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Poppy clasped her hands under her chin. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“Maybe.”
“How about we set you up and see what happens?”
“What, right now?” I asked, startled.
“Sure, why not? It’s not even putting your toe in the water. You’re just putting on your bathing suit. You can totally stay on the beach, if you like.”
“Come on, Emma. It might be fun. And you deserve some fun.”
I looked at Poppy, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. Fuck yes, Ididdeserve some fun. “Okay, let’s do it,” I said, before I could change my mind. Maya held her hand out and I pulled my phone from my purse and passed it over.
“Profile pic first.” She held the phone up to my face and I grimaced. “What? You look gorgeous. I mean, sure, you could smile a bit, if you felt like it.”
Hannah leaned over so her face was next to Maya’s, looked at me and crossed her eyes, poking out her tongue at the same time. It was so silly and juvenile, but it worked, making me chuckle. Maya took the photo, then held it up for the group’s approval. About two minutes later, I was all set up.
“Okay, so what kind of guy do you like?”
Ones like Jake, obviously.“Um, you know, guys in business suits. They’re really hot.” Emilia narrowed her eyes at me, but Maya started typing, so I went on. “Not too rugged.”
“Clean cut, you mean?” Poppy asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Like, no five o’clock shadow or hair worn too long, thank you very much. Umm, and not into sports.” Playingorwatching. Even though I loved baseball.
“Okay, I think that’s about done. Let’s see how it goes.” Maya handed my phone back and I slipped it away. I wasn’t here to spend my night at the bar staring at a screen.
Maya’s big order of buffalo wings and curly fries arrived and we dug in, talking and laughing to the point where I almost forgot I was nursing an angry heart. These girls really were the best medicine. I was very glad I’d decided to stay.
Emilia, wiping her fingers on a napkin, said, “It’s killing me. Check your phone, pleeeease. I can hear it pinging from here.”
I’d heard it too, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the matches.
“Come on, you can do it! We’ll help you decide.”
I couldn’t resist Poppy’s pleading eyes, so I grabbed my phone and opened to the app. “What the fuck? Seven matches already?”
“Whoa, that’s quick! Who’ve you got?”
I held my phone so they could all see as I scrolled through. A truck driver. A guy holding a fish, no job title. Agardener?! Crap. I zoomed past that one.
“Well, at least they’re hot, but they aren’t exactly meeting the criteria.” Hannah sounded as down as I felt.
“An accountant. There you go!” Poppy put her hand on my arm to stop me from scrolling.
Maya took a closer look. “Hmm. I dunno.”
“What? He’s okay looking!”
Okay looking? Talk about damning with faint praise. He certainly wasn’t bad to look at. Close cropped blond hair, clean shaven, blue eyes, collared shirt. Six feet tall, apparently. Travis Bennett.
Emilia peered at my phone. “What does his quote say?”
“A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars,”I read out.
Hannah looked confused. “Well, that sounds…good, I guess. I mean, it’s weird for a dating app, but it sounds like he’s a bit of a feminist, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t like his vibe,” Maya said decisively, chewing her bottom lip and frowning.
