Rylee’s brow lifts. “If you don’t want him on the app, you could show him the ropes on dating yourself.”
“Ugh, I’d rather let him join the app.”
Rylee’s smile turns victorious. “There you go. You have your answer.”
I glare at her. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“We are on your side,” Eve chimes in, folding a piece of tissue paper. “But Miles is a nice guy. He deserves a fair chance, just like everyone else.”
“Fine.” I throw my hands up. “But if he asks out every girl he goes on a date with, you all owe me a new handbag.” I point at each of them. They laugh but also agree.
That evening, I walk into Porter’s and spot Lach behind the bar. I march straight up to him and smack his arm. “You’re a jerk.”
“Ouch.” He rubs his bicep. “What was that for?”
“You told Miles he could join OneDate. Why would you do that?”
“I told him to ask you.”
“Same difference. Now he’s hounding me. Why’d you even mention it?”
He leans against the bar. “He needed help. Rylee wasn’t here. He started telling me about the saddest date I’ve ever heard, and I thought maybe… your app could help.”
“I don’t know if anything can help Miles.”
“What’s the harm in letting him try?” He shrugs.
“He’s looking for a wife. That’s not what the app is for.”
“Or,” he counters, “it’s two birds with one stone. You get another beta tester. He gets practice dates. Sounds like a win-win.”
I glare at him. “No. And you’re still a jerk.”
He doesn’t flinch. “I don’t see the problem. Give him a shot. If he screws it up, cut him off. But dismissing him before he even tries? That’s probably what people already do to him.”
Great. Now I’m getting a third-party guilt trip.
“Sure, he might need to work on a few things,” Lach continues. “Mainly filtering what comes out of his mouth. But there’s a lot that’s workable. Fixable. Teachable. All the ables.”
I rub my temple. “I’ll… consider giving Miles a shot.”
“Good. You can tell him yourself.” Lach rests his hands on my shoulders and physically turns me around. “Because he just walked in.”
I was hoping for at least a day or two to stew on it and change my mind later. But nope, he’s here. “Hi, Miles.”
“Hi, Nora. I know you said you wouldn’t give me a shot, but I made a checklist of everything that I would bring to your app.” He pulls a piece of paper from his pocket.
I blink. “A list?”
“Yeah. To show you that I’d be a good participant.” He slides the unfolded paper toward me.
I skim the neat handwriting. Sure enough, he made bullet points.
• Good listener
•Polite
•Punctual
