Page 40 of It's a Date (Again)

He doesn’t hesitate this time and just goes for it, leaning down and planting his lips on mine. It warms me from the inside out. When he pulls away, I’m disappointed and already want his mouth back on mine.

“I’ll text you,” he says, jogging down the stairs of the porch.

I tell him bye as he waves and disappears down the street. I don’t leave the porch until I can’t see him anymore.

On my way to the back courtyard, I grab two cans of Coke from the fridge. That kiss has left me thirsty. Outside, Robbie is seated with his feet up on another chair and the palms of his hands resting on the back of his head. It feels like I’ve been called into a boss’s office for insubordination.

“Well, well, well,” he says with a smirk.

“What?” I feel myself blush.

Robbie raises his brows. “Things are progressing quite quickly with Bob the Builder.”

I set a can of Coke in front of him and push his feet off the chair, taking the seat. He dramatically flings forward and chuckles.

“His name is Tyler,” I say, cracking open my soda.

Robbie opens his can and brings it to his lips. “I like him,” he says, slurping it. He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he drinks.

“Really?” I tilt my head.

He makes a refreshing sound and places the can on the table. “Yup. Why? Are you surprised?”

“Kind of.” I sip the sugary soda.

“Why’s that?”

“I thought you wouldn’t like any of them.”

His brow creases. “How am I supposed to figure out which one you love if I just dislike them all?”

I shrug but there’s a little ache in my heart, and I’m not sure what’s causing it. Maybe I want Robbie to be overprotective or put up a stink over these guys. He did for a little bit with Tyler, but now he’s so nonchalant about it all. I’m starting to think Robbie really did forget about our pact—and not only that, he never believed it was a good thing for us to be together in the first place. But then why did he agree to it all those years ago? Well, probably because he thought it was silly to begin with. It’s easy to agree to silly things you never plan on following through with.

“I guess you’re right,” I admit.

He leans forward, placing his hand beneath my chin and lifting it. His eyes lock with mine. They’re so blue and inviting. I feel like I could swim in them. “Do you not want me to like them?” he asks.

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it? You seem disappointed.”

He’s right. I am. But I’m not sure why that it is. My eyes trace the outline of his sharp jaw. “I don’t know. I guess I just thought you’d be a little protective of me.”

Robbie leans back and lets out a laugh. “You want me to rough one of them up? Probably not Shawn or Tyler. They’re my size or bigger. Maybe Nash?” he teases.

I giggle. “No, just question them and make sure their intentions are right. One of the guys is apparently a liar, and I’d hate to pick the wrong one.”

“I’d hate that too,” he says.

CHAPTER8

Robbie opens his laptop and places it on the kitchen counter. A large easel stands beside him with an oversized notepad propped up on it. On the first page are the wordsDude Deep Divewritten in Sharpie. Maya is seated next to me on the couch munching on popcorn. Debbie sits in the sofa chair. A notebook is in her lap, a pen is in one hand, and a glass of red wine is clutched in the other.

“Do we really have to do this?” I groan. “Can’t I just go on the dates and decide from there?”

Robbie dramatically extends a metal pointer stick. It clicks as it grows in length to nearly three feet. “No,” he says. “We have all gathered to ensure you make the right decision, and the only way to do that is by having all of the information. This will lessen the risk of heartbreak and potentially picking the wrong guy. Assessing risk is my specialty.”

“That’s right,” Debbie says. “This is more fun than my soaps.” She sips wine.

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