Page 73 of Accidentally Amy

“Ah.” I was dying to know what she looked like. “Please tell me it wasn’t in an I’m-in-a-hurry-so-I’m-stealing-a-latte kind of way.”

He did a little eye roll that was adorable. “No, it was in an I-text-and-hang-out-with-my-ex-but-lie-about-it kind of way.”

“Oh.” I swallowed and felt bad for prying. “Did she cheat?”

He shrugged and said, “No idea. The lying was enough to kill the relationship.”

“I see,” I said, mostly because I didn’t know what else to say.

“My turn.” Blake leaned forward a little, the light from the table’s candle reflecting in his dark eyes. “Haveyouever been in love, Iz?”

That was an easy one. “Nope. Never. Not even close.”

He raised his eyebrows, waiting for a story, and I wished I had one. Somehow, a tragic tale of heartbreak would feel like more of a success than the truth. “I’ve never even gone out with someone more than twice since high school, so I’m—as Halsey would say—bad at love.”

“Who?” he asked.

“Halsey,” I replied, taking a bite out of my roll.

“Is that a friend of yours?”

“Oh, my God, she’s a singer,” I said, trying to politely talk with roll in my mouth. “You’ve seriously never heard of Halsey?”

“Does she sing anything I’d know?”

“Um, ‘Bad at Love,’ for starters.”

That made him smirk as he watched me chew. “Which is your theme song. Full circle right here, ladies and gentlemen.”

“Cute,” I said.

Then he asked, “Why don’t you date?”

If this little speed-round game wasn’t my idea to begin with, that question might’ve felt intrusive. I shrugged and said, “I’m not big on talking to people I don’t know.”

“But you never shut up.”

“Because I know you.”

“Online dating?”

“I’ve got the apps but I’ve never done more than scroll.” I felt like a loser, like it was obvious I was a total loner, so it was time for the next question. “My turn. Kids and marriage—in or out?”

“Are you trying to tie me to the altar and baby me up, Shay?”

“I don’t think that expression is right,” I said around a laugh.

Which made Blake laugh, too, and I loved that it was like that with us. So strangely comfortable, when I was rarely comfortable with anyone.

“I mean, I guess I’d like to have kids and a partner someday,” he said as casually as if I’d asked him how spaghetti sounded for dinner. “I’m not in any rush, but I fucking love Jason and Kylie’s kids.”

“So you’re saying as long as your kids are as cool as theirs,” I said, trying to picture Jason as a dad.

“Then I’ll totally be all in,” he finished with a grin. “But if they suck, I’m for sure out.”

“Of course.”

That was the end of the question portion of the date. We fell into ourselves after that, leaning on the sarcastic banter that was our language of choice as we talked about nothing and everything.

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