Page 27 of I Did Before I Do

Maybe, if our date went well, he’d be the one. Notthe One, permanently, but the one I gave up my V-card to.

* * * * *

Jay was in my office.

Apparently, Maggie telling him I wasn’t looking for a relationship hadn’t deterred him at all.

He cleared his throat. “I was thinking, you know, if you’re not busy this weekend…”

Ugh.

I tuned him out immediately.

He was just so boring. I mean, he was handsome, in a way, but I couldn’t see myself with him.

He was too much like Mark—clean-cut, with dark hair and eyes. On the rare occasions when we did a casual day at the office, he still showed up in khakis and a polo.

He liked taking his boat out on the lake and playing golf. I knew that much from overhearing office chatter. He watched football every Sunday when it was on and always made buffalo wings—not homemade, but from a box.

He sounded so dull and uninteresting.

How had I ever considered settling down with someone at work a possibility? It sounded like a punishment. And I didn’t deserve that. No, I was still young, and fun, and…

And I could do better than this.

“Sydney?”

I blinked, looking up at Jay.

He had a look of confusion on his face. “Uh, am I boring you? Everything okay?”

God, yes, you’re so fucking boring I want to die. “No, sorry, I just zoned out for a second. And I’m busy this weekend.”

He deflated a little. “Oh.” Then, emboldened again, said, “Well, maybe another time? Next week? We could go to dinner. There’s this really great Italian place—”

“I don’t think so, Jay.”

Jay blinked in surprise. “What?”

“I said, I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“But…but you’re single. And you’re, what, twenty-five?” He gave me a look up and down. “You won’t look that good forever, sweetheart.”

Right. Fragile male egos couldn’t handle a little rejection. I nodded toward the door. “If that’s how you want to talk to me, you can just leave.”

He turned on his heel. As he left, I heard him mutter, “Bitch.”

I snorted. He wasn’t exactly a catch, either, and way too up his own ass for my taste.

He could find another woman to make miserable. I wasn’t going to tie myself down to anyone, not yet. Not even Ryker. He wasn’t relationship material, anyway—just a little fun for now.

Thinking of him made me smile. Jay’s attitude was almost forgotten. I had to run by the grocery store on my way home, get things going for dinner.

I was sure Ryker had never had anything as good as my shrimp alfredo.

* * * * *

Ryker showed up right on time with a bottle of Chardonnay, just like I’d suggested. He wore jeans and an open button-down over a t-shirt with a cool graphic on it. Even though I knew he’d come straight from the shop, he looked like he’d put in extra effort tonight.

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