Page 46 of The Disasters of Dating (Love Connections #6)

POPPY

Emotionally, you should feel good today, Pisces, so don’t let this confidence go to waste.

Do things with your sweetheart and turn the dial up on romance.

Your inner light is shining brightly, so know that you can use this to illuminate the path for others.

Offer a sympathetic ear and comforting shoulder for someone to cry on tonight.

People will be drawn to you like steel to a magnet.

I turn my car on to blast the air conditioner for a few minutes.

I only had forty minutes between lunch with Paisleigh and work.

It seemed the wisest plan to sit in the employee parking lot and read until it was time to head inside.

The thing I forgot about in planning was the early September heat.

It’s rather stifling. But I don’t want to kill the Earth by having my car run for the whole forty minutes.

Instead, I turn it on for about ten minutes at a time.

It’s a ten-on-ten-off situation. But it’s keeping me from being a sweaty pig by the time I walk into work.

Normally, I’d maybe let myself be a moderately sweaty pig for the sake of the environment, but Keaton flies in today.

I glance in my rear-view mirror and see the shuttle bus inching its way toward my stop.

I look at the clock on the dashboard. It’s getting close to the time I need to head inside, and if I wait for the next shuttle, I’ll be cutting it too close.

I’m not completely bummed. The airport is air-conditioned.

I close out the Regency romance book on my e-reader and toss it into my giant, tan suede bag with layers and layers of fringe. I feel very Jedediah Smith. If only I’d worn my moccasins.

I turn the car off and grab my bag off the front seat.

I sling it over my shoulder and, with great intention, throw my keys inside as I push open the car door with my foot.

Stepping out into the heat, I sag. August is my least favorite month but September is a close second.

Everything is dry and thirsty after a hot summer. Me included.

I’m looking forward to October.

I stop for a second. School starts tomorrow.

You’d think I’d get used to the first day of school jitters.

I mean, how many semesters do I have behind me?

And how many years before that? Maybe it’s because I’ve been having my back-to-school nightmare again.

The one where I dream I go to class for the first time and find out it’s really the end of the semester, and the instructor is passing out my final exam.

I have to take the test, having never attended a lecture. My heart races thinking about it.

I take a calming breath as I trudge to the partially covered shuttle bus stop.

Hopefully grad school is when the nightmare finally stops.

I lick my lips and pause as a new thought comes to me.

I’ve only thought to apply to in-state schools.

But now with the Adam thing, can I consider a few out-of-state schools?

It’s never been on my radar because I didn’t want to leave my mom alone.

But now she has Adam. It feels weird even thinking about it.

The shuttle bus pulls up and stops in front of Stop 5. The door gasps open, and I step up, smiling at Roger. “Hey, Roger.”

He grins back, “Hot enough for you?”

I nod. “Yes, indeed.” It’s the same thing he asks me every single day. Except in the winter. Then he says, ‘Cold enough for you?’ Yeah, you can add great conversationalist to his why not to date list.

I settle into the seat towards the back. I learned soon after I declined the second date offer that if I sit too close to the front, I end up hearing him list his qualities that I’m missing out on. He and I have a different definition of ‘qualities’.

Now Keaton? He and I have a very similar definition.

And I find his qualities more to my liking every day.

I’m excited he’s flying in today. It’s only been a few days since he left, but I’ve missed him.

Even though we’ve texted and talked on the phone, it’s not the same as having him here—in the same state.

We haven’t made plans, but I’m hoping he’ll go to dinner with me tonight. I’m not sure a quick drop into the shop will be enough. I need to hold his hand and feel his closeness for longer than a few minutes. It’s weird because I’ve never felt that way about anyone.

We get to the airport and I hop off the bus. “Have a great day, Roger.” I say as I’m going down the stairs.

“Hey, Poppy?”

I turn just before stepping off the last step.

“Do you want to grab something to eat after your shift is over?” Roger has a bit of an I-don’t-care look on his face, but I can see in his eyes that he does.

And while I don’t like Roger, I feel bad for turning him down.

I mean, it takes a lot of courage to ask a girl out.

Especially one who has already turned you down before.

“Oh, Roger. That would be fun. But I have a boyfriend now, and I don’t think he’d be very happy about that.”

