She broke eye contact, and her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “Ah, right.” She clucked her tongue. “But it’s too much of a coincidence for us both to be here tonight, don’t you think?”
I shrugged. “Perhaps. Are you always so suspicious?”
“Yes,” she replied matter-of-factly.
“Why?”
“Experience.”
She glanced around the club as if looking for someone.
“What are you looking for?”
She returned her gaze to me. “How did you find out about tonight?”
“Lucas brought me. I didn’t know it was speed dating. He just mentioned a cool club. And then once we were here, he insisted I try it, saying it was a good way to meet people.”
“Ah ha!” she declared, raising her index finger.
“What?”
She searched around again. “I smell a ruse.”
“How?”
“Gianna, who owns this club, came down to the Network. She convinced Cassandra and me to come down tonight. And since I work with Lucas…” She continued to search. “Where are they? I bet they’re hiding somewhere watching this whole thing unfold.”
I searched around looking for Lucas. He had conveniently disappeared once the speed dating began. Without finding them, I turned back to Pandora. “Why would they want me here?”
She exhaled from her nostrils. “Maybe they’re trying to play matchmaker.”
I cocked my head. “Do they know about me?”
She rolled one shoulder. “I might have mentioned going out with you the other night.”
“And what did you say about it?”
Her blush deepened. “I explained the disaster that happened.”
“Oh.” My stomach sank. I didn’t know what I was hoping for, but it wasn’t that. Maybe a part of me hoped she had something nice to say about me. To recover, I flashed a teasing smile. “No mention how you had a hot date?”
“It wasn’t a date.” She glanced away. Then she faced me again with a questioning expression. “Right?”
I fixed my gaze on her and gulped. “Maybe I was hoping it could be.”
She rubbed her upper arm and then grinned. “Maybe I was, too.”
Hope swirled with a lightness in my chest. I glanced at my glass of beer on the table and raised my hands before placing them on my lap. “I promise I won’t spill anything on you tonight. I won’t even touch my drink.”
She laughed. “You can’t go thirsty. Besides, everyone spills a drink at some time.”
Our eyes locked for a few seconds before she broke the connection and said, “Great song.”
“Right. I heard that Blondie’s playing in Boston soon.”
She tapped her fingers together. “That would be fun. I’ve always liked Blondie but haven’t been to a concert in a long time.”
“Why not?”
