“No, I told you, I’ve got this round.”
“You don’t have to butter me up.”
“But it’s your first time at Amarillo Sour. Let a regular cover your drink.”
Meeting his gaze again, she searched his eyes for something sinister. No alarm bells sounded. Of course, outside of a classroom, she wasn’t the best judge of character. Yet there was nothing about him thus far to give her caution.
Nothing beyond how bizarre this whole thing sounded.
She’d let him buy the drink, though. “Thank you. It was . . . interesting to meet you.”
“Likewise. And Haleigh, no matter what you decide, now that you’ve found your way to Amarillo Sour, don’t be a stranger.”
Chapter Four
The following morning, Ian strode into the Link Digital offices with more intensity than he had in weeks. The sudden change in his demeanor overnight wasn’t lost on Taylor.
“Someone is awfully chipper considering we’re spending our Saturday sorting survey responses.” She accepted the cup of coffee he’d bought her and blew on it before sipping.
“What if I told you I had a better idea?”
“Better than this?” She waved her hand in front of the open Excel documents on her computer screen. “I’d probably kiss you.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Ian dropped into the chair next to her and set his laptop on the table. He removed the lid from his coffee cup and poured three packets of sugar and a creamer into it while it cooled. The Link Digital offices had just about everything an employee could want. They had a fully stocked kitchen, arcade games in the employee lounge, and even a private gym on the first floor. But they still didn’t have a machine that could make a decent cup of coffee.
“Well?” Taylor gave a meaningful glance to his computer. “Aren’t you going to show me? You nerds are usually pretty stoked about forcing codes and data on your victims.”
“I found someone.” In his enthusiasm, he tripped over his words in a rush to get them out. “She’s smart and pretty, in a very girl next door way. She may be a little awkward, but she makes up for it with her sense of humor once she gets going. She’s good on paper and in real life. She’s perfect.”
She arched an eyebrow. “You’re saying that in the past twelve hours you’ve met someone and you’re ready to introduce her to Mama. Aw, baby, I’m happy for you. I’m touched you came to me first.”
“What?” He frowned. “Where’d you make that jump?”
“You said you found someone.”
“I did.”
“You said she’s perfect.”
“Right.”
“Okay, nerd boy.” Shaking her head, she added a packet of Sweet’N Low to her coffee. “You need to start this story over. You’re forgetting a few details. From the beginning. Speak slowly. Use our words.”
On a sigh, he dropped into a chair and leaned forward. “Last night, after you left the bar . . .”
“With you so far.”
“One of the regulars brought in a woman he was meeting on a blind date.”
“At Amarillo Sour?” She grimaced. “He must not care about first impressions.”
“It’s kind of his thing, but that’s not the point.” Ian paused to regain control of the narrative. One condescending lecture on clarity was enough for one weekend. “They didn’t hit it off for a number of reasons, but while they were talking, she told him she needed a date. For her reunion next month. Her ex will be there; her classmates are being dicks about her. She wants to shut them up.”
“By bringing a date to the reunion?”
“Basically.” He must not be explaining this correctly. It had all clicked for him last night, and Taylor was usually two steps ahead of everyone. Then again, maybe he wasn’t conveying Haleigh’s sense of urgency. “She hasn’t dated much since they broke up in college. She’s okay about that in general, but she doesn’t like the gossip.”
“Okay.” Taylor nodded slowly. “I’m starting to get it. She went on this blind date hoping to meet someone she could take to the reunion. For appearances.”
“Exactly. But, like I said, she and Patrick didn’t hit it off. She seemed bummed about it but unsure of what to do next. I got the impression she doesn’t know much about picking up men.”
“So you suggested she try the app.”
“And give us feedback that we can tell the investors.” When she didn’t say anything immediately, he added, “I’ll oversee the whole deal myself. You tell me if there’s any specific info you want, and I’ll get it.”
“Hmm.”
While Taylor seemed to understand his plan now, she wasn’t giving any indication of liking it. For the first time, Ian wondered if he’d missed the mark. It wouldn’t be the first time, but his instincts had been spot-on with everything else related to XO.
“Well?”
“It’s not a bad idea,” she said at last. “Following someone’s experience from the beginning will be a lot more compelling than sharing interview testimonials after the fact.”
“Exactly.”
“If she finds a date to the reunion, it would be an incredible story. Even if she doesn’t, we could do some spin about the journey and the app helping her get back out there, blah, blah, blah.”
“You’ve got it.” And better than he had. He hadn’t considered how even a non-successful match story could work, but that was one less thing to worry about.
“She’ll agree to give us insider, all-access information through the whole process?”
“Well . . .” That was the only downside. “I pitched her the idea, and she’s sleeping on it.”
“So, you’ll follow up with her by Monday?”
“I gave her my number and told her to call when she decided.”
“But you don’t have a way of getting in touch with her?”
“Not exactly . . .” Not at all, to be more exact. He mentally swore at himself for not getting her phone number or email address in case she didn’t respond. But he hadn’t wanted to seem pushy. “I have a good feeling about this.”
