Page 33 of Any Second Now
Dating Coach
RALEIGH
Iscoff.
“I amnotgood at dating.”
Lachlan could not have read me more wrong. Good at dating? Good at picking the wrong guy, yeah. Good at agreeing to bad marriages, sure.
“Really?” Lachlan raises his eyebrows. “Because you’ve gotten two blokes to marry you, which means you got them to date you first, and eventually propose. I’d say you’re pretty good at it. This guy’s never gotten someone to actually date him.” He nods toward Atticus.
“By choice!” Atticus insists, his brow furrowed. I can’t decide if he looks confused or offended. “If I wanted to date someone, I would’ve.”
Offended, then?
“To be honest, I have a hard time believing that Atticus can’t get someone to date him.” Honestly. There’s no way this is hard. There’s no way this man—I let my eyes flit over his chiseled jaw, bright green eyes, deep red curls—would have a problem dating.
“Exactly. See?” Atticus practically growls at Lachlan, who is clearly just pushing his buttons.
“You need help, mate. You want to ask this Rose person out?”
Atticus pauses and I find myself holding my breath.
“Yeah.” He looks at me when he says the word and I give an over-exaggerated shrug, then nod like a crazy person.
I shouldn’t care in the least if Atticus dates Rose or a cute bartender or half of Fort Collins.
I’m not interested in datinganyone.
Definitely not him.
“Just say—can I take you on a date? Then take her on one,” I say. “It would be that easy to prove Lachlan wrong.”
“It’s not really that easy.” Atticus watches me with a blank expression that I can’t read.
Of course it’s that easy. What’s he talking about?
I study him with narrowed eyes. I have no clue what’s going on inside his head. Maybe I should text Lucy and get more information.
Or maybe I shouldn’t let Lucy know how overly interested in her brother I am, because she’d see through me in about two seconds.
“Is it the actual date that’s the alleged problem?” I tilt my head and take a drink, deciding I’m going to play along. Why not? But I need more alcohol to have this conversation. “Because we all know you can get women to pay attention to you without a problem. And you can ask them out—you are not shy, Atticus Knox—and they’ll likely say yes.”
Atticus grins at my use of his full name. “Yup.” He nods. “That’s it. The actual date.”
“I got lucky,” Lachlan says dreamily. “I didn’t know what I was doing either, but Melissa took care of me. You’ve just gotta take a chance and then embrace it, mate.”
“Christ, if I have to keep hearing about how in love you are, I’m going to walk into the Rocky Mountains and never come back.” Atticus glares at his friend.
“Don’t do that.” I shake my head and try not to giggle. Atticuslooks at me. “Listen, I did some research, and there’s like all sorts of scary chicken-eating wildlife in those mountains.”
“You had to research to find that out?” Atticus raises his eyebrows. I attempt to growl at him but we both burst out laughing instead.
Lachlan makes a curious sound and I turn to him. He’s watching me, eyes narrowed, mouth twitched to one side.
“What?” I say. I feel like he’s really seeing me. Seeing through me?
“You should be Atticus’s dating coach.” He looks back and forth between us and says the words slowly, as if making sure we both understand every. Single. One. Of. Them.
