19. Cassidy
Chapter 19
Cassidy
“ I thought I’d never see you again!” Lillian squeals as she brings me in for a hug the second I step out of the ride share.
“And wow! Can I just say…” She kisses her fingers giving me a chef’s kiss.
I chuckle. “Thanks, girl.”
She looks at the retreating vehicle and asks, “Where’s the hockey stud?’
“Keelan? He said he’d meet us up here. He had to take care of something first. Now, can you tell me why the heck we’re meeting at a bookstore coffee shop?”
She waggles her eyebrows and puts her hands on my shoulders to spin me around and points to the sign with beautiful, colorful lettering outside the door. It reads: Booktrovert Speed Dating Tonight!
I turn back to look at her. “Speed dating?”
“With book nerds! This should be your most favorite thing.”
“Will there actually be men here?” I laugh.
“Yes, Cassidy. Nice ones too. Which is why,” she fluffs up my hair. “You’re going to have a great time. Plus the ladies that own this place are the best. Come on!”
We walk in greeted by a young girl at the counter with long braids. Her skin is radiant and so is her smile. “Hi! Welcome to LitJava!”
I return her smile and then turn to Lillian who says hi to the girl. They chat like they know each other while I take in my surroundings. The vibe is nice here. There’s local art hanging on the walls with Houston themes. A kid’s area with their very own Kid’s cafe and cute little tables and chairs. Parker and Maddie would love it here.
I love the bright orange reading chairs mixed with cozy looking leather ones. They’re grouped in twos throughout the space.
“Hi! I’m Dee, I’m with one of the owners here.” A woman with kind eyes and a killer dress approaches me. “Are you here for speed dating night?”
I tug on my dress, nervously. “Hi! Yeah, it’s my first time doing anything like this.”
Dee laughs. “Oh, us too. We didn’t think anyone would show up but looks like we have some secret book lovers among us.” She lifts a brow toward some of the men walking in. “I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
Lillian orders our coffees and we take our seats separate from each other. According to the rules displayed on the TV above what looks like an open mic stage, the women will stay seated and the men will be rotating.
We’re all handed cards and a tiny pencil. The cards are lined for us to write down our dates’ names and any notes we want to make about them. Things like their favorite books, genres, their last five star read.
Ok, maybe this will be fun after all.
And the guys that showed up tonight look surprisingly… intriguing. There’s a man wearing an open collared shirt and slacks reading a thriller on one of the couches. He has a strong- jaw and pushes his glasses up on his nose when they start to slip. He looks up from his book and smiles at me before returning to his read.
Another guy is browsing the personal development section. He’s dressed in jeans and a black shirt that hugs his biceps and I can’t help but admire the way it stretches over a nice back.
More women arrive and take their seats one by one.
I look around. There’s such a mix of women, too. Not just in ethnicity but in style. From put together business professionals to women in yoga pants to a young girl wearing a crop top and overalls with purple hair.
But it looks like everyone here has something in common. We love books. And I love Lillian for picking this place.
I check my phone and get a little worried that Keelan still isn’t here. We’re getting started any minute now.
A text comes through.
Lillian
Focus on the hot literate males we have all around us please. Not your sleazy jock. Thank you!
I chuckle and text her back.
Me:
Quit slut-shaming my boss.
I look up to see her rolling her eyes. But she sits up straight and looks over my shoulder.
When I turn around. He’s there. My boss. My sleazy jock.
Why is he here?
He doesn’t take one look at me. Instead, he waltzes up to the coffee bar and orders himself a drink. Then peruses the book selection, chatting it up with a fellow speed dater.
I look at Lillian and she mouths “What the hell?”
I shrug, showing my hands.
Is he tailing me?
I get up from my seat and walk over to him. He’s wearing a tan short sleeved collared shirt with the first two buttons undone, a pair of navy slacks that fit him just right and some loafers–no ball cap. His hair is pushed back in a way that makes him look sophisticated but not like he’s trying too hard. This might be the most put together that I’ve ever seen Joshua Hicks outside of a Heatwave charity event.
I tap him on the shoulder and he turns around pretending to be startled to see me.
“Cassidy! Wow… what a coincidence I’d run into you here!”
“Are you following me?”
His brows come together like he’s trying to understand what I’m asking. “I’m here for the speed dating.”
I glare at him. “Really?”
“Yeah, Keelan wasn’t feeling too well so he told me to come take his spot.”
I’m going to kill Keelan.
I shake my head. “You guys are unbelievable.”
“I’m sorry… did I just–my god–I’m so rude. You probably wanted to get away from me didn’t you?”
