“What?”
“Belen went out with you for a free meal. You pay for everything and she kisses you on the cheek at the end of the night while chucking up the deuces.”
“I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“Oh yeah it’s all over the internet. Foodie calls, white clawing, cookie jarring.”
“Cookie jarring?”
“Yeah, that’s when the person you’re dating … in your case, Belen, has no intentions of settling down. But she keeps you around as a backup plan. Like a cookie in a jar.”
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“My wife buys all those women’s magazines,Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Oprah. I read them while I’m taking a shit. And with my PHD in what women want, I can safely declare you’ve been friend zoned. I’m sorry it happens to the best of us.” Tyler clapped my back with his hand as we traversed the mall.
“It was a first date. You can’t be friend zoned after a single date.”
Tyler’s eyebrow climbed his forehead. “The hell you can’t.”
I left him at the information center and headed to the administrative offices. I wanted to personally deliver the drink and get my morning fix of her smiling face. You know you’re in trouble when you miss seeing someone and it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. I found her in her office with a ton of pink and red swatches strewn across her desk.
“What’s all this?” I asked, hanging back at the door, waiting for permission to enter.
Belen looked up from the mess on her desk, a smile growing on her face. I would eagerly open my eyes each morning if it meant her beautiful face was waiting for me on the other side. “Valentine’s Day planning. I’m swimming in hearts and naked chubby-faced cherubs.”
“Ahh, well I won’t keep you. I stopped at Bean There Done That and I got an extra hot chocolate and I thought maybe you’d want it.” I tried my best to keep my tone casual even though I’d gotten up early to make sure I had enough time to order a peppermint hot chocolate with oat milk and brown sugar, which was her favorite.
“Yes, I’m always down for something sweet.”
The effort of driving miles over the speed limit and narrowly rear ending a Tesla was all worth it when she flashed her perfect row of teeth. She had a hint of a dimple on her left cheek and it would be my undoing. Handing the cup over to her, our fingers touched briefly and all the rehearsed dialogue I’d planned went right out the window as I was transported back to the naughtier portions of our overnight date. The good thing about having a beard is it concealed the warm rush of blood that was coloring my face.
“When can we see one another again?” I whispered, mindful of the staff buzzing about.
Belen stood, brushing past me to close the door.
“Kris—”
“Oh my God. Are you cookie jarring me?”
“Cookie, what?”
“Cookie jarring … when you’re not interested in a relationship but you enjoy the foodie call, so you just hold me captive in this cookie jar just to keep me close.” Damn Tyler and his collection of women’s magazines.
“Wait a second, areyouinterested in a relationship?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes grew wide. “With me?”
“No with Cindy Lou Who … of course with you.”
Her eyes studied my face like she was scanning me internally for fuckboy DNA. “What did you have in mind for this second date?”
“I was thinking maybe you and Celeste would want to drive around and check out the Christmas lights with me. I know this great neighborhood that puts on a show. Music, flashing lights, reindeers … the plastic kind.”
Belen tugged on my beard, pulling my face closer. Her mink eyes settled on my features. Raising to her tiptoes, she kissed my lips. It was the sweetest kiss I’d ever received.
“What was that for?” I asked when she stepped back.
