“You don’t think it’s a crappy place for a first date? You wouldn’t have preferred something fancier?”
“Where you go shouldn’t matter.” She shrugged. “Looks aren’t everything. You should go where you’re most comfortable.”
That might explain why Patrick kept bringing his dates there. It was where he felt at home.
“To going where you’re comfortable.” Ford raised his glass to her. “So, Haleigh, tell me, what made you decide to go online?”
Her eyes widened, and she shot a panicked look at Ian. “Guys aren’t really going to ask that, are they?”
“They might, and you should have an answer ready.” He held up his phone. “This is a dress rehearsal. Text.”
Still flustered, Haleigh muddled her way through an explanation that didn’t really say anything. That was how the rest of her half-hour conversation with Ford went. Which was strange. After getting over the fumbled introduction, she’d been doing so well, having easy banter with Ford. It was like being reminded she was on a date made her more nervous.
Ford gave her a comforting pat on the back when it was over. Once he was out of her eyesight, he gave Ian a pained expression. It was unnecessary. He’d seen for himself just how awkward their exchange had been.
Her introduction with James went a bit better, though it was still awkward. Like other women before her, she seemed to get pretty hung up on his accent. Whenever he spoke, she got a dazed sort of look about her. She’d answer his questions with a quiet reverence. Almost like she was saying a prayer instead of telling him she liked chicken Alfredo.
He punched in another message.
He’s British. Not God. You don’t have to hang onto his every word like you’re in church.
Her back straightened, and her eyes narrowed into slits, but she didn’t look at him. For some reason, that put him in a better mood. It wasn’t mature, but there was something kind of fun about pushing her buttons.
And, he decided, it was probably good for her. When she was annoyed with him, she wasn’t overthinking every word she said.
He was contemplating ordering another beer when a series of new messages flooded his phone. They were all from customer service reps working the phones that evening.
Customer called to say his dating history has been wiped from the site. I logged into his account and he's right. It's gone.
Customer reports she can't find her matches. Reviewed her account and I can't see them either.
Customer can’t find past dates.
Customer can’t find last chats.
Customer refuses to update Operating System. Demands to speak to a manager.
Customer lost latest match.
Customer wants to talk to my boss.
Customer losing it.
Then came the one from his intern, Ashley:
911 on the customer service desk. Server crashed. Can’t remember how to reboot it. Mass hysteria ensuing.
That was another reason they needed more cash. The XO On Demand system wasn’t built to sustain the kind of traffic they were drawing. He’d been worried this crash might happen for some time. Particularly because his interns couldn’t remember to set the reboot it required each night.
These investors better come through, or they’d be in a world of hurt. In the meantime, he needed to call Ashley.
Swearing under his breath, he stood but paused. Haleigh wasn't paying him any attention. She and James had discovered a mutual interest in Doctor Who, and they were deeply engaged in debating the merits of each doctor. They seemed to be getting along without him.
She could survive without him for a few minutes. With his phone already calling up the intern, he stepped into the empty beer garden for some privacy.
Ashley answered on the second ring. “Sorry to call you on a Sunday night, but—”
“Did you remember to set the server reboot before you left last night?”
“Well . . .”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. This was her first job, he reminded himself. She was still relatively new. She had a lot on her plate between this and finishing her degree.
Going through the list helped him keep the edge out of his voice when he asked, “Do you remember how to do it?”
“Well . . .”
He mentally repeated the list five more times as he explained how to reboot it. Once it was done, and the server was back online, he instructed her to notify the support team, who could pass on the news to their customers. That covered everyone, except the person with the OS issue. There wasn’t a lot he could do about that. For whatever reason, some customers resisted downloading new updates.
That was their problem. Not his.
He was trying to come up with the proper way to phrase a response to that last message when his phone rang again. He answered without thinking.
“Well, what do you know? The boy can answer his phone.” His father’s voice boomed through, and Ian winced. He’d been avoiding his dad’s calls for the past couple of weeks. For no real reason either. Not beyond the usual of not wanting to get in a fight and be in a bad mood for the rest of the night. Phone calls with his father almost always had that effect.
“Dad. Hello.” He winced at the pitch in his voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Sorry I’ve missed you. I’ve been busy.”
“Playing with that phone game of yours?”
“It’s an app.”
“For dating.”
It was impossible to ignore the derision in his father’s tone. Still, he tried to keep his response even keeled. “There’s a need in the market. Our research shows—”
“Let’s not get into markets and research.” He could practically hear his father’s eyes roll. “Have they promoted you yet or not?”
“No, but it’s coming.”
“That’s what you said at Christmas.”
“Look, it’s not that simple. It’s—”
“No need to make up excuses,” his father interrupted. “Besides, I didn’t call you to talk shop, though if you got a serious job maybe I would.”
A serious job like being an office drone at an insurance company like his old man? He’d rather not. Through gritted teeth, Ian asked, “Why did you call?”
