Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Share With The Class
Miles
Owen wraps up his latest talking point, but I have no idea what he just said. I’ve been nodding at what I think are the right moments while my brain runs an endless loop of Black Beach—the lake, Nora’s laugh, and the way she made me feel normal instead of embarrassed.
“Miles.” I jerk my head up. “You look deep in thought.” Trey grins from the other side of his home bar. “Anything you’d like to share with the class?”
It’s our weekly Single Bros Life meeting. Even though Trey isn’t single anymore, we unanimously voted to keep the name. Now it’s mostly an excuse for the rest of us to dissect our failed dates while Trey hands out deeply questionable advice.
Owen turns toward me. Darren and Tim lean in as if this is about to get good.
“Well…” Trey points at me, “that’s a yes. Spill it.”
“We’re here to provide objectively bad advice,” Tim adds. “The kind you should ignore—and then regret not ignoring later.”
“And I balance it out with emotional support,” Darren says. “Reassurance is my specialty.”
I exhale. “Okay. I’m… sort of in a predicament.”
Trey’s grin widens. “Excellent. Those are my favorite.”
“There are two women—”
“Holy shit,” Trey cuts in. “Are you dating two women? Nine months ago, you were panicking over getting one date. Now you’ve got two?”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’m not dating either of them.” I hesitate. “I just like two women.”
Tim nods immediately. “Classic fork-in-the-road scenario. We’ve all been there.”
Trey leans back. “There’s nothing wrong with liking two women. That is—until one of them turns your entire world upside down and makes you question every life decision.”
That’s rich, coming from Trey. He was the self-appointed bachelor-for-life until Rylee caught his eye. He’s been hopelessly love-struck ever since.
“Right,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “There’s Maggie. I really like her. But then there’s this other woman.” I exhale. “She’s smart. Confident. And when I’m with her, I feel like I might actually be those things too.” I swallow. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
Owen cuts in. “Does the second woman know how you feel?”
I wince. “We’ve agreed what we’re doing is more of a business arrangement than… anything else.”
Trey snorts and then sprays beer across the bar. “Holy shit,” he coughs. “Is the other woman Nora?”
“Shh,” I hiss, as if Nora might hear me from the other side of town. I sigh. “And—yeah. It’s Nora. This whole thing is way above my skill level. It started as her teaching me about dating with advice and tips, but now it’s… turned into something else entirely. Either way, she’s out of my league.”
Darren frowns. “Hey. No. That’s not true. You’re a great catch. A little random sometimes, but that’s part of the charm.”
Tim nods. “Plus, statistically speaking, women prefer men who think they’re out of their league. It’s non-threatening.”
Owen studies me. “The real question isn’t who’s out of whose league. It’s whether you’re brave enough to stop hiding behind the arrangement.”
The room goes quiet.
Trey lifts his beer. “See? Terrible advice. Great advice. Something about a fork. We really cover the full spectrum.” He leans across the bar. “But my advice is this: be the best damn student you can be and show her why she should be with a guy like you.”
My brows pinch together. “But why would she want to be with a guy like me when she has to teach me everything?”
Trey plants his palm on the wood and leans in. “Because she’s showing you exactly what she wants. Which means you’re about to become an expert.” He straightens to his full height and gives an easy shrug. “Also—surprises. Women love surprises. I once gave Rylee a boudoir photoshoot.”
Tim snorts. “I bet she had fun doing that.”
“No. I gave her the photos of me from the shoot.” He stares off into the distance, smug and self-satisfied. “I catch her looking at them every now and then.” He takes a long pull from his beer.
“I’ve been collecting footage for her to use as a promo video for OneDate,” I admit.
“See?” Trey jabs a finger at me over the bar. Then he points at the rest of the guys. “Take notes. Miles is already five steps ahead.”
I stare into my glass. “But what about Maggie? I really like her too.”
The room quiets before Owen speaks. “Eventually, you’re going to have to choose.”
Trey nods. “And when that moment comes, you’ll know which one it is.”
I don’t respond. I’ve never had to choose before. I’ve never been wanted enough for it to even be an option.
“Alright.” Trey claps his hands once. “Anyone else? Anything else? No?” He smacks the gavel against the bar. “This concludes this week’s SBL meeting.”
