AllFreeNovel
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Practically speaking, the guy is doing all the right things. He’s putting in effort for a medium-stakes situation. He’s well dressed and groomed, friendly and flirty without overdoing it. He’s asking questions and taking my one-word turned one-sentence responses and running with them.
And I’m sitting here, empty and numb and utterly unable to latch onto a single word.
He’s from California, too. San Diego. How nice. It is warm there, too. And the beaches are also beautiful. And the food here is good. Sure, I barely taste my white fish and grilled vegetables, and I barely smell his Bolognese, and I don’t think about the taste of wine on his lips, or the hint of lime on mine.
I order a gin and tonic. Because it’s too hot, even in the air conditioning. Because I need the bitter quinine and the sugar to balance it. Because I don’t have that sort of balance myself.
He’s my perfect match.
He’s handsome, successful, polite.
And I feel nothing.
Through every bite of dinner, every sip of gin and tonic, the last ice cube, I feel nothing.
“Deanna?” Xavier finishes his glass of wine. His second glass. A reasonable amount of alcohol for a first date.
A drink or two helps ease awkwardness. Any more and people start crossing boundaries, inviting closeness that feels wrong, or sleeping together early.
Sometimes, that works. Usually, it doesn’t. Of course, we don’t know if that’s correlation or causation. It might be that people who want casual relationships sleep together quickly. It’s probably that.
What would happen if I slept with Xavier? Maybe it would nail down our funding. But I can’t stomach the thought. Even though he’s handsome and polite, I don’t want him to touch me.
That must be wrong. After all, he’s a 95 percent match, and the algo works for everyone else, and I’m unattached now. I guess.
I should want him.
“Are you all right?” His voice pulls me into the moment. That, too, is just right: the perfect mix of soft and firm. He’s concerned, but he’s casual about it.
“That’s a big question.” I reach for my gin and tonic, but there’s nothing left. “I’d be better if I had another drink.”
He studies me carefully. I see it again—the concern in his dark eyes. For a split second, I feel flattered. Then I remember the concern in River’s dark eyes, and I feel sick.
A double maybe. Lexi drinks her way to fun. I can do it, too.
“Okay.” Xavier nods and hails the server. The guy nearly runs to the table, takes our drink orders, and disappears.
He does own the hotel. But what hotel magnate gets into the start-up business? Start-ups are actively trying to destroy the hotel business.
Maybe that’s his move. Maybe he wants to acquire the next Airbnb before it takes over the world.
Or maybe he’s interested in money, wherever it comes from, or he wants to diversify his portfolio, or he always wanted a hotel for some reason.
If he is my perfect match, he has a reason. A good reason, but I can’t bring myself to ask. I just don’t care.
I force a smile. “I’m sorry I’m not a great date.” Under the table, I press my palms together. Something to steady me. “I didn’t know this was—”
“A setup? Yeah, I had a feeling.” He smiles, that same warm, friendly smile, only with a little more knowledge. “My sister does this all the time.”
“Oh? Is MeetCute not working for you?”
“Will you take offense if I say I don’t use it?”
A few weeks ago, maybe. Right now, I see his point. “No.”
“It’s not personal.” His voice stays soft and clear. “It’s not the app and it’s not you.”
“You don’t believe we’re meant to be as a ninety-five percent match?” It’s a really high number, especially for me.
