Page 32 of The Valentine's Bet

“Yeah, this isn’t worth it,” the guy grunts, backing away from me. “I’ll find someone who actually appreciates the experience I can give them.”

“You’re disgusting. Get out of here,” I snap.

The guy has the audacity to shoot us a wink before disappearing into the crowd. I turn to Amy, fuming.

“I’m going to walk you home now,” I say through gritted teeth. “We need to make sure that weirdo isn’t going to follow you.”

“I don’t want to go home,” Amy argues, folding her arms across her chest like a stubborn kid. “I’m here to find a date for tomorrow evening. I don’t want to be alone on New Year’s. I’mtiredof being alone—and you just ruined it!”

“Did you seriously thinkthatguy was going to be your date?” I exasperate, throwing my hands into the air. “Amy, he was clearly trying to take advantage of you. He just wanted to get laid, and you were a prime target.”

Her expression falls, and I hatethat it makes me feel so sympathetic for her. “I—I mean, I thought he might’ve been alittleoverzealous, but it seemed like he was genuinely interested in me.”

I sigh, shutting my eyes for a moment and running my hands over my face. “Amy, he ... he just wasn’t a good guy, okay? He probably thought you were hot, but he clearly didn’t have an interest in who you are as a person. He was trying to take you home within five minutes of talking.”

“Oh.” Her voice is quiet as her eyes fall to her hands. “I guess you’re right.”

“Yeah,” I huff. “So, please let me walk you home. This thing ends in an hour, anyway. Everyone has already kind of paired off.”

“What about Weston?” she asks, looking up and around.

“He’ll be fine,” I snort, gesturing to where he’s standing with a brunette woman looking up at him with googly eyes.

“I don’t know why I have such horrible luck with dating.” Amy starts to walk toward the exit, and I trot to catch up with her.

“These events aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, but I think I’ve said that enough times. So, the truth is, I don’t know. Maybe love isn’t all that easy to find—or maybe it’s not worth all the pain.”

She looks up at me. “I really want to find someone.”

“Well, maybe you should try another method. Maybe just try to meet someone organically instead of forcing someone’s hand.”

“But I want a date for New Year’s Eve.”

“That’s in twenty-four hours, Amy. Can’t you just go to the party and hang out without having a date?” I lead the way out of the park and she walks closely beside me, her arm every so often brushing mine.

And I’mveryaware of it.

For reasons I don’t understand.

“You looked like you hit it off with Gretchen,” Amy says instead of answering my question. “That was really cute. Did you get her number?”

I hesitate, meeting her gaze for a split second. “No, I didn’t. I’m not interested in her like that.”

“Right.” She rolls her eyes. “You’re not interested in anyone.”

“Nope. I’m not.”

“My birthday is on Valentine’s Day,” she says randomly, her eyes cast out in front of us as we exit the park and head toward her apartment building. “I’m turning thirty.”

“Okay...” I try to read her face, feeling like I’m missing something very important. “You want a birthday party or something?”

“No.” She smiles slightly. “Maybe just a boyfriend.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Why?”

“Because I just want to find love, okay?” She stops and spins around to face me. “Iwantto find someone who cares about me, and I want a wedding—and kids. I’ve worked so hard to get where I’m at in my life, and I missed out on finding someone to share it all with. I’m tired of being alone, Parker.”

“I get that, but finding love isn’t going to fill a void or something.”

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