Page 3 of Tattle Tail
“Wow, you are extraordinarily rude,” Peaceable said, as if anyone asked her opinion.
“Wow, you’re slow at realizing things,” he snapped.
Her entire body tensed. Joseph wondered if he had gone too far, but quickly dismissed the thought. She interrupted his conversation with Mari and gave her unwanted and unasked-for opinion.
“Thank you for the invitation, but I am leaving now,” she said to Mari.
Joseph watched the alien woman walk away. He couldn’t imagine a more uptight, high-strung person. Pretty, yes, but not pretty enough to carry off that judgmental attitude. It might be fun to melt that icy exterior, though.
He shook his head and said, “She’s not my type.”
Chapter 2
Peaceable
A blind date.
This was easily in the top three worst ideas she had ever had, but the Celestial Mates app made the concept sound intriguing.
Your perfect match. No guesswork. Our unique compatibility profile will find your mate.
Peaceable never thought clever marketing could manipulate her, but suffering through a recent family dinner left her open to the idea of letting an algorithm randomly set her up on a blind date. It had to be better than the males her mother was convinced would be a good match.
No thank you.
She meandered through the park, following the stone path to the large fountain at the heart of the park. This was the agreed meeting location.
A few people sat on the edge of the fountain, but none had that air of waiting for another to arrive.
Peaceable found a spot on the fountain’s edge in the sunshine. She tilted her face up, enjoying the warm summer sun. Kits ran and shouted. People lounged on blankets in the grass.
Stealing a glance at her comm unit, she confirmed she was early. She’d get an alert when her date arrived. Patience.
Her tail thumped against the fountain. Patience was easier said than done.
The park was her date’s suggestion: a neutral, public location. They could catch, maybe share a meal later, or simply walk away. It was a good suggestion. Even if the date was fruitless, it was a lovely day to be in the park.
Her comm vibrated with a message pop up that her date was near.
Excitement raced through her as she jumped to her feet.
She scanned the crowd.
A dark hair human male looks down at the comm unit in his hand. He looks up at her and his mouth drops in surprise.
She knew this male.
Joseph.
Joseph
She hadn’t spotted him yet. He could leave, send an apology through the app, and pretend this never happened.
Peaceable spun on her heel, scanning the crowd. She looked excited with her ears perked.
No, he wouldn’t take the coward’s way out. People said a lot of unkind things about him— arrogant and irresponsible— and they had a point. Joseph didn’t want anything— or anyone— serious to tie him down, but he wasn’t a coward.
This was the last time he let the universe guide him. Valerian convinced him to use the blind date feature on the Celestial Mates app.
