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Jay shook his head. “Always so smart. Just because you have like twenty-eight degrees doesn’t mean you know anything about women. You don’t even date.”
“That’s because I don’t like the results. I’ve been there, done that. It was time to move on.”
“Exactly. Been there. Done that. You probably didn’t get any better results than I have.”
“That’s because I was doing the same thing you were doing. Going for the wrong people and expecting some kind of miracle.”
Jay screwed up his face. It looked like he’d just tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and went sprawling facedown into dog shit on someone’s front lawn. Like, really mushy dog shit.
“No! No way! I’m not letting you get away with this again. You always make me look bad. It’s like your twenty-ninth degree.”
“I don’t need a degree for that. You have a Masters all on your own.”
Jay flipped Alex the bird and Alex grinned. He wouldn’t offer such tough love if he didn’t know that Jay couldn’t take it. They’d been friends since they were kids. The real turning point came for them in their second year of college, when their group project had been to create an app that had the potential to make a big difference in society. So yeah. They’d created it. And yeah, it had. And yeah, they’d made a hell of a lot of money in the process.
Not that the money part mattered. He had re-invested most of his earnings and till now, Alex actually still lived in a moderate house and drove a moderate car. He didn’t wear expensive suits or expensive shoes. Just regular suits and regular shoes. Just like his advice, middle of the road really was the way to go. Besides, he really did want to help people. It might be corny as hell but growing up with a mom who’d used drugs on and off for his entire life and a dad who’d been to prison twice, both times for jacking cars, it was important to him. Not that he’d ever tell anyone about his past. He hadn’t bothered to bury it, but people just didn’t bring it up and he was more than happy not to.
“I’m going to bet you twenty bucks because I know you can’t resist a challenge. You always were way too competitive. Like when our prof told us that an app would never work, and we proved her ass wrong. You dug in your heels and you worked for four years on it until it took off and then you worked even harder. It’s like the more success we have, the harder you work.”
“Yeah, because it matters even more after being successful that you don’t fail.”
“Anyway,” Alex shook his head. “If you know so much about dating, I want you to prove that your advice works. Maybe if I see it in action, I’ll believe it. I’ve always been one of those hands-on learners. I can’t just read it, I have to see it for myself.”
Alex nearly laughed. He crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back further in the chair. The thing groaned but took the strain of his weight without sending him ass over heels backward.
“What’s the bet then?”
“You have to go online. Be anonymous. Make a fake profile. Pretend to not have any money. See if someone is willing to date you. For like, longer than a week. Let’s say, two weeks. I want you to make it obvious you don’t have much money. Take her on the lamest kind of dates. The kind of dates that completely suck. Make her pay. Like, seriously, have your credit card decline after dinner so she has to pay. That kind of thing. If she’s actually into you, maybe then I will be willing to admit that there are genuine people out there.”
“But that’s not at all what I was saying.”
Jay shrugged. “Maybe not. I get your point. I actually just want to see you sweat. So please, record some of it secretly somehow. Even just what she says. It doesn’t have to be video. Just to prove that you did it. And I have to meet her if she’s into you to prove she is. It can’t be contrived or faked or you lose the bet.”
Alex considered. He’d like to hold one over Jay. The bastard was right. He couldn’t turn down a challenge. He truly was far too competitive for his own good, though he tried to channel his energy into more positive things.
“Alright.” Alex couldn’t believe he’d just agreed to something so stupid. “But if I pull this off and she’s truly into me, then you have to let me find a girl for you. One who knows you have money, but someone who is willing to see past that. A girl who doesn’t look like she just crawled out of a toy factory.”
