Page 20 of The Valentine's Bet

I laugh, unsure if I’m flattered or just purely amused. “Whatever you say.”

Chapter Seven

Amy

“This is my building,” I tell Parker as we come to a stop just outside the apartment complex. “Thanks for walking me back. I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, for sure,” he answers, halfheartedly smiling. “Anytime.”

“How far is your place from here?” I ask.

“Um, not far. I’ll see ya around.”

My phone vibrates in my pocket. A smile stretches across my face as I see Nate’s name on the screen. I open the text and my cheeks begin to ache as I grin wider.

Nate:Coffee tomorrow evening? There’s a really great place in SoHo. Let’s meetthere at seven.

Beaming, I answer him back, my insides feeling like they might burst with excitement. I accept the date and put my phone back in my pocket.

“Ihaveto call Eliza as soon as I get up there,” I say, finally looking up.

But when I do...

Parker’s gone.

What the heck? Where’d he go?

I spin around to face the other direction, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he had somewhere to be.

Or maybe he’s justbitterthat I actually found someone.

Whatever the reason, I’m not about to stand around in the cold for a minute longer. I make my way inside the lobby and head upstairs, not stopping until I reach my floor. I punch the code into the door and push it open, breathing in the jasmine and vanilla scent permeating the air.

I have a date tomorrow.

“Yes!” I shout into the empty space, locking the door behind me. “I did it!”

Maybe I’ll finally get my first kiss. Maybe Nate will be theone.

Excitedly, I pull back out my phone and dial Eliza.

And it rings.

And rings.

And rings.

“Ugh.” I hang up when it reaches her voicemail, knowing that she never checks it. With no one to share my excitement with, I decide to get ready for bed. I take my time gently cleaning my face with a lemon-scented exfoliating scrub before applying a fancy new Korean moisturizer I bought off the TikTok shop. Apparently, once you turn thirty, you have to start taking skincare seriously. And since my birthday is creeping up on me faster than I’d like, I figure I might as well get a head start. Plus, the TikTok influencer was pretty convincing that this cream would make me look twenty again when I’m thirty. So I apply it liberally, massaging it into my skin as if I’m physically turning back time.

Satisfied with my efforts, I brush my teeth, change into my comfiest pajamas, snag my water bottle by the bedside, and crawl under the soft, cool sheets, pulling them up around my chin. I mindlessly scroll on Facebook for a few moments and then find myself in the search bar.

What’s Parker’s last name again?

I rack my brain, but nothing comes to mind. I go into FBI mode and pull up the bar we visited tonight on Facebook. I click on the page likes and then type his first name into the search bar.

Ugh. There are a lot of Parkers in New York...

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