“Mr. Algorithms wants to go with his gut?” She gave a short, humorless laugh. “I thought the creative types were supposed to be the impractical ones.”
“She’ll call.” Only, now he wasn’t quite as certain as he’d been five minutes earlier. “Look, if it makes you feel better, we can still make your cold calls.”
Which, after this development, would be even more of a letdown.
Taylor pursed her lips and tapped her chin, taking her sweet time to consider. It was only fair she have a few moments to process. Even if the wait was making him squirmy.
“Okay. I’ll give you the weekend to seal the deal, but—” She narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t have her signed up on the app and matched with at least five men by Monday morning, we’re making the cold calls.”
He let out a breath. “It’s going to work.”
“So you say.” She handed him a tablet with survey results on it. “We should still narrow down our field a little. Just for insurance.”
He didn’t argue that it wouldn’t be necessary. For one thing, he wasn’t positive he wouldn’t be spending his Monday night calling strangers. For another, he’d just won a tentative victory over Taylor. That didn’t happen often.
The founders didn’t call her the angler fish for nothing.
They worked in relative silence for a few minutes as they scrolled through the surveys, flagging ones that had potential for good feedback. He was about ready to trade his cup of coffee for a Gatorade when Taylor cleared her throat.
“So. Tell me more about the girl.”
“I already gave you the gist.”
“Come on, I need more. I’m in marketing. I need details and flourishes.”
His stomach lurched. “This isn’t for a marketing campaign. It’s for the—”
“While we might not be using your plan for a major marketing campaign, we’ll still have to sell the s
tory to the founders and the investors. That’s another kind of marketing.”
There she went, talking to him like he was an idiot again.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything. What she looks like. What she’s into. If you think she might go Fatal Attraction on us.”
“I just met her—”
“First impressions, then.” She gave him a pointed stare. “Come on. Don’t be such a dude.”
“Okay, I got it.” He gave another sigh and scratched the back of his head while he came up with something. “She’s not crazy. We don’t have to worry about her boiling bunnies or kidnapping someone’s kid.”
“Someone else was watching HBO last weekend too. Good. Keep going.”
“She has a dog. She works out.”
“What does she do for a living?”
“She teaches high school.” He squinted, trying to recall exactly what she’d said. “Math, I think.”
“And she hasn’t dated for the past decade?”
“That’s what she said.” Though he didn’t know why exactly. Like he’d just finished explaining, she was cute. “She seemed shy.”
“That might explain it. Or that guy really messed her up.”
“Or maybe she’s been focused on her career. She said she spends a lot of time grading and making lesson plans, and she’s an adviser for a couple of clubs. She owns a house that needs repairs. Plus, she has a high-energy dog—”
“You sound impressed.”
“I told you, she looks good on paper.” He rose then to pace the bit of floor between his desk and a Skee-Ball machine. “And she’s smart. She actually seemed to understand what I was talking about when I told her about my job.”
“Ew. Please tell me you didn’t explain code to her. In a bar. We’ve discussed this.”
“She’s kind of funny too, in a quiet way,” he continued, ignoring her remark. “That’s probably the heart of it. Yes, she’s a bit awkward, but it comes more out of shyness than something being wrong.”
“Yet she cares what her high school classmates think about her all these years later?”
“Wouldn’t you hate it if people were talking crap about you behind your back?”
“I suppose so.” She pursed her lips to consider a moment. “You really think it’s just shyness and being out of practice?”
“Definitely.” He planted his palms on the desk. “I actually had fun talking to her.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe someone has a bit of a crush.”
“What? Me?” He snorted. “Stop trying to mess with me. You just didn’t understand what I was saying earlier.”
“I’m hearing you now. You like her.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to date her.”
“Why not? You want to spend time with her.” She held up a hand to keep him from interrupting. “You’re insisting on personally overseeing this.”
“Because it’s my idea.”
“You said she’s pretty.”
“I’m guessing plenty of the guys on the app will find her attractive too.”
“And you—”
“That’s not what this is. It’s business.” He dropped back into his seat. “As you point out every chance you get, I don’t have a life out of this office. That doesn’t change when I have this much riding on the app.”
She eyed him dubiously. “So it’s just about the app?”
“Of course, it is.”
Why couldn’t she get that through her head?
“Okay. If you say your interest is purely business, it must be true.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he eased back into his seat. “It is.”
“This really does sound like it would be good for us. If it works.”
“It will.”
He’d do everything within his power to make sure it did. He’d even bribe Patrick into helping him get in touch if she didn’t call by Sunday afternoon. Once she considered it, he was sure they could come to terms.
There was too much riding on this to let it go without trying.
***
In hindsight, Haleigh should have anticipated the ambush.
Maybe it was the extra glass of wine she’d had the night before. Maybe it was waking up and remembering she’d actually told a prospective date her whole sad story. Maybe it was having a stranger at a bar take pity on her and suggest she beta test his dating app.
