Page 56 of The Rules of Dating

Owen smirked. “Saylor isn’t the only one. You really like her. I can tell by the way you look at her.”

I smiled. “Remember when your dad took us on that fishing trip when we were twelve? You caught that big, beautiful bass? We were all so damn envious of you. None of us had been able to catch anything all day. That thing was wiggling like crazy to get away from you. And it won. It broke away from the hook somehow, and you lost it after all that. Remember?”

He grinned. “Yeah. I sure do.”

“Well, that bass reminds me of Billie.”

“Because she’s a great catch?”

“No.”

He crushed a pizza box. “Not seeing where you’re going with this, then.”

“I haven’t finished yet,” I said.

“Well, don’t forget what happened after I lost the bass, by the way. I caught it again.”

“Yeah. That’s getting to my point. The second time you threw it back—after all that work. We didn’t even get to take it home and eat it. So, Billie is like the bass. I want her. And she’s struggling to get away—because she wants me, too, I think, but I scare her. Ultimately, though, I’m not even sure if I’m right for her long term. So, the thought is always there that even if I did catch her, I might—”

“Throw her back in the ocean for her own good?”

“Figuratively. Yeah.” I rubbed my temples.

“Well, since we’re talking fish metaphors,” he said. “There are a lot of fish in the sea, but a bass like that is worth fighting for, if it’s what you really want.”

“I wasn’t expecting this, man. You know? I’d written off the possibility of finding someone I could connect with, at least until Saylor was older. But she just came out of nowhere.”

“Life has a way of surprising us when we least expect it. Good and bad.” He opened the garbage and put in some of the trash we’d piled on the counter. “I envy you, though.”

“Why?” I crossed my arms. “You want blue balls, too?”

“You’ve found someone you’re passionate about. I haven’t experienced that in…well, ever. I’d rather be alone than waste my time with someone I’m not that into. That’s part of why I haven’t dated a lot lately. But if you can find that passion? Shit! Don’t let it go.”

Owen worked with a lot of attractive women who were constantly throwing themselves at him. But he found that to be a turnoff. He wanted to be the chaser. And he was picky. He deserved to be.

“You’ll find her someday,” I said.

“Find who?” Brayden asked as he entered the kitchen. “If you guys don’t come back out soon, I’m gonna start flirting with that smokeshow you brought tonight, Colby. Can’t believe she kicked all our asses. I also can’t believe I never saw her downstairs before. If I had, I might’ve gotten to her first.”

He must have noticed the pissed expression on my face.

“Damn. I’m just kidding.” He shook his head. “You really like this chick.”

“I think we’ve established that,” I said.

“Does she have any friends?” Brayden asked.

“Since when have you needed help meeting people?”

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with referrals. Hot chicks like that usually have hot friends.”

“Well, the only friend I’ve met so far is a hot gay dude.”

He nodded. “She seems to have a lot of guy friends. Like the guy she was on a date with when Holden spotted her.”

“Are you looking to get smacked, Brayden?”

He laughed. “Give me some credit. I’ve had to be on my best behavior all night. Just letting it out.”