

“Hey!” I lock my phone screen again and give her the stink eye. “Mind your own beeswax.”

“My beeswax is boring today. So, tell me, are things going good with you two?”

I can’t hide my smile. “Really good. Too good, actually.”

She rolls her eyes. “Only you would say that when a hot man is being attentive and flirting with you.”

“I know! I don’t want to feel this way, but . . . I have too much experience that’s taught me it won’t last long. Every guy I’ve ever dated has moved on to less epileptic pastures. They’re all in with me until they see one of my episodes and it scares them right out of my life.”

“Yes, and do you know what you oughta say to those types of guys? Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you! Because if you don’t know it already, honey, you’ve been known to date duds.”

My mouth falls open. “What?”

“It’s true. The few guys you’ve dated in the past have all been a few eggs short of a dozen, and way below your level. It’s like you’re so desperate to not end up with anyone like your parents that you swing completely the opposite way. Jake is the first man you’ve ever been interested in that even comes close to being on the same tier as you.”

“Ha! You think I’m on Jake’s level?”

“No.” Her eyes slide to mine, and I see a twinkle. “I said he’s close to being on your level. I don’t think anyone will ever measure up to you. But I get the feeling that Jake will actually try.”

I don’t know what to say. The fact that Jo thinks so highly of me makes me feel weepy. There’s nothing else to do but lean over and wrap her up in a hug and then slide my phone onto the table in front of her.

“Just for that, you get unlimited access to my texts for the next five minutes.”

She wastes no time in picking up my phone and scrolling through every text Jake and I have ever exchanged. While she’s giggling like a teenager, I decide to occupy myself by refilling my water.

I stand up, and Charlie does too, but with a big yawn. Poor guy has been bored to death the past few days. Or maybe exhausted from all the running around and meetings we’ve been to. Either way, I need to devote some special time to take him to the park and throw the ball.

I’m filling up my water at the drink station and mentally planning on taking Charlie to the park on Friday morning so that he won’t feel slighted during my date with Jake—Don’t worry, Charlie, you’ll always be my first love—when I feel the presence of someone else beside me.

I cut my eyes to the side to get a look at whatever weirdo is entering my personal space, and I find an attractive man smirking down at me. He’s not Jacob Broaden attractive, but I’m still human enough to admit he’s good-looking.

“Hi,” he says.

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