Page 2 of The Little Black Book

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I needed a way to keep track of the women I’ve dated so I could try to figure out what I’m doing wrong.”

“Is there aHer Little Black Book?” I ask, arching a brow.

“Hell, if I know,” he says, shaking his head. “And you can’t hold the sexist app name against me. I didn’t name it.”

“But youboughtit,” I say, driving the nail a little deeper.

“Can we please get back on-topic? Look. These are the ones I thought I might have a connection with, but they all fizzled out for one reason or another.”

I slide my fingertip up the screen, counting the entries as I scroll.Twelve.Twelve women who have gone out with Sam and didn’t find him attractive or likable enough to keep dating.

“Something is obviously wrong with all of them,” I say, turning my head to meet Sam’s gaze.

“Why do you say that?” he asks, looking from me to the screen.

“Because they didn’t snatch you up while they had the chance,” I say, my tone devolving into baby-talk as I reach over and pinch Sam’s cheek.

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Sam says with an eye roll as he pulls out of my grip.

“Okay, what happened with this one?” I ask, pointing to a picture of a gorgeous brunette with a massive amount of cleavage.

“Bad timing. I asked her out, and she told me after our date she was leaving for Africa a few days later,” he says.

I stare at him for several beats, my lips parted as I wait for a punchline that never comes.

“Are you serious right now? She actually told you she was leaving the country? And you believed her?” I ask, my voice laced with disbelief.

He nods, looking confused by my reaction. “She was heading out with the Peace Corps to save baby elephants from poachers.”

“I don’t think…that’s what they do,” I say slowly.

I could be wrong. The Peace Corps couldtotallysave baby elephants in Africa, but if they do, I’ve certainly never heard of it. And what are the chances that this woman accepted a first date with Sam and didn’t tell him beforehand that it would only be one date because she was leaving the country?

“What are you saying?” Sam asks, arching a brow in my direction. “That she lied so she wouldn’t have to deal with me asking for a second date?”

I shrug, plaster a fake smile on my face, and chuckle robotically. He stares at me for several long beats, and I can tell he’s running that whole scenario over in his mind and looking at it with fresh eyes. Then his face falls.

“Oh, God. You’re right,” he says, frowning. “She blew me off with an unbelievable story, and I completely bought it. How could I be so stupid?”

“It’s her loss,” I say, tapping the screen to delete her photo and info without asking permission.

If she couldn’t see what a catch Sam is, then she doesn’t deserve him. Scrolling to the next picture, I tap a fingernail on the screen to indicate a pretty, fresh-faced blonde.

“What about this one?”

“Old boyfriend came back into the picture,” he says. “We went on a few dates, and things were going well, then bam! Dude shows up with a dozen red roses and an apology––while I’m there, mind you––and she starts making out with him right in front of me.”

“No,” I breathe, my eyes flying wide.

“Yes,” he says, sighing. “Tongue and all.”

“Well, we won’t delete her just yet,” I say with a nod. “Old flames can be hard to put out, and maybe she realized her mistake and was too embarrassed to call you. We’ll leave flower girl on the list.”

“On what list?” Sam asks, and I stop scrolling through the entries to meet his gaze.

“You liked all these women, went on at least one date with them, and either got shut down, lied to, or ghosted, right?”

“Harsh way to put it, but yeah. I guess you’re right,” he says, flinching a little.

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