Page 37 of The Wrong Date Deal

“Yes!” She laughed, looking incredulously at August. “You’re the one who brought up vampires. Kind of a weird turn in the conversation if they’re not always at the forefront of your mind.”

“I’m sure if we surveyed all of these people and asked them to name a monster, a good half of them would name vampires.” She watched Piper, amused, as she sipped her hot chocolate.

“Ugh. Insufferable.” Piper shook her head, but she was grinning the entire time.

She had the prettiest smile August had ever seen. So bright and warm and genuinely happy. It probably didn’t hurt that she justwaspretty—unbelievably so.

August couldn’t help but think she was having a much better afternoon than the last time she'd sat in these seats with someone from Hummingbird Dating.

“Brunettes are always trouble,” Piper said into her mug, as if she, too, weren’t a brunette.

August laughed. “I don’t think that’s a known saying.”

“It should be.”

“Oh, should it indeed?”

“Yes.” She waved a hand at August. “Case in point. Maybe I’ll contact the dictionary, send them your picture.”

“Have a lot of reasons to contact the dictionary, do you? Got them on speed dial?”

“Oh, yeah, for sure. Got to send in the regularly updated definition for vampires, after all.”

August laughed. “You’d be a terrible vampire. Giving up all your secrets this easily? Absolutely wild.”

“Ah, no. Don’t you see? It’s the perfect cover. Nobody would ever suspect me.”

“Except me.”

“Eh. I like you. I don’t think you’d sell me out.”

“Hm. Just make sure I don’t find the number for your contact at the dictionary. Otherwise, I’ll have to get them to update the definition for vampires with your picture.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

“Diabolical.”

“Indeed.”

Piper looked away, gazing out of the window and watching where the snow was starting to come down in thick flakes. Something lit up in her expression and she looked back at August. “Let’s go for a walk in the snow.”

“Right now?”

“Ha. No. When we’ve finished our drinks. It’ll be all fresh and crisp and amazing.”

August smiled. Piper was worse than Ford. “Sure.”

Chapter Nine

The world outside had fallen quiet in that way it only did when the snow was coming down. It always amazed Piper that such a silence could fall in a city.

Her boots crunched lightly in the snow that was building up thick and fast on the sidewalks. They’d clear it soon, but, for now, they walked on a soft white carpet that looked like few others had stepped upon it. It was funny how quickly all of the shops and cafés had cleared out as the snow picked up.

Beside Piper, August shivered slightly, pulling her scarf tighter and lifting her collar to protect against the chill.

Piper smiled. “Do you want to go back inside?”

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