Page 14 of It's a Date (Again)

“Maya, no. Normal dating, please. This isn’t a reality show.”

“Fine. Fine. Fine. I’ll keep it standard.” She turns back to the guys and flips the page in her notebook. “All right, the soonest date would be Wednesday. Any takers?”

Nash’s hand shoots up. “I could do Wednesday afternoon.”

“Perfect, I got Nash down for Wednesday afternoon.” She jots it down and looks back at the guys. “What about Thursday?”

Tyler raises his hand. “I’m free Thursday night.”

“Noted.” Maya scribbles it down. “And what about you, Shawn?”

“Friday works for me. Anytime after 6:00 p.m.”

“I got Shawn down for Friday night.”

Hearing all this seems like a lot. I have to get my memories back, date three guys, and figure out which one I love. Plus, I literally don’t know anything about myself. I don’t even know what I look like. I must be somewhat appealing to have these three guys vying for me. Or maybe I have one of those captivating personalities that’s impossible to resist. Either way, this feels like a bad idea, but I also feel like I don’t have another choice. I mean I do. I could just call it off with all three of them and potentially give up that opportunity to be with the man I love. That doesn’t feel right either, especially since they’re all willing to try whatever this is with me. If they’re ready to go through with this, then I should be too.

Maya closes her notebook and places it on the empty chair. She reaches into her purse and pulls out several small pieces of paper. “These are my business cards,” she says, handing one to each of them. “You may call or text the number at the bottom to coordinate your date. If you need Peyton to meet you somewhere, I will bring her. You can also visit the website to see when my upcoming comedy shows are.”

“Maya, what does that have to do with dating me?”

“A.B.M., Peyton. Always be marketing.”

Maya redirects her attention back to the men. “Now, let me get a picture of each of you.” She slips her phone from her pocket.

“What’s the picture for?” Tyler asks.

“Personal collection and to help Peyton jog her memory,” Maya says it so quickly, they don’t even register the first part. I snicker while she takes several photos of each of them, directing them to pose so she can get close-ups and full body shots from all angles. When she’s done, Maya scrolls through her phone, saying, “Nice,” several times. “These are really going to help us. I mean, Peyton.” She stows her phone away and looks at the guys. “Any questions?”

They glance at one another and then back at Maya, shaking their heads.

“Great, then we’ll be in touch. Thank you all for stopping by, but Peyton needs her rest now,” she says, corralling them out of the room. Shawn tells me he’ll text me. Nash says he’ll see me on Wednesday. Tyler tells me to feel better. I wave goodbye, but before I can get a word out, Maya closes the door behind them.

With her back pressed against the door, she looks to me with wide eyes and a huge smile. She is way more excited about this than I am. I’m actually a little scared and nervous, and I don’t have a clue as to what I’m doing.

“You know I think you’re great, but how in the hell did you bag those three men?” She clutches at her heart dramatically. “They’re all so gorgeous. I think I’m in love with them too. Don’t tell Anthony,” Maya says with a laugh.

“Who’s Anthony?”

“My boyfriend. But less about him and more about them. How were you dating all three of those guys?”

“I have no idea,” I say, shaking my head. “But the real question is, how am I going to decide who I love if I don’t even know who I am? And they’re all so perfect ... and I’m”—I gesture to myself, looking down at my legs wrapped in a hospital sheet and my hands that are scuffed and scratched up—“not.”

“You clearly are to them, and you owe it to yourself to figure out what your heart wants. It’s not your fault you got hit by a car.” She pauses and squints. “Well, technically it is because you ran out into an intersection when you didn’t have aWALKsignal, but that’s neither here nor there. You were so excited to tell one of them how you really feel that you got yourself hit by a car. If that’s not romance, then I don’t know what is.” Maya takes a seat beside the bed and reaches for my hand, holding it. “For as long as I’ve known you, you have never let anyone truly love you. This is your chance.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you’re like a clam in that way. You got a tough shell to crack.”

I frown. I’ve never loved anyone. And no one’s loved me. That’s kind of sad. Maybe Maya’s right. This is my chance. I was finally open to it right before the accident, and I shouldn’t let amnesia get in the way of that. They clearly like me because they all showed up.

“Wait, how did they even know I was here?”

“I posted about your accident on your Instagram yesterday. Thank God I knew your password. It’s actually your most liked photo. You’re welcome,” she says with a pleased look.

“What did you post?”

Maya slides her phone from her pocket and clicks around. She rotates the screen to me. “Cute, right?”

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