He tips his head to the side and quirks a brow, as if he thinks I’m lying to him. “Mmhuh.” He motions me off the bus. “You don’t want to be late.”

I shrug as I step off. My horoscope said to do something with my sweetheart. Roger is not my sweetheart, so I’m not going to feel guilty about turning him down. Besides, nothing I said was untrue. I do have a boyfriend.

I make my way through security and to The Wandering Reader. I’m surprised when I see Kendra standing at the register. I thought today was Sheila’s day.

“Hey, Kendra. What are you doing here?” I pull my bag off my shoulder and tuck it under the register.

“Something came up and Sheila asked me to cover for her.”

I smile. “You are seriously the nicest person. Thanks so much for taking on as many of my shifts as you did. I really appreciate it.” Should I ask her about Saturday? I hate being a nag. But I need to know if I should ask someone else.

“It’s no problem,” she says. “I can use the money right now.”

Then maybe it won’t seem as if I’m a nag? Knowing Kendra, she hasn’t even looked at the text I sent yet.

“Oh, and I can work for you on Saturday, Pops.” She looks up at me. “Unless you don’t need me to anymore.”

I nod. “I do need you. Thanks, Kendra.”

She frowns. “I hope it’s nothing serious—the family meeting and all.”

My shoulders drop. It’s probably not as big of a deal as I’m making it.

But I’m dreading the dinner. “My mom has a boyfriend that she’s been secretly dating.

They’ve been found out, so now we are having an introduction to the family dinner.

” I give her an it’s-going-to-be-terrible look.

“The only upside is that Keaton will be coming with me.”

Her eyes lighten. “Oooh. Are things heating up between you two?”

I smile, but shrug it off. “We’re just dating right now. Wedding bells aren’t in my near future or anything.”

Her eyes widen. “But they may be in the distant future?”

I frown. “I don’t know about that either.”

Kendra claps her hands. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. You guys are so cute together.”

Okay, maybe I should have left Keaton out of the discussion. I mean, she’d already said yes. I didn’t need to bring him into the conversation to sway her. So why had I? I shake my head, not knowing the answer.

She looks at her watch. “Okay. My time is up, I’ll see you later.”

“Are you taking my lunch hour?”

Kendra nods. “Yep. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

I smile. “Go do something fun.” I hurry to add. “Although, you may want to avoid eye contact with Roger. He’s in the ‘asking-to-dinner’ mood today.”

She cringes. “Thanks for the heads up! Have a great evening.”

“You, too,” I wave as she walks out of the shop.

Now, I need to keep myself busy until Keaton’s flight comes in.

I’ve straightened every shelf in the shop.

It looks as good as it did after we did our spring cleaning.

I keep glancing toward the gates where Keaton usually flies in.

The Omaha, Nebraska, group has left, and they are starting to load the flight for Miami.

I wonder which of those people are going home and which are going for business or pleasure. What is there even to do in Miami?

I grab my phone out of my pocket and Google ‘Things to do in Miami’. The AI assistant pulls up a neatly organized list. It used to annoy me. I mean, just show me the websites. But I have to admit, I’ve kind of gotten used to the abbreviated bulleted breakdown.

I read through the list. South Beach, Biscayne National Park, and The Everglades.

I wonder if any of those people are going on an airboat ride?

Miami seems like it might be a fun place to visit.

They have a lot of museums. A zoo and an aquarium—which seems both weird and natural.

It feels kind of like having a pool when you live on the beach.

I’ve never fully understood why you needed two sources for swimming so close together.

But Paisleigh says they are completely different. I’m taking her word for it.

Several customers come in and I ring them up, my gaze carefully watching the gates. The Wichita flight just left. That leaves two gates open for Keaton’s flight. I watch as the sign turns from Miami departure to Atlantic City arrival. My lips turn down.

“Is something the matter, Miss?” An older gentleman at the checkout asks.

I pull my attention back to him. “Excuse me?” I say in a more chipper Aussie accent than I’m feeling.

“You were frowning just then. I wondered if there was something the matter.” His eyes are kind, and he reminds me a bit of my Grandpa Tim. Man, I haven’t seen him or Grandma Sue in weeks. I need to see them. Maybe after school tomorrow. “I hate to see a pretty gal like you unhappy.”