Page 73 of Love Medley
“You really are totally laser-focused on Jake, aren’t you?” Zoe laughs. “I’m just wondering if Luke has a girlfriend.”
“If he’s a jerk, why do you care?” I ask. Zoe’s brain works differently than mine; at this point, if there was a single red flag, I’d stay far, far away.
“Just curious, that’s all,” she says flippantly, but I’m not fooled. She’s intrigued, and when Zoe’s curiosity is piqued, she’s like a dog with a bone.
“Any new hits on Connections?” I say, hoping to deter her from this line of thinking.
Zoe brightens. “Yes, plenty. I have a couple of dates lined up this week.”
I shake my head. “I seriously don’t know how you do it. I feel exhausted just hearing about your dating schedule. How do you do all of thatandschool?”
“You only live once,” Zoe says airily, waving her hand in the air. “Go big or go home, I say.”
“That’s true,” I murmur. That’s honestly how I feel right now about Jake.
As if he can read my thoughts, my cell phone pings.
Jake: Where would you go on vacation if you could? Beach or mountains?
Me: Did you look up a getting-to-know-you questionnaire or something?
Jake: …busted.
Me: This cracks me up! LOLOLOL
Jake: Put me out of my misery, woman, and just answer the damned question. *melting face emoji*
Me: Fine, fine. But if you make fun of me for my choice of dog, I get to give you a hard time about this. I like the ocean, so for me, thebeach. You?
Jake: Definitely beach. The sun, a drink in my hand, sound of waves in the distance? What’s not to like? But no cotton ball dogs are allowed at my resort.
I grin at the phone.
Me: You know, for someone who has to Google a questionnaire for a text conversation, you protest a lot about the cutest fluffy dog on the planet.
Jake: I beg to differ, but maybe you can try to convince me on Tuesday night.
The reminder of our date Tuesday combined with our flirty banter makes me flush. It still amazes me how easily our text thread is flowing. There’s a part of me that doubts this connection—that questions if this is real—but his words keep drawing me in. I’m thrilled by the black-and-white reminder that this is actually happening.
Me: Challenge accepted.
“Luce, you’re blushing,” Zoe giggles. “Is that Jaaaaake?”
“Yes,” I say, wishing my cheeks wouldn’t betray me like this.
“Ask him about Luke!”
“Fine, fine.”
Me: Zoe is asking about Luke, a bartender at TNT. He’s your friend, right?
Jake: Yeah, he’s the one I told you about, but Luke doesn’t do relationships. If she’s looking for one, she should search elsewhere.
Me: I’ll tell her, but with a warning label attached.
“Sounds like he’s a player,” I say.
Zoe’s eyes glint with a fierce gleam that I know well. “Really,” she says. “That’sveryinteresting.”
