Page 5 of The Little Black Book

“What?” I shout, then flinch, and Ava––who’d called my name in the first place––stares back at me with wide eyes.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” I say quickly, my gaze darting around the table.

“If you don’t want to do this…” Sam leans in and whispers, letting the words trail off as I shake my head.

“I’m in,” I say, then give him my brightest smile. “Let’s do this.”

Chapter2

One Big Exclamation Point!

Sam

Iwas only joking when I first suggested Zoey be my wing-woman, but the more we talked about it, the more I liked the idea. If Iamdoing something wrong and shooting myself in the foot when it comes to finding love, she’ll see it and help me fix it.

I lean back into my couch cushions and sigh. I don’t know where this sudden urge to find love has come from. Maybe it’s seeing my best friend fall for Sophie. She brought new life into his heart and his home. He smiles constantly now, and prioritizes time with her over time spent at the casino, which is a fucking modern-day miracle. That man was entirely too work-obsessed before her.

My gaze moves around my living room as the silence thumps against my eardrums. I’ve never really noticed before, but this house is fucking noiseless. A veritable fortress of solitude.

And I want more. I want noise and chaos. Laughter and bickering. The clang of pots and pans in the kitchen. A movie turned up loud while I snuggle someone special under a blanket.

I squeeze my eyes closed and shake my head. I’m thirty-three years old, I live alone with no pets or plants, and my best friend is myboss. I love Jared like a brother, but fuck, that’s sad.

It’s been a few years since my last serious girlfriend. We broke up amicably after what little fire we had between us fizzled out. I’ve never cheated, I have excellent hygiene, and I’m a pretty level-headed guy. And not to blow my own horn, but I know I’m not bad to look at. The constant barrage of come-ons I receive at the casino are a testament to that.

I even gave Jared some solid advice when he fucked things up with Sophie a few months ago, so I know I’m not completely clueless when it comes to women and relationships. I just don’t know why nothing ever works out for me. Why none of my dates ever lead to more. Why no one ever goes the distance withme.

“Zoey is going to help me with that,” I whisper, breaking the silence as my lips curve up into a grin.

She’ll figure out what I’m doing wrong and help me fix it. Though, for the life of me, I can’t seem to figure out what that could be.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I open the app and scroll through the entries. Most of these ended with extenuating circumstances––an old boyfriend came back into the picture, a sudden trip out of town, stuff like that. Bad timing.

I stop scrolling and tap on a photo.

Stacey Phillips- 28 years old

Dinner and drinks; lots of laughs and good chemistry

Travelled across the country to take care of sick grandmother

I study Stacey’s picture as I try to recall our date. The details are vague, but I put her in the app, so the date must’ve been somewhat enjoyable. And while Zoey can talk shit about the Africa trip woman all she wants, I know this one has to be real.

No one would pretend to have a sick granny to get out of a second date, would they?

No. That’s just begging for bad juju.

She’s attractive, with curly, reddish-blonde hair and a cute upturned nose. The picture only shows her from the shoulders-up, but if memory serves, she’s a little on the shorter side and all soft, round curves.

Just my type.

There’s only one way to find out if she’s interested in me or lied through her teeth to keep me from asking her out again. I pull up her number and type out a text message.

Me:Hey, Stacey. It’s Sam Simmons. I was just thinking about you and wondering if you’re back in town. I thought maybe we could grab dinner one night this week.

Tapping the icon, I send the text and set my phone on the couch beside me. It’s been months since our one and only date, so if her excuse was real, she should be back in town by now. And if she’s not, or she was lying in the first place, then I’ll know there’s no hope and delete her from myHis Little Black Bookapp.

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