Beckett: You are very good at your job.
This sexy man who looked adorable with his daughter on his shoulder was paying me compliments. No wonder my stomach was full of butterflies.
Damn, I needed to date more. But I kinda hated it. My last one was two months ago. Mom set me up with a friend of afriend of a friend, and it amounted to absolutely nothing. I just didn’t have the energy to go on dates, to be honest. And right now, I didn’t have the inclination either.
I had several dating apps on my phone, but instead of opening any, I scrolled back to Beckett’s picture. God, the man was gorgeous. There was so much tenderness in the way he held his daughter.
I decided to send him another message.
Piper: Thanks a lot for the po’boy. It was delicious and went well with the Sazerac. Otherwise, the drink would’ve gone to my head really fast.
Beckett: I would’ve taken care of you.
I licked my lips as I imagined the flirty undertone.
Piper: Really? How exactly?
I wasn’t sure why I wasn’t putting a stop to this conversation. After all, I did have a lot to do. But I was glued to my phone.
Beckett: I would’ve waited with you for an Uber and then made sure you got home safe.
This was very swoony. I still wasn’t sure about the flirty part, but it was swoony all the way.
Piper: Very gentlemanly of you.
Beckett: That’s how we do things in the South.
Piper: My interactions on dating apps would indicate differently.
The second I sent the message, I regretted it. Beckett was my client, and this was very unprofessional. I immediately pressed on the message, intending to retract it, but he replied before I could.
Beckett: I don’t think that’s an accurate representation of Southern men.
Instead of finally stopping the conversation, I typed back, grinning.
Piper: My experience is different. It’s an accurate representation of the dating population.
Beckett: Really? You think people are on those apps looking for something serious?
Instead of replying, I opened one of the apps and looked up his name. What do you know? He had a profile. I didn’t know what pushed me to do it, but I texted him there instead.
Piper: Why exactly are YOU on this app?
Judging by the number of dick pics in my messages, I knew exactly why people signed up. But a friend found her soulmate on a dating app, so why not give it a try? Though to be honest, I’d let go of my hope of finding a soulmate years ago.
I set the notifications to On so I could see if Beckett messaged me and closed the app. The icon with unread messages immediately lit up, so I opened it again.
Beckett: Force of habit. I should probably delete it. Won’t be using it for the foreseeable future.
Piper: Why not?
Beckett: I want to focus on my daughter, so I need to make some changes in my life.
There I went swooning again. Was it a normal reaction?
Piper: That’s admirable.
Beckett: I’d say it’s essential. Your profile says you’re looking for someone to show you a good time. What exactly do you mean by that?
