Page 34 of The Valentine's Bet

But also, she needsto understand the risks. There are a lot of creeps in the world, and no, I can’t be sure that the guy she was talking to was a full-blown creep... But hewasa walking red flag.

“So ... you never told me where you live,” Amy says quietly as we ride the elevator up to her floor. “You said it’s not far from here?”

Only twenty-two blocks away.

“Not far, no,” I reply, dodging the question. If I told her that I lived on the other side of the city, she might thinkI’mthe creep for walking her home.

“Do you think you could walk me to the party tomorrow?” she asks as the elevator dings and we step out.

“Uh...”Talk aboutwayout of the way.“Sure.”

She leads me to her apartment, stopping to punch in the code. “It’s just a studio apartment. I wasn’t sure what the cost of livingwould be like, so I wanted to make sure I could afford my rent comfortably.”

That’s ... that’s smart, actually.

“You wanna see inside?” she asks as she opens the door.

My heart ispoundingin my chest. I glance down at my watch. “Nah, I probably should get home. Maybe some other time,” I say stupidly.

She meets my gaze, her thick lashes and bright baby blues borderline breathtaking under the lights. “Okay, well, I’ll send you the link to my concert tickets.”

Right. The bet.

“And I’ll send you mine. Good night, Amy.” I spin around, and once she shuts the door, I take a deep breath.

Free concert tickets. Cool.

Chapter Eleven

Amy

“I can’t believe I made abetwith him,” I groan into the phone while staring at the light above my bed, which is still off. I slept in, and the sunlight peeking through my blinds is enough to illuminate my room.

Eliza laughs. “Lighten up. You’re going to get some awesome concert tickets out of it. I’m jealous. We always said we’d go see them but never had the chance to. Plus, I’m all for you showing him that love exists.”

“I don’t know if he thinks love doesn’t exist or if he’s just ... I don’t know. I seriously don’t understand him at all.”

“Well... I actually do, to some degree. When Devon and I broke up, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t do it again. Heartbreak isawful.Maybe that’s why Parker’s so hesitant about love... But I think the fact that he shows up to the dating events proves that, deep down, he wants the connection. Who knows, maybe you’llbothfind a significant other by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around.”

I ponder the thought. That would really show him—and he’d still have to buy my concert tickets. “Maybe I should try to set him up.”

Eliza chuckles. “I don’t know about all that. Maybe you should just worry about yourself. It drove mecrazywhen Granny tried to set me up ... even if it worked out in the end.”

“True. I just ... I just really want a date for tonight. I wasreallyhoping to get that first kiss tonight.”

“Then go get one!” Eliza beams. “There’s literally nothing stopping you from finding a date tonight. Hit the coffee shop, go for a walk, talk to a handsome stranger—safely—and you know, go get ’em.”

I smile, pulling the phone away from my ear and putting her on speaker. “Maybe I can find some sort of event to attendbeforethe party. Then, if I meet someone, I’ll just ask them to come with me to the party afterward.”

“... Okay. But you could also try to find someone a little more organically, you know?”

“Yeah, but that’ll take too long,” I reason, my brow furrowing. “I’ve spent nearly thirty years going to coffee shops and the grocery store and haveyetto be approached by someone. But if I can find an event for singles, at least I’ll know everyone is there for the same reason. There’s no guesswork. I don’t have time for guesswork.”

“Well then, you better find something quick.”

“Already did,” I say with pride, pulling up the directions to a lunchtime singles trivia. “I think this will do just fine.”

“Nice. Go get that date! Love you.”

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