Page 82 of The Valentine's Bet

Amy smiles, her baby blue eyes making my chest feel tight. “I don’t know if she does, but honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me. Thanks for sharing dinner with me.”

I nod. “It’s kind of nice to not have to eat alone.”

Her lips twinge downward for a split second. “Yeah, wouldn’t it be nice to share a meal with someone like this every night? It’s the little things like this that make me want a relationship.” She sighs, brushing her hair from her face. “I think the small moments are the most special.”

“I agree,” I say without thinking, but then shake my head. “But you still have to wait until after Valentine’s Day.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Well, I’ll have you know, Istillthink you’re going to lose.” Her voice takes on an air of confidence that makes me smile.

“Oh yeah? And why’s that? You got a date or something?” My chest tightens at the idea, but I ignore it.

She smiles. “As a matter of fact, I have one tomorrow night. Nellie set me up with one of her friends.”

I can barely bring myself to swallow my bite of garlic bread. “Great,” I choke out. “That’s just great.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Amy

Eliza:Have fun!

I read her text just before placing my phone in my purse and taking a deep breath. Nellie approached me at work yesterday and asked if she could give my phone number to one of her boyfriend’s friends. I agreed...

And now I have a date tonight.

I’m not going to lose this bet.

I nearly laugh to myself as I smooth out the material of my black long sleeve dress. It’s fitted without beingtoofitted, and when I paired it with my Vans, it’s nottoodressy, either. My freshly curled hair is flowing in all the right ways, and my red lips are the perfect touch, but...

“Do you think it’s too much?” I ask Parker, grabbing his attention from where he’s seated on the couch watching television.

He whips his head around, his eyes widening slightly and then returning to normal. “You look ...great.”

My nose crinkles. “Okay, but do I actually? You’re looking at me kinda funny.”

He chuckles. “No, I’m not.”

“We’re just going out for drinks at the Cricket.”

“Yeah, and you look fine.”

“Okay, but is it too much?” I ask one more time, my hands clasped in front of me. “I don’t want to come across like I’m trying too hard.”

Parker sits up, pausing his Netflix documentary and angling his body toward me. “Amy,” he says, his voice matter of fact. “You look beautiful. If the guy thinks you look like you tried too hard, then you should find someone else.” He then pauses and bites down on his lip. “Also ... are you sure you even wanna go out with this guy? You’ve never even met him—and the first thing he did was ask you out to a bar for drinks.”

I tilt my head in confusion. “Is that a red flag or something? He told me that he prefers meeting people in person rather than getting to know them over text messaging. I thought it was sweet.”

He sighs. “There’s nothing wrong with him saying that.”

“Okay, then.” I smile. “I haven’t forgotten the red flag training, and I’ll keep it all in mind. I’ll keep you up to date, too.”

“You don’t have to give me a play by play.” He groans, leaning back on the couch with aplop.

“Well, I’ll at least let you know that I’m alive and well—or if I need you to save me from a disaster.”

He’s quiet for a few moments, holding my gaze in a way that makes my heart stutter ... again. “Yeah, I’ll be there if you need me.”

“Thank you,” I say, taking one last breath and heading for the apartment door. Innately, my hand lands on his shoulder as I pass by. I pull it away, embarrassed.

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