Page 8 of Hesi-Dating
My cheeks scorched. I'd messed up the last time I scheduled us. It hadn't been the first time. There's only one letter difference between "a.m." and "p.m." So when booking anything online I have to be super careful. My reading problem makes it easy for me to screw up. I usually double and triple check, but I'd been in a hurry last time. Dropdown menus on my phone were too easy to make mistakes with.
"It was an honest mistake." I laughed, but it came off awkward. Gino didn't know about my reading issue. No one did. I was too embarrassed to admit I had a problem. Like most people who make idiotic mistakes, I got written off as ditzy. "I'll let you book it just to play it safe."
My desk mate returned from his extended bathroom break.
I whispered into the phone, "See you tomorrow morning."
I scrolled through online posts and searched for Seth Briscoe.
Oh, wow. That was an ass to die for. He looked so sweet in the Reel as he taught the girl how to use the bike lock. It was an effective PSA post, but also amazing pictures of him. No wonder he had…No way.He had over 500K followers?
My phone dinged with an incoming message.
Hot Sheriff
I sold her my half of the house.
Did he know I'd been cyberstalking him? My heart pounded so hard that I had trouble breathing. Seth freaking texted me!
How was I supposed to respond? A big high-five emoji felt wrong. My fingers hovered over the screen. Letting go of the house was a big step for him.
But texting could be almost as hazardous for me as booking an appointment online. It's not that I said stupid stuff. Spelling was impossible. Sure, I used voice-to-text, but I couldn't do that at work. I used spell check, but sometimes my spelling was so off that even it couldn't figure out what I was trying to say.
I slowed down to concentrate on what I typed. Often, when texting, I had to look up words to make sure I was getting it right.Short words,I told myself.Be brief.
Go you! You OK?
Hot Sheriff
Glad to be done with it.
Time for new people.
Are you volunteering to be my new person?
I had to read his reply several times to figure out his meaning. When I finally did, I smiled.
I would in a hot second if you weren’t…
I couldn't find the right wording to finish it. "If you weren't the sheriff"is what I almost typed. Instead, I simply sent it as it was. I didn't need to finish it.
HOT SHERIFF
Weren't what? A hot potato?
Yep.
…
I read about the deputy on the interstate. Are you OK?
…
The dots bounced there, but no reply showed up. I'd overstepped. Oops. Was he angry?
It’s hard to lose a good friend.
I'm sorry. Let me know if I can help.
