Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
CODY
I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid. I’d trusted this stranger and of course he’d stood me up. Once I got back to the courthouse, Sophia jumped to grill me on how it had gone.
"You’re back early," she chirped.
"Don’t," I said, putting one hand up as I sank into my chair.
She frowned and furrowed her brows. "What’s wrong?"
"He stood me up. Not even a text. Just… didn’t show."
"Oh, Cody. I’m so sorry." She put a soothing hand on my shoulder. "What an asshat."
I shrugged. "He didn’t owe me anything. It was just a wrong-number text anyway. Just a whim. It’s not like we’d planned a real date or anything." I wasn’t sure I believed my own words, though.
"I guess… but he still should’ve shown you some human decency."
With a sigh, I put my phone in a drawer on silent and ignored it the rest of the afternoon. Instead of texting or doomscrolling, I busied myself with filing paperwork, getting our backlog of documents processed, and even cleaning. Once I’d finished dusting the office, Sophia stopped me.
"Don’t you think you’ve done enough?"
I laughed, but it came out bitter and harsh, the sound of someone whose feelings were still hurt. "If you say so." I put down the dusting wand and plopped back into my seat.
"Why don’t you go home early? It’s almost quitting time anyway, and I’ve got everything under control here."
I shook my head. "What am I going to do at home? Wallow in my feelings over a guy I barely spoke five sentences to?"
"Okay, fair. Maybe go home and find something else to do. Mentally move on from wrong-number guy. I don’t know."
"It’s okay. I’ll stick around."
Eventually, it was quitting time, and I grabbed my phone out of the drawer before heading out. It immediately vibrated in my hand, the way it did whenever I had a missed text. I opened my messages.
Ben: Got caught up at work. I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?
My stomach fluttered, a mixture of anxiety and confusion. I didn’t have any reason to disbelieve him, but I didn’t really have a reason to believe him, either. I turned to Sophia.
"Look at this."
She glanced at my phone. "That explains that. What are you going to do now?"
I shrugged. "What do you think I should do?"
"Text him back. Maybe he’s telling the truth."
"Or maybe he’s married and didn’t want me to find out. Or maybe he’s actually fifteen." I shuddered at the thought that I might’ve been flirting with a teenager.
She grimaced. "That could be. You should ask."
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I guess you’re right. I’ll text him when I’m home. Let him stew for a little while."
"That’s the spirit," she said, patting me on the back.
Once I was home, I settled in front of the TV for a while, debating on what to say to Ben. He hadn’t texted again, leaving the ball in my court. Finally, I worked out what I wanted to say and messaged him.
Cody: How do I know you’re who you say you are?
He responded almost immediately, and I found myself weirdly relieved.
Ben: What do you mean?
Cody: How do I know you’re single? And, you know, age-appropriate.
Ben: What about you? I should probably be asking you the same questions.
Cody: I’m thirty-eight and decidedly single.
Ben: I’m forty and single. I promise. But if it makes you feel better, we could get on a video call. I’ll prove to you I’m a real person, one who’s age-appropriate, and we can even have dinner together from our own separate spaces.
I thought about it for a few seconds before responding.
Cody: Or we could have a real dinner.
I held my breath and waited. Typing bubbles appeared for a second before disappearing. They reappeared and disappeared again. I closed my phone, trying to play it cool and convince myself I wasn’t interested and I could just ignore the whole situation. There was a little voice in the back of my head that was calling me out on my bullshit, though. I was curious about the wrong-number guy and his persistence. When my phone vibrated, my stomach fluttered.
Ben: Deal
I let out a sigh of relief and then laughed at myself. I was being ridiculous over a guy I hadn’t even technically met yet. We worked out the details and set our plans for that night at a nearby Italian restaurant. As soon as I was finished texting him, I called Sophia.
"Hey there," she said by way of greeting. "Did you ever work it out with mystery man?"
"That’s exactly why I’m calling. We set up a date for tonight. I’m supposed to meet him in an hour or so."
"That’s awesome! What are you going to wear? Do you want me to call you to bail you out if it’s terrible?"
"Actually… I was hoping we could get drinks or something after. Around nine maybe? That will give me a concrete out if things go south."
"Of course. I’ve got your back. See you at nine for drinks."
We hung up and I got to work getting showered and dressed. The weather was still chilly, but I wanted to look nice—not too nice, just casual nice. I tousled my wavy dark hair artfully and pulled on a dark gray long-sleeve Henley shirt and jeans before heading out.
When I arrived at the restaurant, I glanced around to see if I spotted anyone sitting alone and looking like they were waiting on someone. Before I found him, though, a server came up to me.
The server was tall and thin with a buzz cut and several ear piercings. They smiled at me politely and stepped behind the greeting station to check the computer. "How many?"
"Two. I’m meeting someone here. He might already be here. I don’t know." I dropped my voice to a low murmur. "It’s a blind date."
The server grinned and nodded understandingly, lowering their voice to match mine. "I think he’s already here. I just sat someone near the back who said the same thing. Are you looking for Ben?"
I let out a relieved exhale, my shoulders dropping as some of the tension drained from my body. "Yes! I’m Cody."
"Right this way, Cody."
I followed the server to a booth where Ben sat, back to us. From behind, all I could tell was that he had thick dark hair, his head ducked and his shoulders hunched in as if he were texting someone.
"Sir, the rest of your party is here."
Ben straightened immediately and I caught sight of him putting his phone face down on the table. He twisted in his seat to get a look at me, his eyebrows drawn tight. The second we made eye contact, his face relaxed into a smile, his blue-gray eyes lighting up. He stood and reached his hand out to shake mine. "Cody? I’m Ben."
I shook his hand and grinned, a little dazed by his smile and just how attractive he really was. "That’s me." As we touched, electricity coursed through my arm. I didn’t want to let go.