“Is that so?”
I sighed. “Yes. I figure that, at this point, I put enough effort in, and if it wants me, it will come to me without feeling like shit the next morning.”
“And romance will make you feel…”
“Not awful, yes. Romance. Love. A serious relationship that doesn’t end up screwing me over. Whatever you want to call it,” I said, making sure he understood.
At least it was clear that he was listening, which was a talent in men when, recently, it had been so hard to find the bare minimum.
“Because honestly, the whole dating world sucks, and I want to be done.”
“Well, I appreciate you being so straight forward.”
“I’m glad.”
“Did you put a wish in with the love fairy then?”
I wanted to glare, but I had to hold back another laugh instead. Oh, he had no idea what I’d done and what kind of offerings I’d given to gods in hopes that someone out there was listening to my petty pleas.
“I figure I’ve given the universe more than enough of a comedic performance to have earned something at this rate.”
“Have a few dating woes?” he asked, leaning on the bar.
Was Brenson not going to get started with trivia ever tonight? Or bring back my drink?
I glanced back and forth, wondering where he’d gone again before I noticed he was talking with another girl at the other end of the bar. Feeling my eyes on him, he looked my way, and my eyes widened in a threat to get it started.
He rolled his eyes but smiled the moment my eyes flickered between him and his new lady friend. He might be an adult, but he knew as well as I did that I could still tell his mother about him.
“Woes, downers, tragedies, disasters,” I said absentmindedly as Brenson still continued his conversation. “Most recently, I had a blind date that left fifteen minutes in.”
“Whoa. Didn’t make it to dessert?”
“Didn’t even make it to the appetizer, which was delicious, by the way.”
“That’s a disaster.”
“Nah,” I corrected him, turning my attention toward his clear amusement at my pain. “That was a downer. A dating disaster? I have plenty of other incidents that fall under that category. Once, I let a client set me up on a blind date. I never made that mistake again.”
“Client from work?”
“I’m a hairdresser.”
Dom nodded once, as if that made sense. I was sure it did.
Most people didn’t walk around Barnett with different-colored streaks in their hair that changed with the season. It used to be my whole head, but I was toning it down this year.
“I’m not sure I know many people who actually date anymore,” said Dom.
“Yeah, me neither.”
It was hard to meet people to date, which was the real challenge for some reason. There were hoops to jump through along with the fear that someone was going to end up being a serial killer and you’d end up as an unsolved mystery late on a weeknight.
“But no one could say I wasn’t putting the effort in.”
Especially when I had a rowdy goddess rummaging through my life, leading me on the right and wrong course, depending how she felt that day.
“But now, you’re done with dating,” Dom surmised.
