Page 85 of The Wrong Date Deal

Massima shrugged and shot Piper a devilish grin. “Speaking of which… I might need to raid it tomorrow.”

Piper narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Well, you know, because we’re helping with the big move and I don’t have any good clothes for that.”

Piper shut her closet door, watching Massima suspiciously. “You don’t have clothes to help Ford move into Hermes’ apartment? It’s hardly a fixer-upper.”

The impending move was another reason Piper needed tonight to go well. She could only imagine how awkward it would be to see August the morning after a terrible date. Especially if the activity they were completing was one that painfully highlighted the fact that they were stuck in each other’s lives for the foreseeable future.

It was deeply unfortunate that Hermes and Ford had chosen the morning after their big date to move in together.

“Correct.” Massima sat back on the edge of Piper’s bed.

“The confidence with which you lie to me is truly astounding.”

Her mouth dropped open in consternation. “I’m not lying! I don’t have anything to wear.”

“You have workout gear. You have jeans.”

“Expensiveworkout gear that I don’t want to damage. And nice jeans. I don’t have anything to wear for… manual labor.”

“What exactly do you imagine you’ll be doing? There’s going to be a bunch of us there. If you don’t want to help with any painting or building furniture, you won’t have to.”

“Moving boxes is manual labor.”

Piper caught sight of the clock. She didn’t have time for this. “You know, whatever you want.” She waved towards the bottom drawer of her dresser. “That one’s full of stuff I don’t care about getting damaged. Have at it.”

Massima beamed. “You’re the best.”

“Thank you. Now, get out. I have a date to get ready for.”

Massima ran from the room giggling and was still just as excited when Piper emerged half an hour later, ready to leave.

“You look great. Have fun. I know you will. Bye, bye, bye,” Massima said, practically hauling Piper out the door once she had her coat.

Piper spluttered but went with it since she was trying to leave anyway and this was probably preferable to Massima holding her up to talk about the date.

The last time she’d gone to meet August at the dance studio, she’d taken public transport. This time, thanks to the rain and the fact that she was actually on the date, she’d ordered a cab. And, when it pulled up at the dance studio and she climbed out, she was right on time to see August emerging from the nearby parking garage.

August spotted her as they walked towards each other and stopped, both a little hesitant, outside the door.

“You look beautiful,” Piper said honestly.

August laughed gently, looking away. “You’ve seen this coat before, sorry.”

“You still look beautiful.”

“You too,” she said, looking back at Piper, sincerity burning in her eyes. “And I’m glad the rain has slowed down for a minute. I wasn’t keen on showing up looking like a drowned rat.”

“I’m sure you’d still look fantastic.”

August blushed and looked up at the studio. “Well. Do you suppose we should go in?”

“After you.”

Every little look, every gesture, every moment felt so much more loaded than any other first date Piper had ever been on. She’d had good first dates in the past, but they’d never felt like this.

The studio was warm and beautifully lit, the scent of wood polish in the air. Everything about the experience felt like it needed to be captured and cataloged in Piper’s brain. She’d never fully understood the people who remembered every little detail of their first date with someone—she could give a general overview, but the minutiae evaded her. This time, however, she knew she’d remember it all.

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