The guys reach for their beers, conversation drifting back in, but my mind doesn’t follow. Whether I’m ready or not, I’ll have to make a choice. And I have no idea what I’m going to do.
Two sharp raps sound at my front door. Then a pause.
Then another, only softer this time as if they’re not sure they should be knocking right now.
It’s not late. But it’s late enough that I’m not expecting company.
I twist the cap back onto the tube of Foam-Tac and push the foam plane pieces to the side.
When I open the door, Nora stands in front of me, hands at her sides, hair a little wind-tossed. She looks beautiful.
For a second, I just stare—my body lagging behind my brain. “Hey. Did we have plans? I don’t remember anything on my calendar.”
“Hi,” she says too fast, then exhales. “No plans. I was just passing by and saw your lights on. Can I come in?”
“Yeah. Of course.” I step aside without hesitation.
She slips past me, and I close the door behind her. Nora wrings her hands together. Unsure of what to do, I shove mine into my pockets, so I won’t reach for her without permission.
“I’ve been thinking…”
I nod, because I have too. Constantly. But before she finishes, Trey’s words echo in my head.
“Wait,” I say. “Before you say anything… I have something.”
She blinks. “Miles—”
“Just… come with me. Please.”
I don’t know if it’s the “please” or the fact that I’m clearly trying not to make this about me, but she nods.
I lead her toward the stairs. At the bottom, she toes off her shoes and lines them neatly beside mine.
The sight hits harder than it should. I offer her my hand, and when her warm fingers curl around mine, my grip tightens just a little.
Once upstairs, I guide her into my office and pull out the chair in front of my computer.
“I know you had the podcast interview today,” I say because if I don’t start talking, I might lose my nerve. “I hope it went well.”
She smiles up at me. “It did. Thanks.”
“Good.” I swallow. “And I know you’re getting close to officially launching OneDate. So… I wanted to do something for you.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” she murmurs.
“I wanted to.”
I wait until she sits, then step behind her and wake the computer.
My pulse pounds loud in my ears as I pull up the file and hit play.
The video opens on an overhead shot of two people walking down a sidewalk, their hands brushing, and their steps falling naturally into sync.
No faces, only a date in motion. It cuts to a park as a small group gathers under the sun, talking and laughing.
Another transition follows a couple pushing through double doors and into an event.
Nora goes still in the chair, her gaze never leaving the screen. “What is this?” she whispers.
“A promo video.” As she stares at the screen, unmoving, I’m suddenly worried it’s not good enough.
“For OneDate. I asked my sisters and brothers-in-law… the SBL guys, some friends too. They helped me create various scenes of different reasons why someone might need a date.” The video keeps rolling.
Wedding lights. A holiday party. Two people laughing as they pass a line of family members who look ready to interrogate them.
Nora’s breath catches. She turns slowly in the chair to look at me, eyes wide. “Oh my god. Miles… this is amazing.”
“Yeah? You like it?”
“This is—” Her voice wavers, and I hate that she’s the one getting emotional when I’m the one who should be sweating. “This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. And you did it without me asking.”
I glance down at her and smile. “It’s nothing—”
She stands, the chair tipping back and smacking the floor with a thud.
Her fingers fist the front of my shirt and tug me down, her mouth meeting mine.
For half a second I freeze, stunned by the intensity of her mouth on mine, but then I kiss her back.
Whatever she came here for fades into the background.
Her hand slips beneath the hem of my shirt, her cool fingers against my warm skin sends a shiver through me. She breaks the kiss. “Follow my lead.”
I nod, and she’s kissing me again. Her hands glide over my bare stomach, up my ribs, and to my back, pulling me closer.
I stop holding myself back and do what she told me.
My fingers trace the heat of her skin, and my mind shifts from cautious to hungry.
She pulls away just long enough to lift her sweatshirt over her head, slow and deliberate, revealing pale pink lace and the soft curve of her breasts. And I forget how to breathe.
“You’re thinking too hard,” she murmurs.
“Only because I don’t want to mess this up.”
Her smile is slow. “You’re not.”
She takes my hand and slides it up her stomach, guiding me, showing me exactly where she wants it.
Every small movement feels intentional. With her hand on mine, she slides it up and between the valley of her breasts.
My pulse roars in my ears as my breath becomes uneven, caught between wanting to slow down and wanting everything at once.
I pull back just enough to meet her eyes. “Are you sure?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “I am.”