Page 26 of Crazy for You

Dammit all. He ought to be cheering her on because, if she started dating someone else, it would let him off the hook for turning her down. He went inside to his office and typed the loser’s name into the search engine. A mug shot popped up from the local news website. Todd Pierce had been arrested last week for drunk and disorderly at the Rusty Bucket, a bar in nearby Silver Springs.

Emma and Mandy washed up and headed into town to the deli for lunch.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do after Lucas and Mary retire?” Emma asked while they waited for their sandwiches.

Mandy had worked at Artful Blooms for about three years. Before that, she’d taught Zumba at the fitness center. Before that? Emma wasn’t sure, but Mandy was definitely a Jill of many trades. “Not sure. I might see if any of the other landscape firms in the area are hiring. I really do enjoy it.”

“I hope you find something.”

“I will,” Mandy said, looking unconcerned. “Let me see your phone.”

“Why?” Emma asked as she typed in the code and handed it over.

“I’m checking out some more hot guys for you.” Mandy pulled up Tinder and started swiping photos.

“Hey!” Emma made a grab for the phone.

“Chill. I have good taste. If I pick someone you don’t like, just ignore them.”

“Hmph.” Emma sat back with a sigh. Well, maybe she’d have better luck letting someone else pick out her next date anyway. It wasn’t as if she’d done a very good job on her own so far.

“Ooh, I like him. I really like him.” Mandy held the phone out so that Emma could see. A rugged-looking man with longish hair and intense blue eyes was on the screen.

And yeah…he was hot. Not someone Emma would have ever picked out for herself, but… “Definitely. Swipe right.”

“Oh.” Mandy’s eyes widened, and she held up the phone. “He had already liked you so you’re an instant match.”

“Are you serious?” Emma snatched the phone out of her friend’s hand. Sure enough, Rugged Hot Guy—real name Joe Relka—showed as a match on the screen. A button below his picture invited her to start up a chat with him.

“You going to ask him out?”

“No way. Not yet anyway.” Emma clicked through the photos in his profile. In addition to his close-up, there was a snapshot of him hamming for the camera out in the woods, pointing over his shoulder toward a black bear visible in the background. “Okay, I’ll send him a message. What should I say?”

“Ask him if he still has all his fingers and toes.”

“What? Why on earth would I ask him that?”

“The bear.” Mandy gestured toward the phone. “You’ve got to mention the bear. Be interesting. Make him laugh.”

“Hmm.” Emma typed out, Are all your dates this furry? Then she hit Send before she could chicken out.

Mandy reached for the phone, snorting with laughter when she saw Emma’s message. “Perfect.”

Emma giggled as she reached for her Diet Coke.

“Dude, this is addictive,” Mandy said after she’d swipe-liked five more guys for Emma. “I’m totally setting this up on my phone. Maybe we can have a Tinder double date.”

“That’s assuming I get a date.”

Mandy gave her a look. “Are you kidding me? You’re fun and adorable. They’ll be lining up. And meanwhile, you’re driving Ryan crazy.”

“You think so?”

“Did you see the look on his face when I asked him about Todd Pierce? I thought smoke was going to start coming out of his ears.”

“I can’t believe you did that anyway. I was never actually going to go out with Todd Pierce and certainly not after you found his mug shot.”

“Sure did get a nice reaction out of Ryan, though, didn’t it?” Mandy looked smug.

---