Page 57 of The Blind Date

Very aware that she would snatch it out of my hands and see for herself if she got close enough because one, she was insanely nosy and two, she was a little bit tipsy and was rather unpredictable when under the influence of alcohol, I slipped my phone into my pocket where it would be safe from her.

“No one,” I answered quickly.

“What are you hiding?” She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion.

“Nothing.”

Sophia frowned. “I don't believe you. I know you’re hiding something.”

“Who is hiding what?” Desmond asked, having caught the last of our conversation.

“Nothing,” I said, my tone more believable than before.

Desmond hummed, but it didn’t look like he believed me either. “How’s your dating life been lately, Saff?”

“Non-existent. Why?” I asked suspiciously. A quick glance around the fire revealed that all pairs of eyes were on me.

“What about all those blind dates your parents set you up on?” Toby asked.

“That’s exactly why my dating life is non-existent,” I snorted and took a sip from my second strawberry daiquiri. "I've never met so many weird people in my life."

“I’ve forgotten what a pain dating is,” Toby murmured, his wife currently snuggled into his side, fast asleep after all the drinks she had thrown back not even an hour into the barbecue. “I don’t miss it.”

"Neither do I, and I'm still in the game," I sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I would have picked someone at uni and stuck with them. I wouldn't have to deal with all this bullshit now.”

"But then you would have been settling instead of falling in love with your soulmate," Lottie pointed out, a small pout on her face. “You just need to be patient and keep trying, Saff. Your soulmate is somewhere out there right now, making his way to you.”

“Whoever he is, he sure is taking his sweet time getting to me,” I huffed.

“How about we help speed up the process?” Desmond asked.

“What are you suggesting?” Horatio asked, a wicked expression on his face. In the span of a single moment, all my friends–minus Lainey who had already fallen asleep–stared at me with large, knowing grins on their faces.

“We know you don’t approve of the weirdos your parents are setting you up with, but what about us?” Desmond suggested.

"I can't believe you guys are suggesting that I go on more blind dates,” I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut briefly, rubbing a tired, frustrated hand down my face. "Going on even ten a month is a huge stretch for me. How am I supposed to find the time to go on more than that?”

“Just hear us out. These won’t be just blind dates. These dates will be set up by your closest friends, and who knows you better than your friends?” Lottie grinned, looking awfully excited. Too excited for my liking.

“My parents?” I half-joked.

"Yes, perhaps," Victor murmured in agreement. “But when it comes to your love life, we’ll do a better job. You know we will, Saff.”

"We thought it was such a good idea that we've gone ahead and put together a list of our friends and acquaintances that are male, single, and under the age of thirty-five,” Desmond said.

“Just how long is that list?” I asked, my interest far more than piqued.

"We only have three names on the list right now, but it’s a work in progress,” Toby told me.

At that, my ears perked up, and I glanced at him curiously. If my parents could set me up on so many blind dates, then why couldn't my friends do the same? Surely, they wouldn't be as bad as the men my parents tried to pair me up with.

Maybe everyone was right.

Maybe I needed to go on more dates to finally meet my soulmate.

"Go on. Let's hear it," I sighed, giving in.

“Let me go first.” Desmond looked far too cheerful as he whipped out his phone and tapped on the screen. “The first guy is a colleague of mine from work. His name is Howard Cooper. He’s thirty-five, a chartered accountant who is looking to open up his own accountancy firm in the next few years. On the weekend, he likes to go for hikes and–”

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