Miss Matched [COMPLETED]

22. Simon

The coffee shop is directly across from the hospital, so while Aaron and I catch up, I trade jokes and inside remarks with other staff members when they wander past our table.

"Next time I suggest meeting here," Aaron says, sipping his coffee. "Remind me of the Simon Circus."

I chuckle and fist bump one of the other nurses when she stops at our table. "You're done for the day?" she asks.

"Shift is over."

"You haven't been working much overtime the last couple weeks," she says, slurping her iced coffee.

"There's more to life than work." I've got my fingers crossed that in a week, I'm not eating those words.

"Amen to that," she says, holding her cup toward me for a cheers. We bang plastic cups and then she says she'll see me around next time we're on the same shift.

"I feel like I'm with a celebrity," Aaron says.

"You wanna get out of here?" I gather up my keys and wallet. I came here right after my shift ended, and I should get home soon to Rex.

Aaron rises from his seat, and I say hello to another five people before we make it to the door. Once we're outside, Aaron gestures to a small recreational path that circles around a marshy area. "Walk and talk?"

"Why not?" I take a long sip from my coffee. "So, how are things going with Denise? From the rescue organization?"

"We've been out a few times. I don't know what's going to happen there. We're pretty different."

"Opposites attract?" I suggest.

"Do they?" Aaron frowns. "I'm not convinced opposites work long term. We're having fun for now."

"Tayla and I are pretty similar, I think," I say. "We're both in professions where we care for others, our love of animals, fitness. We have a similar sense of humor, most of the time."

"She's still giving you a shot, huh?" Aaron eyes me. "You tell her everything yet?"

"Told her about my dad," I confirm. "Last night, I told her about Jada."

"How'd she take it?" Aaron checks the sign on the path to figure out which route will return to the parking lot.

"Still processing." She didn't kick me out of her house after I told her, so that's gotta be a good sign.

"Man, I woulda thought Tayla'd be on a mission today to ruin GameSetMatch. Taking her money, playing a hand in the ruination of your relationship? I was sort of counting on her to have the backbone you don't seem to possess."

I swallow the coffee and don't directly answer him. Two days ago, I asked Tayla if she'd stop seeing me if she could. She didn't even hesitate when she said yes. The money GameSetMatch will owe her is my only guarantee I'll get another week. "I ruined my relationship by buying into my dad's bullshit and then listening to GameSetMatch tell me I was headed for divorceland if I stayed with Tayla."

"You should have sued them for emotional distress or something. They gave Jada your address and phone number. They lied to you about how they got your information. She harassed you for almost a year."

"I'm still not sure how I got back into their database this time. They swore they removed me after the last woman came knocking." The heat of the sun beats down, and I rub my nose. "I haven't signed up for a single dating website or app because I know they mine those sites for matches."

"If they'd matched you again, and the woman wasn't Tayla, would you have done anything?"

"Like what?"