Starting From Somewhere (Starting From 4)

“Hey,” I said, chuckling when he fell theatrically onto his chair and set his hand over his heart.

“Jiminy Christmas, you scared the hell out of me! I thought you left.”

“I had a salt and fat craving. These are for you.” I handed him the bag of chips, then pushed aside the binder on his desk, and sat on the corner, eyeing him appreciatively.

His sunburn had faded, giving him a nice, bronzed tone that went well with his light-green button-down shirt. I almost commented on how pretty his eyes looked, but I was already in danger of coming on too strong. Rein it in, I warned myself.

Cody lowered his eyelashes as he smiled. Damn, he even had pretty eyelashes.

“Thanks, but I’ll save them for later. I need real food.”

“Suit yourself. This is my appetizer. I’m still trying to figure out what I want for dinner. What are you having?”

“Something nutritious. My meal last night was awful. Greasy chicken, lumpy potatoes, and limp green beans. The only saving grace was the bread,” he said with a laugh.

I wagged my brows and rubbed my belly. “Sounds great to me.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t. Though it probably wouldn’t have seemed so terrible if I’d liked my date more.”

I furrowed my brow. “Date? With who?”

“A man.”

“Keep talking.”

“There’s nothing to tell. His name was Roger. He’s in a polka band, loves Red Vines licorice, and talked about Dungeons and Dragons for thirty-five minutes straight. No input or interruption from me whatsoever. He claimed to be interested in role-playing on his profile, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.” Cody snorted.

My jaw dropped. “Role-playing? What the—were you on a dating app?”

“Yes. What’s wrong with that? People in your generation use them too, you know.”

“Cool it with the age jokes, young man, or I’m gonna take you over my knee,” I huffed.

Cody’s eyes brightened. “See? That’s exactly what I was hoping for!”

“Excuse me?”

“I was hoping to meet an adventurous, smart guy in a band.”

“Dungeons and Dragons and polka. Sounds like you got exactly what you were looking for,” I snarked. “Serves you right.”

He snickered good-naturedly. “Ah, the irony. He wanted to show me his stamp collection after dinner too.”

“Please don’t tell me you went home with him.”

“Why would you care?”

“I don’t,” I lied. “It seems…dangerous. Don’t go home with strangers. Isn’t that a rule or something?”

“No, it might not be wise, but it’s not a rule. I was being impetuous…wild and crazy. Turns out I’m not good at spontaneity. If you recall, I invited you to my place after I met you in a dingy bar in the dark. If you hadn’t been a gentleman, I might have ended up on the eleven o’clock news.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m no gentleman. And no, that was not smart of you.”

Cody smiled. “Maybe not, but it’s nice to know there are good men out there.”

“Well…thanks, but you’re not going to meet them on a dating app.”

“I might. I have another date with a different guy next weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

He changed the topic…something about analytics and platform performances. I had no clue what he was talking about. Not for lack of intelligence. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of him going out with a stranger. A dude in a band he wanted to get kinky with in the bedroom. Geez, if he wanted those things, he should go out with me. I’d spank him in a heartbeat and—wait. That wasn’t my kink. I mean, I wasn’t not into it, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was—

“Cancel,” I blurted.

Cody did a double take and cocked his head. “Cancel what?”

“Your date. It’s not safe. You should just…” I took a deep breath, wondering why I felt suddenly nervous. “Go out with me.”

Silence.

“Are you asking me on a date?” he stage-whispered.

I nodded slowly at first, then with gusto. “Yeah, I am. Cancel your plans with dork number two, and…go out with me instead.”

He squinted suspiciously. “I thought you were too old for me. Oh. Wait a second. You feel sorry for me.”

“Sorry for you? How?” I sputtered incredulously.

“Oh, in the usual cool guy ways. I get it. If I were in your shoes, I might feel the same, but I assure you, it’s unnecessary. One bad date won’t deter me from experiencing life for two months.”

“Ah. Unbelievably, I think I get it.” I let out a half laugh. “You’re literally on a quest to check off a bucket list.”

“Yes, I told you so, and I rarely say anything I don’t mean.”

“Same here. I wouldn’t have asked you out if I didn’t want the pleasure of your very odd company,” I teased. “At least with me, you know what you’re getting. I play guitar in a rock band, and the weirdest game I’m into is Words with Friends. However, I do like Red Vines. I’m not obsessed or anything, but I could do some damage if you left me in a room with them. Is that a problem?”