“Your stepmother wants to have dinner with you when she’s in town.”
“Which one?”
After his parents had divorced when he was four, his dad had remarried—and divorced—three more times. Wives two through four still kept tabs on him. That was on top of his own mother who would call the police for a wellness check if he didn’t call her at least once a week.
“Rena.”
Wife Number Three. After splitting from his dad, she’d gone on to marry a successful podiatrist. In addition to serving on her many boards and charities, she spent a fair amount of her time trying to set up the single people in her life. Now that his older brother was married and with his younger brother finishing up his law degree, the focus was on him.
He could make up an excuse for why he couldn’t have dinner, but it would only hurt her feelings. Despite being a little too preoccupied with other people’s lives, she was a decent woman.
“When is she in town?”
“In another month.”
At least it was after the launch. He didn’t need one more thing to worry about. Besides, with any luck, he’d have some good news to share.
“I’ll give her a call,” Ian promised. His father didn’t say anything, leaving it up to him to end the conversation. “Did you need anything else?”
“You’re in a hurry.” His father grumbled about kids these days never living in the moment. “Do you have something going on?”
“Actually—”
“Ian!” He turned as Haleigh stepped outside.
He covered the receiver. “What?”
The annoyance in his tone gave her pause, but only for a moment. “The date ended, and you were gone.”
“I had a work emergency.” He hadn�
�t meant to sound so clipped. A guy could only handle so much though. It was bad enough having his dad give him grief over the phone. He didn’t need her delivering it now in person.
“But—”
“Hold on.” He held up a finger and turned his attention back to the phone. “Dad, I have to go.”
“Is that a woman? Are you on a date?”
“Kind of.”
“And you took a call? That’s kind of bad form on a date, isn’t it?”
“Bye, Dad.” He hung up, gripping his fist around the phone until his knuckles turned white. It hadn’t been the worst call with his father. Still, the guy knew just how to get under his skin with only a few words. That was his father, always efficient and economical. Irritation more in check, he turned back to Haleigh. She looked so . . . contrite.
“I’m sorry.” She took a hesitant step toward him. “If I’d known it was your dad—”
“I shouldn’t have left. I wouldn’t have, but it seemed like everything had been going well.”
“It was, I just . . .” She narrowed the distance between them. “I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sort of panicked when I realized you weren’t there.”
“I should have told you I was leaving.”
“I’ll have to figure out how to do this on my own eventually.” She paused and studied his face closely. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine now. Just a little hiccup with the server at work.”
“And your dad?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
He’d rather she gave him a pop quiz on fractions or matrixes than get into his history with his dad. Or rather the lack of history between them. His father had never been around long enough to do more than chastise Ian for getting a B instead of an A on an English paper on his way out the door to work. Ian’s hand balled into a fist just thinking about it. All the more reason to change the subject
“Are you—”
“Could we get this night over with?” He winced, then reached out to take her hand before she fled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He stared down at their linked hands. “My dad and I . . . have a complicated relationship.”
She looked like she wanted to do some more digging but didn’t. Instead, she gave his fingers a light squeeze.
“We can go back inside.”
“Ready for date three?”
She nodded, and they walked silently into the room. Glancing around in confusion, she asked, “Who’s the third guy?”
“Actually,” Sidney said, tossing her bar towel to Ford and stepping around the side of the bar. “I’ll be date number three.”
Haleigh’s eyebrows flew up, but she said nothing. What Ian had planned to introduce as a bit of a joke now didn’t seem funny after what had just transpired.
“I know I said I’d find you three guys, but only two were free tonight,” he explained. “I had to get creative. Besides, she’s right. She’s been on a lot of dates. She’ll be a good teacher.”
Cautiously, he met her gaze. The last dregs of frustration evaporated as he caught the amusement lighting her eyes. The tension in his shoulders lightened. Haleigh didn’t say anything, but when Sidney dramatically threw her arms around her and pressed kisses to each of her cheeks, they both burst into laughter.
Maybe it was still a little funny after all.
Chapter Seven
She had a bad feeling about this.
After spending Monday and Tuesday exchanging brief messages with a few of the matches, she was ready to try a first date. Correction: Ian had told her she was ready to go on a first date.
Not just one first date either. No, in the interest of being efficient, he’d convinced her to set up two dates for Wednesday night. One night. Two men. Two first dates. That seemed like trouble to her, or at the very least the set up for a sitcom.
She’d tried arguing with Ian, but as usual, he’d made a strong case. Between their work schedules and other commitments, they didn’t have many free nights when both of them were available. Unless she wanted to meet the men solo on her own time, she had to double up if they were going to stay on schedule.
It made sense. She was a math teacher, after all. She understood odds and probability. By going on more dates between now and their deadline, she was increasing her chances of finding someone. Those chances were even stronger when she had a wingman advising her to stop babbling or to talk her off the ledge.
