Page 65 of Outlaw Heartstrings
All the girls squeal at Mom’s out-of-character comment.
“Oh, you have to tell us,” Jules begs. “How long has it been, Mama Anderson?”
My mom starts blushing, and I immediately slap my hands over both of my ears. I love my mom, but there’s no way I want to hear this. “La la la la,” I repeat until Tammy smacks me.
“You know…” Monica interjects, pointing at my mom. “I saw this ad for a dating website for women our age, and for once, this one actually seemed…interesting. You should really consider signing up and meeting a few new people.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” my mom waves the idea away. “All the creeps come out on the internet.”
“Sometimes, yes,” Jules interjects. “But I do all my dating online, and I’ve actually met quite a few great guys on my CheekyChat app. The best part is that you can extend the radius past the county line if you’re looking for a littlesomething extra.” She winks at my mom, and her face grows even pinker.
The next thing I know, we’re all crowded around Jules’s chair, cocktails in hand, scrolling through her—quite active—dating profile.
“Oh, your profile picture is so hot,” Laney mutters. “No wonder you’re getting all the action.”
“Trust me, the guys on here would go apeshit even if you left the photo blank. They believe anything you tell them when they’re thinking with their dick,” Jules jokes.
She starts scrolling through some of her potential matches, as she tries to convince the rest of us to join her in the online dating world. I can’t lie—some of them are pretty sexy, and I think Tammy’s already convinced. But me? No way.
I wasn’t lying when I told Easton that I don’t date. I can barely make the time to wash my hair once a week. Where on earth would I find the time to shave my legs, get dressed up, do my makeupandgo meet a stranger?I’d be dead on my feet before even getting to the restaurant.
After swiping through a few duds, we land on the profile of someone familiar.
Lincoln Raines.
We all scream at the sight of Easton’s oldest brother, here on Jules’s dating app.
“Wow! Those area lotof abs,” Tammy mutters, fanning her cheeks.
“And oh my gosh—I never expected that he’d have tattoos…” Mom gushes, before slapping a hand over her mouth.
Lincoln’s quite handsome, but I can’t help but wish it was Easton’s shirtless stomach I was looking at.
Jules reads Lincoln’s profile aloud, much to his mother’sdismay. But judging from the way she laughs, I’m sure she’s no stranger to her sons and their shenanigans.
“I'm a 30-year-old sports agent who knows how to close a deal (both in and out of the office). I'm passionate about my career, dedicated to my family, and looking for a woman who can keep up. If you’re responsible, serious about commitment, and comfortable with a man who takes charge, let’s take this to the next level.”
Laney whistles. “Boy. He is totally giving ‘Daddy Dom’ vibes.” Then her eyes meet Monica’s. “Oops, sorry!” she apologizes, while the rest of us just laugh.
“You should try and match with him,” I tell Jules. “What do you do? Click it? Heart it?”
She rolls her eyes at my inexperience. “You swipe right if you’re interested.”
“Then do it! Swipe him!” Tammy encourages.
“Swipe him! Swipe him!” I chant alongside Tammy, feeling absolutely ridiculous.
“That’s not even how you say it,” Jules mutters. “But seriously. No way. Lincoln is way too uptight for me.” Then she cringes and apologizes to his mom. The poor woman.
“I need another drink,” Monica mumbles, getting up to top off her glass while we all continue laughing. The rest of us follow after her, taking a drink break alongside her.
“Uh. Whoopsie,” I hear my mom saying, as she sets down Jules’s phone on the table and slowly backs away like it might bite her.
“Mom! What did you do?” I ask hesitantly.
Jules hurriedly puts down the drink pitcher, rushing over to check the screen of her phone. “She sent Lincoln a match request from my profile,” my best friend gasps, a look of horror on her face.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I just wanted to get a little look atwhat the app was like,” my mother pleads. “I didn’t mean to!”
