Page 118 of The Disasters of Dating
The shuttle bus pulls up and stops in front of Stop 5. The door gasps open, and I step up, smiling at Roger. “Hey, Roger.”
He grins back, “Hot enough for you?”
I nod. “Yes, indeed.” It’s the same thing he asks me every single day. Except in the winter. Then he says, ‘Cold enough for you?’ Yeah, you can add great conversationalist to his why not to date list.
I settle into the seat towards the back. I learned soon after I declined the second date offer that if I sit too close to the front, I end up hearing him list his qualities that I’m missing out on. He and I have a different definition of ‘qualities’.
Now Keaton? He and I have a very similar definition. And I find his qualities more to my liking every day. I’m excited he’s flying in today. It’s only been a few days since he left, but I’ve missed him. Even though we’ve texted and talked on the phone, it’s not the same as having him here—in the same state.
We haven’t made plans, but I’m hoping he’ll go to dinner with me tonight. I’m not sure a quick drop into the shop will be enough. I needto hold his hand and feel his closeness for longer than a few minutes. It’s weird because I’ve never felt that way about anyone.
We get to the airport and I hop off the bus. “Have a great day, Roger.” I say as I’m going down the stairs.
“Hey, Poppy?”
I turn just before stepping off the last step.
“Do you want to grab something to eat after your shift is over?” Roger has a bit of an I-don’t-care look on his face, but I can see in his eyes that he does. And while I don’t like Roger, I feel bad for turning him down. I mean, it takes a lot of courage to ask a girl out. Especially one who has already turned you down before.
“Oh, Roger. That would be fun. But I have a boyfriend now, and I don’t think he’d be very happy about that.”
He tips his head to the side and quirks a brow, as if he thinks I’m lying to him. “Mmhuh.” He motions me off the bus. “You don’t want to be late.”
I shrug as I step off. My horoscope said to do something with my sweetheart. Roger is not my sweetheart, so I’m not going to feel guilty about turning him down. Besides, nothing I said was untrue. I do have a boyfriend.
I make my way through security and to The Wandering Reader. I’m surprised when I see Kendra standing at the register. I thought today was Sheila’s day.
“Hey, Kendra. What are you doing here?” I pull my bag off my shoulder and tuck it under the register.
“Something came up and Sheila asked me to cover for her.”
I smile. “You are seriously the nicest person. Thanks so much for taking on as many of my shifts as you did. I really appreciate it.” Should I ask her about Saturday? I hate being a nag. But I need to know if I should ask someone else.
“It’s no problem,” she says. “I can use the money right now.”
Then maybe it won’t seem as if I’m a nag? Knowing Kendra, she hasn’t even looked at the text I sent yet.
“Oh, and I can work for you on Saturday, Pops.” She looks up at me. “Unless you don’t need me to anymore.”
I nod. “I do need you. Thanks, Kendra.”
She frowns. “I hope it’s nothing serious—the family meeting and all.”
My shoulders drop. It’s probably not as big of a deal as I’m making it. But I’m dreading the dinner. “My mom has a boyfriend that she’s been secretly dating. They’ve been found out, so now we are having anintroduction to the family dinner.” I give her an it’s-going-to-be-terrible look. “The only upside is that Keaton will be coming with me.”
Her eyes lighten. “Oooh. Are things heating up between you two?”
I smile, but shrug it off. “We’re just dating right now. Wedding bells aren’t in my near future or anything.”
Her eyes widen. “But they may be in the distant future?”
I frown. “I don’t know about that either.”
Kendra claps her hands. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. You guys are so cute together.”
Okay, maybe I should have left Keaton out of the discussion. I mean, she’d already said yes. I didn’t need to bring him into the conversation to sway her. So why had I? I shake my head, not knowing the answer.
She looks at her watch. “Okay. My time is up, I’ll see you later.”
