More Than Sorry

17: She Meets Some Men

EDEN

The man sitting across from me is definitely into me.

Sawyer. The Risk Analyst.

Whatever the hell that boring job is, they wear suits, and let's just say that Sawyer wears his suit very nicely. He's pretty yummy—twinkly blue eyes, trimmed beard with hints of gray, and full lips that smile at me as he sips from the coffee cup dwarfed in his hands.

Swiping a thumbs up on this guy was a no-brainer.

I don't know why everyone complains about internet dating. Maybe I've just been super lucky, but since downloading that dating app a couple of days ago, I've had some great matches and—thankfully—minimal dick pics from creepsters.

Last night was a bit of a miss. I met up with a firefighter for a drink. A firefighter! That man was stacked. Beautiful. Even though he never left me guessing that he was interested in more, he was obviously too good at his job. No sparks were flying for me.

Since the dating app was all out of firefighters, I went skipping back down that whole sexy supervillain path I seem to like so much. Sawyer was a natural choice.

A great choice.

Little flutters of excitement warm my chest every time Sawyer grins my way. So what if it's not the swarm of butterflies that invaded my tummy when I first met Zach? We'll ignore the fact those butterflies are still there every time I look at his perfect, dumb face. Sometimes, attraction grows over time, right? I'm ready to meet new men.

Really ready.

Maybe.

Pretty sure.

Just like I promised Zach, no more games. I haven't told him about my adventures in internet dating because I know it will crush him. We're still in contact most days, and I do look forward to his messages. But a niggle in the back of my mind pokes at me, reminding me that our current arrangement makes it all so easy for Zach. Work can stay his number one priority when the only effort he needs to keep me baited on his sexy hook is sending a few messages every day.

I swear I'm not playing around to get back at Zach or to make him jealous. This is my real, honest attempt to strip away all the protective layers covering my broken heart and try dating again on my own terms. And this time, there will be no interference from Yvette and her questionably good intentions.

And it's not like I'm doing a lousy job.

Sawyer is funny and outgoing, and we never seem to run out of things to say. Our quick coffee catch-up was only supposed to last fifteen minutes between his meetings. An hour later, and we're still here, laughing and chatting away.

Sawyer's phone started buzzing on and off about fifteen minutes ago. He ignored it with a shrug and went right back to talking. Now whoever has been trying to reach him has obviously gotten the complete shits because the never-ending vibrations send his phone on a little dance across the wooden table.

Sawyer lets out a groan, his eyes rolling to the ceiling before he flicks them down to check his phone.

"Duty calls?" I guess when those baby blues lift to mine looking a lot less twinkly.

"My secretary is about to send out a search party," Sawyer replies. "Apparently, I'm very late for a meeting."

I don't try to hide the disappointment in my smile as I rise from my chair, smoothing out the wrinkles from my pink sweater dress. "I'll let you escape back to your meetings. I suppose all good things eventually have to come to an end."