Page 5 of Blind Date with a #Doctor (Love Canyon: Blind Date #3)

Carter

I should have known better than to come in here.

This bookstore is usually my safe spot. Coffee. Peace. Maybe a new release or two if my schedule isn’t too busy during the week ahead.

But today? Today, it’s a trap.

I spot Nan, Sally, and Marie the second I step inside. They’re camped out at their usual corner table, a pile of romance novels spread between them like blueprints for whatever chaos they’re cooking up next.

And all three of them turn in unison when they see me, like sharks scenting blood in the water.

“Well, well, well,” Nan says, folding her arms across her chest. “Look who survived his mystery date.”

Sally grins. “Alive and still looking handsome. Must’ve gone well.”

Marie just waves me over. “Come. Sit. Spill.”

I glance toward the counter like maybe I can make a break for it, but the barista is already taking someone else’s order. I’m trapped. So I do the only reasonable thing—I sigh, grab a chair, and surrender.

“Morning, ladies,” I say, sliding into the seat across from them. “Lovely day to be ambushed.”

Nan waves a hand. “Cut the sarcasm, Dr. Reed. Tell us everything.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Sally scoffs. “Oh please. Aspen didn’t text us in a full panic after. That’s a good sign.”

“That’s your metric? Lack of panic?”

Marie leans in. “Did you have fun?”

I hesitate for half a second too long and that’s all they need. The three of them light up like Christmas morning.

“Oh, this is better than we hoped,” Nan says, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Look, it was a good date,” I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. “Better than I expected.”

Nan raises an eyebrow. “Define ‘good.’”

I consider lying. Downplaying it. But honestly? It was better than good. It was easy and fun. The kind of night you replay in your head the next morning like some lovesick teenager, which is not how I expected to feel waking up today.

“She’s great,” I say finally. “Really great.”

Sally smirks. “Told you.”

Marie points her finger at Nan. “Pay up. I said he’d like her.”

Nan rolls her eyes but pulls a crumpled five-dollar bill from her purse and slides it across the table.

I blink. “You bet on me?”

Nan just shrugs. “Sweetheart, we bet on everything .”

I laugh despite myself. “You’re all completely insane, you know that?”

“Insane and effective,” Sally says. “Don’t pretend we didn’t just give you the best date you’ve had in years.”

“Decades,” Marie adds.

“Centuries,” Nan finishes, earning herself a glare.

They’re not wrong. It was the best date I’ve had in a long time—maybe ever. That realization sits heavier than I expect. Because now I’m wondering what happens next. Was it a one-time thing? Or is this… something?

“Anyway,” Nan says, leaning back like she’s the queen of the matchmaking universe. “Just know there’s more where that came from.”

“More women?” I ask, a little horrified at the thought.

She winks. “More plans. We’re very invested in your future.”

“Terrifying.”

“Necessary,” Sally corrects.

I grab my coffee to go, thank them for the interrogation, and make my escape before they can start planning a wedding.

But as I walk back to my car, I realize I’m smiling like an idiot, like a man who’s already hoping last night wasn’t just some fluke. Because, Aspen Hayes? She might just be worth putting up with all the meddling in the world.