Page 9 of Hesi-Dating
He didn't reply, not that I expected him to write back. But somehow I was disappointed.
ChapterThree
JOLEY
"Soooo…the sheriff texted you?" Gino leaned over the foot soak basin to touch his toenails to assess for stickiness. They weren't painted pink like mine. Just matte finished.
"You have gorgeous hands," I said. They looked well-manicured as if he'd recently had them done on a different day. "Such smooth skin. I'm jealous."
"I found this new hand cream. I'll text you the name. It's a miracle. You know the hands tell you a lot about a man's…" He winked and didn't finish when other voices in the salon lowered as the ears of gossipy women strained to eavesdrop. Gino was the kind of handsome that made both men and women stare. He exuded an "it" factor with his piercing blue eyes and brown skin that had already propelled him to semi-stardom on a regional TV network. I expected a big network to pick him up soon. He was also a man who took care of everything about himself, from working out to the fact he manicured, waxed, and probably body-wrapped on a weekly basis.
"What'd the sheriff want when he texted?" he prompted.
I shrugged. "He let me know he officially sold his house to his ex. He just got divorced."
"He should post that he's single on his social posts. It'd drive up his popularity, not that he needs help. You've got to see his hot-ass pictures."
I frowned.
He scrolled on his phone and rotated to show me familiar picture after picture of Seth in a view that showed off how incredible he looked in tactical pants. What I saw was Seth's eyes. Intense and focused. This was a man who took everything seriously. A man who cared about those he helped. Also a man in desperate need of something fun in his life.
Gino snatched back his phone. "There's one…Here." He rotated to show me a shot of him getting hosed down at what looked like a firefighter convention. His t-shirt clung to the contours of his chest. "He's hot as a cherry popsicle on a summer day. I could lick that man in ways that would make you blush."
"Stop making me regret my choices," I whispered. But I cleared my throat. I still didn't think Seth had been ready for more. Or maybe I wasn't ready to handle everything that came with his intense stare. I didn't think I could keep feelings out of it.
A tanned blonde woman at the drying station next to us leaned our way. "You're talking aboutthesheriff? Briscoe, right?"
Gino nodded.
The woman rolled her eyes heavenward. "He's incredible. In person, he's so much more than how good he looks online. I went to a talk he did when they opened a community center in La Jolla. Wow. That deep voice. The cowboy hat." She fanned her flushed cheeks. "You had a date with him?"
I shrugged. "We weren't right for each other."
Gino's eyebrows inched upward.
With a smug smile the blonde said, "You're too young for him, honey. He'd go for someone my age, though. You're just the wrong generation."
My hackles went up.
Gino put a hand on my forearm and shook his head. "My nails are dry. Let's check out."
At the checkout Gino harrumphed as he scrolled through his phone. "My cousin is starting to use a dating app. The questions he asks…" He rolled his eyes. "He's been hitting me up with questions for weeks. Not like I'm an expert or anything."
"Let me see. Are they tough ones?"
He rotated his phone. "He's asking about virtual events to meet potential interests. I never did those."
"I hate those. I did a few online dating events. I guess it works for some people."
Gino typed. "I've got to get you two together at some point to chat. You’re the expert on these apps."
"Yeah, I guess." I was good at them. Seeing through bullshit on the dating apps was my superpower. Didn't exactly sound great on a resume, though.
Outside the salon he said, "You are way into the sheriff. Probably good your self-preservation instincts kicked in and stopped you from going further."
"That woman inside?—"
"Was jealous," he interrupted. "The sheriff was obviously out of his depth with you, but you're so much more than that lady in there. I bet he saw that. The question is whether he has the balls to man up about it and get over his divorce anxiety."
