Page 1 of Take the Bait

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Hanna’s finger hovered over the “delete” button.

Without hesitating, she removed the dating app from her phone.

Underneath the table.

Unseen by her date—who was 15 minutes into explaining why crypto was the future of finance.

Barf.

She wanted a life partner as much as the next person, but there was only so much a girl could go through.

Dating apps helped some people find their happily ever after.

But not Hanna.

Her dating history was a mosaic of men who left her wondering if she was being punked.

There was Scott, the good-looking real estate agent with too-white teeth, who never asked her a single question about herself.

Then there was Cooper, the software engineer, who was ‌somewhere around 5’7” but insisted he was 6’‌.

And who could forget Seth—the dog groomer who invited her back to his van for sex and told her they could use the extra collars he had to make things “spicy.”

Then there were the dozens of disgusting messages she got from men every day.

“Do you have a breeding kink? Maybe we can find out together.”

“Are you a nice girl? I’m not trying to date anymore bitches.”

“I can’t tell if you’re hot or not. Your photos aren’t ‌giving me the full picture.”

And then there was Josh—the idiot she was out with now—who had not stopped talking since they sat down. She didn’t know a person could string that many words together without pause. At least Hanna was learning something today.

Where her phone still sat under the table, she pulled up the group chat with her sister, Bella, and best friend, Madi, entitledbreadstick broads—so named because the last time they were together they ate so many Olive Garden breadsticks that their waiter thought they were stashing them in their purses.

Hanna:Remind me again why I let y’all convince me to download a dating app?

Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

Madi:Because you have needs

Hanna:My needs certainly aren’t being met on the date from hell

Bella:That bad?

Hanna:Worse

Bella: Sorry Han. Call us later if you want

Madi:Get a free meal first though.

Grinning, Hanna looked back up at Josh, who was still blabbing on as if he had a captive audience and not a miserable date.

She’d started entertaining herself by doing more and more ridiculous things, just to see if it would get him to stop talking. She began by using a straw to blow bubbles into her drink—something one of her kindergartners might do. Harmless, but weird for an adult to do on a first date. She got no reaction from him. He just kept talking.

“If you’re not investing in crypto, you’re ‌leaving money on the table,” Josh droned on. “I mean, have I seen a return on my investment yet? No, but it’s about playing the long game. I mean, a guy like me knows how to be patient.”

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