Page 13 of The Wrong Date Deal

August nodded towards Piper’s date. “You too. Have fun.”

Piper smiled and headed off to find a table. Her date had seemed sweet over messages. She hadn’t been expecting the energy she’d been greeted with. Although, if she’d arrived to find her date not expecting her and chatting to another woman, she’d probably have been a little cold, too.

She found a small table squeezed between someone on a laptop and a couple with young twins, wearing adorable coordinating pink and yellow hats to help identify them.

“Ugh. This place is so busy,” Piper’s date said, looking around with a grumpy expression.

“Well, you know, it’s new and a Saturday. These things happen,” Piper replied softly. “I’m still glad to meet you.”

She sucked in a breath and plastered on a sickly smile. “Yes. I suppose that’s true. We’re here now.”

“So, should we do introductions?”

She laughed. “No. Thank you. I use Hummingbird precisely for the anonymity.”

“Oh.” Piper frowned. When they’d been messaging, she hadn’t given the slightest inclination she was looking for a quick, anonymous hookup. Piper didn’t have anything against that as an approach, but it wasn’t what she was interested in, so she never would have agreed to the date if she’d known. “I think I might be a disappointment if that’s what you’re after…”

The woman stared. “You aren’t doing the same thing?”

“No?”

“It’s an anonymous app. Isn’t that kind of the whole point? A little bit of fun, no strings, no names, no way to trace or track or get involved in each other’s lives.”

“I guess that’s one way to use it, but, yeah, no, that’s not really my thing. At this point in my life, I’m looking for something a bit more serious.” Piper glanced at the children at the next table, ensuring they weren’t overhearing the conversation.

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening again.”

“Not your first time, huh?”

“No. You’re like the third woman who hasn’t been interested as soon as we meet. At first, I thought this was exactly what I wanted. Now, this? I don’t get it. When did everyone become so serious and boring?”

Piper pursed her lips for a moment. “Do you want my opinion?”

“Please. I can’t keep doing this. I don’t have time to waste on people who aren’t interested.”

Piper really couldn’t fathom how she’d seemed so different in their messages. If she didn’t know better, she’d think it had been a completely different woman she’d been talking to. “Your messages… they don’t give the impression that you’re after a quick… fling.”

She frowned. “It’s just conversation, isn’t it? Seeing if you get along. What difference does it make?”

“Well…” Piper didn’t want to just outwardly say that she seemed like a completely different person in real life. “Well, it’s just that the other person is probably checking whether you get along for dating. If you don’t say outright that it’s not that, I don’t think you’re on the same page and you end up here.”

“Ugh. I hate having to spell things out. Why can’t we just be on the same page? It’s literally anonymous. What else would I be using it for?”

“Well, your call. I can’t tell you what to do.”

She sipped her drink. “So, you’re not interested in hooking up right now?”

Piper saw the guy closest to them whip his head in their direction before checking that his children didn’t hear. “Not for me, sorry. I’m sure you’re lovely and it would be fun, but not for me.”

“Fine. Well, I’m gonna take off then, if that’s okay?”

“Absolutely. And, maybe think about mentioning it next time? To save you… wasting time again?”

“Eh. Maybe.” She paused. “Your hat looks good, by the way.”

Piper laughed in surprise. “Thank you.”

She nodded, picked up her cup, downed her drink, and twirled before striding off towards the door.

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