“Yes, Joshua… that’s the whole point.”
He nods, “Totally understand. I’ll stay out of your hair.”
He flashes a panty-melting smile and cocks his head waiting for me to leave. I sigh but go back to my seat, plopping into the chair with arms crossed.
Lillian motions for me to breathe. And I do, just as a woman in a pink jumpsuit approaches the mic.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight, Booktroverts! We’re so happy to get to host the first ever Booktrovert Speed dating night here at LitJava.”
There’s a round of claps and she continues. The way this will work, there are ten women. And ten men. Women, you’ll get to stay put while men, whenever you hear this sound,” she pauses to hit a small gong. “You’ll kindly get up and proceed to your next date. We’ll be going clockwise around the room. You’ll have five minutes to chat with your date. Get to know everything you need to know about each other before moving on to the next. Sound good?”
“Yes!” the men say. Joshua the most enthusiastic among them. I try hard not to roll my eyes at the sound of his voice.
Avoiding him is really hard to do when I’m trapped in a bookstore just a few feet away from him.
“At the end of the hour, you’ll turn your cards into either myself or Dee with a check next to the names of those you hit it off with. Tomorrow… if you have any matches. We’ll be calling you to let you know.”
“And if you don’t hear from us… well, just come back to the next one,” Dee says.
We all laugh.
“Ok, let the speed dating begin.” Angie hits the gong and the guys find seats in front of the nearest girl.
The first one to sit in the leather chair across from me is glasses guy who was reading the thriller novel earlier. He’s even more attractive up-close.
“Hi, Cassidy. I’m…” he points to his name tag. “Declan,” he says with a chuckle. “Kinda weird introducing ourselves when we have name tags but, I digress.”
He gives a quick bow and then sits back in the chair, crossing an ankle over a knee and smiling.
“So, Declan. What’s… uh…” I hear Joshua’s voice on the other side of the room. He’s making his date laugh. The girl with the purple hair. I realize I’m staring and come back to my senses. Uh…”
“My favorite author today is Andy Weir,” he says, like he already knows what I’m going to ask. "I really like how he depicts the human condition and the juxtaposition between the mundane against a backdrop of science fiction…”
He keeps talking and again my eyes flicker over to Joshua and purple hair. She’s leaning in. He is too. Like their old friends sharing a secret. Maybe they are. Maybe he knows her. And they shared a passionate night together. Only to be reunited—
“Cassidy?”
I shake myself out of my stupor. “I’m so sorry–what was that?”
He smiles. “I just asked who’s yours?”
“Mine?”
“Your favorite author… today?”
“Oh… um…” I rub my forehead. “It’s hard to pick just one you know. I love different ones for different reasons.”
My phone dings in my lap and I see Joshua’s name flash on the screen.
“Yeah, I’m the same way,” Declan continues. He goes on about how he loves the same authors across their multiple pen names and lists several of them but it’s hard to focus when my phone feels like it’s burning a hole into my thigh.
I glance down at it briefly as he’s talking.
Joshua
If you’re reading this right now… you must not like him. Move on.
Ugh. How rude of him to insert himself into my date. Before I can pick it up to say anything, another text comes through.
Joshua
Just trying to be a good wingman, Princess. *winking emoji*
I turn the ringer off on my phone and set it face down on the table.
Declan is now talking about how he’s just entered his psychological thriller era and how he can usually figure out the plot before the twenty percent mark of the books. He says it keeps him sharp.
“Yeah, I’m not really into thrillers.”
“What’s your preferred genre?” he asks. Pencil in hand, ready to write down what I’m about to say. Before the words come out of my mouth, Angie rings the gong and the conversations all halt around us.
“You may now switch,” she announces, cheerfully.
Declan bows his head the same way he did when first introduced himself. I smile as he gets up to leave.
I write his name down on the card and check the box marked no .
Sweet guy. But Joshua was right. He couldn’t hold my attention.
The next man to sit in front of me, has chocolate skin. His beard is perfectly trimmed and his fade looks like it was done by a celebrity hairstylist. His cologne hits me first. Very manly.
He lowers himself into the seat. His nametag says, Edison. It suits him.
“Hello, there,” he says in a surprising British accent.
“Hello,” I say. I’m not even trying to smile. It’s happening naturally. “Interesting name you have.”
“My mates call me Eddie. Not as interesting.”
I chuckle. “Mine call me Sid.”
He thinks for a moment. “Like the giant sloth from–”
“Ice Age, yeah,” I finish for him. We both chuckle.
