Page 19

NINETEEN

I bite my nails, something I’ve been doing since watching Ryan kick Jace’s ass at the start of the game. Part of me kind of liked it, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m the reason for the animosity between them.

“Hannah, stop moping. It was hot! I wish I had two hockey players fighting for my honor,” Natalie teases with a grin, taking a sip of her wine. She’s on the iPad propped up on Ada’s coffee table, joining us via FaceTime.

Ada clicks off the television, and I realize I’ve been staring at it blankly. Sitting at the opposite end of the couch, she turns fully toward me, her questioning look causes me to blurt, “Maybe it wasn’t about me.” But doubt creeps in almost immediately. Thanks, anxiety.

“And if it was… I feel awful. I’ve come back into Ryan’s life like a wrecking ball. While he’s only made my life better, I’m dragging him down,” I add.

Natalie gives me a look that says really? without words. “You’re more delusional than I thought.”

“I mean, I haven’t met him, so I can’t know for sure, but it doesn’t seem that way to me. He’s the one who offered to help. Plus, he invited you out for drinks. He wouldn’t have done that if he thought you were ‘dragging him down’,” Ada says, using air quotes.

“I guess,” I say, even though I don’t fully believe it.

“Let’s get back on track, ladies. We’ve watched the big, strong men hit the disks; now it’s time for our ‘get Hannah a date’ mission,” Natalie says, trying to lighten the mood.

I almost forgot about our original plan for the night: drink lots of wine and find me a date for the shelter event on Sunday. The lots of wine part was critical in getting me to agree to this in the first place, but now that it’s time to follow through, the urge to abort this mission is even stronger than my initial hesitation.

“I’m not sure—” I start.

“No, no, no. We talked about this… If you want to get over someone, you need to get under someone else,” Natalie reminds me, and I roll my eyes, not sure I subscribe to that logic.

“Won’t a first date at a networking event be kind of awkward?” I argue.

“We’ll find you a date for Friday night, and if all goes well, ask him to go with you on Sunday. What man doesn’t love a spontaneous woman?” Ada adds, topping off my glass with wine.

I laugh nervously, shaking my head. “I give Ryan a hard time about his planning, but I’m definitely not spontaneous.”

“Fake it till you make it?” Natalie shrugs. “You’re not weaseling your way out of this one, Hannah. Plus, have you ever dated? You jumped into a serious relationship almost as soon as we got to college. You should experience what it’s like to casually date.”

Honestly, I can’t argue with her.

Maybe I should give it a shot. Isn’t that what women in their twenties are supposed to do? Meet new people, explore new places. It fits into my independent era, as long as I keep my emotions in check.

“And don’t forget our fake dating scheme.” Ada takes a sip of her wine, then nudges me to do the same. “If you don’t click, just snap a picture with him, post it, and boom, Jace will see it and freak. Mission ‘get even’ accomplished.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Natalie doesn’t need any more encouragement, but this ramps up her excitement to a whole new level.

Another plan I never agreed to, but one my girlfriends are determined to talk me into.

“I can see it in your eyes. You’re warming up to the idea.” Natalie waggles her brows.

Ada’s eyes light up, and before I can protest, she claps and then snatches my phone from the coffee table. She downloads a dating app I’ve never heard of, but to be fair, I’m not familiar with any of them, so it seems as good as any other. I don’t have time to stop her before she’s typing away. Welp, I guess we’re doing this.

Does Ryan online date? That thought sours my stomach, so I push it out of my mind.

Creating my profile takes about as long as it takes us to finish a bottle of wine, so by the time we’re ready to swipe, we’re both tipsy and giggling. My previous worries fade, replaced by a fuzzy, happy buzz in my head.

I lean into Ada’s side, squinting at the screen. “This guy looks like he lives in his mom’s basement,” she says, swiping left.

I snort, reaching for the last sip of my wine. “We’re definitely not sober enough for this.”

“Exactly why it’s the best time,” she replies with a mischievous grin.

“I feel left out over here,” Natalie whines.

I pick up the iPad and angle it so she can see the phone too. “Where’s your kid, by the way? Are we going to wake him?” I ask, glancing around her living room and noticing the sports equipment tucked into the corner for the first time.

“Nope, he’s at his dad’s.” Ada follows my gaze but quickly returns to finding me a match. “What about this one?” She tilts the screen toward me, showing a man’s profile.

I consider him briefly. “No. He’s a blond.”

