Page 44 of A Lucky Shot

“So, where were we?” Jill folded herself back into her chair and refilled her wine. “Mystery guy was a one-time thing.”

Cass could feel Libby’s stare drilling a hole in her back. “In the past.”

“You seem to bring up Josh a fair bit,” Rachel said, tossing another bag of chips onto the table. Her own new engagement ring flashed in the firelight.

First Jill. Now Rachel. These things always happened in threes. Someone had to be next.

“Actually,” Cass said carefully, rippling with embarrassment, “Josh has a theory.”

It sounded weirder every time she thought about it. She hadn’t gone on a date, a real date, since Nick had taken her out with Jill and Alex almost two years ago. As much of a blow to her romantic self-esteem as that night had been, she wouldn’t have traded it for anything. The friendship she’d grown to cherish with Jill, fitting her into her best friend circle with Libby, had been a joy. But she’d shied away from dating ever since.

Now, she was signing herself up for dozens of dates with the intent of not getting serious with any of them.

Rachel scoffed when Cass wrapped the spiel. “So this whole charade is to learn how to recognize fuckboys? You’ve been alive in this world for over thirty years and can’t do that yet?”

“No. She has shit taste in men and wouldn’t recognize a fuckboy if she fell face first onto his crotch,” Libby said blithely.

Rachel snorted rosé out her nose and Cass shrugged weakly. Her track record was tough to deny.

“Wait. So your kinda boss, the one you slept with, the one you are obviously still hot for, is ordering you to go on a bunch of dates?” Jill gave a bemused smile. “That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“That’s what I tried to say,” Libby grumbled.

“Why don’t you just date him?” Jill said, scooting over as Alex dropped beside her with a beer in hand. “You two seem to get along pretty well.”

Cass scoffed. “I’m not dating anyone on set. Workplace romance just leads to …”

Alex pinched Jill’s thigh. “Worked for me,” he said, taking a smug pull from his beer, and Libby cackled.

“You’re impossible,” Jill said, blushing.

Well, not everyone is as lucky as you.

Cass was trying to get over someone, not dive into something new. Just have some fun. Who knew? Even with the no second date rule, if she liked someone, there was no reason she couldn’t send them a chat when all this was done. She didn’t need a partner. She wanted one. Someone to share her adventures with.

“Weird or not, I’ve, um, already got a few dates planned.”

Libby shook her head. “Let the games begin.”

Date 1

Alright beautiful, how’d it go?

His profile said he was my age but could have been my dad or def a young uncle

Prob tried to text me from a rotary phone

Hehe you got catfished. That sucks

Date 2

Cass, checking in

Who was tonight’s tribute?

Tyler

Which should have been the first red flag

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