But she doesn’t. She just looks at me and says, “So. Back to our conversation.”
I live in a small town in Maine, and the people I hang with are the last thing from superficial. And yet, I’ve never met a woman who’s so unpretentious and comfortable with herself.
That’s the moment it clicks for me.
We all have those moments in life.
Moments where we can either jump in with both feet or turn the other way.
I’m not an all-in kind of guy.
I can’t be.
Every time I set out to sea, I’m taking my life in my hands, and I don’t have any space left for risk.
But Emery makes me want to find room for more than my boat.
I decide I want another date with her.
I suck in a breath.
Wantisn’t the right word.
Ineedanother date with her.
A real date where I ask her out, not one I end up on because of a bet.
I had zero expectations for my date tonight.
I thought maybe we’d get along well enough to have sex afterward.
And I do. Want to have sex with Emery. But now I want to know more about her too. And that’s a whole different ballgame.
I twist on my stool until I’m facing her fully. My eyes rove over her face, and I smile when her cheeks flush pink.
“Hey,” I say to Emery, “would you like to…”
Before I can finish my sentence…
“Excuse me, are you Emery Walker?”
A guy, dressed casually in jeans and a Henley, is standingway too close to us to be a stranger. And yet, the look on Emery’s face tells me she has no idea who this guy is.
“I’m Mitchell Weld,” he says, extending his hand. “Your blind date for the night? I’m sorry I’m late. I texted you—my truck got a flat.”
Emery’s eyes flash with confusion. “Wait.” She looks from me to him. “I don’t understand.”
Neither do I.
Until a blond wearing a little black dress appears on my left. She taps my shoulder. “I apologize in advance if I’m wrong, but are you Michael Wild? I’m Emily, Luke Wild’s friend? I think I got the time wrong.”
My head snaps over to Emery.
Silent confusion passes between us.
But the pieces start falling into place.
We aren’t each other’s blind dates at all. The whole thing is a clusterfuck of a mix-up.