Natalie raises her sculpted brows on the screen. “You dated a blond for years. Now you’re not attracted to them?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

Ada pulls up another profile, this time of a man with dark-brown hair. I shake my head again. This continues for about a dozen more swipes. “What’s wrong with this one? You’ve shut down every profile I’ve shown you, and I’ve given you a wide variety of options.”

“None are your type? Should we switch? Want to try your luck in the lady pond?” Natalie teases. She pushes her long red hair behind her shoulder and stares at me through the screen.

“Ha, it’s tempting, but no.”

Natalie rolls her eyes. “I know your type.” Then, a slow smile lifts her cheeks. “I think… he’s tall, over six feet. Brown, shaggy hair with permanent scruff across a strong jaw. Honey-brown eyes. Maybe he plays a game where he hits a black rubber disk with a stick…”

“A puck… Nope, no more hockey players!” I scowl at her, catching on to what she’s doing. “Why does it sound like you’re describing Ryan?”

“Oh look, she’s pretty and smart,” she says, a smirk on her face.

I groan into my hands while Natalie’s laughter echoes through the speaker, sounding like one of those hyenas from The Lion King .

“Why do I feel like I’m missing something here?” Ada asks, scrunching her brows.

“Oh,” Natalie draws the word out. “She didn’t tell you?—”

“There’s nothing to tell,” I cut her off. Natalie, with very little evidence, is convinced Ryan and I are meant to be. I can only imagine how smug she’ll feel if she finds out about the kiss.

Ada shakes her head and focuses on the screen, her expression shifting with every swipe, cycling through amusement, confusion, and the occasional grimace.

The next one results in a small smile. “How about this one? He’s thirty, so older than you, which hopefully means he’s mature. Although, I’m in my thirties, so maybe not,” Ada says with a laugh. “I digress. He works in finance, no sports in sight. Oh, and he has a dog! You love dogs! Want to send him a message?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Natalie chants, pouting her bottom lip and giving me puppy dog eyes. “Please, Hannah. I have a good feeling.”

I’m not sure how that’s possible, but I relent. “Let’s see.”

I take the phone from Ada’s outstretched hand and angle it away from their view before quickly switching to my chat with Ryan.

Me:

SOS. Going to need rescuing soon.

Pulling up the app, I scroll through the guy’s profile. He seems nice enough, but I can’t muster the same enthusiasm as my friends. Not just for this guy, but for any of the profiles we’ve seen. None of them feel right. It’s… I actually don’t know what it is. It just feels wrong. But I have a feeling I’m not leaving Ada’s place without at least giving this a chance so I relent. “Fine, we can see if we match.”

“Eeeek!” Ada grabs the phone back from me and swipes right before I can change my mind. “And you matched! What should we message him?”

“Umm. Hi?”

Natalie rolls her eyes. “You’re hopeless.” Then she turns her attention to Ada. “Let the masters work.”

“Oh God,” I groan.

Ada giggles. “He says he loves your green eyes, that they are more beautiful than emeralds,” she reads the words, deepening her voice for dramatic effect.

We turn toward each other and break into a fit of laughter. When I catch my breath, I ask, “Are we done? Have you had your fun?”

“Oh, hell no! I’m just getting started.” There’s laughter in her voice as she types, reading as she goes. “I could get lost in your ocean-blue ones.”

“You can’t be serious.” I shake my head, needing more wine for this. After opening another bottle, I refill both my and Ada’s glasses.

“Ada, I’m glad Hannah has someone with game there, in my absence,” Natalie says with a straight face.

Ada deepens her voice again as she reads, “Thank you, sweetheart. Can I take you out?” She drops the deep tone and chimes in with her own thoughts, “Ew, sweetheart, major ick. But we’ll forgive the too-early use of pet names. So, are we doing this?” She raises a brow, waiting for my answer.

“Tell him yes,” Natalie answers for me.

“You want me to go out with him after that?” I can’t hide the incredulity in my voice.

“You’re not going to marry the guy, but why not? It’ll be the perfect test run,” Natalie argues her case. “And don’t forget, you need a plus-one.”

I take a generous gulp of wine. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”

Ada pumps her fist in the air and types away with the other. She tosses my phone, which lands with a soft thump in my lap. “My work here is done. You have a date on Friday.”

We sign off with Natalie, promising to get together when she’s in town. With a sigh, Ada flops back onto the couch, crossing her arms over her head like finding me a date truly drained her. She peeks out from under her arms. “You know, not all men are like your ex, right?”

“Of course.” I mean statistically speaking, it’s impossible for them all to be terrible.

I know at least one man who’s far from terrible, my stupid head—or maybe it’s my heart—offers unhelpfully.