Page 14 of The Wrong Date Deal

“Well, that was interesting,” Piper muttered to herself out loud.

“Dating, huh?” the guy from the next table said.

His husband laughed and leaned around him to look at Piper. “It took us a few attempts too. You’ll get there.”

“Thank you,” Piper said with an embarrassed laugh.

“Get where, Daddy?” the twin in the yellow hat asked.

“All the way to the moon,” he said, standing up and lifting her into the air. “Should we get some cake as a little treat?”

“Yes,” she squealed happily, gripping tight onto him.

Piper watched them walk to the counter and her eyes fell past them towards the window seat she’d almost been occupying. August was looking up at a woman who had just arrived. Black coat, Fair Isle hat.

Chapter Four

“Yeah, it’s a lot of logistics—finances, planning, that kind of thing—but I love it,” August said with a smile.

“That’s great,” Rhiannon said.

She was sweet but polite. Nice. She was very pretty too. And yet… August just was not feeling that spark. She’d known it was a risk in these situations. In truth, this had been her best hope for the date—someone who showed up, was lovely, and with whom she could have a nice chat and a coffee. She hadn’t been expecting sparks flying or a lasting relationship, not from her first date. She’d only been hoping not to get stood up or stuck with someone awful.

And yet, it was still a little bit sad.

There was something so vulnerable about putting yourself out there, being so open about the fact that you wanted love, that you were ready to try again, and in the way your brain tried to berealistic but your heart just wanted to be loved. For it not to stick on the first try was normal but still disheartening. It highlighted how rare and magical it was to find someone who just… set your world on fire. And how many attempts it took to find that.

“How about you?” she asked Rhiannon. “Do you like your job?”

“Eh. It’s okay. Pays the bills. I’m more of a… free spirit, I guess? But, you know, you do what you have to to survive,” she said, tilting her head and widening her eyes.

August smiled warmly. “That’s great. Tell me about your life outside of work then.”

“Now that, I can talk about.” She laughed and a wide grin settled on her face as she spoke. “I’m really into van life. I saw it on social media first and just… got fully drawn in. The freedom, the adventure, the opportunity to take my dogs with me… It just felt perfect. So, you know, I bought an old school bus and I’m working on converting it. A couple of friends are helping, and one of them is probably going to come traveling with me quite a bit.”

“Where’s up first?”

Rhiannon laughed. “Probably just the surrounding states. You know, check it out, make sure everything is working and how I need it. I’m good with rugged living, though, so I’m sure it’ll be fine. But, after that, I’ve got big plans.”

“You’re a better woman than I am. I don’t know that I’m very suited to ruggedness.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “It’s not for everyone.”

August nodded and she knew they were both on the same page. This was nice, they could chat, get to know each other, but it wasn’t going any further. They were different people and the spark wasn’t there to try meeting in the middle. Even if it had been, August doubted either of them would be happy long-term if they were constantly trying to meet in the middle. They wanted fundamentally different lives.

But that made things easier. While sad that they weren’t a good fit, it was infinitely better when they both knew that, rather than when one of them was into it and the other realized it would never work.

“So…” Rhiannon said, the mood between them slightly awkward now. “Do you… do this often?”

August breathed a laugh. “This is my first time, actually.”

“Oh, wow. A rookie.”

“I’m guessing you’re not?”

“Nah. This is my fourth date this month.”

“Ah.”

---