Page 12 of It's a Date (Again)

“No need to sell yourself yet. This is early stages, but I’m marking you down as a dark-haired, less buff Chris Hemsworth with Thor hair, just so I can keep you all straight.”

“Thanks, I guess,” he says.

“You can step back in line.” She dismisses him. “Next.”

I give Maya a stern look. “Can you stop treating them like they’re in a police lineup?”

She playfully narrows her eyes. “Fine, will the next suitor please step forward?”

The second man moves up one step. Clutched in his hand is a string attached to a balloon that saysGETWELLSOON. He places the weight tied at the end on the floor beside my bed and smiles wide. It’s contagious because I grin right back. My stomach turns over, like that feeling you get on a roller coaster when it dips fast and sudden.

“I’m Shawn Morris,” he says, never letting his smile falter. He’s tall with a dark complexion, dressed in a white button-down and tailored blue slacks. It looks like he just came from the office. The shirt is tight around his biceps and chest. He clearly works out. I bet he could bench me and Maya. His hair is freshly cut, and his face is free of any facial stubble. He’s nearly the complete opposite of Tyler.

“Hi, Shawn.” My voice comes out soft and flirty. I think I love him. It must be Shawn. I look over to Guy #1. Or do I love Tyler?

He nods and licks his lips before he speaks. “We’ve been dating for two months, but I do travel a lot for work, and sometimes we’ve gone a week or two between dates. Actually, I also asked you to be my girlfriend recently, but you told me you wanted to get to know me better and spend more time together, which I understood, given what my work life is like.”

“And what do you do?” Maya asks.

“I’m a consultant.”

“Not sure what that means. But it sounds important,” she notes.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Shawn,” I say.

“Hey, and I’m glad you’re okay, Peyton.”

“Oh yeah, me too,” Tyler adds. “I forgot to mention that.”

“No talking out of turn, Hemsworth,” Maya says, holding a finger up.

He drops his chin slightly.

“All right, Shawn, you may fall back in line. I’ll mark you down as young Denzel,” she says.

“Thanks,” he gushes. His grin grows a little wider and brighter.

“Next,” Maya calls out.

I groan.

“I mean Man Number Three, you may approach the beautiful lady.”

The third guy holds a box of chocolates in one hand and a stuffed teddy bear in the other. He steps forward and smiles sheepishly as he hands each of them over.

“Hi,” he says with a quick wave.

He seems shy but also confident. It’s a quiet confidence. His hazel eyes bounce around for a moment before they finally land on me, like he was working up the courage to make direct eye contact. I notice there are flecks of yellow in his irises. His light-brown hair is cut short in a low-maintenance way. He’s dressed casually, wearing a white tee and blue jeans. His left arm is covered in a sleeve of colorful tattoos. It’s quite beautiful the way each design blends seamlessly into another. He has more of a slim build, but he’s just as tall as Shawn and Tyler.

“I’m Nash Doherty,” he says. “The chocolates are homemade, by the way.” He shuffles his feet. “We’ve been dating for around five weeks. I almost feel like I’ve entered the friend zone because most of our dates have been during the day or on Monday or Tuesday nights due to my work schedule. I also told you I wanted to be exclusive, and you said you needed a little more time. But you did assure me that you have feelings for me beyond friendship. I hope that’s still true.” Nash laughs nervously. “Umm, I’m a chef at Gretel in Logan Square. We actually had our most recent date there on a night it was closed.” The corner of his lip perks up, and he trails off.

“You’re the chef at Gretel?” Tyler pats him on the shoulder. “That place is awesome! Y’all have, like, the best burger in the city.”

“And that chicken liver mousse with grilled sourdough bread,” Shawn chimes in. “I could eat that every day.”

Nash nods. They high-five one another and exchange firm pats on the back.

“Boys! Focus. The snack is over here in the hospital bed. Worry about dinner later,” Maya snaps.

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