Maybe it was realizing that even with the app, she still might not pull herself together enough to find a date for the reunion
Whatever it was, she’d been too distracted to consider that a couple of interested parties might want to hear about how her crash-and-burn date went. And she’d completely forgotten they knew where to find her every Saturday.
She stopped in her tracks when she found Nina and Dexter standing outside the yoga studio. A wave of panic washed over her, threatening to pull her under.
Her first impulse was to run. She could make an excuse. Like, she’d forgotten to turn off her oven. She had to get home before the house burned down.
But they’d never believe she’d been baking—let alone before a Saturday morning yoga class.
They’d know her real reason for bailing.
If history told her anything, she could own her dateless loser status now or have it shoved in her face along with her cowardice when she walked into the teacher’s work room on Monday. With an audience.
Again, it was her fault. She should have realized Dexter would tell Nina everything during FAC-squared. And Nina never missed a yoga class. Even if Dexter was a surprise, she should have at least expected an inquisition from the resident gossip.
She could bail or be brave. She didn’t really have a choice.
Gripping the strap of her bag more tightly, she plastered a grin on her face and moved forward.
“Hey,” they both said in a pitiful chorus. What, had they practiced beforehand to get the pitch just right to make her heart sink?
“Patrick messaged me last night.” Dexter patted her shoulder. “I know it was awkward, but at least you broke the ice.”
“I hear the first date back is always the hardest.” Nina’s lips formed into a perfect pout. “I wouldn’t know. But when word gets around, at least the rest of the class will know you’re back out there.”
Great. That’s just what she needed. The whole class knowing she couldn’t even get through one date.
“That has to be some kind of victory.”
“It’s better than nothing.”
“There’s still time to find a date.”
“You could ask Mr. Muller.”
Dexter frowned. “Isn’t he gay?”
“Yes, but she wouldn’t have to tell anyone at the reunion.”
Though, there was zero chance Nina wouldn’t let that slip to someone. Besides, if Haleigh asked Ryan Muller—who was a friend—he’d only agree to do it because he felt sorry for her. She was tired of people feeling sorry for her.
She was also tired of people talking about her like she wasn’t standing right in front of them.
“It’s really okay.” She moved past them and into the studio. Pretending to be desperately intent on securing a good spot and stretching before the instructor arrived, she tried to ignore them.
“I could talk to my roommate’s older brother,” Dexter offered. “He’s single and straight.”
Nina pulled a wet wipe out of her bag and ran it over a space on the floor before unrolling her mat. “You could always put an ad on Craigslist.”
“Please don’t go on Craigslist. There are better ways.”
Dexter made no movement to unroll his own mat, which was still in the plastic. He’d probably picked it up at the store after deciding to crash the yoga class. More to keep busy than to be helpful, she took it from his arms and set his space.
When she finished, she spared them a glance as she settled on her mat. “I’m good. Seriously.”
She reached forward to stretch her toes. Neithe
r of them took the hint.
“Actually, Dex might be onto something. He goes out with a different girl every week.” Nina shook her head. “I still don’t know where you find them. This isn’t that big of a city.”
“More than two hundred eighty thousand at the last census.”
“Yes, but how many of them are single females between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five?”
“I’d go as high as thirty. That opens up more options.”
“Oh, looking for an older woman? Did you hear that, Haleigh? You’re in his range. Maybe you can have something—or rather someone—interesting to do after hours for a change.”
Haleigh’s cheeks flushed, and she was grateful neither of them had actually bothered to look at her.
“Thanks for the thought, but I’m pretty sure the principal won’t like a department chair dating another teacher on her team. One of us would have to quit.”
“It’s too late in the school year for either of us to find a new job.” Dexter feigned a mournful sigh. “I guess it wasn’t meant to be. We’ll just have to find you a date some other way.”
“You still haven’t told us where you get your girls. You could probably teach Haleigh a thing or two.”
“This is completely inappropriate,” Haleigh muttered under her breath. It really was. In fact, she’d crossed a huge line letting him set her up with anyone in the first place. Never again. While she didn’t mind being friendly with him, he was still a subordinate, not her friend.
“Well, it might still be a little embarrassing to go without a date, but it isn’t the end of the world.” Nina raised her voice just a bit louder. “Not everyone is built for relationships, and there’s no reason to pretend you are just because Greg will be there.”
Dexter cleared his throat. “Actually—”
The yoga instructor chose that exact moment to take her position at the front of the room to begin class. Haleigh would’ve kissed the woman’s feet in gratitude if she’d been at the front of the room.
Gentle music streamed through the air, and the instructor called out commands in her calm, even tone. For forty-five minutes, Haleigh and the rest of the class followed along. Even Dexter, who, though not entirely flexible, still managed to get the hang of it. And for forty-five minutes, Haleigh was almost able to erase Nina’s last words out of her mind.
Counting on You (Amarillo Sour, #1) Page 4
