Nadine shook it, the motion so subtle that for that brief moment it looked to Emma as if they were just enjoying each other’s touch.
This. Was. Fate.
And then it was over. Zane released his grip and turned back to Emma. “Sure I can’t get you anything else?”
“No, we’re fine. Thanks though,” she replied, taking a sip of her latte.
He nodded and then turned to wink at Nadine before heading back to the register.
Emma wanted to squeal. The electricity between Nadine and Zane was palpable. She knew the cues.
“You know, I think he’s single,” she said, pretending to find the sugar packets interesting before stealing a glance to gauge her friend’s reaction.
Nadine blushed. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“Maybe you just need to go on a few dates to get you back out there.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start. Marty is the only guy I’ve ever been on a date with.”
Emma’s mouth fell open. “Really?”
Nadine nodded, her eyes drifting down to her lap.
“Well then, I have the perfect idea.” Emma reached across the table and grabbed her friend’s phone. “It’s time to get your profile online.”
“My profile?”
“Your profile for dating apps.” Emma barely looked up from Nadine’s screen as she continued with her train of thought. “We’ll get you set up on Kissmet. And maybe Frolick. And you are practically a career woman now, so you have to be on YesBitch.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Nadine hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I set people up all the time! I have a great track record.” Emma nodded confidently. Yes, the only couple she had truly set up was Margo and Ben, but that ended in marriage, so she obviously had an innate talent for it. And besides, how hard was it to swipe right? “First, we need a few photos of you.”
“I don’t think I have any.”
“Are you serious?” Emma asked, truly perplexed. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “I hate getting my picture taken. Makes me self-conscious.”
“Nadine, you’re gorgeous. You have the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, and I know people who would pay a fortune for those cheekbones. And your hair! God, Mateo is a genius.” She lifted Nadine’s phone and pointed its camera at her. The late-afternoon sun cast a soft light through the cafe and the photo captured its diffused glow on Nadine’s skin and hair. Emma smiled proudly and turned the screen to show her friend. “See? You’re stunning.”
Nadine blushed again.
“Okay, now you try,” Emma said, handing the phone back to her. “Flip the camera around and hold it just… like… that.” She carefully positioned the phone in Nadine’s hand and then elevated it up at a forty-five-degree angle. “Now tuck your chin… yes… look up at the lens…”
SNAP.
Nadine turned back to Emma. “Okay, what now?”
“Keep going. You have to take a lot to find the perfect one.”
“How many is a lot?”
“Hm, I don’t know. Maybe a hundred?”
Nadine’s eyes went wide.
Emma proceeded to direct an impromptu photo shoot, instructing when to pout, to smile, to turn or tilt her head, until Nadine finally dropped her phone on the table and groaned.
