Page 10 of Caught Stealing

Mmm, no. I guess I like a man who shows his hand right up front. And what you said about not bringing anything to the table? Lies. All lies. Your profile pic says otherwise.

That was a professional photo my friend picked. Just saying, it might be more flattering than the real thing.

Eh, maybe, but I’ve enjoyed our chat thus far. That’s important too. I don’t want a man with a nice face that bores me half to death. Been there, done that, sent postcards to all of my friends.

Ditto. You can’t build a relationship on looks alone. Seems like we have a few things in common though. Dogs, for one.

Yes! Love them, but I only really have room for one. She’d probably like a friend, though.

I have one too. He’s a mess and a half, but he’s also a good companion. What else do you like to do besides teach math?

Oh, you know, typical Savannah stuff. Go to the beach, casual shopping, I’m pretty easy to please. I’m up for almost anything.

I like that. Leaves us a lot of wiggle room for future dates, right?

Maybe. We’ll have to make sure you don’t get any more strikes first. All joking aside, yeah, I think that’s true. I still want to message a bit more before we commit to meeting in person, but I have some work to get done. Can we try this again soon?

We could meet here again tonight if you’d like. Say seven?

It’s a date. I think. Is it really a date over the internet?

It’s a date if we decide it is. I guess it’s really up to you.

A date it is then. “See” you tonight!

I set my phone down and try not to get too anxious about our conversation. It was good, and I think I have a decent grasp on the sort of person she is. At least, her profile seems to fit her. She’s sunshiny and polite, can take a joke, and doesn’t mind some mild flirting, but only a few more messaging dates and time will tell if this thing has a shot. Right now, it’s just too soon to tell.

I send Owen a quick update but he doesn’t respond. He’s probably busy with his family. A small spark of jealousy ripples through me and I remind myself this is why I agreed to let him set me up on the app. I want to be busy with a family of my own, and this could be the start of something great.

Chapter Four

Charlotte

“It sent me eight options, Carmen. Statistically, that means the app cannot possibly be as successful as it claims.” I scratch behind Ginger’s ear and try not to freak out about the date I just confirmed with a complete stranger. A completely hot stranger. Over the internet.

“So they gave you some options. Maybe you are a highly compatible person.” She crunches her cereal in my ear while her child goes crazy in the background. “How did you end up choosing?”

“I literally picked the first guy on the list, and ironically, he messaged me first. I was just about to tap to request a chat, and his request came through.”

“See, it’s possible the algorithm ranked the guys in order of most likely to match you. Who knows, but at least you know the guy is really interested. What does it say about him?”

“He’s handsome going by his picture, and by the way, why did you submit that picture of me? I look like a dork.” I try not to cringe over the image this man saw. Either I was his only option, or the others rejected him, because there is no way I was his first choice with that horrible representation.

“I used it because I wanted men to see how fun you are. If a guy can look at that picture and not judge, it means he’s also fun and not worried about perfection.” Carmen fusses at her child and something crashes in the background before she adds, “What is the plan from here? Are you meeting for a date?”

“Not yet. We agreed to get to know one another through the app messenger first. He seems nice enough, but I’m still not sure this is a good idea.”

“You promised you’d give it a chance. If he picked you, he must be intelligent.”

I don’t bother reminding her that my cheating ex chose me too. It will only spiral into a pity party that I won’t be able to escape for a week, followed by me swearing off men all over again. This Andrew guy is probably nothing like Rory, and if he is, all I can do is hope I discover that through the app as we message one another.

“And I am. I’m merely saying it seems like a shot in the dark, is all. Anyway, I still have some papers to grade and work to do, but I’ll keep you posted about the chats.”

“Enjoy that. I have to go separate my child and my husband before one of them ends up in the pool against his will.” She yells something to her husband who is clearly outnumbered with one son, then hangs up without saying anything more. Their house is always chaotic. It’s filled with love, but the destruction her small family leaves in its path is impressive.

“Well, Gigi, I guess we better get some work done before this chat date tonight. What do you think?” My dog responds by groaning and rolling onto her back. She lets her head hang off the sofa and her lips flop open, showing her teeth. I pat her belly and head to my office and try to ignore the growing anxiety that threatens to consume me all day.

At seven on the dot, I sit on my sofa with a glass of iced tea and my phone, contemplating my life. How did I go from spending evenings with Ginger, happily ignoring the outside world to chat dating a man I know almost nothing about? Okay, I don’t know anything about him but the basics. He’s nice to look at, likes dogs, is flirty, and is also on the app thanks to a friend’s persuasion.

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