Chapter Chapter Four #2
“No. That’s how I got in this situation in the first place.
I had a shitty-ass date last year and swore off men, figuring the right one would find me.
And guess what?” I drummed my fingers on the island.
“No one showed up. It didn’t happen. I thought a new hire—Gregory—at my school always liked me, but then I was wrong.
So my friend Agnes and I made a pact: We’ll date as much as possible so we can find ‘the one’ ourselves. ”
“So, how does this work? Do you have dates lined up one after the other, and then you decide which one you like best?”
I scoffed. “Of course not. That’s atrocious. I plan to set up two dates a week. I actually tell the guys that I’m having other dates so they know. And if the first date goes well, I cancel the second one. That’s the plan, anyway. I haven’t managed to have a good date so far.”
“Let me help you, then. Maybe I can introduce you to... Wait, no. That idea wouldn’t work. I mean, it’s just Finn left, and my friends aren’t what you would want.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh, I do.”
I raised a brow. “You think you know me so well, huh?”
“Humor me. What are you looking for?”
I had a very good answer. I’d rehearsed it a few times so I could tell it to my dates.
“I want someone who’s ready to start a family and wants to build a life with me. I actually have two dream scenarios for the wedding. When the time comes, I have no idea how I’ll choose.” I took out my phone and immediately brought up my Pinterest boards, holding the screen in front of him.
Knox jerked his head back, eyes wide, then composed himself. “Go on.”
Putting my phone back, I said, “I want someone who’s into baking so we can do that in our free time. Books are, of course, a plus. But I really hope to find someone who loves the idea of having three kids.”
Knox didn’t reply.
I frowned. “What are you thinking? It’s got to be bad, because you usually have something to say right away.”
He slowly turned back to take his dinner out of the toaster and then bit into it.
“Knox, you have to say something. You can’t leave me hanging like this.”
After a few more moments, he finally said, “That sounds like a rehearsed answer.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, because it is.”
Staring at his sandwich, he said, “Amy, do you tell this to the guys you go out with?”
“Yeah. It’s normal to ask each other what you’re looking for in a person.”
He put his food down and looked up. “And how do they react?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “They mostly give me vague replies.”
He sighed. “Listen to me. You can’t tell a guy that. It’s not how we function. It’ll scare anyone off.”
“No, it won’t. I’m putting it on my profile on all the dating sites.
I don’t want to waste any more time.” My voice grew stronger as I went on.
“I’m nearing thirty, and I’ve been waiting for men to get their shit together since I was eighteen!
They don’t, okay? Even Rodrigo, who I thought was... well...”
“You thought you were going to marry him. I remember.”
I winced.
“He was always so evasive, you know? Like, ‘Oh, we’ll see about this’ and ‘We’ll see about that.
’ I can’t bear that anymore. If a man just wants to have some fun, then I’m not interested.
And I want him to know off the bat. And let me tell you, so far, I’ve been the one who’s turned down second dates, not the guys I went out with. ”
“That’s because they don’t think you mean it. Or they figure that they can have fun with you anyway.”
I blinked, taking that in for a second.
“Thank you for the feedback. I guess I need to change my little speech to include that if they just want to have fun, they should tell me before the date starts.”
Knox groaned. I wasn’t used to him dissecting and criticizing what I shared with him. Usually, we cheered each other on, whether it was about careers, family, or whatnot.
“What?” I challenged.
“I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment by approaching things this way. I understand where you’re coming from. Well, I mean, not really. But I can understand why you don’t want to waste any more time. But you can’t force a relationship.”
I sighed. “My mom said something similar.”
“See, your mom would know.”
“No, she wouldn’t. She married my dad right out of high school and hated her marriage—every minute of it.”
I drummed my fingers on the marble again. Knox leaned over, putting a hand over mine.
“Amy, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you. I’m just being honest.”
“I know. I’m not mad at you.” I sighed heavily. “Deep down, I know you’re right. But the way I’ve done things before—being patient with guys, thinking they’ll eventually get their shit together—hasn’t served me well. So I want to do things differently for a change.”
He beamed and then straightened up. “If any guy gives you trouble, let me know. Okay?”
“Why?”
“Just let me know.”
“You’re going to play the all-protective alpha male friend like you did in college?”
He grinned. “You bet I will.”
“Knox...”
“What? It was a very effective way of getting you away from unpleasant dates.”
“That’s true,” I agreed.
The oven pinged, and it scared the bejesus out of me.
“Pie’s ready,” I said immediately, jumping up from the stool.
We both headed to the oven and opened the door. A delicious aroma wafted up.
“This is pure happiness.”
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. As I opened them, I saw Knox looking at me with a smile unlike any I’d seen on him before.
“Don’t you agree?” I asked hesitantly.
“Oh yeah. Perfection.”
What was that? I felt warm all over, and it wasn’t because of the oven. Not at all.
“The pie should cool for a few minutes, but I’m impatient.”
Knox winked at me. “What a coincidence. I was going to suggest we dig in right away.”
He carefully took it out of the oven, brought it to the marble counter, and grabbed a knife to slice it.
“Careful, it’s going to be really hot,” I warned.
We both blew on our bites before we ate them. Even then, they were hot, but the pie was really good.
We ended up eating almost half of it. It was even more delicious than usual. I had to ask Knox about the ingredients. Judging by what he’d said earlier, I assumed he’d ordered high-end products. I wasn’t making a fortune as a teacher, but I wanted only the best for my pies.
I sighed as we finished eating. “I should go home.”
“I disagree. I want to keep you here, Amy.”
I swallowed hard. Is he saying...?
No, it couldn’t be. Knox and I were just friends.
“I need to be at school early tomorrow, remember? That’s the one downside of teaching—absolutely zero flexibility.”
With a nod in understanding, Knox ordered an Uber for me. Then we cleaned up the kitchen. When the app showed that my ride was only a couple of minutes away, I headed toward the front door, and he walked right next to me.
“We need to see each other again soon,” he said.
“I agree.”
“I mean it. We said the same last year.”
I laughed. “We should really do better at staying in touch.”
I loved our friendship. It felt more like a week had passed than a year.
“You don’t need to come with me to the gate,” I said when he stepped out of the house with me.
“Of course I do, Amy. I have manners, remember?”
Oh, I did. That was one of the first things I noticed about him back in college. Knox was the only gentleman out of all his friends.
When I glanced out at the street, the Uber was already waiting.
“Oh, whoops. I should hurry,” I said, almost skipping a step as I quickened my pace.
The gate opened automatically, and Knox smiled at me as he opened the door to my Uber.
“Don’t be a stranger, Amy.”
I laughed. “Look who’s talking. You know how the phone works.”
“Guilty as charged. And in case you need a quick escape from your date on Thursday, you can always call me. Like in the good old days.”
“Oh, I will. But let’s hope it won’t be necessary. I’m determined to stay super positive. It’s going to be a success, and the guy is going to be my dream man.”
Something strange flashed in Knox’s eyes. It was probably a trick of the light.
I smiled at him as I climbed into the car, and he closed the door.
Oh yeah, Thursday is going to be amazing.