“So Sid, do you always meet men at bookstores in five minute increments?”
I smile, showing my teeth. “No, it’s my first time.”
“Ah, mine too. Meeting women… in a bookstore… like this,” he slaps a hand to his face. “My, you just put me in a state now, din’t you?”
I bite my lip and try to hold back a smile. My phone vibrates on the table. I let it.
“So what do you read, Eddie?”
He rubs a hand down his stubble. “Poetry mostly. I dabble, as they say.”
“You’re a poet?”
“A dabbling poet, yes. I read some of my work for the first time at an open mic night here recently.” He motions toward the stage that’s now being used as an extra seating area for the dates.
“Have you been? To a poetry slam?”
I shake my head. “I haven’t actually.”
“They’re loads of fun. Terrifying for those of us performing. Fun for those watching. So I’ve been told.”
“Well, I’d love to come watch you sometime.”
“I’d love that, too,” he says. His warm eyes taking in my features. I can feel my face flush.
My phone vibrates again.
“What are you drinking there?”
“Vanilla latte with oat milk. It’s kind of my go-to.”
“You should try the brown sugar shaken iced coffee. I think you might find it refreshing.”
Are we still talking about coffee here? Because the way he just licked his bottom lip in a way that sent my insides whirling–is telling me otherwise.
The gong dings. And Eddie hesitates to get up. He extends his hand. “Nice meeting you, Sid.”
“You too, Eddie.”
He disappears behind me and I quickly write down his name and mark yes just as the next guy is approaching. He’s holding a LitRPG novel and is dressed in a way that reminds me of Cole.
I can already tell it will be a definite no. But I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Excuse me, pardon me,” Joshua says, halting him with a hand on the guy’s chest. “You don’t mind if I cut in real quick do you? This will only take a minute.”
He doesn’t say anything just looks at me.
“What are you doing?” I say to Joshua, whose now taken the seat in front of me.
“So you like British guys, eh, Princess? Should’ve known. Must be all that Bridgerton you’ve been bingeing.
How does he know I binge Bridgerton?
“Stop stalking me, Joshua. It’s not a good look for you.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Me? You’re the one who hasn’t taken her eyes off me since I walked in here.”
“You wish. Now scram, you’re cutting into someone else’s time.”
“Check your phone,” he says, ignoring me.
“No, whatever it is. It can wait.”
“Look at your phone, Cassidy, or I won’t leave.”
I give him a death glare and he returns it with an effortless smile.
“Ugh, fine.”
I flip the phone over and open his text. It’s a picture of an excerpt from my latest read. My latest steamy read. It’s a part of the book where the main male character caught the female lead reading something raunchy and he tells her to read it out loud to him.
When she does, he acts out exactly what she’s reading.
My eyes widen and I look up at Joshua. “You are stalking me!”
“Did you tell our friend, Eddie about the kinds of books you read, Princess?” He cocks his head like a playful puppy.
I swallow. “No. Obviously.”
“Hmmm.” He looks over his shoulder at baggie pants guy and smiles. “My kid brother likes those books.”
He turns back to me. “I have a proposition for you.”
He looks back at the waiting speed dater, “It’ll only take another minute,” he tells him. The guy now looks visibly annoyed and I mouth “I’m sorry” to him.
Joshua reaches behind him and pulls out… my kindle!
I reach for it and he snatches it back. “Uh-uh. Hear me out.”
I huff out my annoyance and it seems to make him happy to rile me up.
“Leave right now.” He leans in, “And I’ll take you home and we can act out any scene you want from your little library.” He shakes the kindle.
“What?” I breathe out.
He nods. “ Any scene.”
I look around me at the rest of the speed dates. Eddie is now talking to Lillian. They’re both laughing at something.
Oh no… she must like him too.
I swallow, turning back to Joshua.
He looks so relaxed. Like he already knows what my answer will be.
“I’ll give you thirty more seconds,” he says looking at his watch like he has somewhere to be.
He’s propositioning me. My boss, my crush, is propositioning with smut. Real life smut.
I can feel my jaw tick when I snatch my kindle out of his hand and stand up, grabbing my purse, just as the gong rings.
Joshua smiles and rises from his seat too. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
He heads to the entrance and holds the door open, but before I follow him out, I find Dee and hand her my card.
She looks at me puzzled.
“Something came up,“ I say.
She looks at Joshua holding the door open and chuckles to herself. I wave at Lillian who is still smiling from her last date. It quickly fades but I motion that I’ll call her and she nods.
Once outside, Joshua takes me by the hand and leads me to his car.