Page 89 of The Plus One Professional

“Age?”

“Yeah, what age range would you date?”

“This is for a school project?” I questioned.

She bit her lip, and I could see her considering her options. Was she going to come clean or continue this charade? When she rolled her eyes, I knew that she’d resolved herself to tell the truth.

“Fiiiiiine,” she drew out the word dramatically. “It’s for a dating profile.”

“A dating profile?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t need a dating profile.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No. I don’t, and you can’t just fill out a profile for me. What were you going to do if I actually matched with someone?”

“Well, obviously, then I’d tell you so you could go on a date.”

I was glad I found out at this stage in the process so I could nip it in the bud. I’d hate it if someone else got dragged into my niece’s scheme. “You can’t do that.”

“Um…” Her brow furrowed, and she tilted her head, her expression clearly communicating that she thought I was an idiot. “Yes, I can. I didn’t think I needed a big sister, but mom thought I did, so she filled everything out behind my back, andyoutold me I should meet her.”

Fuck. I hated it when she threw my own words or actions back at me. This was the part of parenting that would be a hell of a lot easier if I could just go with do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do.

“Listen, C Money, I really appreciate you taking the time to try and do something nice for me, but I really don’t want to date anyone right now.”

“Why not?”

I thought about lying to her, telling her that I just wanted to be single, but she was getting too smart for that. I could tell her the same thing I’d told Bailey: that I wasn’t in the right headspace for a relationship. I could say the same thing I’d been telling myself for the past few years: that there was no room in my life to have a girlfriend.

As I sat with my niece, I knew none of those things were true. They might have been at one point, but not anymore.

“Because there is someone that I care about right now. It wouldn’t be fair to another person when I have feelings for someone else.”

“Who? Who is she?” Her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Is she the wedding planner?!”

“How do you know about the wedding planner?”

“You went away with her for the weekend, duh.”

Right. Of course.

I didn’t see any reason to deny it. “Yes.”

“So you have a girlfriend!”

“No. I don’t.”

“Why not?”

I shook my head, not sure how to explain it.

“Does she know how you feel about her?” she questioned.

“I don’t know.” To me, my feelings for Bailey were glaringly obvious. But I couldn’t say for sure that she’d picked up on them.

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