All the same, logic wasn’t offering her much comfort going into her first doubleheader.
She’d made the mistake of Googling “online dating horror stories.” After skimming through dozens of articles, she was once again freaked out about this turning into a real-life version of Law and Order: SVU.
She was willing to go to great lengths to have a date for her reunion. Being the inspiration for an episode of SVU wasn’t one of them.
She’d been ready to call the whole thing off and told Ian as much in a panicked text. Then he’d come back with a promise.
I’ve got your back. I won’t let anyone SVU you.
He’d turned a TV show title into a verb. It eased her nerves enough to get her out the door.
Half an hour before her first XO On Demand date, she arrived at Amarillo Sour to meet Ian. He’d claimed he wanted to review their plan. She suspected he just wanted to make sure she showed. Which, considering she was still sitting in the parking lot, was still up for debate.
She resisted the urge to check her hair and makeup for the millionth time. If one part of the equation was off, it was too late to go home and fix it now. The same went for her outfit. She only owned a handful of dresses: all perfect for teaching class or going to a wedding, but none of them appropriate for a first date at a neighborhood bar.
Too late, she’d considered buying something new, but there hadn’t been time. Looks would only get her so far, anyway. All she could do was control how she carried herself and what she said.
Oh, God. She couldn’t even do that.
Even though Ian told her she’d nailed the practice dates a few nights earlier, she could tell he was just being nice. Or buttering her up. Either way, it wasn’t the truth. She’d been on the dates. They’d sucked. Maybe not sucked, but they hadn’t been good.
How could she expect tonight to go any better?
The last time she’d dated someone, he’d dumped her at a party over Christmas break in front of what seemed like half of their graduating class. Then, while she’d run home to nurse a broken heart, he’d turned around and told everyone she was nuts. It would’ve been one thing if she could have said he was a complete liar.
She wasn’t crazy. Having nearly crippling anxiety didn’t mean there was anything wrong with her. She knew that. She also knew it wasn’t something everyone could handle. Through years of counseling, she could usually manage the anxiety before it turned into a full-fledged panic attack. Usually. When the exercises didn’t work, it was best if she didn’t have any witnesses.
This was a huge mistake. Reaching for the ignition, she was about to switch it on and peel out of the parking lot when a tap on her window gave her pause. And nearly a heart attack.
Sidney’s face filled the window, and she waved.
Rolling down the window, Haleigh forced a grin. “Hey . . .”
“I was taking out the trash and saw you sitting here. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I was . . .”
Contemplating making a break for it. Hoping her hair and outfit were appropriate for whatever came next. Trying to figure out how normal people made conversations with people who weren’t legally required to sit and listen to her lecture about math. Wondering if she really had it in her to go through with this.
She was two more bullet points away from requiring a paper bag.
“You have your first date tonight, right? With the guys from Ian’s app?�
�
That was another thing. Everyone at Amarillo Sour already knew about the plan. Yet for some reason, she’d insisted it be the setting for tonight’s dates. Not only would she be overthinking every word she said, but she’d have an audience. They’d probably be gossiping and setting odds. Just like her classmates.
Hadn’t this been exactly what she was trying to avoid?
She sighed and pretended to smooth out a wrinkle in her knit shirt. “Actually, we’re doing the first two dates tonight.”
“You booked back-to-back dates?”
“It sounds insane, but—”
“It really isn’t a bad idea. Not if you time it right. It’s more efficient.” Sidney chewed on her lip in concentration. “I hear online dating is a numbers game more than anything. You might as well play the odds.”
Haleigh hoped those odds were in her favor.
With less than a month, she didn’t have time to kiss a hundred frogs before she scored a prince. Not that she needed a prince. She just needed someone who would agree to be her plus-one. Someone who could keep her classmates from gossiping about her until their twentieth reunion.
By then, half of them would be divorced. Nina and her minions would have plenty of fodder that didn’t involve her.
“What you’re doing is brave,” Sidney said. “I’m not saying that to make you even more nervous. But it takes a lot of guts to make a stand.”
“I don’t feel brave. I feel like I might cry at any moment.” Or worse, pee her pants or lose her lunch. That would be even worse than spewing verbal nonsense.
“Yet you came. Guts.”
If only Sidney knew it wasn’t bravery that brought her to Amarillo Sour. It was desperation.
“Also.” Sidney cleared her throat. “If any of these guys make you uncomfortable and you need a quick out, let me know. I’ll take care of them. Just . . .” She fluttered her hand. “Give a signal. Say ‘the music is too loud’ when I stop by to check on your drinks. Or knock your keys on the ground. Someone will be at your side to get you out in a minute.”
“That’s . . .” It was more than nice. It was unbelievably generous. It went well beyond what she’d expect from a friend, let alone a new acquaintance. And it certainly eased her research-induced fears. “Thank you.”
Counting on You (Amarillo Sour, #1) Page 7
