Page 48 of The Wrong Date Deal

“You got that from two minutes of seeing us interact?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I really don’t.”

“Just that… I can see you liking her. I can see her liking you. There’s… I don’t know, a charge between you that’s literally never been there with Hermes, so it’s a different conversation.”

Piper sighed. She’d gone through basically the same conversation with Hermes himself, and here was Massima making her do it again, but, this time, with imagined evidence from seeing them together. “I think you were just picking up a weird vibe from the fact that we were helping her get used to sending opening lines that were flirty enough for a dating app.”

Massima laughed. “It’s as if you really don’t know that’s kind of a weird thing to do. Even you have to admit that’s the kind of thing that would happen in a book or a movie and then they’d just fall for each other instead.”

“Well, we can all be grateful we’re not in a movie, can’t we?”

“So, you’re trying to convince me you don’t think she’s attractive at all?”

Piper looked around. “I don’t think I said that. When did I say that?”

Massima’s mouth dropped open momentarily. “You just said you weren’t attracted to her!”

“I’m not attracted to you, but I know you’re gorgeous. Same for Hermes and Shea.”

Massima yanked a tissue out of its box, scrunched it up, and threw it at Piper. “You are so annoying.”

Piper laughed. “Thank you. But I’m failing to see what I did wrong.”

“You think August’s attractive?”

“Objectively, she is.”

“But you’re not attracted to her?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

And she had been, right up until she’d answered. The last syllable of her insistence felt very slightly off, like it was something bitter in the back of her throat. She didn’t know why, though. She hadn’t been lying. August was beautiful, but they really were just friends.

She shook her head. This was Massima’s fault. If she’d taken Piper at her word, like Hermes had done, she wouldn’t be overthinking and making herself feel like she was lying.

You could absolutely know that someone was attractive without being attracted to them. That was a thing. She knew it was. She’d felt like that about plenty of people.

She was going to Google it later.

Massima huffed and seemed to give up. “Ugh. Fine. You’re so boring.”

“Thank you?” Piper said, bewildered.

“No. You’re not. I’m sorry. I just… thought this was the one. There was so much tension in here when I walked in. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much tension with anyone in my life—maybe except for my morning coffee, because that relationship is on another level.”

Piper breathed a laugh. “I think you were just thrown by the low lights and the fact that August is, objectively, beautiful, and that I had, technically, met her on a date. Drawing conclusions that are potentially logical but don’t need to be there.”

She hummed. “I guess. I just think you two look great together and you obviously like each other as people. That feels like a great start for a relationship.”

“I’m sure it is. I look forward to testing the theory when I eventually meet someone to do that with. And August will be there, cheering me on from the sidelines. Just as I’ll be cheering her on when it happens for her.”

Massima shot her a doubtful look, holding it for slightly too long to be comfortable, before she deflated. “Fine. I’m still bragging to Hermes that I met her first, though.”

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