“BTW, I think I’m dating a girl.”
“You think you’re dating, or you think she’s a girl?”
“Dating. We’ve met up four times in ten days. I stayed at hers last night. And apparently, we’re going to some market on Saturday.”
“Yeah, you’re dating her,”I replied. By that definition, I was dating Ruby. There was that once or twice we’d driven to the Riviera View market together.
“She plays co-op games and knows what ‘nerf’ means. She might be The One.”
“Then don’t screw it up.”
“I’ll try.”
I put my phone down, still smiling. Nathan might’ve stumbled into something real. I was about to drive back to a woman who swore up and down she didn’t want anything real.
Still, she was my one.
THE NEXT DAY, AROUNDnoon, a text lit up my screen while I stopped for gas on the way back. Unknown number.
“Hi, I’m Julie. My dad works with your dad, and he gave me your number. I promised I’d get in touch. He said you’ll know what this is about.”
Yeah. I knew.
Oh, Dad ... How many times had I said I didn’t want him to set me up?
I hadn’t even decided whether to reply when another message followed.
“I apologize, but I have a feeling you’re facing the same parental pressure. So if we can meet for a quick coffee to get them off our backs once and for all, I’d appreciate it.”
I shook my head, scoffing to myself. Classic. They’d managed to ramrod two people.
I didn’t want this. Neither did this Julie.
Still ... twenty minutes at a café. I could swing it, tell my dad I did, and still get back to the inn before evening.
A SURGE OF COFFEE ANDthe smell of fresh pastries welcomed me as I stepped through the door of Brew It On, the coffee shop just outside Coral Bay, two hours later.
By the time I got there, I was vaguely curious to see who the woman I was meeting was. She’d reached out while I was still on the road, so I hadn’t bothered looking her up. It didn’t matter anyway; this wasn’t a date. It was a cooperative effort to quiet two meddling dads.
Seemed like she had looked me up, though. Across the floor, at a table near the window, a woman stood when I entered and gave me a hesitant wave.
I passed the bar and made my way over.
“Julie?”
“Yes.” She let out a relieved chuckle. “Sebastian, hi. Nice to meet you, and sorry.”
I shook her hand and gestured for her to sit. “No need to apologize. I know how it goes. Can I get you something?”
“Um, just ... cappuccino would be nice. Thanks.”
“Almond milk, soy, anything?”
She laughed. “Just plain ol’ regular milk, thank you.”
I smiled and went to order at the counter.
When I sat back down with our cups, I took a sip. “So, you’re from Blueshore, too?”
