Chapter 20
EDEN
“Gotta say,I’m disappointed in Danny,” Kayla says as she walks out of our kitchen, mug of tea in hand. She plops down next to me. “I mean, I get it. It would be weird to date the sibling of your best friend. But work past the weirdness, you know? You guys have a connection—a clear connection that I could see every time I’m around you. The flirting, the eye-fucking?—”
I cough into my tea. “Eye-fucking?”
Kayla nods. “You two were about as subtle as a forest fire. Seriously. It was clear there was chemistry between you two. That’s why it’s so disappointing that Danny gave up on things before they even got started.”
There’s that hollowness in my chest making a reappearance. It’s only been a couple of days since Danny put the brakes on us, but every time I think about it, that same wave of disappointment washes over me.
“I hate feeling this sad,” I say. “I wish I didn’t care that he rejected me.”
When I lean my head on Kayla’s shoulder, she rests her head on top of mine. “It’s impossible not to care, Eden. It sucks when you really like someone and they hurt your feelings.”
My eyes water, but I blink quickly before any tears fall.
“I think what really kills me is that Danny is literally a dream guy,” I murmur. “Smart, hot, funny, sweet, hardworking?—”
Kayla jerks away, and I slump forward, losing my balance.
“Okay. Enough with the moping. Danny’s great, but he’s not the only quality man in this city.”
She grabs my phone from the coffee table and swipes her finger across my screen.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Getting you a date.”
“What?”
She turns my phone screen to me, and I see she’s opened my Tinder app. My eyes go wide. “No way in hell.”
“Eden, come on. You and Danny barely even kissed. It’s not good for you to be this heartbroken over him.”
“I’m not heartbroken,” I say, indignant. “I’m just…annoyed.”
Kayla shoots me her “Are you kidding me?” face before looking back at my phone. “I’m going to show you that there are loads of guys out there who are dying to go out with you.”
When she shows me my phone thirty seconds later, my profile is complete. “How the hell did you do that so quickly?”
“I work for a dating app, remember? Your dating app. This isn’t my first rodeo,” she deadpans. “Now! Let’s get to swiping.”
I groan as she swipes left on a handful of guys.
“Oh, wait!” Kayla pushes her glasses up as she squints at the screen. “Check this guy out. Wyatt. Twenty-six. Works for the public school system and volunteers at a dog rescue. And oh my god, check out that tattoo.”
She pivots the phone to me and my eyes go wide. “Holy…”
“Hotness, right?”
My eyes do a slow scan of the sleeve tattoo adorning his muscular left arm.
“Okay, you’re definitely swiping right on this hottie.” A second later, there’s an alert. “He swiped right on you too! Aww! Oh, and he messaged you!”
She pivots the phone to me so we can read it together.
Apologies for sliding into your DMs, but that’s some gorgeous ink you’ve got. Where’d you get it done?
Kayla smiles at me. A few rogue butterflies swarm in my stomach. I’m admittedly still really hurt by Danny, but maybe Kayla’s right. What good is moping around the apartment going to do? Danny’s made it clear he’s no longer interested in me, and I need to move on.
I take the phone from Kayla and start typing a response to Wyatt. She pats my arm. “That’s my girl.”
* * *
I’m sittingacross from Wyatt at a quiet bistro-slash-bar in the Pearl District and having a way better time with him than I expected.
From across the tiny table, he grins at me. Even in the dim mood lighting of the restaurant, this guy is off-the-charts hot. The candlelight from our table dances across his impossibly square jawline. His brown eyes are bright as he nudges the last piece of calamari at me with his butterknife.
“That’s all yours.”
I smile as I stick my fork in the tender piece of squid and eat it.
“Thank you,” I say, after swallowing. “That was really nice of you to give up the last bite of food. I’m not one to do that. I’m way too selfish.”
He chuckles. “It’s how I show people that I care, offering them food I like.”
“Well, I feel very special, then.”
My skin goes hot under his gaze. Even though I’m looking down at my wine glass, I can feel his eyes on me. I glance up and smile. “You know, I don’t normally do dinner on a first date. I usually suggest coffee. It’s quicker. And cheaper. Less at stake.”
Wyatt chuckles. “I don’t do dinner on first dates either. But from our text chats and talking to you on the phone, I felt like we really hit it off. I really like you, Eden. You’re worth the risk of an awkward dinner.”
The server drops off our entrees, and I’m biting my lip to keep my grin from growing comically huge. God, this guy. He’s charming as hell. Who knows if this date will go anywhere, but I don’t really care in this moment. It just feels nice to be out with a guy who genuinely likes me.
“I like you too,” I say. We enjoy the first few bites of our meals in companionable silence.
I move to take another drink, but Wyatt reaches his arm over to me. “You’ve got some parsley in your hair.”
I can feel myself blushing as he gently swipes it away, his thumb grazing my cheek. We lock eyes, and in that second, it’s pretty clear there’s a serious attraction between us.
Movement in the corner of my eye pulls my attention away for a split second. When I glance up, I see Danny sitting at the bar with a woman. He’s looking right at me.