“Agreed,” Jess adds. “We can’t wait to see where OneDate goes.”
The recording wraps, both hosts thanking me again before the screen goes dark. I sit there for a beat, heart still pounding, then let out a shaky laugh. I did it.
My hand goes to my phone, finger hovering over Miles’s name only for a second, then I stop myself. My pulse picks up, and everything becomes clear. A teeny tiny part of me likes him, and that’s the problem but also the truth. And if we’re going to keep this fake-dating thing going—showing up for his family, pretending we’re together—I can’t keep letting it blur into something else.
“Okay,” I murmur. “G-rated.”
Normally, separating sex from feelings is easy. Mostly because the feelings haven’t existed. But this is different. Miles is different. I need to talk to him. Tell him we need to slow down. Keep it simple, so my head can stop spinning and my heart can remember the plan.
Twenty-One
Share With The Class
Miles
Owen wraps up his latest talking point, but I have no idea what he just said. I’ve been nodding at what I think are the right moments while my brain runs an endless loop of Black Beach—the lake, Nora’s laugh, and the way she made me feel normal instead of embarrassed.
“Miles.” I jerk my head up. “You look deep in thought.” Trey grins from the other side of his home bar. “Anything you’d like to share with the class?”
It’s our weekly Single Bros Life meeting. Even though Trey isn’t single anymore, we unanimously voted to keep the name. Now it’s mostly an excuse for the rest of us to dissect our failed dates while Trey hands out deeply questionable advice.
Owen turns toward me. Darren and Tim lean in as if this is about to get good.
“Well…” Trey points at me, “that’s a yes. Spill it.”
“We’re here to provide objectively bad advice,” Tim adds. “The kind you should ignore—and then regret not ignoring later.”
“And I balance it out with emotional support,” Darren says. “Reassurance is my specialty.”
I exhale. “Okay. I’m… sort of in a predicament.”
Trey’s grin widens. “Excellent. Those are my favorite.”
“There are two women?—”
“Holy shit,” Trey cuts in. “Are you dating two women? Nine months ago, you were panicking over getting one date. Now you’ve got two?”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’m not dating either of them.” I hesitate. “I just like two women.”
Tim nods immediately. “Classic fork-in-the-road scenario. We’ve all been there.”
Trey leans back. “There’s nothing wrong with liking two women. That is—until one of them turns your entire world upside down and makes you question every life decision.”
That’s rich, coming from Trey. He was the self-appointed bachelor-for-life until Rylee caught his eye. He’s been hopelessly love-struck ever since.
“Right,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “There’s Maggie. I really like her. But then there’s this other woman.” I exhale. “She’s smart. Confident. And when I’m with her, I feel like I might actually be those things too.” I swallow. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
Owen cuts in. “Does the second woman know how you feel?”
I wince. “We’ve agreed what we’re doing is more of a business arrangement than… anything else.”
Trey snorts and then sprays beer across the bar. “Holy shit,” he coughs. “Is the other woman Nora?”
“Shh,” I hiss, as if Nora might hear me from the other side of town. I sigh. “And—yeah. It’s Nora. This whole thing is way above my skill level. It started as her teaching me about dating with advice and tips, but now it’s… turned into something else entirely. Either way, she’s out of my league.”
Darren frowns. “Hey. No. That’s not true. You’re a great catch. A little random sometimes, but that’s part of the charm.”
Tim nods. “Plus, statistically speaking, women prefer men who think they’re out of their league. It’s non-threatening.”
