8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Parker
You’ve got to be kidding me.
What is she doing on this side of town?
Of all the millions of people who live in the city, I run into her .
And then, I make the mistake of staring at Amy a little too long. She looks visibly upset.
I consider just spinning around and bailing. I mean, we don’t even really know each other, and it’s not like we’re friends. But the moment a tear rolls down her cheek, I decide to walk over to her. She may be annoying, and a little over the top, but I do have a heart.
“Why are you here?” she asks.
I stop just beside her table. “Wow, okay. Nice to see you, too.”
“You’re just going to rub it in my face. ”
“Rub what in your face, Amy?” I’m so confused right now, it’s not even funny. “I walked over here because you look upset—don’t villainize me.”
She lets out a sigh and drops her head into her hands. “He stood me up.” Her voice comes out muffled, and I barely make out the words.
“He stood you up? Who?”
“Nate.”
“Is that the guy from the blind date?”
She looks up at me, her eyes still glistening with tears. “Yes.”
Aw, man.
My chest pangs with unwanted sympathy.
No one—not even Amy—deserves to hear I told you so .
“Can I sit here?” I gesture to the seat across from her.
“Uh ... I guess.”
“Cool, thanks.” I pull out the chair and sit down across from her.
“Are you not going to say anything about how stupid blind dating is?” she demands, sniffling. “I figured you’d be having a field day right about now.”
I shrug. “I might be a cynic, but I’m not a jerk.”
She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Okay.”
“No, really. That guy is a jerk for not showing up, Amy. Did he say anything to you?”
“I haven’t heard from him since he texted me last night inviting me to coffee. I replied and said I’d come. Then he said, ‘Great.’ But now ... he’s apparently dropped off the face of the earth. I texted him that I was here tonight, and he said nothing. I almost called—”
“No, no, no,” I stop her, shaking my head. “Don’t ever call a guy that’s late to the first date. That’s just not a good idea. If a guy stands you up or ghosts you, he’s not worth your time.”
“But he might be sick or something...” Amy says, dabbing her eyes with her sleeves. “I mean, that’s a legitimate excuse.”
“Uh ... maybe if he’s in the hospital, but I highly doubt he is. What’s his name?” I pull out my phone.
“Nate.”
“What’s his last name?”
She looks down at her phone. “Vincent.”
I open up my Facebook app and type his name into the search bar. I scroll through the profiles until I spot the guy who was sitting across from Amy last night. I click on his profile, and right there on his newsfeed is a post from fifteen minutes ago, where he checked in to a club VIP party.
“This is why he didn’t show.” I slide my phone across to her. “According to his Facebook status, he’s currently partying it up at a penthouse in the financial district. So ... there’s your answer. He might need a hospital later, but that’ll be completely irrelevant to you.”
She lets out a sigh. “So he had something else to do tonight. Maybe he’ll text me later to reschedule. ”
I blink at her. “You’re kidding me, right? This dude blew you off just to hang out at a club. He’s probably skirt-chasing wannabe models right now.”
“But he seemed so nice...”
“Okay, but just because someone seems nice doesn’t mean they are nice. Come on, you don’t want to be with a guy who puts going to the club above seeing you.”
She finally nods and then lets out a sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to say sorry. And you definitely shouldn’t have to put up with guys who stand you up. You’re worth more than that. If a guy can’t give you what you want or need out of a relationship, you shouldn’t waste your time on him.”
“Well, I’m almost thirty. I think it’s perfectly fine to see people’s flaws and choose to love them anyway.”
“I hear you, but seriously, Nate isn’t the guy. I promise.”
She picks up her coffee and wrinkles her nose after taking a sip. “Ugh, it’s cold now.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Were you waiting for him to show up before you started drinking your coffee?”
“Yeah. I thought that would be nice. You know, it shows that I’m a courteous person.”
I wave toward Genna, who’s working tonight. She smiles brightly and trots over.
“Hey, Parker,” she greets. “Do you want your usual?”
“Yeah, but make it a decaf,” I say and then pause, looking over at Amy. “Also, can you get her another one, please? It got cold. ”
“Of course!” Genna turns to Amy. “I’m so sorry about that. I’ll be sure to make the next one extra hot.”
“Oh, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. It only got cold because I was trying to wait for my date to show up, but ... he never did.” She sighs.
“Oh my gosh , I’m so sorry...” Genna replies, sympathy written all over her face. “I hate it when that happens. But hey, if it makes you feel better, I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve gotten stood up in this city. It happens to the best of us.”
“Thank you,” Amy says timidly. “I guess it’s nice to know I’m not the exception.”
“Oh goodness, no.” She laughs. “Before I met my fiancé, my dating history was a nightmare . But don’t give up. The right one is out there somewhere.”
Ugh, she’s filling Amy’s brain with more of that crap.
“I’m not giving up.” Amy’s face brightens. “How did you meet your fiancé?”
Oh, no ... NO.
“I met him at the Central Park Singles Mixer.” Genna beams, and I nearly facepalm myself. She ranted and raved about how great the event was after she met Derek, who happens to be one of my coworkers—which is why I come to this coffee shop. He bought it two years ago.
And gave his then-girlfriend a job here.
“Ooh...” I can already see the wheels in Amy’s head turning .
“It’s just a big group of singles who all show up at a central location and that’s it. It’s nothing special. There’s not even any guided talking. You have to be social.”
“That’s so cool!” Amy explodes, startling me. “That sounds like just what I need. Then, the right guy can just approach me . I don’t have to do anything. Oh,” she coos. “That would be so romantic.”
I groan, but it’s overshadowed by Genna cheering her on. “Girl, it was magical when I met Derek. I was sitting there, sipping my hot chocolate, and he was chatting it up with his friends—Parker was there, actually—and then bam . He walked up to me and complimented my wrist tattoo.”
