Owen studies me. “The real question isn’t who’s out of whose league. It’s whether you’re brave enough to stop hiding behind the arrangement.”
The room goes quiet.
Trey lifts his beer. “See? Terrible advice. Great advice. Something about a fork. We really cover the full spectrum.” He leans across the bar. “But my advice is this: be the best damn student you can be and show her why she should be with a guy like you.”
My brows pinch together. “But why would she want to be with a guy like me when she has to teach me everything?”
Trey plants his palm on the wood and leans in. “Because she’s showing you exactly what she wants. Which means you’re about to become an expert.” He straightens to his full height and gives an easy shrug. “Also—surprises. Women love surprises. I once gave Rylee a boudoir photoshoot.”
Tim snorts. “I bet she had fun doing that.”
“No. I gave her the photos of me from the shoot.” He stares off into the distance, smug and self-satisfied. “I catch her looking at them every now and then.” He takes a long pull from his beer.
“I’ve been collecting footage for her to use as a promo video for OneDate,” I admit.
“See?” Trey jabs a finger at me over the bar. Then he points at the rest of the guys. “Take notes. Miles is already five steps ahead.”
I stare into my glass. “But what about Maggie? I really like her too.”
The room quiets before Owen speaks. “Eventually, you’re going to have to choose.”
Trey nods. “And when that moment comes, you’ll know which one it is.”
I don’t respond. I’ve never had to choose before. I’ve never been wanted enough for it to even be an option.
“Alright.” Trey claps his hands once. “Anyone else? Anything else? No?” He smacks the gavel against the bar. “This concludes this week’s SBL meeting.”
The guys reach for their beers, conversation drifting back in, but my mind doesn’t follow. Whether I’m ready or not, I’ll have to make a choice. And I have no idea what I’m going to do.
Two sharp raps sound at my front door. Then a pause. Then another, only softer this time as if they’re not sure they should be knocking right now. It’s not late. But it’s late enough that I’m not expecting company. I twist the cap back onto the tube of Foam-Tac and push the foam plane pieces to the side. When I open the door, Nora stands in front of me, hands at her sides, hair a little wind-tossed. She looks beautiful.
For a second, I just stare—my body lagging behind my brain. “Hey. Did we have plans? I don’t remember anything on my calendar.”
“Hi,” she says too fast, then exhales. “No plans. I was just passing by and saw your lights on. Can I come in?”
“Yeah. Of course.” I step aside without hesitation.
She slips past me, and I close the door behind her. Nora wrings her hands together. Unsure of what to do, I shove mine into my pockets, so I won’t reach for her without permission.
“I’ve been thinking…”
I nod, because I have too. Constantly. But before she finishes, Trey’s words echo in my head.
“Wait,” I say. “Before you say anything… I have something.”
She blinks. “Miles?—”
“Just… come with me. Please.”
I don’t know if it’s the “please” or the fact that I’m clearly trying not to make this about me, but she nods. I lead her toward the stairs. At the bottom, she toes off her shoes and lines them neatly beside mine. The sight hits harder than it should. I offer her my hand, and when her warm fingers curl around mine, my grip tightens just a little. Once upstairs, I guide her into my office and pull out the chair in front of my computer.
“I know you had the podcast interview today,” I say because if I don’t start talking, I might lose my nerve. “I hope it went well.”
She smiles up at me. “It did. Thanks.”
“Good.” I swallow. “And I know you’re getting close to officially launching OneDate. So… I wanted to do something for you.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” she murmurs.