“Aww...” All of Amy’s sadness has disappeared.
“You should go. They still have mixers twice a month, I believe. You just need to sign up in advance,” Genna says quickly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. “Here, let me send you the link.”
“Oh, that would be great! Thank you.”
“Sure thing! And how do you know Parker?”
“Oh, we’re friends,” Amy answers instantly, not even giving me the chance to use a more accurate phrase—like ‘mostly strangers’—to describe our relationship.
“Aww. Yeah, Parker here is such a great guy. In fact, Derek’s been going on and on about how badly he wants to see him find someone.” She talks about me as if I’m not right here. “Other than Weston, he’s the only single guy in our big group of friends.”
“Oh really?” Amy looks at me as I feel my face heating .
“Yeah, it’s true.”
“Okay, just found the link,” Genna says. “I’ll just go ahead and sign you both up.”
“No—”
“Oh my gosh! That’s perfect! We can go together. You know the city so much better than I do.” Amy is nearly bouncing up and down in her seat, and before I have any time to object, Genna clicks her phone off.
“All done. You two will have such a blast. The winter events are seriously the most romantic. Everything about New York City is romantic in the winter.”
“It just doesn’t smell as bad,” I comment, letting out a heavy breath. I know it’s falling on deaf ears right now.
“Thank you so much for everything,” Amy says to her, reaching out and squeezing Genna’s forearm. “You’ve given me hope, which is just what I needed after tonight. Here, let me give you my number so you can text me all the details. When is it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“I have plans tomorrow,” I say flatly.
She turns to me. “No, you don’t. I know for a fact that your only plan was to run that winter 5K. You told Derek that yesterday, so ... no excuses, Parker.”
Ugh.
“Come on, just go with me,” Amy urges. “Maybe Weston can sign up, too? Then you won’t just be stuck with me. ”
“It has nothing to do with being stuck with you,” I say, running my fingers through my hair. “It’s just that ... I don’t really like going to singles events. I told him that I don’t want to go to them anymore—and he finally agreed to quit signing me up for them.”
“Okay, but maybe this is a sign that you shouldn’t give up on finding love just yet.” Amy shrugs.
“She might be right, you know.” Genna eyes me and then leaves to make our coffees.
We sit in silence for a few moments, and I brace for whatever Amy might throw at me this time. She’s on another high over the thought of finding love—I can already tell.
Just when I thought I finally got through to her.
Ugh.
“You know...” Her voice trails off as she speaks, her eyes drifting to the window and then back to me. “Thank you for coming over here and talking to me. If you hadn’t, I most likely wouldn’t have found out about the singles event tomorrow—but also ... I was feeling pretty down. So, thanks.”
I nod, though I’m not sure what to say to her. “I don’t think you should get your hopes up about the Central Park thing. There’s usually a lot of people, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone and never talked to anyone.”
“Yeah, but you’re you .”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I lean back in my chair, taken aback. “I’m really not that bad. ”
“No, but I have a good feeling you might put people off with your, um, love-hating vibes.” She bursts into a fit of laughter afterward, apparently finding herself funny.
And for some reason, I can’t help but chuckle along. “I’m a realist.”
“It’s a fine line,” Amy says, grinning.
“What makes you so optimistic, anyway? You act like you’ve never been burned by love before.”
“Well—I ... I haven’t, really.” Amy’s expression turns solemn as she looks down at the table. Her fingers absentmindedly trace the rim of her coffee cup. “And I hate admitting this because it makes me sound so lame. But I’ve been so focused on my career that I haven’t really pursued dating seriously up until this point.”
“That’s not lame, Amy. It’s just a part of your story. At least you don’t have a trail of heartbreak behind you like some of us do,” I say, surprised at how easily the words slip out.
Amy looks up at me. “Do you have a lot of bad experiences with love?”
I pause, unsure if I want to delve into that territory with someone I barely know. But there’s something in her gaze that tugs at me.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I finally answer, running a hand through my hair. “But it’s not something I like to dwell on. Let’s just say I’ve learned a few tough lessons along the way.”
Amy nods, her eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and empathy. “I get that. And I’m sorry you went through that.” She takes a sip of her coffee before continuing. “Maybe tomorrow will be a fresh start for both of us. I mean, I know I have a lot to learn ... but I really am looking forward to finding a meaningful connection with someone.”
“Well, it’s not always as easy as romance novels and movies make it seem,” I caution, my tone more serious now. “Especially in this city. There are a lot of creeps out there who take advantage of people looking for love. You’ve gotta be careful.”
Wait, am I feeling ... protective?
Amy’s face falls slightly at my words, but she quickly recovers with a determined look. “I appreciate the warning, Parker. But I still believe in the goodness of people, and I refuse to let fear or a few bad experiences deter me from finding love. Anyway, I’ll be right back,” she says, sliding out of the chair. “I just need to run to the restroom.”
I nod and watch her as she goes. I mean, if I’m honest, she’s hard not to watch—but that doesn’t mean anything. There are a lot of things that are hard not to watch, like pretty sunsets and the skyline from a penthouse.
“She’s really sweet,” Genna says as she sets our fresh coffees down on the table.
“She’s something,” I mutter, ripping my eyes from the hallway. “I’ll get these,” I add, pulling out my wallet and handing her my card. “Including the one that went cold.”
“You know Derek wouldn’t make you do that.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a business. Just let me pay for her coffee—both of them.”
She smiles suspiciously. “You’re sweet, too, you know... ”
“Oh stop.” I shake my head. “It’s never happening with her.”
Genna gives me a smug smile and walks back toward the counter. I let out a sigh, not even realizing that Amy’s sliding back into her seat.
“What was all that about?”
I look up at her and shrug. “Nothing.”